Tower

I haven't posted in a while. So I thought I would share another poem I had written. Psalm 18:2 came to mind after writing this.

You are my king
You are my strength
Without you I'm a hopeless mess.

My Saviour
My grace
Without you I'm at an unrest

My redeemer
My redemption
With you my past is laid to rest.

                                                                     
     

Change can be beautiful

 So I read through the book of ecclesiastes a few weeks ago. I came across a verse that has stuck with me. It's ecclesiastes 3:11. I think it resonated with me because my bother and his wife are leaving for Missouri this weekend. I know... Missouri, of all the places in the United states! My sister in law, Jenna was offered a job and so was my brother. It really is a good opportunity for them both. I am happy and excited for them! But why Missouri! it's twenty hours a way! Twenty hours! Twenty hours! That's a lot of distance from here to there. Especially since my parents have always stressed the importance of family. Sometimes in the end they are all you have. So for him and my sister in law to be moving is a big deal. My mom says, I'm more worried of how our relationship will be with him so far away. She's right. I've always been pretty close with him. They could be gone a year or may stay forever.


   

Which is probably why this verse has stuck with me. "He hath made everything beautiful in his time.." To me this verse speaks on changes. We live in a world that is constantly evolving. I like change (who doesn't?) at  the same time I dread it. Sometimes things are better the way they are. I think in a way we all feel that way. That's why I think, God uses change as well our reluctance for it to help us grow. He gently stirs up His will in us and it becomes what we wish and didn't know we were longing for. Which is how sweet His grace is. He  makes everything beautiful. Our fears, our relationships, our longings, He forms them all into something beautiful, if we allow Him. Plus He is there to guide us through it. I know I'm going to be needing Him a lot in the next few months with this big change. I'm looking forward to experiencing all that God is going make beautiful in my life.

Waiting

For this blogpost I thought I would share a poem that I wrote a few days ago..


Waiting

I sit and I wait
I wait and I sit
On your word I don't forget
The promises are written
The price is paid
By You are all things made

The past, the present, and the here and now
You knew it all from the beginning.
All my doubts, all my fears
My worrying, and my tears
So on You I will continue to wait

Quietly, I wait like David of old
Because with you there is safety untold.

Easter

Easter time is fastly approaching. I got to thinking back on Easter's past. When I was younger the excitement of the Easter bunny was something I looked forward to. Also a new girly and pretty Sunday dress. Then you had the Easter egg hunts after church. With Easter, you know spring is here. Everything opens up new and green. All the insects awaken. So there's a lot to look forward to with easter.
Growing up, I wasn't just taught about the Easter bunny. My parents as well as my grandparents taught me, what easter truly was about. We were allowed the excitement of candy, hunting for eggs and the bunny but we were also taught that a man over 2,000 years ago died. Something I had a hard time understanding when I was younger, how a man who I never met and WAY before I had ever been thought of died and He died for me. And you. I could quote John 3:16 but one of my favorites verses is; "but he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with His stripes we are healed."-Isaiah 53:5. To me that is such a profound verse. So is that whole chapter. I don't wanna be preachy.
So as easter fastly approaches what are your memories?

Oh the Impatience!

Patience. Is not something I'm all that great at. When I was younger. I remember hearing one of my parents speak on how patient I was. I didn't think I was. At all. When your little, sitting through church is hard. Waiting for Christmas is even harder. I've realized the older I get it doesn't get any easier to wait.  We all feel it everyday. Even in the little things. Impatience.

So I got to thinking (something I do a lot of) and thought about timing. Not just any timing but God's timing. Is waiting and timing the same? Why does God make others wait longer? Whether it be a job, marriage, or a baby. Does He make us wait out of anger? Or to teach us a lesson as He shakes His finger? No, I don't so. I do think it is out of love. Sometimes it's just our own stupidity with our own time in waiting. When we jump ahead. Because we are impatient.  Waiting isn't easy in itself. Waiting on God sometimes feels even harder. I know for my own self it is. These last few weeks, I've been learning to wait on God.


So my thought for you is; how are you waiting? Are you waiting or trying to wait on God?

Safety Bubble?

It's really easy to sit in our bubble of safety. These past few weeks, I've been reminded that sometimes the bubble pops. When it pops what are you gonna do? Who are you gonna praise?

The last week or so we have seen in the news the beheading of Christian men. They knew that "All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12. These men and their families knew what that could mean. That one day that verse could be put in action. Here in a America, we are blessed way beyond measure. We have no "real" persecution. Yeah, we may have problems at work or at home. Those shouldn't be taken lightly either. My point is are we worried someone will kill us? Or our families? No. I know my little problems don't compare. I do know, I take so much for granted..everything even God.
As Christians, we are not promised a good and safe life. We all like to skim over 2 Timothy 3:12. (Ok, I don't know about you all but I do.) When we look at the definition the word shall, according to the dictionary. "It means future tense." In other words it's inevitable it will.

