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Today, I give God the glory for three very specific prayers that He answered. If I could take out an ad in a worldwide paper, or make an announcement to the world, or somehow sing His goodness to the masses, I gladly would proclaim His mercy to all.
Today though, I simply give Him glory, honor and praise for being merciful and answering these prayers of mine. Our God is so good and I humbly give Him all the glory.
Thank you Father God for bestowing your grace and favor on your humble servant.
This afternoon, I said goodbye to someone I loved dearly. I only knew this dear gentleman for 3-4 months, but somehow, I felt as though I'd known him a lifetime.
This afternoon, Don went to be with Jesus. I miss him already but I know where he is and I know he's dancing on streets of gold and he's singing again, which he loved dearly. Just this morning, I sang two of his favorite songs to him. Now, he has the strength to sing again himself!
I will miss him so much, but I rejoice knowing he's in the hands of Jesus now.
...."twas grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home."
Today, Don was led home by the "grace" Giver. He's at peace now, whole, breathing easily, and praising God.
Thank you Lord for Don. Take good care of him for me.
It's Christmas Eve and as I have done many times before, I'm watching "It's A Wonderful Life." It's one of my favorite classics. Its' message is so plain and simple but one we tend to forget often.
Truly, life is wonderful.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH OF YOU.....
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, ISN'T IT?
Today I drove in to Jax to visit my grandchildren. My 7 year old granddaughter Natalie wasn't quite sure what she wanted for Christmas so to make things easier, I just took her to Toys'R'Us to shop. We walked the aisles, and everywhere were shoppers looking for the perfect gift for their children. Many had worried looks on their faces and seemed to be pacing trying to find just the right gift. I tried smiling at everyone. Some smiled back, some just looked at me as though I was nuts, but I kept on smiling.
After she picked out the perrrrrrrrrfect Christmas gifts she wanted (within the price range Yaya gave her!) we went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. When we went in, it looked as though a greyhound bus had just unloaded there were so many people in all the lines. As we waited patiently, I smiled at everyone. We were all stuck there in the same lines and as I continued to smile, I saw people who were frowning, beginning to smile back at me. Some looked at me in astonishment because I was smiling but all around, people started smiling back at me. The service was so quick and so curteous that I felt compelled to go tell the manager what a great job they were doing and how much I appreciated it. He seemed shocked that I would stop, smile and compliment their service when everyone was rushing so much and apparently only worrying about their own day.
A simple SMILE certainly does go a long way. It's a gift that's free of charge that anyone can give. When we smile at someone, it does bring a little joy to others lives. A smile can perk anyone up even in the midst of a tough day. It's one of the ways we have of letting the light of Jesus shine the brightest through us.
Tomorrow, when you set out for your new day, try smiling at everyone you meet. It's a gift that anyone can afford. Your smile just might make someone's day and be just the gift they needed.
SMILE!!
Many many many years ago...approximately 40-50, my parents purchased what I thought was THE most beautiful Christmas tree in the whole world!
I remember as my dad pulled each silver branch out of the box, I was enthralled with its' beauty. I had never seen anything like it. To me, it seemed so big and beautiful. My mother would hang red balls on it and then of course, came the revolving color globe! WOW was all I could think. I'd sit and watch as each of the colors would come around in the circle, always trying to decide which color I liked the best...red, blue, green or yellow.
Long before my father passed away, he gave our old tree to me. This year, since our daughter and son-in-law have so much of their furniture here in our house while they are building their own, we found our family room pretty crowded. Soooo, it just felt right to pull out my old tree and save the big green tree for next year.
As Darrel placed each old silver branch into place, the memories flowed through my mind. Of course, I had to finish the tree with red balls, just like my mother would have. Then, I draped the beautiful Christmas tree skirt that my daughter made for me 3 christmases ago underneath it.
My old silver tree isn't nearly as big as it seemed to be when I was a child, but its' memories are hidden in the branches and they speak joy to my heart each time I look at them. In all its' splendor, here's a picture of my tree this year in our family room.
Whatever your Christmas looks like this year, I pray that the memories from years gone by will ring loud in your ear.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
At this "giving" time of year, I always find myself reflecting on my precious father. It was he who showed me by example, the art of giving of oneself.
Even earliest childhood memories involve watching him helping others. In the midst of a horrific tornado when I was a young child, my father went out into the driving wind and pelting rain to check on our elderly neighbors. With homes demolished all around us, my father left his family in our basement to bless others not so fortunate. I can still remember watching him push his way down our driveway through the wind and rain, crying because I was afraid for him.
Gestures of kindness, compassion, and helpfulness were exhibited right before my eyes and I learned from these lessons.
I learned about selfless giving until it hurts from my earthly father. We don't see that too much anymore because we all are so consumed with ourselves, our own lives and our own problems. Long before I knew Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I saw these examples lived out right before my own eyes. I watched my father continually as I grew older to remain constant in his selfless attitude.
