The Beauty of God ~

 

 We all need vacations in life's fast and maddening race

an interlude of quietness from the constant, jet-age-pace.

 

So when your day is pressure-packed and your hours are all too few,

just close your eyes and meditate and let God talk to you.

For when we keep on pushing, we're not following in God's way.
We are foolish, selfish robots mechanized to fill each day
with unimportant trivia that makes life more complex
and gives us greater problems to irritate and vex.



 So when your nervous network becomes a tangled mess,
just close your eyes in silent prayer and ask the Lord to bless
each thought that you are thinking, each decision you must make,
as well as every word you speak and every step you take.

For only by the grace of God can you gain self control,
and only meditative thoughts can restore your peace and soul.
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

My garden beautifies my yard and adds fragrance to the air,
but it is also my cathedral and my quiet place of prayer.
So little do we realize that the glory and the power
of Him who made the universe lies hidden in a flower!
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

*******

In my photos you can see that the beauty of the Fall flowers
has arrived in all of their glory.
The skies are painted with a fresh color of blue,
but as you can see, the clouds are white and fluffy
indicating cooler weather has certainly arrived;
bringing with them much appreciated rain.
This time of year also brings with it an abundance of things
I need to accomplish in order to get my mother settled for the winter months.
As I sit quietly with the Lord asking Him to clearly
show me what is important and pleasing to Him,
I realize that I must set some things aside
so as not to become a "foolish robot making life more complex."
Therefore, I will be taking a break from Blogging
and will look forward to catching up with you all after
my days are not so "pressure-paked and my hours all too few."
Enjoy the season that we are blessed to be in
and may your days bring glory to God. 


Joy!
~ Debbie ~

Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

Hello, my dear and faithful followers!
These past couple of months
 I have been taking some time to sit at the feet of Jesus,
where I have found rest in His loving arms,
and I must confess that during my time away I MISSED YOU!! 
I was able to go south for some sunshine 
and these photo's were taken of the beautiful cactus's
in the area where I was staying.

God is true to His Word, in that when we seek Him
we are sure to find Him.
My spirit, my soul and my body
longed for some quiet and alone time with my Savior.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, my desire is to be a 
sweet fragrance for my Lord, and I longed to enter into a 
more personal and intimate relationship
with the One who brings us blessing, rest and joy.

I challenged myself daily to spend more time in the Word
seeking out the riches of God's promises
so as to memorize and apply them to my life,
Philippians 4:8 was one of the verses I meditated on
prayed over and set my mind on so as to live in God's ways.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; 
if there be any virtue and if there be any praise,
think on these things."
It all begins in our minds and we are to think about what is good and right.
During my quiet time with the Lord,
I was allowing His Spirit to fill my heart with all that
is good, pleasing and honorable in His Kingdom. 
What is true is found in God, in Christ, in the Holy Spirit
and in God's Word.
Honorable, the Greek term means "worthy of respect."
Believers are to meditate on whatever is worthy of awe and adoration. 

During this time I happened upon "The Daniel Fast"
believing it was of no mistake.
About one month into my quiet time alone with the Lord,
it would seem as though God was leading me to finish off this restful time alone with Him
through the benefits of fasting, and not just with my diet, but spiritually as well.
The power of fasting doesn't necessarily make sense to the natural mind.
But spiritual fasting requires spiritual sense-a spiritual
outlook and trust in the Lord and His ways.
I believed by doing the Daniel Fast that it was the first step toward 
the experience I was longing for that would bring me closer
to the Father who desires a deep , abiding relationship 
with each of His children.
Though I began my time of rest with meditation and prayer
I knew that every part of me needed something more.
I was longing for my Soul (my emotions, intellect, and feelings)
to benefit from the spiritual discipline of fasting.
I knew my soul needed to be fed.
I knew that my Spirit needed and would grow in strength 
and in the knowledge of Christ and His ways.
Then there was my Body...in many areas I wanted to renew my body and
benefit from a healthy lifestyle.
God continues to be faithful with 
where I have placed myself in His loving care.

Through the Daniel Fast I appreciated
 learning of Daniel's love for his God.
Daniel purposed in his heart to follow the ways of God.
"But, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself."
(Daniel 1:8a)
Daniel believed in his God.
That's the kind of faith we can all have.
Are we willing to love God with our whole hearts?
Are we willing to make God number one in our lives?
God is more than willing to do His part
when we are willing to do ours. 
Daniel devoted himself to God, he set his heart 
on the ways of the Lord and refused to be defiled by
the customs and practices of the Babylonians. 
Daniel's faith serves as a worthy example for us to follow. 

