We have an Awesome Inheritance from God

God's goodness and kindness never seems to end. What a wonderful friend we have in Jesus. Yesterday I had the privilege of sharing part of the afternoon with a friend from school and her daughter. You can't imagine how wonderful it was to have a child in the house again! Children absolutely usher in a whole new warm light into a home. They remove the sterile atmosphere with silly giggles, warm smiles and honest thoughts-that are absolutely refreshing and so close to heaven!

What a blessing to share time with my teacher and friend and her daughter. Why does the time have to go so fast when we're having fun? Still, I can't imagine the sadness of life, if we didn't have the assurance that one day so much sooner than we can imagine, that we'll gather at the river on heavens blissful shore, with our ultimate friend-Jesus. As wonderful as youth is, it quickly passes and only what's done for Jesus in love will last.

Remember the butterfly I encountered on an early, cold Spring day? The one that stayed on my open hand, until I brought it in out of the cold. The one that lived in my office, for over a week, until it warmed up outside. This afternoon, one that looked just like that same butterfly was on my back porch. Somehow she was caught on her back lying on her wings, in the rain.

Fall is in the cooling rain and air in GA. This butterfly was at the end of its life span today. I gently put my index finger above its legs, and it grabbed on. Slowly it crawled across my finger and into my open hand. Each step felt as if it was gently kissing me good bye. It's once beautiful body looked so tattered and torn, the back lower right wing had a big piece missing. But she stoped just before climbing up my wrist, fluttering just a little, then she flew off. Life is awesome we never know how long it will last, but our Creator Sustainer spurs us on with wonderful lessons in life and love.

If you have a minute jot your blessings down. Share them with others. In fact, I would love to hear about your adventures, blessings and even your trials. Let people into your life; we're not meant to live solitude lives without God or others.Love is a wonderful thing, share it, give it and accept it from others.

" 11With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. " 2 Thessalonians1:11&12 (NIV)

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

What a wonderful Day!

This has just been a really nice day today! God has been so good. I woke up to the pleasant surprise of good grades at school,(3.5 GPA) the Hope grant will continue into the fall term, and I paid my fall fees. I studied the 3rd chapter in my Anatomy & Physiology book. Fearfully and wonderfully made are understatements. The human body is awesomely designed. It's so interesting how every little cell inside us has so many things it does before it dies. Everything inside works together as a whole for the bodies good. Wow.

" 1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, [a] God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139 NIV

We have so much to be thankful for. even in the worst of times God intervenes on our behalf. How can we not be grateful to an Awesome Almighty Heavenly Father?

Happy Labor Day

Hope you all are having a relaxing Labor Day. We're cleaning house, watching tennis matches and enjoying the day together.

The Fall term begins in three weeks. It will be fun to get back to learning again. Until then if you have any good suggestions for loosing weight I'd appreciate them. I'm not a good dieter. I'd rather work it off outside and keep eating :). I never stick to diets, I just need to shovel less and exercise more.

"2We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 1:2&3 (NIV)

Life isn't always "peachy" is it?

Unfortunately...life, love and family are disappointing. I'm sure we've all experienced that fact at sometime, and no one likes it when it happens. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,mind and heart, doesn't it?

There have been times that I said never again; only to realize, I too have fallen short of others expectations, love and friendship. The truth is no one is perfect and this life often disappoints all of us.

I guess that's why I'm so thankful for Jesus love, friendship and the gifts He gives. Without Him life would really be one big peach pit wouldn't it? It would for me.

Have a great day and be thankful for what you do have. Complaining about the short comings in life probably will not help unless it's practical advice for your disappointer. If life is the pits right now collect your peach pit memories on paper and then shred the paper with your own hands. If you're still not happy use it as confetti, preferable outside!

This entry is a picture of my sister Steph & I trying to tube down some falls.

(She's the dark headed one, looking like, "What have I agreed to do with this crazy sister of mine?" When we were kids I drug her out in all kinds of weather to do all sorts of "great things," for example: sliding down huge hills, swinging across a creek with only tennis shoes on, or riding 20 miles on our bikes just to get an ice cream cone. Her famous words still are,"Why do I let you talk me into these things?" )

Unfortunately, there wasn't much water and obviously we are no longer feather weights. She and my mother were afraid of snakes, which I rarely see at Hurricane Shoals. They both felt they were, "too old to do this kind of thing." I will never get too old to do the things I love.Where there is a will, there is always a way!

" 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Romans 8:22-28 (NIV)

How Much Can You Forgive?

