Just a few random thoughts from this week:
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I’ve been feeling rather down all week. That’s a little unusual for me. I may have a few “down” moments now and then, but to feel that way all week long is not the norm. I’m usually pretty cheerful and content, and when I do have those occasional blue times I try to count my blessings and be thankful for all the good things in my life. It’s been different this week. I’ve kind of moped around. I was cranky with Bob. I had headaches a couple days. I didn’t feel inspired to write at all. At least I didn’t cry—although I wanted to.
I’m not sure what my problem was. It could have simply been hormones (if you know what I mean) or more likely, the fact that Bob went to Louisiana again this week to help Julie and David with their move. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not jealous that he got to go (for the second time this month!) although I would have loved to have gone, too. I’m actually very happy he could go and help them in areas where they really needed the kind of help he could give. And I don’t feel bad about having to stay home with Robbie. It would be nice if Robbie could travel more easily, but since he can’t it is just something we gladly accept as part of the privilege of having Robbie. I don’t usually get lonely when I am home alone because I have plenty of interests to keep me busy, but this week I couldn’t really get interested in anything, so I was lonely. It bugged me that I didn’t really know why I was down.
We all have mood swings and our ups and downs. I’m glad, though, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s love is constant. His kindness is everlasting. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3) My salvation is secure in the work Christ did on the cross for me and I can know for sure that I will spend eternity with Him. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life. (I John 513) His promises are true. His mercy and grace are eternal and great is His faithfulness! It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22, 23) We can be certain of God with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17b)
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I’ve been feeling rather down all week. That’s a little unusual for me. I may have a few “down” moments now and then, but to feel that way all week long is not the norm. I’m usually pretty cheerful and content, and when I do have those occasional blue times I try to count my blessings and be thankful for all the good things in my life. It’s been different this week. I’ve kind of moped around. I was cranky with Bob. I had headaches a couple days. I didn’t feel inspired to write at all. At least I didn’t cry—although I wanted to.
I’m not sure what my problem was. It could have simply been hormones (if you know what I mean) or more likely, the fact that Bob went to Louisiana again this week to help Julie and David with their move. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not jealous that he got to go (for the second time this month!) although I would have loved to have gone, too. I’m actually very happy he could go and help them in areas where they really needed the kind of help he could give. And I don’t feel bad about having to stay home with Robbie. It would be nice if Robbie could travel more easily, but since he can’t it is just something we gladly accept as part of the privilege of having Robbie. I don’t usually get lonely when I am home alone because I have plenty of interests to keep me busy, but this week I couldn’t really get interested in anything, so I was lonely. It bugged me that I didn’t really know why I was down.
We all have mood swings and our ups and downs. I’m glad, though, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s love is constant. His kindness is everlasting. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3) My salvation is secure in the work Christ did on the cross for me and I can know for sure that I will spend eternity with Him. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life. (I John 513) His promises are true. His mercy and grace are eternal and great is His faithfulness! It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22, 23) We can be certain of God with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17b)
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One of my very favorite hymns is Great is Thy Faithfulness. Let’s all praise the Lord right now and sing it together!
One of my very favorite hymns is Great is Thy Faithfulness. Let’s all praise the Lord right now and sing it together!
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Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
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Refrain
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Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
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Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
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Refrain
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Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
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Refrain
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There! I feel better already! Don’t you?
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We don’t always get to hear about the answers to our prayers, especially when we are praying for strangers. Julie heard about the answer to one of her prayers like that the other day. When they put their house up for sale in March she had started praying for the people who would buy their house. Several times over the next two months she told me that she was praying that whoever bought their house, whether they were saved or unsaved, would feel the presence and peace of God when they came into their home.
They did not get to meet the buyers, and in fact, even their realtor did not meet or speak to the buyers. She was out of town when the sale went down, and a fellow agent handled the whole thing, dealing only with the buyers’ agent. The other day their realtor Patti was going through old e-mails and came upon one she had tried to respond to several times a few weeks before. The e-mail expressed an interest in buying a house in David and Julie’s neighborhood, but when Patti had tried to get in touch with the people to tell them about Julie and David’s house she never received a reply. She decided to give it one more shot the other day since she had other houses she could show them..
