Jewels that Adorn our Lives ~

 For a number of years now I have been collecting jewels,
well, jewels to me.
These jewels are brooches ~ pins that are quite unique in their own way. 
As I've collected these jewels my mind has been busy thinking of
a way to use them for God's glory. 
I've thought about using them in a Ladies Retreat
or a seniors program, with the youth or maybe during a Tea Party. 
It's all in God's timing but in the meantime
I will continue to gather up my jewels and wait upon the Lord. 
I thought a good devotion would be on the Fruits of the Spirit
using these beautiful brooches in representing the jewels
that adorn our life found in Galatians 5:22
on the Fruits of the Spirit. 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is ~
 love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self- control
Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, 
envying one another. "
~ Galatians 5:22-26 ~

As the bride of Christ ~ He will know us by the jewelry we wear.
He will know us by what He has bestowed upon us. 
The " fruit" of the Holy Spirit refers to the godly attributes of those
who " walk in the Spirit."
The fruit of the Spirit should characterize the life of every believer. 
These godly virtues are evidence of salvation
and the genuine work of the Holy Spirit. 
Each of the fruit of the Spirit responds to the nature of Christ. 
He looks into our life, sees what He recognizes as coming
from Him and accepts it. 
I'm thinking the biggest jewel of all is that of worship.
The glorious jewel of worship in all its beauty as we
practice the presence of God, pursuing Him with all of our time and energy
with amazement of His love and grace. 
To have hearts aflame for God!
When God sees our worship, purified by the Spirit and the Blood, 
He responds and recognizes it as His. 

~ The Fruits of the Spirit ~

Love ~ the love of choice, respect, devotion and affection
that leads to willing, self-sacrificial service. 
Joy ~ it's a gift from God. Its the sense of wellbeing experienced by one 
who knows all is well between himself and the Lord. 
Joy can even occur in and through painful circumstances. 
Joy isn't just a happiness of heart. 
Peace ~ the inner calm that results from confidence in one's saving relationship
with Christ. A sense of having it all together, even in difficult circumstances. 
Longsuffering/Patience ~ the ability to endure injuries inflicted by others and the
willingness to accept painful situations.
Kindness ~ tender concern for others, willing to treat others gently.
Goodness ~ moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness.
Believers are commanded to show forth goodness.
Faithfulness ~ loyalty and trustworthiness.
Gentleness ~ a humble and gentle attitude. Submission to the will of God,
teachable and considerate of others. 
Self-Control ~ restraining passions and appetites.
When a Christian walks in the Spirit and manifests his fruit, 
he doesn't need the law to produce the attitudes and behavior that please God. 
Our Lord Jesus Christ knows who we are by our jewelry
which He has given us
He is our Lord and He desires our beauty.
As women, are we adorned with the jewels God has given us
to show the world Who we belong to?

"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning
of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold,
or of putting on of apparel.
But let it be of the hidden man of the heart,
in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 
which is in the sight of God of great price."
~ 1 Peter 3:3&4 ~

Always choose Joy!
Debbie
♡

Go West Young Man ~

Like the Pioneers, I decided to head west 

for a little warmer weather where I knew there would be 

less snow, new baby calves streams that have melted and rivers with little ice.

I can go 30 miles west from our snowed in home

and find the weather to be extremely warmer, it's crazy! 

Right now, our home at 8,000 feet is nearly buried in snow,

while it is beautiful in deed, outside enjoyment is limited.

I've been taking Donatella to the walking/bike paths in our area

where we are able to walk at a faster pace and get some proper exercise.
While we have been walking on the road near home
it's just not the same with the snow and ice,
I need to be careful of falling with my new knee.

She and I both need to shed some winter pounds!

Donatella has to visit the veterinarian every 6 weeks

for an on going issue she has and she is up in weight a few ounces

with every visit, not good!

Of course the veterinarian reassures me that it's okay 

during the winter months.

Well...when I see my Doctor this week for my yearly check-up

I will be sure and tell him that my extra weight is okay,

after all, it's the winter.😉

The two of us have enjoyed our extra long walks

on dry ground right beside the river.

We are blessed with wonderful walking paths throughout this valley.

