The Voice of God

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,”  

Psalm 95:6-7

We get so wrapped up in being busy and doing what we think God wants us to do that we don't take the time to thank Him for His mercies and grace.  So today take time, slow down, and listen to His voice.  He is there waiting to speak with each and everyone of us.

The Voice of God

by Magehee, Marty/Harris, Mark R.

I have dreamed of being Moses
Standing on the mountain top
When he heard the voice of God
And I admit that even sometimes
I've imagined I was Paul on the road to Damascus
When he heard the Savior's call

 But though I have never heard Gods audible reply
I hear Him speak unspoken words of life

 I hear His voice
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry
When I hear the sparrow singing
At the dawn of morning light
I hear His voice
When I hear the thunder echo through the sky
When I hear the wind whistlin through a forest full of pines
Then I know, yes I know
I have heard
The voice of God

In this faithless generation
Some refuse to just believe
In a God they cannot see
But I have had a revelation
And I'm as sure as I can be
That the God of all creation
Came to live inside of me

And though I have never heard His audible reply

I hear Him speak unspoken words of life

 

Honestly

I am reading a wonderful devotional book, Made to Crave Devotional, written by Lysa TerKeurst.

I spend time with God each night using this little book.  Last nights devotion really spoke to me.  The scripture was     1 Timothy 4:15, "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress."

No matter what we are struggling with; food, depression, lack of self esteem, etc., God's Word can and will help us.  We all have made excuses as to why we can't do something by giving ourselves a pat on the back for the things we are doing.  No matter how many excuses I make they are not going to get me anywhere.  I can be good one day by eating healthy and exercising and totally undo everything the very next day by making excuses.  Lysa talks about the cycle of life we go through with the excuses and nothing will change until WE make the choice to change.  As we choose to make this change we will fight a battle in three areas; Spiritual, Physical and Mental.  As we fight our battle we MUST always choose God first when trials and temptations come along.  Stay in His Word, study scripture and read what He says about taking care of our daily needs.  I also like the way Lysa uses the word compromise.  She tells us not to settle and not to compromise.  When we remove the "com" we are left with "promise" and we are made for God's promises in all areas of our life.  She also tells us that it is possible to rise up, do battle with our issues, and using the Lord's strength in us, defeat them spiritually, physically, and mentally to the glory of God.

So rely on God's strength for He will carry you through whatever comes your way.  God bless you and may you have a beautiful and glorious day as we each choose to FROG. (Fully Rely on God)

The Lord is My Strength 

by Jon Lloyd & Casey Darnell

Oh Lord, we’ve heard of Your fame
Now we stand in awe of Your glory
Let Your grace and Your mercy reign
Though my heart and flesh may fail
You are God, and You never will

The Lord is my strength
Through the trials and pain
He is able to carry me
Every step of the way

The Lord is my strength
and my portion always
Every time I am weak
The Lord is my strength

Let the weary hearts find Your rest
Let the hungry soul now be fed
In our times of brokenness
Though our hearts and flesh may fail
You are God, and You never will

Sing for Joy

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God,

the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:1-7

Our heavenly Father created all the beauty of this earth for us to enjoy.  He never fails to meet our needs and blesses us with more than we ask for.  Do we thank Him enough?  Let's be honest now.  My answer would be I do not always thank Him for the little things or the big things He provides me with on a day to day basis and I know I should.  We should come before Him daily with praise and thanksgiving for the mighty things He does and for the things He is about to do.  

Thank you God for the way you bless my family daily.  Thank you for keeping my family and friends safe from harm.  Thank you most of all for your Son Jesus Christ, who so willingly gave His life for me.I know that sometimes I fail you when I try to do things on my own and I ask for forgiveness when I fail to put my trust in You.  Remind me daily to put you first in my life.  Remind me daily to share the good news of your Son Jesus Christ.  Let me be an example so that others will see Christ living in me.  Amen

Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down

Come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our God, our Maker.

Come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the Lord our God, our Maker.

For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture
And the sheep of His hand,
And the sheep of His hand.

Dave Doherty

Trust

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

God tells us not to worry about anything.  But we as humans just can't seem to stop worrying about tomorrow and what the future holds.  God tells us to give everything to Him.  He also tells us that He will not put more on us than He can't handle, that all we have to do is trust.  My sister Linda once told me "I just wish He did not trust me so much."  Our God is awesome and He will take care of whatever comes our way as long as we put our faith and trust in Him.  So let go and let God have His way in your life.  You'll be glad you did!

Only Trust Him

Come, every soul by sin oppressed-

There's mercy with the Lord,

And He will surely give you rest

By trusting in His word.

Only trust Him, only trust Him,

Only trust Him now, He will save you,

He will save you, He will save you now. 