A woman answered the phone and Patti told her she was calling in response to her e-mail. “You’re too late!” the lady replied. “We just bought a house on Amblewood Lane—9750 Amblewood Lane.”
“Why that’s my listing!” Patti exclaimed. “The one I’ve been trying to call you about!”
The lady went on to tell her that they had tried to buy two other houses previously and both sales had fallen through unexpectedly. Just when they were feeling confused and upset and wondering what the Lord was doing, they had stumbled upon David and Julie’s house by accident while looking for a different address and had called their agent to request a showing. “We are so thrilled! We really love that house!” she told Patti. “From the very moment we walked in the front door we truly felt the peace of God in that house!”
When Patti told Julie about those words, Julie said she got goose bumps! She was so excited and rejoiced, not only that her prayer had been answered, but that the Lord let her know that it had been answered.
This little incident had me thinking about a couple things this week. First of all, about answered prayer: We don’t always get to hear about the answers to our prayers. Many times we think that perhaps we’ll find out those things when we get to Heaven, and perhaps we will. What a special blessing, though, when the Lord does allow us to see how He’s worked and how perfect His timing is and how it’s affected the lives of others!
The other thought I had was really more a question: When others walk into my house, do they feel the presence and peace of God within these walls? We are so concerned that the house be neat and clean when company comes, that we have nice refreshments to serve, that the air smells fresh, and sometimes even that the atmosphere is welcoming with candles lit and background music! Those things are all well and good in themselves, but I wonder if I take as much care in making our home a place of refuge and rest, peace and love? Do others sense His Spirit when they walk in my front door, or do they feel tension and discord instead? Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. (Psalm 127:1) A clean house and Glade airspray can only cover up so much, but when Christ is the center of our home it shows.
The book of Ephesians speaks a great deal about how we ought to live with one another, especially in chapters four, five and six. Ephesians 4:2-3, 31-32 kind of sums it up, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. May our homes bring glory to God and peace to all who enter!
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A few months ago my pastor asked me to take on some of the projects neither he nor his staff ever seem to have the time to do—things like doing Powerpoint presentations for his messages each week, researching things on the internet for him, acting as a liaison between him and certain businesses, etc. I was happy to agree. I had asked the Lord to show me how I could serve Him more, since being home with Robbie means I can no longer teach or do other things at the church building. This was a perfect opportunity to serve within my church—from home!
One of the projects Pastor Phil recently asked me to take on was to help him put together some boxed sets of CD’s from two series of messages he had preached in our church the last couple years. What the pastor asked me to do was to listen to all thirty messages from Galatians and the twenty-six messages from Philippians and choose out the dozen or so from each series that I liked best and that I thought gave the best overview of the book. From those he would choose eight that would go into the boxed set. He also wanted me to design the covers for the boxes.
Do you know how long it takes to listen to more than a year’s worth of messages??? I’ve been trying to listen to three a day, although I’ve missed a few days here and there. I finished Galatians this week, and I have to say, it really was a blessing. When I mentioned to Pastor that this project would be good for me since I am only able to go to church on Sunday nights, he laughed and said, “Maybe it’s an overdose!”
Trying to listen to fifty-six messages in only three or four weeks is a lot, but it’s been good medicine for my soul! Getting an overdose like that has just made me appreciate all over again the preciousness of God’s Word and how much we need it for our spiritual growth and health. Proverbs 19:7-11 says, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
We could all use an overdose of God’s Word from time to time!
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We don’t always get to hear about the answers to our prayers, especially when we are praying for strangers. Julie heard about the answer to one of her prayers like that the other day. When they put their house up for sale in March she had started praying for the people who would buy their house. Several times over the next two months she told me that she was praying that whoever bought their house, whether they were saved or unsaved, would feel the presence and peace of God when they came into their home.
They did not get to meet the buyers, and in fact, even their realtor did not meet or speak to the buyers. She was out of town when the sale went down, and a fellow agent handled the whole thing, dealing only with the buyers’ agent. The other day their realtor Patti was going through old e-mails and came upon one she had tried to respond to several times a few weeks before. The e-mail expressed an interest in buying a house in David and Julie’s neighborhood, but when Patti had tried to get in touch with the people to tell them about Julie and David’s house she never received a reply. She decided to give it one more shot the other day since she had other houses she could show them..
