I love that I can open the blinds

 and it is daylight about 5:30AM.  Sure beats the 7AM still dark as night outside!  It's just a little after 6AM and I see people out walking already.  I SHOULD get my butt moving early in the mornings, get dressed, and get in a quick walk.  But then, I'd lose some time in here.  But it's a thought.  And a good one. But I'm not one to move about quickly this early in the morning, so it probably won't happen.  At least not as long as I am working.

My still working.  Something 'dawned' on me this past week and it has made me 'ok' with continuing to work.  For one thing, if we ever do sell this place and choose to move, the fact that I am still working and bringing in income would help in the process of buying a new house.  (a job always helps, right?)  But the thought occurred to me as I wrote out my tithing check that if I wasn't working, I couldn't give as much to the church; to Jesus.  And that is more important to me than having money, or quitting my job.  As long as I keep working, I can keep tithing and giving to the church.  For me that is the best feeling.  So as much as my male boss frustrates me and all, I will keep working until God tells me it is time to leave.

Yesterday was a very good day.  We went to church and again felt welcomed.  Came home and ate leftover taco soup and a salad I had purchased for lunch.  Then I let my oldest son know we were home and he came over for a visit.  And it was a REAL visit - not the come in and talk five minutes and need to get out the door.  I truly enjoyed him sitting down, having a glass of iced tea, and chatting with us.  For me, it was a special time and means so much.

Almost forgot, but a text just came through and reminded me.  LOL While at church yesterday morning a couple women 'hit me up' on joining women's groups.  Now, I would like to get into a bible study as a participant right now and get to know other women. I think it would be good for me.  They have a group that meets once a month for BYOL and gather to catch up on life.  They have another group that is starting up for a bible study starting next Wednesday evening (14th).  Since the time is 7-8:30PM, I may go to that one.  They have a Mother's Day brunch scheduled for this coming Saturday. I need to go online and register for that one.  I don't have anything on the calendar so think I can go to it.  Anyway - I am reminded because I just got a text re the next WOW - they call it Women of Wisdom.  I've always heard the one WOW - Women of the Word.  I guess you can make the letters stand for whatever you want.  Nice to be included in the texts already.  No pressure: it's just information on what is happening with the women's groups at church.  Nice, huh.  They are starting a men's group on Tuesday evenings next week. Since we usually do not schedule anything on Tuesday evenings because of hubby's bible study with his friend and my 'girls' night out', hubby is having to make a decision.  My group would meet on Wednesday, so it doesn't affect my Tuesdays.  Hubby is going to talk with his friend about changing their day so that he can go to the bible study.  I don't want to fill up our evenings, but it will be nice to meet up with other people rather than sit on the couch all evening and read or watch TV every night.

I did go see Ms. Vicky on Saturday and saw Ms. Diane last night.  Took her the last of the taco soup.  She's so funny.  Grumpy, grouchy, and complaining, but I just laugh at her.  Her kids want to put her in an assisted living (her son actually said yesterday when she starts saying she just wants to die - he tells her to die then!) and sell her house.  By yesterday she was saying (according to her children) that she wants to just die alone in the house and refuses to move.  LOL I feel sorry for her for she has alienated her friends - what few she had.  Her kids come over frequently, but they stay long enough to drop off food and have lunch or dinner with her or do something around the house and off they go.  Ms. Diane just refuses to do anything but sit and watch tv and complain.  Her daughter tries to get her to even dust to just get her out of the chair.  I hear both sides of the story.  I don't mind visiting Ms. Diane - or Ms. Vicky - but I have things I have to do here as well.  

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV):  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This verse always reminds me that I need to not worry about anything.  In every thing that comes to mind, I am to throw that thought into a prayer to God and ask Him to work in it.  For example, my issues with my male boss.  I can't change the 'mess' (in my opinion) he has created with the board stuff.  But as I pray about it and give it to God, it not only helps me feel better about it, but God works through it for my good.  Have you ever thought about all those tough situations you go through and how you got through them - and they turned out for your good - although you just couldn't see any good coming from it?

