God's Word for Today

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Waiting for the clay to dry...

No really, that's what I am doing right now. So rather than sit and twiddle my thumbs...Blogging from the studio!

Over the course of the last several month life has been streaching my prayer life.

In a nutshell, parenting semi-adult children is hard. I may end up in the nut house before the process of releasing the girlchild out unto the world is all said and done.

I am seeking the rule book for how to maintain my sanity and control my toung whilst appearing perfectly calm to the rest of the world. Anybody got a copy...cause I really need it.

Wait...rule book, God's  Word, that's it I'll club her into submission with my NIV Study Bible. It's big, thick and certainly heavy enough! Well maybe not, but a girl can dream...

My internal dialog is screaming "Do it my way!" Yet my semi-parental-wisdom is shouting to just keep my trap shut. All this hinges on me being obedient to keep said trap shut...yea, not so much!

Not to mention  you know who stirring the pot of conflict, fear, worry and all other unwanted emotions and thoughts in my head.

Each day I find myself on a continual loop of prayer.

Lord Help me...
Lord Help her...
Lord show me...

Laying in bed at night, tossing and turning and having at time some rather heated discussion with the Lord. 

Cause I need a vacation,

Growing up is painful, the jury is still out on who suffers more in the process. The parents or the children...

Blessing from the Nut House
R

PS: She hasn't joined a cult, run off with  motorcycle gang or adopted a life of crime, it just feels that way. It's all normal, at least I keep telling myself that anyway.

Prayers appreciated...

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Sometime ya just need a keyboard...


there are some things I know for sure!

the evil one works harder to deter those of faith because the victory will be sweeter if he can succeed.

I knew that tapping away on my phone would hinder my process this morning so I had to dust off the laptop to get these thoughts out of my head this morning.

Me in my jammies this morning....good morning y'all!


I know the truth, I also know who the ruler of the air is.

Last night I spent several hours having great discussion with the Lord. The evil one would place unwanted thoughts in my head. I would take them captive, place them in God's hands and allow Him to usher them back out. 

Would that I could do this but once and have it be done and over with. 

Sadly being the weak willed human I am unwanted thoughts creep in and I have to deal with them. The reality is that the evil one know right where to strike. He knows where my underbelly is. 

My other more important truth is that God is stronger and He covers me with His protection. The arrows of the evil one may be continuous, but I stand safely covered with the whole armor of God.

This morning my devotion was about this very subject. Yet another example of how God goes before us. 

"What do you worry about in your tomorrows? In your weakest moments, what thoughts are going through your head? What strategy does the enemy try to get us to worry..."

After spending multiple hours last night struggling with parental concerns and praying them away and then rinsing and repeating, these were the first words I read thins morning.

God is so GOOD y'all!

I know last night will not be my last fitful night. As a parent, we love our children, and we have concerns for their safety, their well-being and the continued longing for only good things to come into their lives.

The reality, parenting a semi-adult child is hard!

I want to control, yet know I can not. I want to protect, yet I know I must allow the freedoms for her to spread her wings. I want her to do what I want, not what is popular. I want to pick her friends AND I want to pick her BOYFRIEND...I want her to...y'all get the idea.

I am praising God this morning for providing the exact words I needed to read as well as the perfection of His words to embrace me.

God reminded me this morning that I am a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14

then He told me to "Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding..." Proverbs 3:5

As I was tossing and turning last night, the scriptures I was supposed to read were waiting on me this morning.

"...:if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139

Nuff said...

Blessings
R







Monday, July 20, 2015

#repairmytemple update

So what is the deal with weighing first thing in the morning?

What does time of day have to do with how much my body weighs? I get that my tummy is empty, but really what's the dif...

Anywhoo, over the course of the last few months I have been kicking myself for not having kept a better record of my progress.

Well I did a bit of back tracking this morning and was VERY pleasantly suprised.

I downloaded a fitness app to my old phone about a year ago. Well apparently when I set it up I had to enter all my stats into it to begin with. Well fast forward 13 months, factor in that I can't remember half of what I did last week let alone  13 months ago, which brings me to this morning.

My new phone came with a fitness app already installed, so I had been using that one out of convenience. I had downloaded the other app, it has a great function for breaking down the calories of recipes.

I have a point...really...

I was beginning to notice that my clothing was not fitting, but since I have not been dilegent in tracking my overall progress I was very pleased to re-remember that I had that old app on my phone.

On a whim yesterday, I snatched up a pair of jeans from the "I can't wear anymore pile" from the bottom of my closet and...

