Time Out

Hello Dear Friends!

With just having knee surgery

I am finding it hard to do much in the way of the computer

due to swelling in my leg that takes place

if I am off the ice or CPM  machine.

~

I tend to lean towards being a "Martha" even when I am not functioning at 100%.

I will "give it my all" regardless of the outcome!

The Lord has pressed my heart to

"Be still" and "Sit at His feet"

 He is wanting me to be a "Mary", and

I'm finding it quite beautiful in this place.

Free time to read His Word,

meditate on it with no worries or hurried plans,

 and draw even closer to His side  

I can see why Mary "chose the better".

~

I will not be posting for a few weeks

in order to listen to the voice of

my precious Heavenly Father.

When God tugs at our hearts, we must listen and obey.

I love these times in my life,

for when God has me down, He has something wonderful and beautiful

that He is going to show me,

as well as work out in my life.

~

It's just time out, I'll be back!

~

We love you Lord,

and we lift our hearts up to You, praising Your Holy name.

For You alone, are worthy to be praised!

Amen

~

~Be Lovely~

Debbie

Memorial Blessings

Memorial Day usually has some type of picnic or Bar-B-Q

activity planned with loved ones to gather with.

It's a time spent with family and friends,

and in our neck of the woods,

BEAR!

~

"Yogi" our latest addition this spring

took on the job of looking after the Bar-B-Q.
"Boo Boo", Yogi's brother did not join us for lunch,
he was likely out looking for berries, as Yogi should have been doing!

~

We are surrounded by the beauty of God's creation,

and each spring we are blessed to find

many new animals and creatures to love and enjoy.

I trust your Memorial Day week-end has been as blessed as ours.

~

Our precious Heavenly Father.

Thank you, for this time when we can reflect and honor
 those who have sacrificed much for the freedoms of this country.
May we never forget...

Thank you, for family and friends

whom we can gather with,

sharing the joy of sweet fellowship,

and for the many provisions You bestow upon us.
Amen.

~

~Be Lovely~

Debbie

My Beautiful Mug

Stephanie, my daughter, over at The Enchanting Rose

blessed us again with a mug exchange.

I am not normally one to use a mug

as china tea cups are my delight.

But I wanted to participate in the exchange,

because each and every time I join in on these exchanges

I meet the loveliest ladies, and a friendship begins.

I love making friends, and I love being a friend.

There is such joy in friendships, isn't there?

~

I was blessed to share a gift package

with Ida at Wishes Dreams & Other Things.

I prayerfully put her gift box together

knowing that I knew nothing about her,

but God did.

What fun I had searching for that special mug!

~

For me... Betty blessed me with a beautiful colored mug,
which by the way, is perfect in size.

The funny thing is, this color has been the color of my choice

in many articles I have bought for myself this year. 

It's bright~fun and youthful, at least that's what I think. :)

Along with my mug was a beautiful

hand stitched tea towel.

The work of dear Betty's hands is quite lovely,

and the pattern is one of my favorites.

Betty does not have a blog, but oh what a delight to have met her

through this mug exchange.

Thank you again, dear Betty!

~

Thank you Stephanie, for all the work I know you do

in putting these exchanges together.

You do an amazing job in matching ladies up.
 Such a gifted talent that you are using for the glory of the Lord.
~
Thank you Heavenly Father,
for the opportunity we, as ladies have
through these beautiful exchanges,
to meet and share with one another.
As friendships grow, I pray that You
would be glorified in and through them.
~
~Be Lovely~
Debbie 

Rest in the Lord

"Rest in the Lord,

and wait patiently for him;

fret not thyself."

(Psalm 37:7a)

~

This is a well known Bible verse to me,

and I find great comfort in this promise from my Lord.
as I ponder and quote it often in my heart and mind.

We are told in God's Word to

"Hide His Word in our hearts"
 (Psalm 119:11)
 and
"Delight in the law of the Lord,
and meditate on it day and night."
(Psalm 1:2)

  ~

For the past few weeks I have been dealing with a situation

where I have found myself quoting this very verse,

but, not necessarily claiming the promise.

As I was asking God for His direction in the matter

and waiting for Him to hear me,

this is the verse He placed upon my heart:

"Therefore I will look unto the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation:

my God will hear me."