For Jesus shed His precious blood

Rich blessings to bestow

Plunge now into the crimson flood

That washes white as snow.

Only trust Him, only trust Him,

Only trust Him now, He will save you,

He will save you, He will save you now. 

Yes, Jesus is the Truth, the Way,

That leads you into rest;

Believe in Him without delay

And you are fully blest.

Only trust Him, only trust Him,

Only trust Him now, He will save you,

He will save you, He will save you now. 
John H. Stockton

Peace

 

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.  Psalm 29:11

 

For some time now I have been battling hurt caused by words.  There is an old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."  This couldn't be further from the truth.  Words leave scars that no one can see.  They are deep inside of you where you try to hide the hurt you are feeling.  You try to fix it with all the strength you can muster but you can't.  The reason you can't is that you have been relying on your strength when you should have been relying on God's strength.  I can truthfully say that I have given this hurt to God.  It is with His strength I have forgiven those that have hurt me and I am truly at peace.

 

Peace, Perfect Peace

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found.

Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
In Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they.

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.

It is enough: earth's struggles soon shall cease
And Jesus call us to Heaven's perfect peace.

Edward H. Bickersteth

 

 

Oh What A Beautiful Morning

 

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  Psalm 16:11

 

Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day!

Today Gary and I are heading to coast where we plan to spend the next couple of days at a wonderful B & B, Her Castle, in Cambria.  We both love Cambria with all it little shops, antique stores, and great places to eat.  One of the first shops I plan to visit is the "Ball & Skein" as I really must pick up a new set of wooden knitting needles.  I try to pick up a set whenever we are in Cambria and I am slowing building my wooden needle collection.  The way I look at it is "one can never have to many needles."  While there we are planning to drive down to Morro Bay, hang out for a while and then back up to Ragged Point.  The views from Ragged Point are absolutely breath taking and I plan to take a lot of pictures.

 

We are looking forward to being able to spend some quality time together and take in the beauty God created for us to enjoy! 

 

Morning Has Broken

Morning has broken, like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven

Like the first dewfall, on the first grass

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden

Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day.

Eleanor Farjeon

 

 

 

 

God is my rock!

But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

Psalm 94:22

Life happens!  Situations arise that we have no idea how to handle.  We fret, we stew and we don't which way to turn or who we can talk to that will give us the right answer and the solution to whatever situation we are facing.  All we have to do is look upward to the one who has everything in control.  Look to Him in prayer and pour your heart out to Him.  He will listen to you.  Our Lord always, always has our best interest at heart. 

Listen to Him, let Him guide you, let Him be your rock! 

Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee
Thomas Hastings

In the Garden

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Mark 1:35

There is an old hymn that I dearly love and it speaks directly to my heart.  It talks about spending time with Jesus and listening to what He has to say directly to me. 

In the Garden

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

C. Austin Miles

I am striving to start each day by spending time in God's Word, time in prayer, and then sitting quietly and listening to the still small voice of God.  Do I succeed each day?  I would like to say I do but the correct answer is not always.  I have found that when I do start my day with God things seem to fall in place easily and there is less strife through out my day.

By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life. 

Psalm 42:8



Joy

For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,

I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

How great are Your works, O Lord!

Your thoughts are very deep.

Psalm 92:4-5

We serve an awesome God, a Heavenly Father who wants to gives us our hearts desire.  He meets our daily needs and gives us things we don't deserve.  He is the bread of life.  All He asks is for us to serve Him and tell others about Him.  I so want to be the obedient child and do what He asks of me.  I want to put the needs of others ahead of my own needs.  I want to be the child that my Heavenly Father delights in and a child who looks up to Him in faith.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.
Henry J. van Dyke

Start each morning with God as you read His Word.  Give praise to our Heavenly Father as He meets the needs of all who ask.  In His word He tells us to "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."  Luke 9-10

I Am His, and He Is Mine

How great it is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 

1 John 3:1

Have you every thought about how beautiful heaven must be?  If not just look around you and you will get just a small glimpse of what heaven must be like every time you look at all the beautiful creations God made just for us.  Remember every time you look toward the skies you can see God's tender heavens above us bend, and His love smiling down on us.

I Am His, and He Is Mine

Love with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know;

Gracious Spirit from above, thou hast taught me it is so!

O, this full and perfect peace!  O, this transport all divine!

In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.

Heaven above is softer blue, earth around is sweeter green!

Something lives in every hue Christ less eyes have never seen:

Birds with gladder songs overflow, flowers with deeper beauties shine,

Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest;

Closed in everlasting arms, pillowed on the loving breast.

O, to lie forever here, doubt and care and self resign,

While He whispers in my ear, I am His, and He is mine.

His forever, only His; who the Lord and me shall part?

Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart!

