Dedicated to a great man of God and a very dear friend.....

Amazing Grace

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me.... I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught... my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear... the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares... we have already come. T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far... and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me... His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be... as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years... bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise... then when we've first begun.

" Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, , That saved a wretch like me.... I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now, I see

"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written by John Newton an English poet and clergyman (1725–1807), and published in 1779.

With a message that forgiveness and redemption is possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God.

"Amazing Grace" is one of the most recognized songs in the English-speaking world.

(For more information of the author of this song visit this site

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace )

I personally, love this song.
It is one of my favorite songs ever written by anyone....ever.
I feel personally attached to it. As though it were written by me or at the very least for me; but then that I am sure is the case for many and thus the reason for it's world wide popularity.

I remember all too well where I was when Jesus found me.
I also remember where I was the next time He found me.....and the next time.....and the next time.....and the next time.......oh and yes the next time....(I think you get my point?)

God's Grace
God's infinite grace....is not a one time deal.

It is our covering.


It is Jesus and I am thankful for Him.
As Papa God sees me through Him.

I am not perfect....I wasn't when He found me....I am still not.
I am closer to looking like the image of Jesus now than I was when He found me.
Still, it is only by the GRACE of God...His Mercy and Love.
Through Jesus....the living and written Word...that I strive daily to reach my goal to become more like Jesus.

As the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:31 , "I die daily."
If you read the preceding chapter Paul is talking about dieing to the fleshly nature of who he is. [who we are]
How can we die daily if we are already dead?
Have we then arrived?
If in fact we have arrived...then do we still need God's amazing grace in our lives?
I would say not! I would say we would be Amazing ourselves!
But we all know (at least I hope we do) this statement is ludicrous!

We ALL need God's Amazing Grace every day of our lives.

2 Corinthians 1:21
"Now it is God who makes us, both us and you stand firm in Christ."
(this is just one of many scriptures saying the same thing)

If any of us think we are any better than ANYone else we need to hit the floor on our faces and ask God to forgive us for our pride and for discounting His Sons Blood shed and suffering on the Cross...then ask Holy Spirit to show us what else we need to work on in our lives!

Remembering always that ^{Romans 8:1 "}There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
and.... " if we live by the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

and also....important one here...

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1John 1:9

Lord I thank you for your love and your faithfulness and your Amazing Grace of which I could not live without! I give you my life a fresh and a new this day and this new and up coming year of 2010! Be the light of my life as you have been and more so! Reign in me and live through me!
Please come Holy Spirit and have your way in my life!
Show ME everything that is not pleasing to you....everything in my life that grieves you.
Take me and make into the spitting image of Jesus, the living Son of God!
I love you Papa God....I love you Holy Spirit....I love Jesus!!!!

  *** 

In response a "Now Word" in Song from the Lord to us

My love is here for you

To help comfort and see you through.

And I will always be here

By your side.

You don't have to worry that I'll leave you.

You don't have to worry that I'm ashamed.

Everything in your past has died and now buried.

Nothing ~ nothing can keep me away from you.

Once I searched the world for you

And now that I've found you.

I'll never, ever leave you alone.

Now, that you're safe at home.

That's why I gave my life on Calvary.

So you could live at home with me.

No more captivity.

My love has set you free.

It was my life; that paid the price.

It was my blood; that cleansed your soul.

It is my love; that makes you whole.

Don't you know?

Come to me now, my precious child.

Let me hold you within my arms, precious child.

Let me wipe every teardrop.

Calm the fear deep within.

Let me warm your soul, and let you know,

I love you so.

 ***

Hmmmmm Emotions

Well here I am again just typing away on this here keyboard. No particular direction in mind. Just typing what comes to mind. Sad thing is. I have a feeling it is going to be sad. Why you ask? Well I have had a couple of very sad few weeks. Well, it's not like the weeks were any more sad than normal I guess. It's just a culmination of emotion of the last several months and well one can only take so much I guess and the well begins to overflow.

Personally I don't give a stale bean what anyone says or thinks on this matter but I firmly believe woman are much stronger than men when it comes to their emotions. Oh I know women have like 70% more prolactin, (the hormone that is responsible for producing tears in the body) but when it comes to handling emotions men just don't know how. It is my experience that the majority of men would rather not handle their emotions thus do what ever it takes to avoid them at all costs; even at the detriment of others. Including those they care about most.

Mind you....I would like to add here. I don't think that they do this on purpose. (hurt the ones they love) It's just that their need and /or inability to handle/deal with their emotions out weighs their ability to see how their willful act of not dealing with their emotions on any given life situation is at any given time hurting someone they truly do care about.

None the less..They do, do it and it does hurt those they love.

This is where we as the emotionally stronger sex need to step in and understand and hang in there.

Help out and understand. Forgive and pray and even cry out to God.

Because it isn't always just grown adults that throw us for a loop, (I think it might be easier if it was. more frustrating some times, yes, but easier) Sometimes it's our own kids or grand kids. We're not supposed to get tired or frustrated with them, right? Well, it happens. They are only people too. Thank you Lord for your love and grace.

I give up

I just give up

I can’t take the stress anymore - I wasn’t created to bare this kind of load.

I was not created to be - the helpmate - the mom - the friend - the amour bearer - the battle fighter - the liaison - the peacemaker - the fire fighter - the care giver - the nurse the taxi- the lover - the house cleaner - the trash can - the life coach - and - in being all these things to everyone in my life - seemingly - a failure to all who need me.

O dear, precious Lord, a vessel I try to be, for you to live through me, but no one sees anything but what they don’t want me to be. Telling me constantly how I need to be, more than I can seem to be.

Lord, please help me!!!

I give up.

I am who you created me to be.

I love who you created me to be.

Tell me, Lord will I ever just get to be - who you created me to be?

Will anyone ever just let me be me?

All I want is to do what you ask of me.

Lord, please?

Won't you help me?

I give up.

Lord, come and be who you want me to be; in me.

Live in me - move through me - love in me, all around me. Everything I come in contact with.

I want to become a living extension of your Holy Spirit, in the flesh.

If I have to live on earth; I want to be crucified with you, so the the life I live I solely live in you.

So the life I live I live by your faith. So you can have all of me. So you can live in me.

Lord - please, help me!

I give up

I give it all up - to you.

Dirty Laundry

This story was passed on to me from a friend. I liked it well enough to post it on here!

I think it is perfectly appropriate for life today! I think we could probably all take a cloth to our windows now and again!

Dirty Laundry

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The following morning while they are eating breakfast,
the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband,

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

Dear Lord....help me keep my windows clean!!!!

:o)

Some Days......

Some days you are the head
Some days you are the tail



Some days you the light
Some days you are the shadow

and some days

you don't seem to be anything at all ~ to anyone

or at least that's what it may feel like

those are the days it is especially important and exceptionally wonderfully to remember

who you really are

"God's very own".... "Special beyond any description" ...."Safe in the palm of the Father's hand"

Today was one of those days.......so I say..."Thank you Heavenly Father for loving me so much!"