I've learned to pray simple prayers of 'Lord, please help me...." or "Lord, help us in this situation...." and then I just let it go. Some people don't get how easy it is to pray and ask God to take over the issue. Doesn't mean it will go away.  You may still have to deal with the issue. But God.  When you give it over to Him, He will direct your path on what to do.  It's still your choice, but you will see more options when God is involved in it.  Trust Him. Give it to Him.  Just takes a simple prayer, a simple ask.  "Lord, please help."

Blessings!

It was a pretty good day after all....

 Yesterday wasn't as crazy as I feared it was.  I should always remember that once I put it in God's hands, He will take care of it... I need to quit 'taking it back' to stress over it.  Something to remember.

I did have lunch with my 'old' friend and we had a great time of talking and eating.  In fact, I talked so much I ended up bringing half my salad home!  We had a great visit.  Then at Bible study last night it went well.  And, oh my goodness, our hostess is a wonderful dessert maker.  Last night she had small bite-size cherry cream danish that she put on phyllo dough.  But my favorite?  She also made very small pecan pies.  I ate three.  Not intentionally.  I was going to only eat two, but the the host insisted I take another home with me (it didn't make it out of the driveway) because what is left over, he ends up eating himself. They were so good and are a favorite of mine.  So, yeah, Bible study was great. :-)

Today is the dreaded day I have to go to Corporate downtown but God has taken care of it.  Another admin lives far away south... so we are meeting about half way and we will ride together downtown.  I think she has been there before, and if not, we will learn together where to park, get the ticket validated, etc.  We were to order lunch yesterday and I ordered tamales.  Not that I like them a lot, but they are less messy than trying to eat tacos.  I have so much work to do I don't really have time to go and I know my friend doesn't either.  BUT, it's called work... I forget what it's called, but you get it.  Networking - that's the word!  Most of these admins I have never met in person; most I haven't even responded by email with.  But some I have so it will be nice to put a face to a name.

The support person I am driving to Mesa to take the basket to tomorrow emailed me yesterday to come for the luncheon they are having.  So - instead of doing an early trip down to Mesa, drop off the basket, and turn around and drive back, I'm going down late morning and will stay for lunch.  Might as well get 'paid' for the drive down!  I will get to see my other boss (as this is his department) as he will be there, and meet two of the new employees that I have been crazily working things out for.  I may learn something new... the last one hired worked for our company until last April when they were laid off.  He has asked for all his emails and folders from last April be made available to him.  I always thought when an employee left that all the records were wiped clean.  Gone.  Adios. But he seemed to think they were stored and IT can pull his 'old stuff' and give it back to him.  It would be great if they can as he said he has several emails and powerpoints that would be useful in this new position.  I did write an email to someone in IT that I know.... will see how she responds.

Ephesians 5:19-20 (NKJV) ".....speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,...."

Five phrases express the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit; speaking, singing, making melody, (with instruments), giving thanks, and submitting.  We don't usually talk to each other in psalms or hymns or sing to each other, but surely there are times that you feel a song in your heart to sing unto the Lord, or a chorus will come to your mind and you find yourself humming it.  How often do you find yourself thanking God for answered prayers?  Or even for prayers you didn't pray?  Some people depend on others to pray for them.... they have turned away from God for whatever reason.... usually because He didn't act in the timeframe they set on Him....  (we don't like rules, so why do we place rules on others?) ..... but do we stop and thank God for the answers .. even to prayers we didn't pray?  He only has our best interests in mind.  He only wants the best for us.

In my devotions this morning I read about a Stanley Tam, who was CEO of the United States Plastic Corporation.  I just looked it up ... just cause.  Stanley Tam wanted to be sure that God was the Center of that corporation, that over time he made God the biggest shareholder (51 %) of the corporation.  In fact, the story went on that he gave God all of the corporation to where Stanley Tam himself became a salaried employee.  I just looked at it on the internet and on the outside wall of the Corporation are the words "Christ is the answer".  The United States Plastic Corporation has given away millions of dollars over the years.... because God is the owner of this company.  Isn't that amazing?  Someone who started a company but gave it all to God, and managed it for Him, taking the profits and giving them away.  More companies should follow that example, right?