Wore them to church. ..

The Hubs did not notice, but then do men ever notice??? Not to mention that I have/need to loose a few more before it becomes really noticeable.

So here is the good news!

This morning when I updated the info on the "old" app I found that over the course of the last year I have lost 27 pounds...Oh my goodness!

I knew I was slowly making progress, but it was nice to actually see how much.

Making small incremental changes over time, focusing on real healthy food and removing processed products has made a huge difference.

Balance and moderation are the key.

Case in point, the Hubs and I throughly enjoyed the fried chicken, mac & cheese and biscuits over the weekend and it did not send me on a downward spiral feeding frenzy. Now as a treat every once and a while fried is ok.

But as a general rule, we don't do anything fried.  Very little bread, cut way back on pasta and removed the sugar. My rule is to try to keep the food as close to how it comes out of the ground. If I can't pronounce it then I don't eat it.

I still have areas in which I struggle, I can only speculate where I would be if I was really dilegent with my physical activities.  My mobility issues are still problematic as my hip continues to be an issue.

But for today I am very happy with my progress.

Continued prayers for dilegent are appreciated.

Blessings
R

Friday, July 17, 2015

Something to ponder on this morning. ..

From my Joyce Meyer Devo this morning.

"If you are born again, then Jesus is dwelling in you through the power of the Holy Spirit. But is God comfortable in you, and does He feel at home there within you? It took me a long time to understand that God lives in me along with all the other stuff that’s going on in my inner life. Because many Christians are not willing to submit to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit, they are not full of peace. Their inner lives are constantly in turmoil. If we want to be a comfortable home for the Lord, let’s learn to dwell in peace and joy, trusting Him to take care of us."

This really impacted me this morning.

I think, after recovering from the whirl of activity, house cleaning, menu planning surrounding our recent dinner guest, this connected with me in a big way. The bottom line all the hard work we did was to ensure that our guest was comfortable in our home.

The notion that my inner junk make my temple a place of turmoil, and that in turn make my dwelling place for God unhospitable...ah moment!

Food for thought this morning.

Blessings
R

#repairmytemple

Thursday, July 16, 2015

My House is Quite

I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday, after 48 hours with Muffinhead, a trip to visit one of my accountability sisters who landed in the hospital, it's been a whirl of activities. I woke up to a very quiet house, a quiet house is a good thing.

One of my scriptures this morning was from Isaiah

isa.26.3.niv

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

I am inspired by the goal of perfect peace. I know that perfection is something I will only attain on the other side, but pondering on the concept of perfect peace brings me momentary peace.

The goal of having a steadfast mind is a HUGE struggle for me as well. Taking every thought captive is a difficult thing to do.

Not impossible, but it requires diligent effort on my part. Obedience is important as well. I was intrigued by a new show on television, we recently upgraded to a cable provider that has on demand. Love having the ability to watch what I want when I want. But I digress, after about the third episode I rapidly found out that the direction and content of the show was absolutely not something I needed to be watching. Now I have all this leftover residue popping in and out of my thoughts.

We live in a fallen and broken world. That's the reality,  what I choose to allow to influence my life and actions is also a reality. I can choose to strive for perfect peace or I can choose to let the evils of the world wash over me and bring chaos.

Today I am embracing the goal of perfect peace, anticipating the success of my first attempt at dill pickles, pondering what to do with the mound of Roma tomatoes piled on my kitchen counter, enjoying the memory of my granddaughter at the potters wheel for the first time and savoring the quiet along with my coffee.

Blessings
R

Monday, July 13, 2015

Technology Blows...and other stuff too

I've been trying to post all day.
 I started at about 9:30, seeing as it's now 2:00 pm I think this qualifies as having a technology challenge morning.
My day started off well, my coffee was good and my house was quiet....then she woke up.

This really doesn't have anything to do with technology, however, it does have everything  to do with my mood so I will toss  it on the pile for today.

My morning conversation:

Girlchild: "So are you ever going to go back to the gym?"
Me: " I don't like to go all by myself!"

I get a free membership because she works at the gym, I have been once, but I have a hard time going by myself, yes I know this is not a good excuse, however I don't have the funds to pay for a session with a personal trainer and the gilrchild does all her workout late at night....so I am on my own. 

Girlchild: "Well you know healthy eating is not enough if you ever want to lose weight you need to start working out......JUST SAYING!"