(Micah 7:7) 

Yet,

I found myself not trusting completely even when He had clearly shown me the way,

 to the point of giving me peace within my heart,

that peace that passes all understanding,

you know that wonderful peace?  

As I bowed my heart and knee to God in prayer

asking for answers, trusting in the fact that He knows best,

 in His goodness to me, He placed this promise upon my heart:

"Trust in him at all times; ye people,

pour out your heart before him:

God is a refuge for us. Selah." (think on that)

(Psalm 62:8)

~

God in His goodness and grace hears my cry,

comforts my soul,

answers my prayer,

gives me His peace...

Yet still...

In my human frailties I choose to fret and worry,

become irritated and troubled

when it is not necessary.

~

Choices ~  throughout our lives we will have choices that we have to make.

God gives us free wills, but we must learn to make wise choices.

Thankfully, we have His Word to guide us,

to help us and to show us the way in which we should go.

Life is so much sweeter when we just trust and obey!

Many times we bring upon ourselves undue worry,

and in my particular situation,

I was doing just that, and what a waste of energy!

~

As I was meditating on Psalm 37:7

taking it piece by  piece and desiring to apply it to my life situation,

I decided to look up every important word in the Webster's Dictionary,

WOW! It sure made a difference in how I then,

meditated and applied the verse.

~

I just have to share this with you!
Dictionary work has always been one of my favorite's. :)
~
Definition of
 "Rest"
Peace of mind or spirit.
To be fixed or be fixed in trust or confidence.
<she rested her hopes in his promise>
So, if we are to "rest" in the Lord,
all we need to do is place our confidence, our hope in trusting God.
That crosses worry out, doesn't it?
~
"Wait Patiently"
A state or attitude of watchfulness and expectancy,
not hasty or impetuous.
Steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity.
So, if we are to "wait patiently for Him"
then all we need to do is have the attitude of
watching and expecting in the goodness of the Lord.
Also, we will not be hasty or impetuous in our decisions and choices that we make.
We will be steadfast no matter what is going on in our lives.
We will be firmly fixed and not subject to change.
We will be firm in our belief that God is True to His Word.
~
"Fret"
To suffer or cause to suffer emotional strain:
become irritated (not us ladies?)worry, vex.
<Fretted over petty problems>
To be troubled.
So, if we "fret" we bring upon ourselves suffering ~ undo suffering
and emotional strain ~ we become irritated
and worry over petty problems ~ small minor problems
that we create into BIG problems,
all through fretting,
which God's Word tells us NOT to do.
~
My situation was minor, "petty"actually.
I allowed myself to get worked up over something
that God already had in control.
Something He had already given me peace about.
Yet
So often we think our way would be better,
so we try and bulldoze our way right through God's ways,
and there we find no peace.
What joy to my heart when I threw in the towel
and "rested" in God's ways.
I was so ashamed before my God,
for my lack of trust and obedience.
But the wonderful grace of God... He restoreth my soul!
 ~
This was the promise I claimed;
"The Lord is my strength, and my shield,
my heart trusted in him, and I am helped;
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
and with my song will I praise him."
(Psalm 28:7) 
~
Everything worked out perfectly in my situation,
because God is a Perfect, Holy and Righteous God,
who wants nothing but our best!
Are you claiming God's promises in every area of your life?
For when we do, our hearts will greatly rejoice,
with peace, singing praises to our God!
~
Our Precious Heavenly Father.
Cause us to seek Your promises for every area of our lives.
Help us to rest in You, as Your Word encourages us to do.
May we not become anxious or hasty,
but trust in the confidence and hope
that we have in You.
Forgive us for our lack of trust at times
and with hearts full of joy we will greatly rejoice
and sing praises to Your Holy name.
Amen.

~ Be Lovely ~
Debbie

Goodness Multiplied

 Years ago when I lived in Canada 

and worked with Para- Med Health Services,

I had a dear client from the Ukraine,

and this dear women showed me through daffodils

 the gift of giving and multiplying through God's goodness.

~

In her good sized yard she grew daffodils

all around the perimeter

that were amazingly thick and lush.

They were absolutely beautiful!

~

One day after my visit with her," she asked if she could walk me to my car?"

She was rather frail and weak,  living in God's grace on hospice,

but was insistent to go out with me on this particular day.

