I am not my own...

"To say, 'I am not my own,' is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature.

 The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus,

 but of being a perfect delight to Him. 

The secret is truly being able to say, 'I am His, and He is accomplishing His work 

and His purposes through me.' 

Be entirely His!"

 --Oswald Chambers,

 from the My Utmost for His Highest Perpetual Calendar.

Autumn Giveaway...

Can you believe autumn is here?! What beauty is just outside my back door as the maple trees do their yearly dance of color. I just came in from enjoying the sunshine on this lovely day, helping my husband reduce the huge cottage garden we have enjoyed the past 6 years in the front of our house. Time to admit that downsizing is a good idea. With all the things we have going on in our lives, there is just no time to properly care for vast places of landscaping on our property.

If you live locally, feel free to come by for perennial starts for a few weeks yet. I would be happy to send them off to other homes where they will bring joy to another.

Are you ready to hear about the giveaway? Remember the one I did in the spring? Well, I've been reading another book...and it's good! So good, in fact, that I would like to give away 2 copies. It has been challenging, convicting, thought provoking, and encouraging to me, and I would love to give you a copy to read.

For a chance to win a copy of this book written in the 1800's but with a message so poignant to today's society, please comment either here, or on Facebook, or Google Plus and share a blessing you are grateful for these days. Or ten blessings, or however many you would like to share :-)

I have found this book easy to read, and a real blessing to ponder.

I would recommend it to every man or woman, young or old!

This giveaway will be open for two weeks.
So in two weeks, on October 11, 2014,
I will put all the contestants' names in
a basket, toss them around,
and have my son draw two names.
I will announce the winners on the blog.
Looking forward to hearing from you!

God bless you...
and happy autumn to you all.

Morning Musings...Encouragement Part 3

Goodmorning friends...

In pondering encouragement further, the Lord brought a few things to mind through personal experiences since I wrote last Tuesday on this subject. Here is one experience I had that has me thinking more:

In my opinion, one of the most powerful forms of encouragement comes from pronouncing blessing on others. Just Sunday evening this happened to my  husband and I through a brother who shared how we have challenged and blessed him and his family. It was a simple statement, but enough to amaze me at first, then thank GOD that our lives bless others and point them to Jesus. It is humbling and exciting when others bless us in this way (altho we should never 'live' to have this happen!) because we know we cannot do this of ourselves, and although we are needy and sometimes have a faith too weak to believe that our lives account for much (yes, I am well aware and teach it myself: that the focus should never be US but HIM...this article is presenting the reality of temptation in a believer's life...), God brings people to us to encourage us to keep going in His Way. So my challenge today is to get out there and verbally bless the believers in your life. It is a hard, uphill climb to heaven. There are obstacles along the way. The enemy of our souls is working overtime it seems to drag us back over the Great Divide of allegiances to his side. There is much struggle, heartache, and rebuff if you are a child of God because the powers of darkness are at war with the powers of Light.

Go bless them. Specifically share how they have encouraged, challenged, convicted, or lifted up your soul. They need to hear it. Because let me tell you, no matter how mature they are, or how strong they seem, or how unmoved they are by the storms, you have no idea sometimes just how black the waves of discouragement or depression that lap at their door step, nor how strong the pull of self-pity or bitterness may be in their life. You have no idea how hard they are fighting and how raging is the storm that they might be going through, and even though technically God is supposed to be (and is) enough, your words of blessing and encouragement just might be the lift their hands that hang down need, or the strengthening their feeble knees need. 

I think it is time we the people stand up and use our words to bless and build each other up where we can. I realize that sometimes there are broken relationships that we cannot fix, but for who you can, BLESS with your words...and your actions too, as stated previously.

Ps

Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement

about an autumn giveaway this week...

The Whole of Things...

"The first thing that impresses us about the call of God is that it comes to the whole man, not to one part of him.

 The majority of us are godly in streaks, spiritual in sections; it takes a long time to locate us altogether to the call of God. 

We have special days and religious moods, but when we get into contact with God we are brought in touch with Reality and made all of a piece. 

Our Lord's life was all one reality; you could never cut it into two--shallow here and profound there.

 My conception of God must embrace the whole of my life." 

--Oswald Chambers,

 in He Shall Glorify Me

 from The Quotable Oswald Chambers.

Whatever it Takes...

