Oh my head!

 I slept good last night - apparently too good - for I woke up from a deep sleep about 3:30AM and my head felt like a two by four had slammed into my forehead.  I don't know what has triggered it - I just know that it hurt really bad.  I got up at 4AM after trying to ignore it and go back to sleep, and grabbed a couple tylenol extra strength on the way to my room.  It has subsided the pain somewhat - plus the fact that I haven't done much of anything this morning but try to go back to sleep (and hopefully wake up energetic and free of head pain).  And now it is 6:30AM and I need to get this written, get dressed, and get on the work computer.  My head still hurts, but not anywhere near as bad as it was when I first woke up.  Perhaps once I get moving around it will leave me entirely.  Even the caffeine in my coffee hasn't helped.

Church went well yesterday, and of course we had to stop to eat on the way home.   After we left there, we came home and I changed clothes and hit the couch.  Started to just crochet, but closed my eyes, and slept for about 30 minutes.  I was coming to, listening to hubby snore, when I felt my phone buzz.  I grabbed my phone and headed to the back room, hoping not to wake hubby, but he had his hearing aids in so heard me moving about.  It was from the RV park I am to speak at next week; they were wanting the sermon title and scripture.  Glad I don't have to work on it this week; I just need to review it a few times more.  But I do need to find a message for January 7th - and then I'm done until February.

It may be a somewhat busy week this week - I still need to figure out SharePoint for my boss.  A couple of grandsons may be coming over tomorrow to bake cookies and I'm looking forward to that.  I may need to go get more flour and sugar.  Friday I have lunch with a friend I've known over 50 years.  I can't remember at the moment what else.  Oh and I have several packages I need to take to the post office today and get put in the mail.  And Christmas cards.  I think I have about 4-5 more to address and I think I'm done.  Oh yeah - I almost forgot!  I have an office Christmas party in Mesa on Thursday for which I need to pull together a gift for another couple of people I support, a white elephant gift, and bake cookies for the cookie exchange.  Yeah, it just may be a busy week.

Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV): "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

Immanuel.  God with us.  How lucky we are that God loves us so much that He Himself brought forth a Son that would save us, rescue us, and redeem us from our sins.  And you know what?  It doesn't matter if you feel you have no sins; God still would send Jesus to redeem you.  For those of us who have numerous sins to confess - we are grateful for the redemption that God has offered us.  Our slates are wiped clean.  And the best part?

Psalm 103:12 (NKJV):  "As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us."

And even better than that, He remembers them no more.  So when you confess your sins and receive His forgiveness, and those thoughts come back that 'you aren't really forgiven; what you did was so bad that God is just holding back to punish you again and again for what you did."..... those thoughts are a lie from the devil.  God remembers no more our sins when we confess them to Him.  He throws them out as far as the east is from the west.  Never again will he bring those since before you.  When they come back to mind and you feel unforgiven, tell the devil to get out of your way, cause you know that you ARE forgiven, because God said so, and He only has to do it one time!  The devil will try to bring us down any way he can.  He's evil.  But God is so good and in His loving kindness for us, He sent His one and only Son to redeem us and restore us to Him.  Why?  Because He is a good, good Father.

Aren't you glad we have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much that when we confess our sins He will forgive us and not remind us of what we did?  All because of Jesus.  How can one not believe in the One who forgives of all things?!  Wrong thoughts, wrong actions - yeah, sometimes we have consequences to work through; just because we confess our sins doesn't mean we have to work through the consequences... but we are forgiven. That is huge.

So grateful.  I love Christmas and the reminder that my Heavenly Father loves me so much that He chose to send His Son to be born - and to die - to redeem me. By His grace alone.  And He did it for you too.  Take a moment and thank Him.  Whether you believe in Him or not, choose to be thankful.

Blessings!

the start of a crazy busy week....

 The busy week has finally arrived and actually, it may be the next two weeks that will be busy.  I'm only working three days this week as Thursday we head to California for the grandson's wedding.  I've heard it is a 10 hour drive, plus stopping for meals.  Not looking forward to the long trip so much.   These days leading up to leaving will be filled with making sure I have everything not only for myself, but that hubby doesn't forget anything.  I still don't know what I will be wearing to the rehearsal.  I wonder if hubby has thought about it; I think he needs to be wearing his suit since even the rehearsal is semi-formal.  Will have to check with the daughter to see if the SIL is wearing a suit for that.  We will be making memories for years to come.  How do I know this?  Because stories were told of things that happened at our wedding... and we will probably always remember them.  