With scissors and a mason jar in hand,

we headed to her garden where she snipped

a huge bouquet, just for me.

"These are for your enjoyment" 

she said with the sweetest smile on her face.

"Oh no, I replied! I could never take from your

beautiful garden. Why, it must have taken you

years to grow these daffodils?"

~

"God has multiplied the goodness of this garden" she replied.

"When we give and share God's goodness with others,

He blesses us in greater abundance."

"This garden belongs to God,

His desire is for me to share it with others."

And that she did!
It was the most beautiful daffodil

patch I have ever seen in a private yard.

~

I have never forgotten the lesson God had for me

over 20 years ago through this precious women's 

walk with the Lord, and her garden that belonged to her God.
She was gracious in her giving.
She was willing to share with others what God had blessed her with,
rather than selfishly keep for herself.
And in doing so, God multiplied her garden of daffodils to overflowing.

We have an area near our home that reminds me of that very garden,

only in a smaller version.

As I drove by this garden the other day, I couldn't help but 

reminisce back to the delightful times

 with this precious women of God.

~

Memories... Beautiful memories...
As I was driving home, I began to thank the Lord,

for all the lessons I have learned over the years

through other ladies whom He has used in my life.

Ladies, who represented their Savior.
Ladies who loved their Lord, and were willing to share His goodness with me.

 I too, am blessed and privileged to represent

my Savior, the Lord of my life,

through the goodness of giving and sharing with others.

~

"But the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

gentleness, goodness, faith."

(Galatians 5:22)

 ~

Goodness,  is one of the "fruits of the Spirit". 

It is an outward quality that the Holy Spirit

produces in the believers life.

Our fruit is God's. It is produced by His grace

and it glorifies Him.

So as we draw near to God,

His Spirit can bear the fruit of goodness in us for all to enjoy.

~

"As we have therefore opportunity,

let us do good unto all men, 

especially unto them who are of the household of faith."

(Galatians 6:10)

~

Goodness in character naturally leads to goodness in deeds.

Goodness is a readiness to do good unto all men.

Goodness puts love into action.

~

Jesus modeled love in action,

and we are to be like Him.

We are to live our lives modeled after Christ Jesus,

through His Word and by the power of His Spirit,

that dwells within us.

~

"What? Know ye not that your body

is the temple of the Holy Spirit

which is in you, which ye have of God,

and ye are not your own?"

(1Corinthians 6:19)

~

There should never be a person whom we refuse to love.

In any and every case, we are to love friend and enemy

alike by our acts of goodness.

Praise God, that He can help us fulfill this assignment

by filling us with His goodness,

so that we have HIS goodness to give to others!

~

Our precious Heavenly Father.

Thank you for Your Word that teaches us

how to be more like You.

Help us I pray to show forth Your love

to others, through the goodness You have bestowed 

upon us so graciously. 

May we never refuse to love and to do good

unto ALL men.

Amen.

~Be Lovely~

Debbie 

In Honor of Many Special Mothers

 In Honor of Many Special Mother's

As Mother's Day approaches

I would like to honor all you mothers out there
with a wish and a prayer for

a beautiful, blessed, joy filled Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to

Mother

One of the most touching and beautiful scenes in the Bible is of

Mary, the mother of Jesus,

as she stood by the cross of her Savior (Luke 1:46-47)

but also her son.

Mary, the mother of our Savior must have sobbed as though her

heart would break.
Oh, mother love!
~

All of a mother's tenderness, gentleness,

sweetness, forgiveness and patience

is covered in that great virtue ~ love.

Love motivates a mother's soothing touch,

her encouraging smile, her understanding heart

and her sacrifical love and care.

Thank God for a Mother's Love
There is no love, like a mother's love,
no stronger bond on earth...
like the precious bond that comes from God,
to a mother, when she gives birth.
A mother's love is forever strong,
never changing for all time...
And when her children need her most,
a mother's love will shine.
God bless these special mother's,
God bless them everyone...
for all the tears and heartache,
and for the special work they've done.
When her days on earth are over,
a mother's love lives on...
through many generations,
with God's blessings on each one.
Be thankful for our mother's,
for they love with a higher love...
from the power God has given,
and the strength from up above.
                        ~Anonymous

~

Happy Mother's Day to the

Adoptive Mother

The beautiful grace of God,

in His gift to you through the adoption of a child

who "belongs" in your home to love and to be loved in return.

