When we are planning something – a day, an event, or just a meal, I love to hear someone say, “I have a thought!” It’s usually then followed by some great idea or plan! Ooooooo, share it! Isn’t that why we read blogs, search the Internet, and flip through pictures in a magazine? A brilliant thought or idea is just waiting to be discovered!

Sunday a young man in church stood to sing a solo before the message. His song was a different tune for the words to Be Thou My Vision. The new tune made me listen closer to the words. I listened and I heard him sing, “Thou my best thought, by day or by night…” The Lord brought to my mind at that moment, that no idea or thought is ever as wonderful as when I’m thinking on Him! He is my best thought. My best idea comes when I meditate on Christ!

Are you worried? Think on Christ!
Are things confusing? Think on Christ!
Is life crazy? Think on Christ!
Is your heart breaking? Think on Christ!
Do you need direction? Think on Christ!

He will be the best thought you think all day long!

In Christ,

I have some vivid memories of difficult situations that I have had to walk into and act upon. I remember one December a few years back sitting with my husband in someone’s home who had just learned a few hours earlier they had cancer. I’ve stood beside a dear lady who lost her husband suddenly. I’ve been with families who just received tragic news. I remember feeling so helpless. What could I do or say that would comfort or encourage them?

What is the greatest thing we can do for someone who is in a trial? Pray for them. If you can, stop right then and have prayer together. Put your arm around them or clasp their hand and take them to the throne of Grace.

I read this quote on Revive our Hearts – When you tell the people around you that you’re praying for them, you’re not saying, “I don’t know how to help you.” Instead you’re saying, “I can do something really huge to help your situation by talking to God on your behalf.” Instead of trying to fix everyone’s problems yourself, take them to God. It’s no small thing!

We won’t say the wrong thing if we pray, and we will be asking God to do what we cannot do. Encourage someone’s heart this weekend by taking the time to pray with them about their trial. God will encourage their heart through your prayer in a way that you never could! Just pray.

See you in church.

With love,

I will never forget the anxious moments of waiting. I was a soon-to-be post college student seeking God’s will for my future. My name had been given to a pastor (Pastor Cunningham) who was looking for a secretary for the Christian school at his church, and I was waiting for my appointment with him where I would be interviewed for the position.

I arrived promptly at our set time, climbed the stairs to the Student center, and peeked into doorway of the interview office (from a distance). I saw a man talking with a student. Immediately, I assumed that he was the man I was waiting for. I seated myself on a sofa outside the office, in a place where I would be easily seen when he exited the interview office. Then I waited…and waited.

At another place across from where I sat, a man was seated. It appeared that, he too, was waiting for someone. We both waited. I was thinking about the exam that I was going to be taking in the next class period and wishing I could be studying instead of just sitting. The waiting grew wearisome. The interview inside the office continued, and I grew more and more impatient and frustrated. I kept looking at my watch wondering how long I would have to wait, and wondering if I would miss my appointment because he’d gone too long with this other person. Finally after 15-20 minutes, the gentleman that was seated nearby got up and approached me, and suddenly I had a funny feeling the my waiting had been in vain.

“Are you waiting to be interviewed by him?” the man asked, nodding toward the interview office.

“Yes I am” I replied.

“What is his name?” he asked.

“Mr. Cunningham” was my answer. The man smiled and then said laughing, “I am Mr. Cunningham! I assumed you were waiting for him since you kept looking toward that office!”

I introduced myself and then our interview got underway. Of course, you must realize that I got the job, and I also got his son for a husband a few years later – now that’s some deal! =)

As I’ve looked back over that interview all those years ago, I remember how awkward I felt waiting. After waiting for a long time a person begins to realize that something isn’t right. Perhaps someone waits for a friend at a restaurant and they never show, then they look at their calendar on their phone and realize their lunch date was for the next day. Sometimes waiting without response can have a tragic end because the person who was supposed to show up was in an accident or got sick. Waiting for people can have awkward moments.

Waiting on the Lord is altogether different, however. Lamentations 3;25 says, The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Even when we wait for a very long time for the Lord to answer our cries, we don’t have to wonder if He’s misunderstood. We don’t have to question if He’s really going to show up. There’s no need to doubt about Him keeping the appointment! He will always hear, He will “show up” at just the right time, and He will keep His appointment with us and our situation!

As you wait on God, don’t get up and leave. Don’t start doubting. Don’t start sighing in desperation. Your waiting will not be in vain. You can trust in Him because He is good and will do good in your life!

With love,

This is my living room as of today – October 13, 2010. It took me a long time to get it to the place that I could say I’m satisfied with the way it looks, but I think I’m there now. It’s the style I like – kind of Shabby Chic/French Country, or my version of it anyway! I’ll take you into the room and show a few parts of my fall nesting.
This is the shelf in my entryway. I try to make the decorations on here seasonal and yet keep it in the functioning design I learned about last spring. I have a couple means of lighting – the lamp and the small tin light on the second shelf. The tin light also serves as a fragrance for the room with the potpourri rocks inside. I have Hershey’s miniature candy bars for my guests in the little dish on the top shelf, and a jeweled pumpkin resting on the candle stick.

I love this little tin-punched Trick or Treat sign. I found it at the sidewalk sale at Cracker Barrel this summer for $2!

My coffee table holds the Scrabble board. Fall and winter are about being at home on these long nights – playing a game, reading a book while curled up on the couch. The game is ready, with a little start…

Adding layers to a room give it a cozy feeling. Rugs, quilts, throws, and baskets are all part of the layering. I placed a basket under the coffee table with Fall magazines (and the Scrabble dictionary for those serious players!). I also pulled out my velour throw and placed it across the arm of the couch.
Fall paper napkins are ready for yummy treats…

A In the kitchen, a small child’s chalkboard with a few wooden fall accents and a bow were added for decoration. It is used for a Scripture verse, the daily menu, whatever strikes my fancy.

The fall wreath on my front door got an accent of the metal “C” I found for a steal at TJ Maxx.

I do not claim to be a decorator – I’m just a nester! What do you do to “nest” in the fall and winter?

With love,