I finished the book last night I was reading on my kindle - and it was so good, hubby wants to read it - of course - and I had to order it.  I couldn't remember the title the other day, but it is called Breakthrough Faith by Larry Sparks.  I have found that by ordering the book, he has several other books that I would like to read as well.  I found his book easy to read and I could relate to a lot of what he said.  But I will wait awhile before ordering any..... I do have a couple other books I could read... but just a couple, right?

I was reading in one book this morning, Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children by Mark Batterson.   I wish I had this book when my children were little and even when my grandchildren were little.  Yes, I do have great-grandchildren now, and I am pondering what to do.  These things that I am reading are things that YOU, as a parent - and some as a grandparent - can do for your own.  Assuming that you pray for your child(ren) as you should be doing.... write down in a journal your prayers for your child as they grow up - and then present it to them on their wedding day.  Or graduation from college.  Or high school.   Don't you think it would life-changing for the child to know that mom and day praye  d specific prayers for them and showed them what they had been praying - so that they could see the answers God had provided over the years?

I just wrote down another idea they shared, but erased it.  Why?  Becuase I might do it myself. :-)  

I'm thinking of revising how I do my quiet time in the mornings.  As I grabbed my computer yesterday after a short break in my quiet time, I commented to hubby that I do have my 'rituals' of doing things in the mornings.  I gave some thought to that.  I don't always get through every thing I want to do...... because I choose (sometimes) to go back to sleep for a bit (this morning included.  We stayed up late watching a movie last night).  I'm not sure how I am going to do what I want to do.... 

When I was working, I would get up at 4AM, do my quiet time until 5AM, then get dresssed for work.  By 6AM I was out the door.  When I was sent home to work, I decided I would take the extra hours and make my quiet time from 4-7AM.  In the beginning it was really cool, for I spent lots of time reading my Bible and praying and writing in my journals, etc.  And I think it was about that time that I started writing daily in here.  I have been giving it some thought.  Many times I am 'finished' in here before I want to come out and face the real world.  Rather than continuing to get up at 4AM daily (5AM on weekends, as a rule), why not just change my time to 5AM, and sleep that extra hour (if my mind/body will let me)... then I have plenty of time to get done the things I want to do.... and perhaps instead of doing a workbook (as I have been doing)... just read my Bible; journal; spend time praying .... and perhaps I don't need to put something in here every day.  Most is just rambling anyway, right?   Things I am pondering this morning.  Weekends I often stay in here until 8AM.... but on Sundays I quit about 7:30-ish so that I can get a shower in before church.  Which is in about ten minutes. I'll be going back out in the open tomorrow... this chair is too easy to snuggle back in, wrapped in my blankets, and take a nap.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV):  "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Jesus is able to do more than we could ever hope or imagine when we ask Him, when we believe in Him, when we surrender to Him, and trust Him.  Some things don't turn out like we hope for or ask for, but He will always bring good out of what we thought was lost.

I do believe that.  I have prayed for years for my children to walk with the Lord.  And, although they are not following Him now, I trust God that their hearts will be turned to Him at some point and they will choose Jesus over the world.  And then my prayers would be answered.  So for now, my answer is 'not yet'.

And for some of my grandchildren, the answer is 'not yet'.  For some, they are choosing Jesus.  Unfortuantely, I grew up with just a head knowledge of who Jesus is... and that head knowledge didn't help me live for Him.  It takes a heart knowledge to want to live for Jesus and to follow Him.  There is a difference.

It's like knowing everything about someone.... you've read all their life stories... you've read every article ever written about them.... you've gone to every concert or program they did.... and you think you know them well.  And you do.  But it is all head knowledge.

But when they invite you into their life, and you invite them into yours.... then you have the heart knowledge of who they are.  Does this make sense?  

It's like with God.  We go to church as a child, in our youth, and we hear all the stories about Jesus and about God and about the Holy Spirit.  We think we know them well.  But until we invite them into our lives and into our hearts and minds, and we choose to live and follow them, all we have is head knowledge.  Head knowledge does not get us into heaven.  It takes heart knowledge and following Jesus that will get us there.

So what do you have?  I'm sure at one point you had the heart knowledge... but you let the world pull you away.  Perhaps you don't know how to get back to the heart knowledge... the first step is asking for forgiveness for letting the world and its desires take us away from our first love.  Then surrender our lives to Him and ask Jesus to take over and guide us.   Oh that my prayers would be answered for each of my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren!

Pursue Jesus.  He truly is all you need.

Blessings!