A woman answered the phone and Patti told her she was calling in response to her e-mail. “You’re too late!” the lady replied. “We just bought a house on Amblewood Lane—9750 Amblewood Lane.”
“Why that’s my listing!” Patti exclaimed. “The one I’ve been trying to call you about!”
The lady went on to tell her that they had tried to buy two other houses previously and both sales had fallen through unexpectedly. Just when they were feeling confused and upset and wondering what the Lord was doing, they had stumbled upon David and Julie’s house by accident while looking for a different address and had called their agent to request a showing. “We are so thrilled! We really love that house!” she told Patti. “From the very moment we walked in the front door we truly felt the peace of God in that house!”
When Patti told Julie about those words, Julie said she got goose bumps! She was so excited and rejoiced, not only that her prayer had been answered, but that the Lord let her know that it had been answered.
This little incident had me thinking about a couple things this week. First of all, about answered prayer: We don’t always get to hear about the answers to our prayers. Many times we think that perhaps we’ll find out those things when we get to Heaven, and perhaps we will. What a special blessing, though, when the Lord does allow us to see how He’s worked and how perfect His timing is and how it’s affected the lives of others!
The other thought I had was really more a question: When others walk into my house, do they feel the presence and peace of God within these walls? We are so concerned that the house be neat and clean when company comes, that we have nice refreshments to serve, that the air smells fresh, and sometimes even that the atmosphere is welcoming with candles lit and background music! Those things are all well and good in themselves, but I wonder if I take as much care in making our home a place of refuge and rest, peace and love? Do others sense His Spirit when they walk in my front door, or do they feel tension and discord instead? Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. (Psalm 127:1) A clean house and Glade airspray can only cover up so much, but when Christ is the center of our home it shows.
The book of Ephesians speaks a great deal about how we ought to live with one another, especially in chapters four, five and six. Ephesians 4:2-3, 31-32 kind of sums it up, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. May our homes bring glory to God and peace to all who enter!
*********************************************************************************************
A few months ago my pastor asked me to take on some of the projects neither he nor his staff ever seem to have the time to do—things like doing Powerpoint presentations for his messages each week, researching things on the internet for him, acting as a liaison between him and certain businesses, etc. I was happy to agree. I had asked the Lord to show me how I could serve Him more, since being home with Robbie means I can no longer teach or do other things at the church building. This was a perfect opportunity to serve within my church—from home!
One of the projects Pastor Phil recently asked me to take on was to help him put together some boxed sets of CD’s from two series of messages he had preached in our church the last couple years. What the pastor asked me to do was to listen to all thirty messages from Galatians and the twenty-six messages from Philippians and choose out the dozen or so from each series that I liked best and that I thought gave the best overview of the book. From those he would choose eight that would go into the boxed set. He also wanted me to design the covers for the boxes.
Do you know how long it takes to listen to more than a year’s worth of messages??? I’ve been trying to listen to three a day, although I’ve missed a few days here and there. I finished Galatians this week, and I have to say, it really was a blessing. When I mentioned to Pastor that this project would be good for me since I am only able to go to church on Sunday nights, he laughed and said, “Maybe it’s an overdose!”
Trying to listen to fifty-six messages in only three or four weeks is a lot, but it’s been good medicine for my soul! Getting an overdose like that has just made me appreciate all over again the preciousness of God’s Word and how much we need it for our spiritual growth and health. Proverbs 19:7-11 says, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
We could all use an overdose of God’s Word from time to time!
Hi, Cindy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Julie's story about the new owners of their old house sensing the peace and presence of the Lord. What an amazing story - that God would not only answer that prayer, but prompt the new owners to share these feelings with the realtor who shared them with Julie!
You should have called me if you were lonely...we could have gotten together!!! You better call next time! Even if I had to bring little Ella with me I would have come over.
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog again Aunt Cindy! You have such skill for writing this blog. You are also do very well when it comes to having this blog ready for us every week. Nice job!
ReplyDelete