Many times we ask God to change our situation,

 after we put ourselves in the situation,

 and God allowed it so the situation can change us.

~shared by a friend on Face Book

Have you recognized an experience such as this
in your own life?
I have,
and indeed it is sobering.
But wonderful to know
that God takes 
care of His own...
in whatever  way He 
needs to for us
to be drawn ever
higher in our walk
to eternity.

Of Sons...

Hey Mama,

Your son. Just noticing how loud he is. Man, he's a talker. And he sure makes his wants known. Some call that "whining." And why is he so scruffed up, sweaty and dusty all the time? Oh, and can he eat. That boy can put it away. How on earth do you afford it...

Mama, you wanna know something? That little crackerjack tiger is going to be a man someday. A man who will love you fiercely and who would protect you against anything that dared to come against you. He talks a lot because he's figuring out who he is; his identity is being formed now. He whines at times and expresses himself fully - but that's because he'll be a leader someday and he's learning and testing his limits. Some day his expressions will be eloquent and clear. He will walk and speak with a confidence that will make your heart swell.

Yeah, he's sweaty because he's not afraid of physical activity and hard work. Dirt? It doesn't phase him. As a man, he won't be sniveling and lazy, afraid of getting his hands dirty. Like his dad (and his mama), he will work hard; his family will be his everything. And as you are getting the word of God into his heart, his great Lord and Savior will be his Everything.

Keep walking, Mama. Don't give up. Yes, he's a pressure cooker of popcorn, ever-going off and not all that well reigned in. But he's a work in progress, and ultimately he is the Lord's business. You plant, God waters and harvests. You pour into him, and reap the blessings later.

See that boy? Close your eyes and fast forward a decade or two. See that man? He's yours now and you'll be his then. Those scrawny little arms are the ones that will lift you up in your old age.

Embrace this time. What a gift

~from The Old School House Magazine...

This could not have come at a more timely moment for me.

 Yes, sometimes my son's seeming boundless energy and other things mentioned in this encouraging note

 'get to me' sometimes. 

Oh Lord, 

when I am weary of taking that time 

for him, 

please remind me 

of eternity 

and of his future

 as a man. 

Amen.

Morning Musings...Encouragement Part 2

Goodmorning...

Here are some random thoughts I've been thinking about encouraging and being encouraged:

1. Not all encouragement feels like encouragement. As an encourager, be sure your words are from God and when they are not understood or received, move on in love and blessing your friend in spite of the hurt you might feel at being misunderstood or rejected. It is God's work. Not ours. We are but vessels in His hands.

2. If someone gives you counsel/encouragement/help you don't understand or agree with, I suggest that it is still most courteous and respectful to acknowledge their help. Ignoring their words because you don't know what to say is often the road most taken, but I suggest that it is not the road best taken. You can say something like, "Thank you for thinking of me. This is a very emotional time for me, and I don't know what to think, but I will consider your advice." or "Thank you. I don't know what I'll do yet, but I will think about what you said." or "I have chosen to go (this way in the matter), but I appreciate that you felt free to share. It is a blessing to have friends who care".
And someday down the road, you  may remember their encouragement,
 and actually be able to use it.

3. If someone you give encouragement to does not appreciate your words, don't keep flinging it in their face. Just move on and pray for them instead. Love them and sincerely find a way to wish them well on their journey.

4. Keep your life open to the ministry of encouragement, no matter how lonely you are or how often you are rejected. There are millions of ways to encourage others... A note sent in one the MANY ways we have to send them these days (text, email, snail mail,  hand delivered, chat online, etc etc etc)...or a bouquet of flowers, or some food for a busy mom (just make sure it is food they would appreciate, if you can)...or doing some sewing for a busy homemaker, or whatever it is you can find to help others. This means we will have less time for hobbies, etc so there is time to devote to the ministry of encouragement.

Do you know your friends? Do you respect them? Sometimes respecting a person means that you don't share much with them because they resist you and your words. I have experienced this. I think the best way to 'bless' that person is to release them and let them be who they clearly want to be...and secretly pour out prayers to God on their behalf. God can work where we are pushed aside.
(after all, it IS His work...)

