My former pastor and my friend wrote this prayer:
Prayer: I know there are many things in this life over which I have no control. Not all things are fair or just in this world. But I look to You for strength to help me with that which I can control... My heart. Since You have brought me to Your side and made me your baptized child, sin no longer has control over me. ...That is the greatest freedom anyone can have. Help me make the best of this new freedom. Help me be the best disciple I can be. Help me discover goals that are pleasing to You. Right now and throughout this day help me to make the next wise choice in life that glorifies You and blesses others as I continue to pray: "Amen, Come Lord Jesus."
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Got GPS?
Those who know me, especially my husband and daughters, know that I am geographically challenged. That’s a really nice way of saying that I don’t know my left from my north!
Years ago, I worked in real estate and decided that I was the worst real estate agent that ever existed. Not only did I talk people out of buying houses if they could not afford them, I would have to have them drive themselves so I could follow them.
Oh, I always printed off maps from Mapquest or Google maps, but they had different names for roads than what was on the signs sometimes. So, that confused me even more.
My poor husband bought me many gadgets to tell me where I was going. This was before GPS was affordable and available.
One time he bought me a thing that fit on my dash and I had to plug it into the accessory outlet. It showed north, south, east and west, but one day it said 120 degrees. I was so sure that this thing was junk that I called my husband and told him there was no way it could be 120 degrees outside, it was only 72! He asked me if I had ever heard of longitude and latitude! Of course, I had. What did that have to with anything?
My daughter gets so annoyed with me every time we go to St. Louis to the airport because I still can not remember if we take 170 north or 170 south. I am never sure what I am north or south of.
Part of the reason I have no memory of direction is because if I am driving, I always have someone in the car who pays attention. If I am the passenger, the driver is there to always pay attention. I am enjoying the scenery or the conversation. Besides, I always get to where I am going. It may not be in the direction or time frame my loved ones would choose, but I always get there!
The irony of this is that I love to take vacations across the country and I am usually the primary driver. But, if I am not the driver, I am the navigator and I really can read a map. If you are on a driving vacation you can take your time and enjoy the scenery.
If you are one of those people that take vacations by car and have a specific itinerary and time frames for the things you want to do, then you should not go on vacation with me. God put me on this earth to randomly stop and smell the roses. God also gave me a husband that needs to be reminded to smell the roses. But, my husband does know his left from his north. That’s why God put us together!
I have spent almost 54 years trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I seem to forget that God already has a path laid out for me. I just wish that there was a billboard on Hwy. 64 somewhere telling me what that is.
David reminds us of God’s promise in Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Sometimes, I think we all get in our own way. I know that I can be my own worst enemy at sabotaging my path. I either put unnecessary obstacles in my own way or I perceive there are obstacles that don’t exist.
It is very comforting to know that God has the most updated GPS for us, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105
So, the next time you are feeling a little lost, let your Bible open up to you a whole new world of GPS. You could learn your left from your north!
Years ago, I worked in real estate and decided that I was the worst real estate agent that ever existed. Not only did I talk people out of buying houses if they could not afford them, I would have to have them drive themselves so I could follow them.
Oh, I always printed off maps from Mapquest or Google maps, but they had different names for roads than what was on the signs sometimes. So, that confused me even more.
My poor husband bought me many gadgets to tell me where I was going. This was before GPS was affordable and available.
One time he bought me a thing that fit on my dash and I had to plug it into the accessory outlet. It showed north, south, east and west, but one day it said 120 degrees. I was so sure that this thing was junk that I called my husband and told him there was no way it could be 120 degrees outside, it was only 72! He asked me if I had ever heard of longitude and latitude! Of course, I had. What did that have to with anything?
My daughter gets so annoyed with me every time we go to St. Louis to the airport because I still can not remember if we take 170 north or 170 south. I am never sure what I am north or south of.