How precious and blessed by God,

to have been given the responsibilities and privileges of parenthood.

An Adopted Child

An adopted child is greatly loved

and soon becomes a part,

of everything that is treasured

and held closely to the heart.

~

An adopted child is looked upon

with special tenderness,

and he or she will always know

the warmest, sweet caress,

~

For those who adopted children

find joy in little souls,

a baby's smile can help them on

toward their chosen goals.

~

God knows how much mankind cries out,

for pure unselfish love,

and so He sends adopted ones

seemingly from above.

~

Broken hearts are mended,

in manner meek and mild

truly blessed are those who have

an adopted child.

                                                          ~Author Unknown

~

Happy Mother's Day to the

Mother-In-Law

This one chokes me up.

My husbands dear mother, Betty,

went home to be with her Lord just over a year ago.

Oh how I miss her!

I was blessed with a God fearing, mother-in-law.

I do not always here that from other ladies.

How dishonoring to God, their husbands and their mother-in-law.

~

The mother-in-law relationship

is often a difficult and delicate one.

Mothers naturally love their children,

and that love does not cease to exist when a marriage ceremony is performed.

A mothers duties may become less~but not her love.

To suddenly "let go" is not easy.

When a mother looks at her son or daughter

all grown up~she still see's that tiny baby

she held in her arms and cuddled.

She still see's the diapers,

the growing up years with tears and heart aches,

for which she mended.

She would give advice, make suggestions,

answer questions and was always eager

to help with tender loving care.

~

Now she may be misunderstood

or considered "stepping on toes"

should she show herself concerned, try to give advice,

or even become over-anxious.

She is still as concerned for her childs welfare

as when he/she was dependent on her care.

Her motives may be pure, but she may be misinterpreted.

To A New Daughter-In-Law

Forgive me if I speak possessively of him

who now is yours, yet still is mine;

Call it the silver cord disparagingly

and weave new colors in an old design,

yet know the warp was started long ago

by faltering steps, by syllable and sound

by all the years in which I watched him grow

by all the season's turnings are we bound.

But now, I loose the cord, untie the knot,

unravel years so he is yours alone

and if there is a message I forgot

or something that could help you had you known,

I shall be waiting, hoping you will see

that him you love, is also loved by me.

                                                        ~ Author Unknown

I love the ending of this poem!
"that in him you love, is also loved by me"
I guess because I was blessed with a mother-in-law
that was very much a Proverbs 31 women,
I therefore, was never placed in a possition
where I felt I had to share any part of my husband.
We could both love him as God intended for us.
My heart breaks for those who struggle
with their mother-in-laws, as they are missing out
on a relationship with one another that could be both
 beautiful and rewarding.
I believe as women, by the grace of God,
we can be a glory to our husbands,
as well as have the right heart attitude
of obedience to God towards our mother-in-law,
therefore, bringing glory to God.

~

It can be a touchy situation, but it can be made an
endearing and enduring relationship
within the principles of Christian living.
Each must learn to respect, to tolerate, to be courteous and understanding
of the other, in love.

~

Happy Mother's Day to

The Mother who Has Lost A Child

God, truly must have great compassion

and grace upon a mother who has lost a child ~ for He lost His Son.
Again, I think of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Yes Jesus was her Son, and yet she knew why He was here,
and that she would loose Him, for a purpose.
Can you imagine how it must have been for Mary, as a mother?
 She loved Him as her own son, yet, she had to let Him go.
The love of a mothers heart...

To this dear mother, may God pour His grace upon you.
For His grace is sufficient for you,
the One, who gives generously to meet our needs.
 I pray, that as Mother's Day nears

  your heart would be drawn even closer to the heart of God.
The God of all comfort and peace,

which passes all understanding.
~
Fom my heart to all you precious mother's, Happy Mother's Day
and God bless you!

Our precious Heavenly Father.

Thank you, for mother's.

Thank you for their endless, selfless love

that you grace them with.

In Your love, touch their hearts

and meet their individule needs.

May this day that is set aside in honor of them,

bring blessings that abound.

Amen.

                                                                        Be Lovely!
                                                                        ~ Debbie~