There She Goes

I warned the world when Rachel got her learner's permit and now it is official.  She has her license!  She and her daddy went Tuesday afternoon and we now have the last of our offspring able to run to the store if needed.

She wasn't back home long before she was ready to go to town by herself, so the first order of business to ask Dad for . . . !

 

Pulling wallet out of back pocket.

There she goes.

I would be lying if I said I watched this with no tears.  

I Want to Live Like That

Sometimes I think

What will people say of me

When I'm only just a memory

   When I'm home where my soul belongs 

We attend funerals fairly often and hear family tell all the great things about the one who has gone on to wait for them.  One cannot help but become reflective and wonder how it would be if it was their family and what they would say.

Was I love

When no one else would show up

Was I Jesus to the least of those

  Was my worship more than just a song 

If someone thinks of you, would they also automatically think of Jesus?  Were you Love, were you Jesus to the least of those, was your worship more than a song?

Better yet - ARE you Love, ARE you Jesus to the least of those, IS your worship more than just a song?

Am I proof

That You are who you say You are

That grace can really change a heart

Do I live like Your love is true 

When people look at you do they see that you doubt His faithfulness?  Are you living in fear of how tomorrow is going to work?  Or, are you proof that He is Who He says He is?

People pass

And even if they don't know my name

Is there evidence that I've been changed

When they see me, do they see You 

I asked a question of the ladies last night at Bible study.  When your name is mentioned, do they think of Jesus?  Is your name ever used in the same sentence?  That needs to be our goal.  That we live like that.

I want to live like that

And give it all I have

So that everything I say and do

Points to You 

I want to give it all I have.  I love this song by Sidewalk Prophets.  Love it.

Oh, sweet Jesus, 

everything I say and do, 

I want it to point to You.

The Wheels in my Head go Round and Round

My Jesus, My Savior

Lord there is none like you.

I need to copy the sign up sheets for the directory to be ready for right after church.

All of my days, I long to praise the wonders of your mighty love.

I need to make sure the girls get the taco meat to take to mom's for lunch while I meet with young mommy.

My Comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength. Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship You.

I'm ready to go see Mickey after lunch.  
I hope we make it before she says hello to Jesus 
face to face.

Shout to the Lord all the earth let us sing

Power and majesty praise to the King

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar

at the sound of your Name

STOP IT!!!

At the sound of His name the mountains bow down and the sea will roar, 

but I'm not even here.  While the words come out, the "to do" list 

was getting louder and louder in my head. 

 What am I doing?  

Father, I want to be single-minded.  Focused on You.  Not on what I have to remember to do, or who isn't here this morning, or who is going through what.  I need to stop it.  I need to think about You.

I sing for joy at the work of Your hands

Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand

Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.

Just Hop on the John Deere

Last week I began praying that God would stretch me; and stretch me He did. 

 What did I do about all that stretching? 

I complained about everything that was going on. 

Yes, I complained about it.

I don't think that is how the Lord wanted me to handle things.

Thursday was pretty tough so I went outside and planted some onions and strawberries.  

I climbed on the tractor and and drove to the barn to get some old hay to cover the berries.  I drove by the barn where Michael was feeding the horses.

I wondered if the neighbors ever thought he was crazy the way he talks to his horse. 

 He's crazy about him.  He once said that the person who said a man has a sexual thought every 40 seconds obviously doesn't have a good horse. :)

It was watching him with his horse and driving around on the tractor that relief came for me.  The stress, fear, hurt, and disappointment of the week seemed to lessen.

Maybe when I am right in the thick of the stretching, of the chiseling;  in the middle of the molding;  maybe then I am too engulfed to see His hand.

It is when I am still, when I step outside of it a bit that I can see what He is doing.  I step away from the growing pains and see the growth.

In the stillness I see myself becoming more of a warrior. 

I'm becoming more of a warrior because of the stretching.

I hope the enemy trembles a little because of this warrior riding on a John Deere.

I Heard the Breath

There is something very sweet about seeing the breath.

About hearing the breath.

I pushed four babies to their first breath.  

The other two had to be encouraged because they were just so little, 

but I still got to hear it before they whisked them away.

I've heard the breath that spoke "I do" to God and mate at the same time.

I've heard the breath of death;  so loud, so final.

I believe God knows the number of our days.  I kind of imagine that when we take our first breath our "life clock" is set at that number and starts ticking down.

There is another breath.

The one we use to speak belief.

I kind of imagine that when we speak the breath of belief,
that life clock goes to zero then starts ticking up.
 From zero through eternity.

I was told that the Hebrew word for God is four consonants that sound like breath sounds.

That is beautiful to me.

So this week, full of trials, great needs, and responsibilities; this week I need to breathe.
To speak YHWH.
Because where the spirit (breath) of the Lord is, there is freedom.
There is peace.

 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Job 33:4