Part of the reason I have no memory of direction is because if I am driving, I always have someone in the car who pays attention. If I am the passenger, the driver is there to always pay attention. I am enjoying the scenery or the conversation. Besides, I always get to where I am going. It may not be in the direction or time frame my loved ones would choose, but I always get there!
The irony of this is that I love to take vacations across the country and I am usually the primary driver. But, if I am not the driver, I am the navigator and I really can read a map. If you are on a driving vacation you can take your time and enjoy the scenery.
If you are one of those people that take vacations by car and have a specific itinerary and time frames for the things you want to do, then you should not go on vacation with me. God put me on this earth to randomly stop and smell the roses. God also gave me a husband that needs to be reminded to smell the roses. But, my husband does know his left from his north. That’s why God put us together!
I have spent almost 54 years trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I seem to forget that God already has a path laid out for me. I just wish that there was a billboard on Hwy. 64 somewhere telling me what that is.
David reminds us of God’s promise in Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Sometimes, I think we all get in our own way. I know that I can be my own worst enemy at sabotaging my path. I either put unnecessary obstacles in my own way or I perceive there are obstacles that don’t exist.
It is very comforting to know that God has the most updated GPS for us, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105
So, the next time you are feeling a little lost, let your Bible open up to you a whole new world of GPS. You could learn your left from your north!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Dancing With God
My daughter, Jami, sent this e-mail to me and I thought it was well worth sharing...
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i"..
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
please share this message with someone else.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance Through 2010!
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i"..
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
please share this message with someone else.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance Through 2010!
Customer Service…Oxymoron?
I went to the grocery store on Monday and had one of the most annoying hours of my life. I was looking for almond milk and frustrated that it was not in any of the aisles I thought it would be. So, after wandering around aimlessly looking for someone employed there (notice I didn’t say “work” there) I found a young man stocking shelves and asked him if he knew where the almond milk was. He commented that he didn’t know you could milk almonds! I have to admit that as annoyed as I was, I had to laugh because I think he was serious.
I passed 4 more employees on my way to the alleged aisle that had the almond milk. Not one person smiled, made eye contact or acknowledged my existence.
Finally, I find the almond milk and go to check out. There were 2 checkers and about a hundred customers standing in those two lanes. After reading half of the magazines in the checkout aisle and ignoring the headlines of the other half, I am next to check out. I took out that little bar thing to separate my groceries from the groceries that belonged to the lady in front of me and she wanted to know if I was worried about her groceries touching my groceries. I tried to explain to her that bar thingy was to let the checker know when her order ended and mine began. She still looked insulted.
Then, I have a twenty-something young lady that had her tongue pierced and I could not understand one word she said to me. I got to the point where I just smiled and nodded. Next thing I knew, I have donated $5 to (I think) the humane society.
This checker never smiled, never made eye contact and grunted when I asked her how she was doing. By the time I was done with her, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to adopt her or ground her. I did tell her that I thought that she obviously did not like her job. She wholeheartedly agreed.
After being in several customer service type businesses, I am very aware of the customer service I receive when I am out. If I receive good service at a restaurant, I tip very well. If I receive good service in other venues like the grocery store, a department store, my insurance agent or any service that does not require tipping, I make a point to let those people know they have treated me well and I really appreciate it and I will tell everyone I know. However, if I receive poor service, I will tell everyone I know.
If I lost a customer, in whatever career I was in, it would make me crazy if I did not know why. That’s a “be careful for what you wish for” kind of thing, but maybe I would have had a chance to remedy whatever the problem was.
With the way that the economy is, everyone should appreciate having a job because there are those who do not. And, I can not understand people who do not desire to do a good job at what they do.
If we all did our job as if God were our boss, wouldn’t we be much more conscientious about doing a good job? We are told in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Not only does God want us to do a good job at what we do, He wants us to “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Philippians 2:14
Doing a good job for God may be easier than the
“without grumbling” part, but, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. That includes keeping a smile on my face the next time I walk through the grocery store!
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