Christ in the Clouds

Have you ever felt weak and full of fear? Have you felt surrounded, and maybe even swallowed up, by the struggles and people who seem to be out to harm you? I think most of us have at one time or another. I have felt that fear and feeling of dread more recently in my sleep at night. I have woke up a handful of times with an overwhelming sadness and heartache. I know the moment I awake that the enemy has put fearful and lying thoughts into my head...yet they seem so real and true. I pray fervently for satan to leave and for the Lord to fill my heart with peace and truth. I also read God's promises from His Word that we are not to fear, but to trust in Him alone, and remember that He is always with us. These things have been effective to bring me comfort and I am able to fall back asleep peacefully. I am reminded that we constantly and continually need to be ready to fight against the enemy's attacks on our minds and bodies. I know that especially when we are in pra...

Hello, friends in the Lord! I pray you have had a good week and as we begin a new week, may you find many new blessings to be thankful for. When I read the picture statement below, it made me think about all of the many different moments we experience each and every day. This listed only a handful of the moments we can encounter in an hour, a day, or a week. It is amazing how our experiences can change from moment to moment...how one minute things are going well, then out of the blue a difficult situation erupts. Hearts (and mouths) turn down. Things may even get ugly, or dull, or just plain unglamorous. How easily these things can affect our mood! A few moments later, we may feel inspired by someone's words or actions. We may read a scripture verse or quote and soon we feel uplifted and even grateful for the blessings we see, once again.  This seems to be the circle of life...there are ups and downs...the good, the bad, and the beautiful.  Today, once again I am tryi...

Well, once again I have(as they say) "fallen off the horse".... I've been wanting to start my gratitude journaling again for a few months, but it has been a bumpy beginning. First, family stuff distracted me. Then, the gross weather drug me down, followed by getting started on spring gardening and cleaning. I know none of these are good excuses, but they are the excuses I have used to keep me from sitting down and sharing what I am grateful for. This is not a new hardship for me...I've tried it before and dropped the ball a number of times. I know...we are all human and we all make mistakes. But this time it has had an obvious affect on my relationships with loved ones. My hubby said just the other day how much he has noticed this and it has definitely not allowed us to be as close as we had been. I know it has affected other relationships, as well. You see, when I don't count my blessings and in the process have an attitude of gratitude, I end up a nega...

Some people would say my hubby and I have a pretty quiet, laid back life. We are empty-nesters. We live in a cottage, on a lake. We are just a few years away from retirement.(I actually stopped working last year.) We are currently not involved in a lot of community/social groups. But a quiet life doesn't mean there is lots of time for solitude and seclusion from family activities, daily responsibilities, and time that the two of us spend together. In fact, there are times I really crave solitude with God, but it just doesn't come that easily. (And when I say "solitude" I don't especially mean a devotional time in the Word and/or prayer. I am pretty much able to do that every day.) I mean just getting away from all of the schedules and business, t.v. and computer, and just making time to gather my thoughts, rest, and relax.  We have a small lot, which our cottage is situated on. There are two different patio areas - one on the lakeside of the house a...

It was November of 2011...I was a newby still - it was only the second time that I had officially posted on my blog. I wrote on my experience of my son (then only 18 years old) having accidently hit his head and having a concussion. The fear, anxiety, and frustration were all there in that post. When You Get the Dreaded Phone Call An  excerpt from that post:   "He can’t remember and keeps asking questions from one minute to the next….my heart aches for him in his frustration to remember. He starts to panic…..I remind him to stay calm. Can we make it home before he loses it? We do, but even then he can’t relax at home…..questions and more questions (yikes! Will he be like this the next 2-3 days?) Please, Lord, bring back his memory! ...later on, I start to feel the release of my emotions from the stressful evening and shed some tears! Oh, the things we endure as parents! We love, yet at such a cost!!!" As I read the post again, I almost had ...

I know, for me, I tend to sometimes forget how precious life is.... The lives of those around me and my own. This past weekend the hubby and I attended the 3rd birthday party of our grand-niece.(our niece's daughter.) I remember when this  rambunctious  bundle of toddler energy was born. At a mere 4 lbs, 12 oz., she was a true miracle! My niece found out just a year after having her daughter that she had a rare blood-clotting disease that had caused and would cause her to have multiple problems in pregnancy and childbirth, including miscarriage, early labor, and low birth weight. Her doctor discouraged her from trying to have more children, as not only could it cause her to have pregnancy issues, but was a threat to her own life during pregnancy and childbirth. My niece and nephew were devastated with the diagnosis, as they both wanted more children. After grieving for a time, though, they decided to focus on their precious little girl, and be thankful for the bles...

I desired relationship, not just with Jesus, but with my only son. I  prayed    I shared   I waited    I gave thanks  I put on the full armor of God; fought the enemy with the Lord's help! I read God's promises over and over in His Word and claimed them for myself. I waited again  I tried to do everything right, and nothing seemed to happen... it confused me and if I’m being really honest it hurt my heart.   I felt both of them drawing farther away, not closer to me. What was I to do? What was I supposed to learn? Maybe it's this... Maybe welcoming God’s promises requires the same sort of acceptance we give any guest who arrives at our home: preparation, waiting, making room for the promise to have seat at the table, even as it’s still far off in the distance. Maybe sometimes God’s promises wait in the distance. Pain waits there too. That’s when He comes alongside. The presence of the living God, eagerly...