I have been encouraged in so many, many ways. The brothers whose sermons are preached and recorded via video or CD have no idea that I, an often lonely housewife in love with Jesus, have been encouraged to grow and love Him more by their sermons. The friend whose card of encouragement I received on Saturday didn't know how very much I needed it when she sent it, but she sent it in obedience to God. (Thank you, Mrs B...) A friend gave me a basket full of mums last fall...and a friend sent me some flowers a few months ago during a time when I was feeling pretty discouraged...my brother sent me a song clip this morning "Walk your Talk" and I was encouraged to know that he feels I do that (bless the Lord!)...that same brother told me yesterday after he saw a picture of me that I look pretty :-) how nice to hear that when you are fast heading out of the 30's and into the 40's (but I hope it is the beauty of Jesus he saw on my face...)...my husband took the time to ask me this morning (even tho he was on a time crunch) how I am today (he knows better than anyone else that I am struggling with some physical and emotional things right now)...
a friend took the time after church on Sunday to hear my physical struggles and because she is knowledgeable on such things, had some good advice for me, which I greatly appreciated...
another friend asked me after church on Sunday if I am ok because she saw me go outside,
after an announcement about some longtime friends caused the tears to gush from my heart in
a geyser that would have caused major distraction had I stayed in the sanctuary...

I say all this to say that there are millions of ways to encourage people. In order to encourage, you have to know something of the person, usually. But sometimes random acts of kindness can encourage as well. Mind the Lord. He is faithful to show us who we need to be reaching out to and when.

Are you lonely? Do you feel neglected by the people in your life (many people experience this)? Get up in Jesus' name and bless them and others. Lose yourself in worship of Him who came to serve, and not to be served, the One whose name you profess. And in that profession, you take up His life, the way of death to yourself and joy in His new life. Try it. It is a fantastic way to live.

There are days when we feel really neglected or rejected...The truth is, no human being can fill the hole that Jesus only can fill in our hearts. Don't look to people to do that, and you will find yourself blessed and amazed at how many times God uses people to fill a need in your life. Be open to that need being filled however He chooses for it to be filled. 

I have found that the best way to encourage people is God's way. "...speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs..." "...by love serve one another." And I have also found it to be painfully true that some do not appreciate being encouraged this way, no matter how lovingly it is shared. To this I say, keep doing things God's way but it does seem appropriate to keep out of people's faces if they don't appreciate being encouraged with Scripture, etc. Perhaps they need a few encounters with God before they can truly be encouraged by people. Don't walk away bitter, just humbly let God use you wherever He chooses.

Love and blessings to all,

Marcia

Untroubled...

"We become troubled because we have not been taking 

Him into account. 

When a person confers with Jesus Christ, 

the confusion stops,

 because there is no confusion in Him. 

Lay everything out before Him, 

and when you are faced

 with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, 

listen to Him say,

 'Let not your heart be troubled . . .' 

(John 14:27)." 

--Oswald Chambers, 

in My Utmost for His Highest.

Seeing Only In Part...

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

I'm remembering a time when I was encouraged...

(I missed posting about encouragement on Tuesday, which I had planned to do...)

One day a few months ago I was feeling kind of lonely...and somehow satan knew this and was really piling on the discouragement over neglect from various relationships in my history...

I was fighting it in my spirit but was really feeling crummy. 

Then, a simple message sent through Facebook from a woman I have not seen in probably 10 years, recommending a blog she thought I would like, was like water from a thirsty land. 

God used this dear woman, who had no idea that I was struggling, to remind me that He has my times in His hands, and that He cares about me (I wasn't doubting that, but He sure found a way to reassure me nonetheless.)

So today, I send thanks to God for the blessing of encouragement.

And thank you, to my friend Sharlynn. You are a blessing to me and I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Here's wishing you all a very good day. This is the day He made, so I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Love and blessings,

Marcia

I Will Give Thanks

On Grief...

"My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there!"

Charles Spurgeon

The Ministry of the Unnoticed...

This devotional by Oswald Chambers struck a chord with me in a place I find myself in life currently. I hear my Savior calling me to come higher with Him, and my heart responds with a Yes...

"The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness— I can only enter it as an absolute pauper.

The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always unnoticed by the one possessing that quality. Conscious influence is prideful and unchristian. If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord. “He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.

Who are the people who have influenced us most? Certainly not the ones who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that they were influencing us. In the Christian life, godly influence is never conscious of itself. If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring."

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Matthew 5:3

In Psalms and Hymns...

If Ye Love Me

by Thomas Tallis

Trusting...