Just the other day, I decided to take a drive after our walk,

the sun was shining and we had clear Colorado blue skies,

so off we headed towards the west, off the beaten path

enjoying every bit of God's created beauty.

The river sounded glorious as it rolled over the rocks.

The bridge is an old railroad bridge that is no longer in use.

The deer were out being lazy and enjoying new growth under the trees.

They really blend with nature around them, don't they?

You could see some cow elk grazing on the hay

 that a rancher had put out for his horses.

Everyone gets along.

To my surprise, there was a ranch with a number of bison.

I had no idea this particular area where I took a drive had bison.

Donatella was quite intrigued with them as well.

Look at the size of this nest! 

Of course nothing was making it their home as of yet,

but soon enough.

As I continued along with my pleasant drive 

the dry road became narrower and muddy.

Mmmm... should I continue on?

Having never been on this road I wasn't quite sure what might be ahead.

What to do?

Then strangely enough I came across this snowman

standing on the side of the road. 

Why would someone build a snowman there?

He was out in the middle of nowhere as if he was trying to tell me something.

Was he telling me to turn back?

Was he telling me up ahead was safe for travel?

I chose to drive on and see just what the end of this road had to offer.

Well, not much further I came to a small parking area which indicated I was at the end of the road, I was able to turn around and safely head for home.

Did you notice this snowman had an extra roll?
I think he should join Donatella and I on our daily walks.

⊙ ~ ⊙ ~ ⊙ ~ ⊙ ~ ⊙

Awe...there's nothing like a warm sunny day and a drive in the country.

With my instrumental music playing softly in the background 

and the windows open allowing the fresh air

to wrap itself around us, my mind found itself in thinking mode

as I turned my thoughts towards God.

All that I had seen belongs God, He owns it all.

"For every beast of the forest is mine 

and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 

I know all the fowls of the mountains:

and the wild beasts of the field are mine."

~ Psalm 50:10&11 ~

Always Choose Joy!

Debbie

Birthday Give-Away Winner ~

 Hello my sweet friends!

♡

Have I told you yet...

How thankful I am for you...

Have I told you yet...

About all the happiness and joy your visits here bring!

Have I told you yet...

What blogging has meant...

Just in case I haven't...

I want you all to know...

My heart is grateful for YOU!

Have I told you yet...

God's the reason we have met.  ♡

♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

When I was in High School one of my English classes was taught

on writing poetry and I fell in love with it!

Unfortunately, I allowed critics to end something I so enjoyed.

I threw out a number of notebooks that I had written my poetry in.

Sometimes we do crazy things that we may one day regret, don't we?

My brother, who was my encourager 

cheered me on, in fact, he went to bat for me

and saw that some of my poetry was published in the school paper. 

My brother is now with the Lord in Glory, 

and I've often thought how I need to pick it back up just for him. 

We shall see...

♡  ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

I'm now officially 60 years old!!

You know, I really am doing the HAPPY DANCE!

Growing older has never been an issue with me

and maybe it's because I belong to Christ 

and I know that one day I will be in Glory with my Savior?

Maybe it's because God wants us to grow old gracefully, 

not complain as each year goes by?

Maybe it's because I find the elderly beautiful in many ways

and I want to be lovely just like those who have touched my life

in some way or another?

Maybe it's because God's Word speaks to us on growing old?

As a Christian, I desire to grow Spiritually and press on

to the ultimate Christian experience.

But I'm not there yet ~ 

I long for my life to be totally committed to following after Christ Jesus. 

To be more like Him ~ To think like Him ~

To act like Him ~ To love like Him ~ To look like Him ~

Even as I grow older (I pray God grants me many more years) I do not want to miss

the glorious JOY of following after Christ. 

When God is ready, He will call me home, until then, 

my prayer is that I will strive to live out every day of my life

bringing glory to God, my Savior!

Walking with God is not always easy peasy, and I fail miserably

many times over, but the race that I'm in isn't finished yet
and by Gods grace I will run so as to finish well.
Don't we all desire to hear those words ~
"Well done thou good and faithful servant."

♡

"Wherefore seeing we also are composed about with so great a cloud

of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin 

which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race

that is set before us. 