What makes us so special in America that we think we will never suffer persecution? Is it because we're from America, that we think it gives a get out of jail card type of deal? We have fallen into this trap (even as Christians) that we can do whatever we want and there'll be no consquences. We all want to live in the moment. Forget about tomorrow. The problem is tomorrow comes. I'm not saying that God is sitting in heaven, pointing and shaking his finger at us. In fact psalm 116:5 says, "The Lord is merciful and righteous, and our God is full of compassion." He isn't some tyrant waiting for us to fall and letting all "the bad" things happen. He is full of comapassion. Isn't that a lovely thought? That He is sympathetic to us?

If your a Christian and reading this blog, I just a want you to think of our brothers in Christ. Think of how they felt. Being scared but being full of joy because Christ was there. Romans 8:38-39. They were praying (more than likely) praying for the men who stood above them ready to kill them. Already had forgiven those men. I know I have a hard time forgiving for the most stupid things. I can be determined, OK well stubborn. Then to imagine how the men who murdered the Christians, could be so full of hate and anger. It makes me so sad for them. That they know no other way. Maybe it's my motherly instincts but I just want to love those men. Show them another way. Am I the only one?

So my question from this blogpost is when the bubble pops who or what are you gonna serve?

Christmas in February?

Our weather in North Carolina can be down right bio-poplar. Changing from one season to next the following day. So this past week we have had one cold a bad I mean one of the coldest winter's in North Carolina. For me it's felt like the coldest. Last winter we had snow. Which is fun fun because we don't get it every year. Plus who doesnt love snowcream? Maybe Christmas should happen in February. Just a thought. This winter on the other hand we have had ice. The kind from the puddles in your yard have frozen over and your nine year old brother says, "Look at me I'm skating!" Then you wish at that moment you didn't live on such a busy highway. So that you could join him. Then maybe again it isn't such a good idea to be doing that. Then you now know that strike of fear your parents must have had when you did the same thing. Though the ice can be fun to pretend your an ice-skater or in your little brothers case, survivor man. It did leave people without any electricity. We were very fortunate to not have lost ours. It was very pretty to look at. The trees from a distance looked just like snow had fallen on them. Looking at the beauty does make you stop and look at the wonder of it all. As much as I love the winter (yes, even the cold days.) I'll be happy when spring shows herself. So in till Then (or the next blog-post) this bookworm is going to wrap up in a blanket and read another chapter. 

Healthy Comfort

  When I was younger my mom decided that the family needed to try the "What Would Jesus Eat" diet plan. (My parents were still married at that time.) I remember there being lots of eggplant and zucchini in the house. Then this yucky weird bread popped up called, wheat bread. Now up to that point we ate what southern people ate, white bread. We grew to love wheat bread, though. To this day I'll take wheat over white bread. Mom  wasn't having this cooking - something - different for everyone kinda of thing anymore. She even found this "healthy" gross whole wheat peanut butter cookie recipe. They were such nasty tasting things! Along with this the staple to any southern home our sweet tea wasgone. Nope no more of that either. We were all gonna be healthy no matter what! It's funny now because I'm the one who is let's try this healthy cheesecake made out of cashews and she's the one saying how nasty that is.
    It's hard to be healthy in a world that every or just about every commercial is burgers, pizza, fries (OK I looovee french fries) and ice cream is what we see. Then we have people like the First Lady and celebrities telling us to eat healthier and to move more. Why? When we have been taught that everything is entitled us. So if we want to the lose the weight go have the surgery. We are also being taught the easy way out is the best way. It's hard to lose the weight, believe me I know. It's even harder when you lost a significant amount of weight and gained it back then try to lose it all over...again. I know it is tough. It's way easier to put it on. But no pain no gain, right? Or is that saying becoming a myth? Our great-grandparents use to work from sun up to sun down. They ate biscuits and most everything fried and lived to be in there ninetys. What changed? Are we to concerned with weight and our keeping up with what everyone thinks is the perfect size? That we have neglected being healthy and happy? Or are we to busy equating food with health instead of love?

writing doodles

From the time I can remember I held a pen or a pencil in my hand along with a notebook in the other. I was the weird nerdy kid that when my parents asked at Christmas time what I wanted from old Saint Nick, I would reply with "pen and paper,please." I wanted to write. (Well I'm not that great drawing.) I remember the first story I ever wrote. It was based off my great-grandmother. She had 10 siblings and the stories she told always held me captive. All my grandmother's childhood stories did and still do. Some days I'm itching to write all theses stories and even thoughts that float around on head. So I thought I would practice up here with blogging and all. My random musings.