I decided it was best to just stop talking to her at this point. I fixed my fruit and yogurt and removed myself from her presence. 

It's easy for a 20 year old who wears a size 0, who can basically eat anything she likes, looks like a supermodel in a string bikini to tell me how simple it is to just drop a few pounds.

She is also not here when the hubs and I return home from our evening walks dripping with perspiration either. JUST SAYING!

But I digress, 

For the past two days I have been working on getting our new PC up and running. Let's just say that being an IT person was never something I aspired to be, unfortunately it seems that with all the new technology out there we all seem to need to be IT specialist to troubleshoot any issues that may come up. 

I tried to post from my phone this morning then my blogger app crashed on me, I had to uninstall and then try to reinstall, then I could not connect with any of my google supported apps. My internet kept going in and out. I was trying to get all my new software and files back on the new PC that has been taking all morning long. 

Needless to say, I am about over technology for the day.

Windows 8....so far the jury is still out!

if you guys don't hear from me in the very near furture its becasue I have bashed my head repeatedly against the computer screen and am in a coma...

one more error message and I may buy a horse and buggy, move to Pennsylvania and hide amongst the Amish.
R

Saturday, July 11, 2015

The Boss is Coming to Dinner ~ Part Three

We're ready...

The Boss is coming to dinner~Part Two

Have Mercy!

My house is company clean!

My hummas is in the frig, the olives, the boconchinni, the pita chips are ready, we have a Greek appetizers going on.

Prosecco Cocktails before dinner.

Grilled lamb, steak and veggies on the grill too.

All I have to do now is get the veg in the marinade and season up the meat later and I am done.

Fortunately the boss has been to dinner before, so it's more like a friend coming for dinner only amped up a bit.

I'm even pulling out the placements and cloth napkins y'all!

Blessings
R

Thursday, July 9, 2015

The boss is coming to dinner...

Ya know what that means. The house has to be company clean.

I put a considerable dent in my list of chores yesterday, so I am in good shape.

Fortunately we have had the boss out for dinner a few times, so my stress level is minimal.  He is a nice man and my husband and he get along very well. He is from Germany, his wife and children have gone back home for a visit with family leaving him "home alone" so the Hubs offered some table fellowship.

So I am off to Walmart to buy a new set of drinking glasses, I don't think I have four that match anymore, cause ya know they break....I might even buy some new towels for the hall bathroom.

I am live'n on the edge...NOT!

Normal life requires new drinking glasses from time to time.

That's about as profound as it gets for me today.

Blessings
R

Saturday, July 4, 2015

She nailed it this morning...

From my devo this morning, Joyce Meyer was right on target.

"Feelings are fickle; they change frequently and without notification. Since feelings are unreliable, we must not direct our lives according to how we feel. You can be aware of your feelings and acknowledge their legitimacy without necessarily acting on them. God has given us wisdom, and we should walk in it, not our emotions."

In her opening paragraph she writes:

"We all have emotions, but we must learn to manage them. Emotions can be positive or negative. They can make us feel wonderful or awful. They are a central part of being human, and that is fine. Unfortunately, most people do what they feel like doing, say what they feel like saying, buy what they feel like buying, and eat what they feel like eating. And that is not fine, because feelings are not wisdom."

I can totally identify with this. Over the course of the last several months I have been really trying to focus on making better choices. In September of last year the Hubs and I participated in the  bible study Experiencing God.

Honestly, there were some several times when Mr. Blackaby and I differed in thinking. However overall I enjoyed the study. It was a turning point for me in one HUGE area of my life.

The focus of the study was seeking to redefine our approach to God. He is already active, moving, working in our lives, we/me need to tune into where He is at work and actively join in on the process.

My take away from the study, I could not physically join in on anything, aside from sitting and knitting a prayer shawl in my recliner. My temple was in disrepair. There was no one to blame but me.

Reading Joyce's words this morning hit home for me in a big way. I am an emotional eater.  I may want something to eat, but most times it has nothing to do with actually being hungry. 

Over the course of the last several months I have made multiple changes in how I eat, trying to retrain myself. I have moved away from certain things and I am making progress. Giving up the sweet tea was hard, but I have embraced the stevia and am learning to appreciate it's different-ness.

I know there is a wealth of information linking our food choices to all manor of health issues. So far my supplements, removing processed products and eating real food has not had the desired effects on my arthritis. I still struggle with daily pain. But I still have a ways to go in reaching my goals regarding the bathroom scale.

Have noticed some improvement in my knee pain and less pain in my feet, but the hip....still hurts A LOT.

