~~~~~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~~~~~ I Just Want You, Lord

I JUST WANT YOU, LORD

I could have fortune and fame- go anywhere do anything
But oh God, I just want You
I could search for earthly things- to satisfy my every need
Oh God, I just want You

I just want You, I just want You
I just wanna live in Your presence everyday
I lay down my will and every selfish desire
Whatever it takes, Father that's what I'll do
'Cause I just want You

Standing in this holy place- I'm here to seek Your face
Oh God, I just want You
Can You feel the passion in my heart- to be close to where You are
Oh God, I just want You
 

I just want You, I just want You
I just wanna live in Your presence everyday
I lay down my will and every selfish desire
Whatever it takes, Father that's what I'll do
'Cause I just want You

 (First song on my PlayList today)

~~*~~

"Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You.  Reveal to me the way I should go, because I long for You."  Psalm 143:8

Blessings to you today as you spend time in His presence.

Love to you...

~ARE THE BELLS ENOUGH?~

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day

their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men"

The great poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lived during the Civil War.  On Christmas Day, 1863, he felt no joy for his dearly loved son had been wounded in the battle.

"Why must there be this awful war to tear families apart and bring pain?" Longfellow noted.

(Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)  

In one of his darkest moments, Longfellow heard the chime of Christmas Bells and immediately wrote down his experience.  He told how the bells rolled an unbroken song of peace and good will to all men~

  He also shared how he cried in deep despair when he felt the peace he was searching for might never come.

But then, from the depths of his broken heart he penned the following...

"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail,

The right prevail,

With peace on earth, 

Good will to men."

Today I've finally slowed down.  After nearly eight non-stop weeks of creating, sewing, painting and crafting, I'm resting.   I'm content to know I've done my best.

It feels good this morning to stop and listen to the chiming of the bells.

And, it feels good to say 'enough'.  

Enough.

  It's taken me years to get to the place where I can truthfully say if my Christmas Tree was barren of all gifts and if our home was stripped of every light, bauble, bangle and bead that He alone would be 'enough'.

Enough.

What a peaceful, freeing, and simply glorious thought...

Love to you...

~If THERE BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD Go Us All~

~CONTINUALLY SEEKING GRACE~

Have you ever waited with joyful anticipation for the day to come when the person who hurt you and your family the MOST in the whole wide world got their comeuppance?

I sure have. I've thought about this very thing for many a day.

For several years now if you want to know the truth.

So why is it then, now that the day has finally arrived, do I feel so incredibly crummy on the inside? A day I believed would bring me some peace has only left me feeling empty and wanting...

This afternoon I was gently reminded by a loving friend to remember this one simple, but profound, thought...

"If there but by the Grace of God go I..."

Today I'm grateful and incredibly thankful the mistakes and poor choices I have made during my life have not been so grievous that they cost me all I ever held dear...

Blessings to you as you enjoy walking in your own two shoes...

HE LOVED US WITH A CROSS

A SWEET LITTLE CHURCH...SOMEWHERE

For over a year now the Lord has been working on me in some specific areas of personal growth. He’s been whittling down that self-will of mine while gently bringing into the light my unspoken weaknesses. Wow…I really hate being exposed! Even so, I know this must take place so I will become more dependent upon Him. Gosh~ and do we even have to talk about how JUDGMENTAL I can be about things? I’ve always been pretty bad about forming fairly quick opinions and then carelessly allowing them to spill out of my mouth! I know we all make mistakes and I’ve made tons during my lifetime and I’m going to continue to make many more before I leave this planet. Still, I know in my heart it would behoove me to remember that I am not unique in my imperfections, for the Word of God tells us we are all sinners in need of grace, strugglers in need of strength… I mean, Jesus DOES teach (instruct) us to pray “Forgive our debts…and lead us not into temptation.”

I’ve heard it said many times during my life that “the line that separates the best of us from the worst of us is a narrow one”. I believe this is true. With today being Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday only seven more days away, I’ve spent some time this week reflecting on the Cross. For me it is a symbol of courage and hope…forgiveness, sacrifice and most of all, LOVE.

Pride and Shame get heavy when you lug them around for a long time. So does anger, bitterness, blame, resentment, hatred and un-forgiveness. We strap those bad-boys upon our backs hoping if we carry them far enough they will one day justify our behavior and our choices. It is a constant, on-going struggle of mine to leave my burdens at the base of the Cross…even though I know in my heart the ONLY place they will ever be lifted is right there...Calvary.

“God placed upon him the wrong who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.” II Corinthians 5:31 MSG

Blessings to you as He works a miracle in your life…Rebecca