When the Lord fed the 5000, He took the limited resources the disciples had – the five loaves and two fish – and He fed the multitudes (Mt 14:13-21). The Lord has proven many times that we do not need to stockpile great resources before we attempt the impossible. As long as we remain in a bless-able, surrendered state, in the hands of the Master our few loaves and fish are enough. What we have learned is that Jesus does not need a lot to work miracles; He just needs all we have. 

– In Christ’s Image Training

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

Last week I had some very dramatic moments, 

God-inspired happenings that I wish I could describe in detail for you here, 

but due to the sensitive nature of their content, I cannot.

 BUT...I am so blessed and so for my thanksgiving today, 

I share sketches.

1. I KNOW there is a God. I know it now, more fully than ever before by the testimony of a woman who could bless her husband after his harshness to her when her flesh would rather have risen up against him and deserted him when he was having a bad day.

2. I know there is a God in heaven making sure my son has life lessons he needs to help him to learn to cause him to soberly consider that actions, good or bad, deliver consequences, and that there is a God in heaven who is not blind to disobedience...but that He in MERCY does not deliver as bad a punishment as he could, but enough to make us consider our ways.

3. To watch my husband wrestle with an assignment he was given, and to hear the end results which told of the simplicity of God's Words, Truth that endures forever, has strengthened my faith in a God who knows what He is doing for the good of His people.

4. To feel a Holy Spirit nudge on my shoulder and asking me to do a simple, little task for Him one evening last week, resulted in an amazing moment that has wowed me beyond words.

I am blessed. It is my deepest desire to bless the Lord at all times...

I Stand in Awe of You...

The Face of Revival...

"We cry out 

for revival, 

and yet 

God says,

 "I want to 

open your eyes 

so you can see 

what is before you. 

Revival has a face 

and a name.

 It lies bleeding on

 the roadside.""

Heidi Baker

Morning Musings...

I was invited to participate in a challenge for the month of September:

Granted, I know that as a child of God I SHOULD be 

instant in season and out of season,

and I definitely aspire to be that...

but, I also know that passivity and  self-pity lap

far too closely at my door,

so I took up the challenge.

It started out as a Facebook challenge, but it 

appears to be extending beyond as well.

It has me thinking about thoughts...

I pondered them this morning as I was 

putting away the new rolls of toilet paper

(yes, this is homemaker's realness...pondering over 

mundane tasks like restocking toilet paper)...

I was feeling a little peevish

(I don't recall why exactly)

and then I thought, well! I have the choice

to be peevish, 

or...

I can thank God that all of my family

has normal bodily functions,

and that we have good food to

help those bodily functions to be normal,

yes, I really did think this...

And then I thought about the planned activities for today...

unloading 5 face cords of fire wood and helping 

my darling husband to load another 5...

and I would really just like to sit and sew and

go for a long walk down the country road,

whose ditches are engorged with the beauty 

of late summer flowers...

but...

I have a choice on what kinds of thoughts

I will allow, so...

I choose gratitude that I have a husband

who is forward thinking,

and hardworking,

and decided that we shall prepare for snow

before the snow this year...

HAPPILY

will I help him.

And so it goes...

thoughts.

What about it?

Are we really believing that we

 have been given

the power to 

bring into captivity

EVERY THOUGHT

to the obedience of Christ?

Which brings me back to

the blessing challenge.

I put it out there for anyone reading this

who may be challenged and encouraged

to do the same in your corner of the world.

There are alot of relationship rubs...

places that hurt

or annoy

or hinder a friendship

if we let them get in the way.

Are we going to sit by and

let those things build up and destroy life?

Or are we going to choose

to bless even the 'unlovable'?

(remembering that outside of Christ,

we are 'of all men most miserable'?)

And besides that,

blessing others is much harder,

and much less frequent in our nature

than to curse the darkness

and to be negative to others...

So I challenge you.

And I take up the challenge myself.

Do you have a story to share

on how the blessing of another

lifted your weary heart?

Or perhaps you can share about 

how the Lord helped you to

change your thoughts from

morose and negative

to thankful and positive?

(I'm going to be sharing each Tuesday

in September, Lord willing,

about how I have been blessed

and encouraged by others)

I'd love to hear from you...

~Marcia

Changed...

"I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye." 

--Oswald Chambers, 

in Disciples Indeed 

from The Quotable Oswald Chambers.