And perhaps we should as well.  When we make God our 'boss', our 'owner', and we submit to His authority when it comes to our lives and how we live, submit to His authority when it comes to our finances, submit to His authority on how we treat others.... when we give Him complete control, only then will we be successful.  Because when God is in control, it will be.  

No, I'm not there yet.  More and more I give up things for Him, but I know there are things I still hold on to.  Things like attitude (you know how I struggle with that at times!), anger, behavior, etc.  I've gotten much better over the years with our finances... well, my part of the finances, anyway.  In fact, I did a spiritual gifts test not long ago and I was extremely surprised that 'Giving' was my number one spiritual gift, according to that test.  I don't believe it is, but I believe in giving to God all that I have.  He will always provide what I need; I don't have to have all the other stuff.  It only breaks or wears out, or I decide I don't want it anymore.

I mean, like, how many 'things' for my kitchen did I think I needed?  I have far too many... some I have bought cause I 'had to have' and have only used once.  Some I haven't used at all.  Yet, I thought I 'had to have it'.  I need to do inventory and either start using things or get rid of them.  Some day, I tell myself, when I don't have to work all day, I can go through my cookbooks and start experimenting and using some of these things I have.  Wouldn't that be fun!

All that I have is a gift from the Giver of Life, God our Father.  What I do with it is my gift back to Him.  That applies to our lives too.  God breathed life into each one of us.... what a gift that is!..... and what we do with our life is our gift back to Him.  

Blessings!

Busy weekend; busy week ahead....

 This past weekend was a fun weekend for me, for the most part.  As I shared before, I got to spend one day with my boss at the Christmas Ideas House, and then the next day had lunch with a doctor friend (who actually delivered two of my grandchildren!) that I still work with, my boss, and another friend.  Yesterday was another busy day in that I got to take care of a great-granddaughter for the very first time!  Yep - I got to watch her for several hours while mom and dad went to see a concert.  It truly went well - but wouldn't you know it, she was starting to get tired and as mom and dad pulled into the driveway, she started crying - and was crying as they came through the door.  My first words were "honest! she didn't start crying until you pulled into the driveway!"  I enjoyed my time with her, and of course she had my undivided attention all afternoon so I did nothing else - a novel thing for me.  

Today I'm back to work - but I do have two appointments.... one medical and one for pleasure.  I get a massage tonight - and probably one much needed.  With having the osteopenia, I suppose I need to stop the deep massages that I like so well.  But I can still get the firm ones, I believe.  Of course hubby has to have his appointment right after mine so that we can go together - so both of us lose two hours.  Heaven forbid that one of us should have someone else do the massage and go at the same time.  He refused; he had to have the same person I selected - and we haven't even been to this place before!  I just picked a place closer to us as where we used to go is quite a drive now.  And.... I've started to ramble already - what's up with that?

I am reading a couple books here in the mornings, a chapter or two in each (why can't I just stick to one so that I can finish it?!)  Both intrique me.  One is 'Fasting through the Lord's Prayer' and the other is 'An Appeal to Heaven'.  As it is less than a month when we begin our 21 day fast for 2022, I have been reading different books on Fasting.  Some have been thought-provoking, some informative, and some even have me wanting to start NOW.  If I HAD to, of course, I would start now, but it's Christmas!  Fun foods, good foods, lots of cookies and candies - homemade at that! - how can I start now?  Speaking of which, need to figure out which - if any - of the grandchildren want to come bake cookies.  This is the first year I think I will be down to one, perhaps three, grandchildren.  An era has come close to an end.  My prayer is that the tradition of baking cookies together at Christmas will continue as they create their own families.  We've had some fun times over the years.  Since one group of grandchildren won't be over, I sent cookie dough to them and suggested they make their own.  I don't know if they did or not, but one grandchild did send a text and thanked me for the cookie dough, so I can assume he did make cookies.