Heaven and earth may fade and flee, firstborn light in gloom decline;

But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.

George W. Robinson

Pallet Garden Wall

Love it!!!

Look what was on The Garden Pantry Wall's facebook page.  I want one of these!  Now all I have to do is find the plans and the right pallets.

I so want to be an Eagle!

Many blessings are given to those who trust the Lord.  Psalm 40:4

There are times when we are like a bird that has halted her flight and the bough we choose to sit on isn't strong enough to hold our weight.  But we are also so unlike the bird, with our lack of trust, as she continues to sing because she trusts her wings to lift her up if she starts to fall.  We try to carry our burdens alone, without asking for help, and they become to heavy for us.  Why do we do this to ourselves for we have wings too!  All we need to do is call on Jesus and place our trust in Him knowing that He will lift us up and carry us through whatever storm comes our way.

Dolly Parton said it all in her song "She's an Eagle When She Flies."

She's been there, God knows, she's been there

She has seen and done it all

She's a woman, she know how to

Dish it out or take it all

Her heart's as soft as feathers

Still she weathers stormy skies

And she's a sparrow when she's broken

But she's an eagle when she flies

A kaleidoscope of colors

You can toss her around and round

You can keep her in you vision

But you'll never keep her down

She's a lover, she's a mother

She's a friend and she's a wife

And she's a sparrow when she's broken

But she's an eagle when she flies

Gentle as the sweet magnolia

Strong as steel, her faith and pride

She's an everlasting shoulder

She's the leaning post of life

She hurts deep and when she weeps

She's just as fragile as a child

And she's a sparrow when she's broken

But she's an eagle when she flies

She's a sparrow when she's broken

But she's an eagle when she flies

Oh, bless her, Lord

She's an eagle when she flies

Draw Near to God

 Come near to God and He will come near to you. James 4:8

There are times when I draw near enough to touch Him, then I know that He has been there all the time!  There is an old gospel song that says it best.

Draw me Nearer

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the pow’r of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

And my will be lost in Thine.

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour

That before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God

I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know

Till I cross the narrow sea;

There are heights of joy that I may not reach

Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Frances J. Crosby

Time Together

This has been a productive weekend for the Richards household. Gary and I have been working on getting our office/sewing-craft room in order. While we were in Washington he brought me a new SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist 600-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine and I can't wait to start sewing.  I know what my first project will be and that is to finish the second set of crib bumpers for my very good friend Jera who had twin boys earlier this year.  

A little restructuring of a book case we had to put some baskets in for storage.  We also did a little reorganizing of his side of the room.

We then decided to head to Visalia to pick up some things  I wanted for the sewing/craft area; wall deco, calendar, baskets, etc.  First stop was Marshall's to look for some baskets.  They didn't have the type of baskets I wanted for the book case and we ended up buying some fall stuff; Pumpkin Pie Candle and Potpourri Wire Basket. 

Since Bed, Bath & Beyond was right next door we went there to search for the baskets.  They had what I was searching for so we brought four baskets and some cute little wall hangers.  From there we headed to Joann's since my sewing scissors disappeared.  While there we not only purchased the scissors but a couple of other items too; wall decor, 3-drawer crate for the book case and a dish washing brush.

All this shopping had made us hungry so we headed to Mimi's Cafe.  Mimi's is a favorite place of ours and it did not hurt any that we had a coupon for a free dinner with the purchase of a second dinner.  We also had one of their coupons for the contest "Travel to Paris" which gave us a free four pack of muffins.  Sweet!

Gary snapped this picture while we were waiting for our dinner.

This afternoon we finished up the Sewing/Craft Area.  Here are a couple of pics of our finished project.

I love my new sewing/craft area!!!

This weekend Gary also brought me an Orchid.  Our daughter Marianne has a White Orchid on her dining table and it is beautiful.  She keeps it alive by giving it 2 ice cubes every Sunday.  So I am going to follow her example and try my hand at growing this beautiful Orchid.

I'll keep you posted on how it does.

It has been a very enjoyable weekend with my sweetie!!! 

Peace

photo by CarolSue Butler

Where there is peace, there is happiness.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.

Romans 15:13

Christ's Strength

There comes a time in one's life that they have to set boundaries.  I am now setting those boundaries.  I am tired of being thrown under the bus for something I did not do.  I am tired of being others scapegoat for the guilt they are feeling.  I have apologized numerous times for the hurt others perceive I have done and I know that I am to expect nothing in return from them.  But when they continuously use and abuse me I have to draw the line.  I do forgive them for the hurt they have caused but I am now choosing to not put myself out there for any more hurt.  Others will need to deal with their own guilt instead of blaming me.  God's word tells me  that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)  So I will be leaning on Christ's strength, and His strength alone, to get me through the days ahead.