I FEEL discouraged right now! I am tired of hurting...

My feelings are fickle, repeat this statement over and over...

Each day is an opportunity to make better choices. 

There are things I don't want to do but should do, like hip replacement surgery. It will happen at some point in the future, but for now more work on my temple and my thought processes need to change as well. Not to mention coming up with the cash for the surgery...don't get me started on the deficits of our lovely health insurance...thank you Mr. President NOT. If we had our old (substandard...LOL) 80/20 plan in place I could get the care I need, but not now!

But I digress, last night was the first time I actually met my goal for physical activity. WOO HOOO. 

It certainly wasn't the 10,000 step most programs recommend but it was not to bad either.

Everyday is an opportunity for good choices, not so good choices or bad choices. 

It was date night last night, the good thing about making good choices most of the time is that it's ok to splurge once and awhile.

Pizza Bianco at the Greek restaurant...
spinach, onion tomatoes ricotta. ..

HAVE MERCY IT WAS SOOOO GOOD 

#repairmytemple 

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Restless Night...

I love having my bible on my phone, however, there are times when I need the physical turn of the page. When I need the weight of God’s Word upon my lap. There are times when I need to see my scribbles in the margins to be re-reminded of God's  promises in my life.

I did not sleep well last night.

Parenting is so hard, when they are infants, you think wow this is hard. You have to trust your gut because they can't tell you what is wrong. Toddlers, have mercy! I remember those days! Teenagers, can I get an AMEN!

I am kicking at the goads here.

Technically the Girlchild is an adult, but my momma instincts are still in full force.

In my head I think "If she would just do things my way.."

The reality is I have to trust the foundation we laid. 

You know who is at work placing images, thoughts and all manor of horrible things in my path.

She was off with friends last night, plus the potential of a new boyfriend, well I spent the night wrestling with my thoughts, praying and tossing and turning.

Another reality, she may be an adult in chronological age, but to me she is still my baby.

She returned home safe, a bit later than this momma would have preferred, but the young ones these days have different views on just about everything.

How do you loosen the parental reins, allow the freedoms that come with spreading their young adult wings, but maintain boundaries AND keep the lines of communication open.

It feels like juggling fire while riding a unicycle on a tightrope over a pit of rattlesnakes.

No stress or pressure there....

This morning the phone just would not do. I needed to feel the page in my hands. I needed to see my highlights, read my notes in the margin, remember past tears and praises, hold for myself God’s unchangeable promise upon my lap.

Wrapping myself up in the word is the only way to protect against the arrows of you know who!!

Blessings 

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Morning Coffee in the Garden...

Life is back to normal, as normal as life gets anyway. Campmeeting is over, my house is back in order. 

I had to put on my robe this morning whilst sitting outside drinking my coffe, there was a very pleasant cool morning breeze. There is always a flurry of bird activitie first thing in the morning, but they have settled into their day now. The hummingbird has stopped by a few times. I had my eyes closed during my quiet time a few moments ago and heard that gentle hum it makes. That is such a good sound.
The day lilies are almost gone, but the Crepe Myrtle and Rose of Sharon have begun to bloom. The cucumbers and tomatoes are bursting on the vine. It's a good, cool and quite morning in the garden.

Moving on...

From my devo today...

"Your circumstances aren’t your problem, because they won’t last—but until you change your thinking, no matter what’s going on in your life, you’ll still be stuck."

I am not sure how I feel about this statement.

In part I agree, but sometimes my circumstances are my problem.

Arthritis, getting old, finances. There is no cure for old age or arthritis, yes I am taking step to improve aspects of my life with diet and exercise, but nothing I do will change those circumstances.

Maybe I'm just over thinking things this morning. But circumstances have been on my mind a lot lately.

My heart is so burdened with sadness over the state of the country. The venom spewed across the evening news, the shifting foundation, violence, terrorist, escaped convicts running around. It all seems so out of control.

But then I remembered,

luk.18.32.amp

For He will be handed over to the Gentiles and will be made sport of and scoffed and jeered at and insulted and spit upon. [Isa. 50:6.]

1pe.2.23.niv

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

When things in the world make no sense God’s Word is the clarifying lens I need to look through.
Blessings 

R

One last note on forgiveness. 

The Hubs broke my very first successful plate last night.

Easy come...easy go. 

I'm off to the pottery studio to see if I can make another one.  

Y'all can pray that it's a good throwing day!


It's in the trash now... sad face!

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