Back to the books I'm reading, they are beginning to stir my heart again for intercessory prayer.  Over the years things have happened that crushed my spirit and I must admit I haven't prayed as I should.  Oh I still pray, but the gift of intercession has waned.  My broken heart would not allow me to dive into prayer like I used to - and I have truly missed it.  I feel smothered, buried, forgotten and left behind.  I need a revival in my soul and I am beginning to feel the embers start to burn again.  Unless you have experienced what life is, you cannot understand the depth of what I have just written.  Life is hard, I am sure you will admit that.  But instead of focusing on what is happening TO us, we need to focus on what is happpening THROUGH us.  

I can't tell you what to do to regain your spiritual fervor again.... if you feel you are right where you need or want to be - hallelujah!  But I'm not where I want to be.  It will take some adjustments, for hubby and for me.  It can mean making adjustments in your own life.  It means purging things of the past and getting through them.  It means repenting and repairing.  It means letting go of the past so that the future can be grabbed ahold of.   Oh the future that one can have when it is secured in Jesus!  Life may not be perfect in our eyes, but it is perfect in His.  He can take every pain, every sorrow, every heartache, every bit of anger, every bit of distrust, and turn it into a glorious and rewarding thing.

As the new year approaches, perhaps one can begin thinking of what changes one should make in ones' life.  This has been a year of intense struggles fo me (in my opinion), but it hasn't been to Jesus.  The problems I have gone through are things that I need to learn - and some that I perhaps need to go back to the beginning of the year and read my rambling blogs so that I remember what He has taken me through.  And be thankful.  And be repentful.  And be open to Grace.

Yes, we are just in the single digits still of the last month of 2021... but may I suggest that you begin thinking about where this year has taken you, what have you gone through, think about the plus and minus things .... and determine how you want this year to end.  And how you want 2022 to begin.  I want it to begin on a positive note, but even more than that, I want it to begin with my life surrendered to whatever the Lord has for 2022.  Regardless of what I may have to go through; regardless of what journey the Lord will lead me to, my prayer is that I will lay down my life and allow Him to work through me to touch others for Him.

Jesus is all that we need in this world.  We've put Him on the shelf so many times - (not speaking just of me - but of you too).  It's so easy to put Him out of sight and just go with our own emotions and feelings - when He is the one who created those very same emotions and feelings.  We can learn from them; we can grow from them; or we can wallow ... I've seen what wallowing in the past does to people.  Things that happened  50 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, last year, or even yesterday..... turns you to unflavored salt (like Lot's wife when she looked back) in our own life.  

One thing I heard someone say (or I read it)... that makes real sense.  "You can't go back and change what happened in the past.... but you can change how your response to the future will become."  I am choosing a deeper future.... one that is relinquished to whatever God wants of me.  I can't change my past; I can't change how I reacted or how I felt in the past.  But I can change how I will live in the future.  Free of my past.  As the saying goes... "if it's to be, it's up to me.... with God's help."

Things to ponder on, don't you think?  One thing I do know, and that is when we confess our sins, our anger, our bitterness, and those things we know are not of God, to Him, He takes them and remembers them no more - as far as the east is from the west.  I am so grateful that when I confess those things I've done (and the devil will constantly remind you of them and tell you that you can't change, that you can't be forgiven for it), when I confess, God takes that confession and throws it to the wind - and remembers it no more.  So when the devil tells you that you aren't good enough, that your sins and rebellion can not be forgiven, remind satan that He was defeated on the cross and that Jesus has forgiven you, and you will not carry that bag of sin around you any more.  You left it at the foot of the cross, and there is remains.  It doesn't mean we won't suffer the consequences of those sins... but it means that we have One who took those sins upon Himself on the cross, so that we don't have to carry them any more.

Start packing your bag with confession of whatever is troubling you.  Jesus forgives.  Let Him take your bag and remember it no more.

Blessings!