Christmas giving should be exhibited EVERY day in our lives. It is at the very core of who Jesus Himself was. He gave everything that He had for us and we didn't deserve a thing. We often weigh things out before we give and try to decide if someone is "deserving" of our giving....but Jesus didn't do that....He just gave it all on that cross on Calvary.
There won't be many gifts under our tree this year. The gifts our family has decided to give cannot be wrapped up. But the "giving" will be there, unseen, but not unnoticed in heaven and THAT is where it all matters anyway.
I challenge you, the reader, to give of yourself this Christmas. Give until it hurts, for that's when it truly becomes "selfless."
"For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
How about YOU...what are YOU willing to give this Christmas????
Thank you Jesus, for reminding me today, in the midst of despair, that you hear me. "If my people, who are called by name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven....." 2 Chronicles 7:14.
It wasn't a coincidence that I read that during my time with the Lord today. In my anguish, he sweetly reminded me that as I am praying, seeking His face and turning from evil....HE IS HEARING ME.
Thank you God for getting me through this day and hearing my cries to you. I love you Lord.
Not many days ago, we all stood helpless as we watched gas prices soar higher than we've ever seen them. I felt as though Darrel had chained me to the house! I was daily reminded..."DON'T DRIVE ANYWHERE UNLESS YOU HAVE TO!!!" And so, I saw alot of these dirty walls within my house!!!
Well, now that the insanity is at least temporarily behind us, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. But that brings me to my title question...
So....what CAN you do with a mere $1.59??? My first thought is this...$1.59 will buy you 1 gallon of gas here in my small Florida town and in the average vehicle, I'm guessing that will allow you to drive somewhere between 12-25 miles. Now that may not sound like very many miles you can drive but let's look at it this way. WHO within the amount of miles 1 gallon of gas would cost you, could use a visit today??? There are many lonely people out there who would love to see your face today? Or, how about driving down to our Care Center and volunteering for a couple of hours? You could spend $1.59 on a card for someone that would love a piece of mail.
It's true, $1.59 won't buy gold in these days, but the gifts from the heart that you could give for that amount are worth much more than pure gold to people. Why not give it a little thought and see what other ideas you can come up with.
Now...go dig under the cushions, under your car floormats and in the bottom of your purses, scrape up that $1.59 and let God use you to be a blessing. Someone is waiting for you.
The picture you see of this dear man, is someone the Lord Himself recently brought into my life. At first, I wasn't quite sure I understood why, but now, it is clear to me. (This picture was taken a year or more ago. I took a picture of this picture to be able to post it. That's why the date shows today.)
Several months ago, I introduced myself to this precious man who was seated in the back row of the church, on the far left. I remember he caught my eye because he reminded me of my own father. I stopped, hugged him and introduced myself and from that moment one, the bond began.
I shall never understand how the Lord God Almighty works, but He has taught me that He always brings people into our lives for a reason. I immediately loved Don and I could tell the feelings were mutual. Not long after the first time we met, Don's wife Mary had to be hospitalized. I knew that I should go and minister to them in the hospital and I did. This was the first time I met Mary. Don was still able to be up and around and he was doing his best to care for her in the hospital.
Once Mary came home, it wasn't long after that Don's health began to fail and he began wearing oxygen in our church services. I could tell his health was quickly slipping away.
As my visits to he and Mary increased, the friendship grew stronger. Not long later, Don was put in the hospital and then sent to the nursing home. He remained there only a week or two and daily visits to see him became precious to me. I loved to make him laugh and we shared stories and jokes together. Much of the time, I'd tell him stories about my own father and tell him how much he reminds me of him. He always would smile when I told him this.
Don is now back in his own home, where he wants to be. He has brought so much joy to me. I do not know much about his life nor his past, but I do know this....God sent him my way to be a blessing to him. Since my own father's death, I have yearned desperately for my dad and I have counted it all joy that God put Don in my path to minister to him and to Mary.
You know, I preach constantly to my children and grandchildren the importance of giving to others, of our time, our talents and ourselves. God has given me this opportunity, right here at Christmas time, to put my own selfish desires aside to be the hands, feet and mouthpiece of Christ to someone in great need. What an honor and a priviledge that God would allow me to be used in such a way.
As Don's health continues to slip away, I rejoice that he knows Christ in a personal way. Don joyfully awaits the moment his eyes see his Lord and Savior and knows that his mansion awaits him upon his arrival!
I am so thankful to God for people that He strategically places in our paths. Don has helped me to remember how short life is and I'm thankful that God chose to use me to minister to Don.
Thank you Lord for Don and Mary and for your peace upon their lives. Please pray for them as they face the difficult days ahead.