17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:17 & 18 (NIV)

"O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance." Exodus 34:9 (NIV)

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a] Matthew 18:21 &22 (NIV)

This afternoon, I watched a brief video concerning the Muslims population. Then, I thought about a message from a pastor who had worked in a Muslim country. He said, "Once a nation arrives at a 70% Muslim population they publicly execute Christians who refuse to bow to "Allah." After that, I thought about a friend of mine at school who told me she was afraid to renounce "Allah" as her god. She was afraid of being beaten, or even killed.

What kind of religion kills people for non belief or abandonment? Certainly not a loving or free willed one. Why does anyone even consider that kind of faith? My God is loving and merciful. Yet He created the heavens and the earth. He seeks love from His people on a free will basis.

I am really struggling with the fact that we may see public executions and this country and that America may be a Muslim nation before I die. Do you know what and why you believe? Is your faith worth dying for? Jesus Christ gave His life freely for me. I'll gladly live and die for him, but I am not without sin. Jesus knew no sin. He became the ultimate sacrifice for any sinner who would invite Him to be their Savior and Lord.

Will I be able to forgive others if they kill my friends and family in Christ? That's one I'll have to pray about, because it's hard to forgive others who harm my loved ones. How do you feel about this question?

Are You Ready for Life's Finals?

" Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,"

1Peter 3:13-18 (NIV)

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:8-14 (NIV)

A few weeks ago our pastor told a joke about an elderly lady who was in a nursing home about to die. Her grand daughter came in while she was reading her bible. After the grand daughter sat patiently waiting for her dear grandmother to finish, she noticed that she was reading from chapter to chapter. The granddaughter's a lotted time she could spend talking to her grandmother was quickly slipping away. So gently the lady asked, "Grandmother, what are you doing?"

To which the Grandmother replied, "I'm cramming for finals dear!"

Many of us are in our last two weeks before Summer finals at school. Everything is quickly coming to an end in our present classes. It's so ironic that when they started I was so up tight I failed all my first tests. A math teacher looked at me and said, "What happened? I know you know this stuff." I was so tense I figured out the the problems, but coordinated the wrong answer to most of the problems.

Life can be like that, can't it? We know the right thing to do, but left on our own guidance, we choose the wrong solution. Then it seems we'll never find our way back, but somehow God always takes us back.

As my math teacher pointed out, we need to relax and just take it one step at a time, slowly and methodically, knowing God is in control. "It's a test-not a matter of life and death!" If we fail God will probably make us go back through the same thing until we get it right with Him. Things really do go better with Jesus-not Coke a Cola.

So Many Things to be Thankful for!

(This is Hurricane Shoals in February. Friday I rode a tube from the falls down stream! What a blast, thankfully God gave me the strength and wisdom to dodge, and bounce off the rocks! You can't imagine the Zeal and Joy it is, unless you do it yourself! At 48 it's quite a thrill. No, there's not this much water there now, it's actually more of an adventure with less water!)


Be ye Glad, be ye glad Jesus is the best friend we've ever had!





I have so many things to be thankful for, many more than ever take the time to count each day. Most of you know I was suppose to be dead many years ago, yet I'm not only alive, but doing well! If fate calls my number today and I enter eternity in less than a Nano second, again I come up on the winning end. Because Christ is my Savior and friend, I simply reside at the best address given-heaven.





Friday, I had the joyous privilege of tubing down a small water fall not far from my house. Honestly, I felt like squealing like a happy little kid as the tube roared over the falls, down stream. It's so hard to imagine less than 3 summers ago I was facing the possibility of not walking any more, before an extensive surgery with lots of pain and lots of mesh. Dr. Linn at Emory hospital cut and sewed for over six long intensive hours putting this body back together again. Had he not took the time and skill I would be setting in a wheel chair today. (My stomach muscles had ripped apart almost all the way around to my spinal cord. Had they reached the spinal cord, I would have been paralyzed from my waist down for the rest of my life.)





Not only am I connected but I'm actually sore from tubing on Friday-but what a great pain to know it comes from using muscles that could have easily been disconnected and non functioning had they not been repaired. God is so good, we never know exactly how or what He will do in this life time. Sometimes we run, sometimes we're forced to slow down and walk. Sometimes we are so weak we have to crawl, but one thing we must never do is give up. Why should we the author and perfecter of our faith is still in control! Do what you must, just never give up!





Thank God for all the Good , Bad and Ugly. It's at all those times He shows us who and what we are, His children in the struggle of living, loving and hopefully growing in Him! Hail Him who saves you by His grace.





Thanksgiving and Prayer





"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.



For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."


Colossians 1:3-14 (NIV)


No matter what happens today or any day, I hope you can say with me, "Life has been good and God has been an an awesome God who has Always loved and took such good care of me!"