This summer when I got hit hard with the flu, I spent many days in the house getting well.  I slept a lot. I didn’t have the strength to work.  But when I was well enough, my husband would get me into the car and we would take a drive.  One day we drove to a spot where we could see the lake from the car.  One day we drove through the countryside.  Once we looked at homes.  That did so much to lift my spirits!

Most of us probably work all day inside (unless you’re a construction worker, and those are typically not the people who find their way to this blog!).  We teach our children inside.  We work at a desk inside.  We are sick or recuperate from illness inside.  We eat most of our meals inside.  Do you know how refreshing it can be to just step outside the door and enjoy the outdoors for a bit?  Many days after working inside for hours, I’ll step outside and just walk around the yard.  I may pull a weed here or there, but for the most part I like to just walk around.  I listen to the summer sounds.  I look at what’s sprouting in the garden.  I smell the fragrances of my herbs.  Even if it’s only 5 or 10 minutes, I am refreshed by God’s world that’s just a step outside my front door. 

When was the last time you just walked outside – not to take the dog or the trash out, but just for the pure pleasure of enjoying the outdoors?  Even if you’re not feeling 100%, you can step outside for a minute and be invigorated by what God is doing. 

He’s got the whole world in His hands. Take a look and be refreshed,

P.S. Find your way to a Gospel preaching church Sunday!

With another birthday approaching, I am oh, so, aware of how fleeting anything external is. Crows have become my favorite bird, since I’m wearing them so proudly around my eyes.  =)  Proverbs 31:30 says, “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” 

Probably all of us have had moments in which we’ve had a love/hate relationship with the attributes of the Virtuous woman.  The list in Proverbs 31 is overwhelming when we are looking at ourselves.  No, it’s impossible!  But let’s back up a second and look at verse 10 that says, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies”  The starting place is being not a wife that is virtuous, but a woman who is virtuous.  The character of a woman is the only thing that doesn’t fade with her age!

So the next question is, how do we become a woman of virtue – a woman of character?  We don’t jump at the whole list and run to all over the place trying to cover all the bases.  It must begin with our relationship with the Lord.  We cannot obtain moral excellence without first being spiritually excellent, and that only comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  After salvation comes the step by step process of sanctification – of being made like Christ.  It’s not about perfection; it’s about change empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Any woman who is really honest with themselves will readily admit the need to change. 

• My selfishness must be changed to generosity.
• My laziness must be changed to diligence.
• My indifference must be changed to compassion.
• My unfaithfulness must be changed to dependability.
• My rigidity must be changed to flexibility.
• My pride must be changed to meekness.
• My disrespect must be changed to reverence.
• My callousness must be changed to sensitivity
• My unfaithfulness must be changed to loyalty.

When we look at Christ, we see that He is All in all.  He is always compassionate, diligent, meek, loving, forgiving, submissive, merciful and everything else we need to be.  Therefore, His Word is full of examples of how you and I can have these traits in our lives.  We don’t have to try to figure out what these traits look like; they are pictured for us in the Scripture.  Wouldn’t it be wise for us to study these traits and learn how to apply them to our lives?  No face cream applied to our faces will do for us what godly character will do. 

Will you join me on Thursdays for a look at the application of godly character?  We’ll take one trait at a time.  We’ll define it, find it illustrated in Scripture, and see how to apply it to our every day lives. 

Who can find a virtuous woman?  May they find one in you and me!

With love,

When I had my home baking business several years ago, the perk of my business was that I delivered.  Busy people only had to order their cakes and pies, and I would bring them to their place of employment.  If you’re shopping on-line, a real draw can be the ad that says, Free delivery!  We like having things brought to us, and we like it when it’s on time.

Have you ever considered that we have a God that delivers?  What He says He will do He always accomplishes, and it will always be on time.  Of course when we read in the Word of God that He will deliver us, it is referencing the fact that He will save us.  But even in that context, God is always on time with His deliverance.

Psalm 34:15, 17 says, The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

Wherever you are, whatever your circumstance, this Psalm says that God eyes are on the righteous (God sees), His ears are open to your cry (God hears), and God will deliver.  Not only will He save you out of your troubles, but He will fulfill (deliver) on time!

Watch in faith for His delivery!

With love,

So, how did you do with your room?  Did it overwhelm you to tackle it?  Did you finish it?  If not, take little snippets of time to keep clearing it out.  It’s amazing what just 15 minutes can accomplish!

Cleaning and decorating is a work in progress.  It really never stops.  Once you get a place straightened up, maintain it by daily keeping things put away.  Emilie Barnes says,

I’m reading this to prepare for our ladies’ ministry this year.  The Lord has directed my heart to have our ladies study it together.  Before I ask them to go through this book, I thought I’d read it through.  So on this past Monday afternoon, on my husband’s day off, we headed to the mountains to rest and read for a few hours in a beautiful spot. 

 Not long after we got here we sat and watched a thunderstorm roll in slowly like a tip-toeing toddler.  We witnessed the sky change from sunny to dark gray with heavy sheets of rain being introduced by rolling thunder.  Then in time, the skies changed back to brilliant blue with clouds that looked like piles of cotton candy sitting atop the mountain peaks.

After the rains passed we moved to a higher spot where we could watch the sun set.  Again, the sky changed constantly – both in color and substance.

It was an unbelievable afternoon and evening.  It was not only beautiful, it was also amazingly quiet on this mountaintop. It was a quiet that allowed me to listen – not to nothingness, but God’s voice.

Reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World  in that setting was so appropriate.  This book is about the story we read in Luke 10.  You remember the story of Mary and Martha – Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet while her sister Martha was rushing about preparing a meal for Jesus and his disciples.  In her frustration Martha asks Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that I’m serving while my sister is sitting?”  Jesus gently rebukes her by telling her that Martha was worried and troubled, but that Mary had chosen the better part – worship. The book is all about how to learn to sit at Jesus’ feet; how to have a quiet heart of worship instead of an anxious, worried one. 

With the rain and then stillness all around me, the Lord spoke to my heart so sweetly as I read. “Be still – even in a storm.  Leave the heavy things that I don’t intend for you to carry.”  He knew I would need these truths.  He knew I would need to be reminded not to be troubled, because trouble came even before we left the mountain.  But God had spoken in the quiet, and now I was running back to those truths as an anchor for my heart. One truth from the book was this quote: “Worry magnifies the trouble.  Prayer magnifies God.”

“This is your burden, Lord.  I’ll let you carry it.  I choose to pray and magnify you instead of worry.”  As the sun was setting over the mountain, my husband and I clasped hands and did just that – we prayed and gave the care to the One who had also brought the thunderstorm and allowed it to pass.  “This too shall pass away,” I thought.

“In the meantime, Lord, give me a Mary heart that I may worship at your feet instead of being distracted by a storm.”  I returned to our parsonage home with a quiet heart – a Mary heart in this Martha world. 
Thank you, Lord.

From inside my parsonage window,