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand

of the throne of God. "

~ Hebrews 12:1&2 ~

♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

My birthday was amazing, something I least expected
and I'm still in awe walking in the clouds.
My husband gave me a three night stay at the Hotel Colorado
in Glenwood Springs, the historic 145 year old Hotel
that was enchanted!
My husband wanted me to enjoy some "Debbie Time"
surrounded by girlie stuff ~ a Spa day ~ facial ~ pedicure ~ 
and time spent in the Hot Springs Pool.
Chocolate covered strawberries awaited me in my beautiful suite
on the Penthouse floor, what a room!
I received 60 red roses from my husband!
60 gifts from my dear Stephanie and her family!
These gifts ranged from practical to fun and some were heart felt memorable treasures.
Each gift was individually wrapped with purple ribbon 
representing my birthstone, amethyst and each with a quote indicating 
what the gift was.
Oh the FUN of it all!
I enjoyed trying to guess what the gift was by the quote,
the "clue" was in italics.
I am still humbled and overwhelmed at the love that went into these delightful gifts.
For instance ~
The first gift I was told to open was ~
"You're 60! Let's get the party started"
The gift was a tube of confetti 
"Age is like a doily, its delicate and beautiful"
The gift was a gorgeous doily
"The pieces of your life have been put together in a 
precious and beautiful way"
The gift was a beautiful garden scenery puzzle
in pink tones no less!
"Look in the mirror and see how beautiful you are, inside and out"
The gift was a gorgeous mirror for my purse
"You outshine every pearl"
The gift was a darling jar that Stephanie designed with her embellishing creativity
filled with pearl buttons ~ she knows I collect buttons
"You are an extra special person"
The gift was a pack of Extra chewing gum
You're 60, shoot out the lights"
The gift was bullet casing magnets from Stephanie's husband
"At 60, you should have wisdom to impart...
Penny for your thoughts?"
The gift was a key chain with a number 60 charm and a penny with the year of my birth
"You are one hot 60 - year old"
The gift was a box of hot tamales ~ (candies)
"At 60 - you are as fresh as a daisy"
The gift was a purple flowering daisy plant
"You are radiant at 60"
The gift was a bottle of "Rose Glow" by Revlon. 
Oh ladies...I will be buying this awesome stuff by the case loads!
This delicate cream with tiny pearls gives your face a slight glow
and feels like satin on your skin.
I could go on and on with this fabulous, not to mention fun gift idea, but 
a couple of these 60 gifts were memorable in a very special way.
"You wear 60 beautifully. Here is to 6 decades of loveliness "
The gift was a beautiful silver necklace with 6 rings representing each year of my life
with my birthstone (Amethyst) in the middle.
After 60-years of life you have one awesome story to tell.
Share it with those you love.
The gift was a beautiful lifetime journal ~ 
A keepsake of personal memories that I will record 
and my name is engraved on the cover making it very personal.
Are you as overwhelmed as I was?!
♡
The day after my birthday was spent at the spa and
while I was enjoying my "chocolate cherry" body wrap 
I began to ponder over the lovely night before
 when my dear husband stood at my hotel room door arriving to take me out for dinner
 holding a HUGE vase with 60 red roses;
Then my dear Stephanie and my grandson 
 stood there with my husband, each holding a box filled with pretty little gifts,
and as I pondered these lovely thoughts in my heart
 tears of JOY began rolling down my cheeks 
but I could do nothing about it as I was wrapped like a mummy.
I felt like I was crying tears of chocolate.
It was a gentle cry, just slow flowing tears of joy... 
 My heart was and is full of gratitude for the love of family, friends and strangers
who helped in making my 60th birthday very special!
Thank you ALL for those lovely Birthday wishes, for your visits and
for your gifts, cards and love.
My cup runneth over and over again.

You made my special day all the more wonderful.  
Thank You!

♡
I so enjoyed each one of your memorable birthday comments,
so many different stories and all colored by God's grace and goodness.

Now for the winner of this beautiful devotional book & journal set ~
My husband was so kind to draw the winner ~

Connie who crafts over at Connie's Crafty Creations is the blessed winner.
Congratulations Connie!

Take Joy!

Debbie