New Year - New Location

Your dwelling has everything to do with where you are at in your life.  No Really! 

If only you could live in Malibu or the Keys, or maybe if you lived in the Bahama's - ya then life would be okay. No, it would be perfect.  

But wait if that was true then why is Hollywood clothed in lies, and scandal, deceit , divorce.  But your dwelling is not necessarily a house, or villa , a mansion, your dwelling is where your mind is parked. What do you think about? What do you ponder?  What do you dwell on?  

I believe what we focus on, has a lot to do with what shapes our lives.  If we focus on positive things we will be a positive person.  If we focus on negative things, we will never be able to appreciate what we have in front of us.  

* Isaiah 43:18  - Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. 

I've seen a lot of people in life living in their past. Struggling with a strongholds that developed due to circumstances, or holding on to guilt or hurts that hold them in bondage from going forward.  I've seen people miserable due to their unwillingness to forgive.  I've seen people that are stuck in a shack so to speak, because they were not teachable.  They wouldn't try anything else. 

My husbands father used to tell them when they were growing up, that people get stuck in their minds. See getting out of a physical place,  first starts with getting out of it in your mind.  

* Hosea 4:6 - My People are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. 

* Philippians 3:13   Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

So what's the answer - Lay it at the feet of Jesus.  Let go of anger, let go of un-forgiveness, let go of your past. Choose a new dwelling place. Dwell in the presence of the God.  

* Psalm 27:4 

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

*Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,

As we start a New Year and everyone is making goals and resolutions I would like to challenge us all to ponder a new dwelling for the new year.  Seek the peace that can only be found by resting in the dwelling of our Father God.  

Blessings, 

Lynn 

A Mother and Fathers Love...

This time of year elicits memories and feelings that are individual and unique to each of us.  For me I like to reflect on not only memories that I have created with my family and loved ones, but I like to reflect on what all the birth of Jesus has done in my life. 

I don't even know how many near misses I've had that the protection of Jesus has saved me from.  I have favor beyond measure everywhere I go.  I have healing, and peace like no other that the world has to offer.  But most of all - I have an eternal home, that when I leave this earth that I can go to because a Father - Father God loved me so much that he gave his only son as a sacrifice for me.  (paraphrased) 

John 3:16

One of my favorite songs is "Mary did you know"  I don't care who sings it - it brings me to tears ever time I hear it - and yes I listen to it over and over. 

Here are the lyrics: 

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know.. Ooo Ooo Ooo

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

Here's a link if you want to listen to it:  Here

My Granddaughter and her husband are expecting their second son.  "Benjamin" in February.  I talked to her last night and she's getting so excited to see her new little baby.  It's so exciting to think of what all this new little boy will do with his life.  I say dream big - Jesus say we could do even greater things than He... 

John 14:12 (NIV)

 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

But none of this would be possible with out there first being a birth.  The birth of Jesus had to happen for any of these blessings.  And that is truly what this holiday is about for me.  Reflecting and rejoicing that Jesus was born.  

Blessings to you all and a very Merry Christmas.

  

Little Things

There are so many little things, that I do everyday and on special days that have just become habit. And one day I stopped and pondered - why do you do that?  Like when I make a sandwich, I'm very particular about making sure the mustard, or Mayo is spread all the way to the very edge of the bread so the flavor is consistent.  Does anybody realize that or is it just a good sandwich. (hopefully) Another example is when I frost a cake, it has to be evenly frosted on all corners and the center.  Or how no matter how messy my desk is daily or weekly at the end of the week, I can't go home for my weekend until everything in my office is straightened and put away. Then there is my present wrapping.  I make sure the edges are folded under just right when I tape them. And the ribbon, while tying the bow is tucked just right, so the shiny side is facing out all the way around the loop.  And again I ask myself - why do you do that? Like the children at Christmas time pick up the package, look it over and admire the care that was put into making it look so pretty.  I don't think so!  :) They don't even know what color the wrap was let alone that the bow had to match the magenta swirl that went through it.  I'm laughing at myself now. :)

So as I pondered this and asked myself why do you do this, does anybody even notice that you pick this up, straighten this, spread this, match that? I heard God whisper I DO!  God sees! God sees everything.  All the time and care and thought that goes into these little things, that seemingly go unnoticed, are noticed. So what ever my reasons are for doing these things, I'm now going to look at them as doing things "the little things" unto the Lord.  Because now when I spread mustard on a sandwich or tie a bow on a present - I will know that God is watching and I will feel His presence.

God created us to do things with excellence and though I don't profess to be excellent in everything, I'm noticing that I am taking what I do more seriously. Not wanting to run through everything just to say I did it - but if I'm going to do something I want to do it with care and purpose.

So if you are out there and think what you do doesn't matter - you're wrong.  It matters to God.

Hope you all have a Blessed Day! 

Lynn 

Puppies - Babies and Monsters

The other day my husband and I were talking about getting a dog someday, maybe after we retire. He listed off a type or two of dog he would like and then I did the same.  And then for a while I think we both drifted off in our own thoughts of this new dog we would have in our lives what they would look like and what we would name them.


My youngest daughter is going through this similar thing with babies right now. Newly re-married, she is having a huge desire to have another baby.  She has a daughter 10, a son 7 and now from new hubby another daughter 6. So her home is full and blessed, but she does have this yearning for a baby.


This brought up a whirl of thoughts in me - one, God made us to have desires, and God made us to love, because God is Love!


So I started thinking of how we all crave, and we all desire something and these desires change through out our life - yearly - monthly - hourly.  We desire puppies, and babies and things, and money and food and wealth.  And not that any of them are bad by themselves, but bad can come of them if they are not cared for properly. 


Puppies are oh so cute, but after the fifth pair of shoes they have destroyed they are not so cute anymore.  Do you stay diligent and keep training them to be all they can be as a pet and companion - or do you give up and put them on a chain in the back yard? Hence becoming this burden that you have to feed and water each day. 


Likewise - babies are so precious and so sweet and such a blessing from Heaven - until they learn to talk back and get their own opinions of how the world should be run.  Then it's not all the warm fuzzy feeling of the afghan Aunt Tilda made for your little bundle of ...... what ever that is behind that slammed door. See if we are not consistent about not just nurturing but training and correcting these cute little babies - they become a monster in our lives.


Tthis can apply to anything that we allow to get out of control in our life.  We desire things and then when we have to take care of these things, or pay for these things. We crave food and then we gain weight, and have to be a slave to loosing it. We desire wealth, but with it comes great responsibility, long hours and again it becomes a monster in our life.


So what's the answer - My canned answer for everything - It's God!  If there's a question about a computer I ask did you re-boot? And if there is a question of what do I do about anything else I ask Did you Pray?  Because if you ask God,  and here is the really really big secret to everything in the universe - Are you ready - wanna take notes?  Did you do what God told you to do?  If you ask and if you listen, and if you do what God said - there is no failing, there is no monster. Because even when the puppy chews your shoes and even when the child slams the door and even when all else becomes a monster that you created - God is so wonderful - he'll show you the way out.  If you do it.


Have a blessed day! 
Lynn