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
and all these things shall be added unto you." 
(Matthew 6:33)
Jesus teaches us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,"
or His right way of doing things.
We should aim to do everything with God and in His ways.
When we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures 
and learn what the Lord has to say about who we are
and how we should care for our bodies,
there should be only one love-loaded
response to our Lord: "Yes Sir."
He is our number one reason for making changes
to be better aligned with what He wants for us.
Our Precious Heavenly Father, desires for us to be
healthy, to take good care of our bodies in whole,
so that we may be a shining example of His family.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil."
(Proverbs 4:23-27)

*******

Our Precious Heavenly Father,
These verses are such a powerful visual image
 that we must take and apply to our lives.
Help us to use our lips for Your glory,
to keep our eyes focused on Your kingdom,
and cause us to ponder the paths of our feet,
so that our ways will be established in You, and for Your glory.
Amen.

Be Blessed!
~ Debbie ~

Please join me as I party with Stephanie over at
Roses of Inspiration

 

Christ, our Ultimate Strength and Resource

While taking my walk out in the cool brisk air of the afternoon

I knew when I got home that it was time to write this post.

The psalmist wrote that

"the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23).

God not only lovingly orders our steps but also our stops.

The apostle Paul experienced successive divine "stops"

while on his missionary journey within Asia Minor.

The Holy Spirit prevented him and his missionary team

from going to the western and northern reaches,

but instead led them to the northwest, to Troas.

God met him there with unmistakable instructions.

You can read about it in (Acts 16:5-10)

The New Year brings with it many changes, doesn't it?

For many years now I have enjoyed bringing in the New Year

quietly sitting at the feet of Jesus near the fire

and listening to my Savior speak through His Holy Word.

This year we had the joy of spending New Years Eve

with Stephanie and her family.

Instead of sitting at the feet of Jesus,

Stephanie brought in the New Year playing hymns on her piano,

and oh... it was divine.

Before the clock struck midnight, Stephanie and I sat in

her craft room and talked while the men were playing crokinole.

Our fellowship was bittersweet, as we talked about my blogging.

My plan was to e-mail some of you and just share with you

where I am at right now, but felt I owed it to you all

to share a post.

I have met so many precious woman through this blog

and each one of you have become my dear, dear friends.

You have been gracious in following along with me

even when I have not been as faithful ~ thank you!

My steps are being ordered by the Lord,

and the Spirit is not permitting me to continue with blogging

at least for a little while.

When you're a child of God, you know when the Spirit is speaking, don't you?

We hear Him speaking, but often times it is the yielding part

that can be so difficult. 
As much as I do not want to, I know I need to stop for awhile.

It was in May of 2013 while working with Hospice and Home Care

that I found myself dealing with an inner ear/balance disorder caused by a bacterial infection.

After much therapy I was diagnosed with Vestibular-Labynthitis
which has left me with some challenges.

One of the things I was told to be careful of, was the computer

or any technical device such as my phone,

which I tend to use a lot as my computer. 

My dear Stephanie is always having to remind

me that when I begin to feel over loaded while on the computer

I'm to quit. Left to myself...I forget what the therapist 

has told me as this condition also brought with it some memory loss. ha!

I have had to learn to make many adjustments

over the past couple of years

and when you are the type of person who is a goer (like myself)

those adjustments can be hard to swallow. 

  

Stephanie said it best while we sat and shared our hearts,

"mom, you need to reboot".

In her wisdom...she was conformation as to what the Lord had already

pressed upon my heart some weeks ago, 
and I knew it was time to rest awhile. 
As well as needing some rest from my blogging

my husband and I have a situation that requires

a great deal of our time and I need to set myself aside for that,

and so... this seems to be the "stop" that God has for me.

"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord"

God's plans are far better than my own.

 "God's thoughts are not my thoughts,

neither are His ways my ways".

Therefore, I will "wait upon the Lord and trust Him completely".

It's all about trusting Christ, Who is our strength and resource.

I will trust in the Almighty God,

who cares about every little detail of my life

and know that He is looking after my own good.

My blog will remain open and as the Lord leads

I will return with a rested and "rebooted" soul

full of God's glorious energy that comes from heaven above.

I may come knocking at your door periodically 

so as to soak in your grace and loveliness.
And please~feel free to contact me.

Paul's joy could not be snuffed out by his circumstances,

but it came from his trust in God's provision;

he could be happy in abundance or in scarcity, 

for he knew that Christ was his ultimate strength and resource.

(Philippians 4:10-13)

******

Gracious Heavenly Father,
thank you for Your love and care for us.
We know that we can find rest in You
no matter what may come into our lives.
 Cause us to be so sensitive to Your Spirit,
that we hear the whisper of Your voice
as You speak tenderly to our hearts,
and may we yield completely
and wholeheartedly trusting
that You desire only our best. 
Amen.

Be Gracious!
~ Debbie ~

The scenery in these photos are where we are blessed to live.
The photos of the road is where I walk daily with the Lord.
God bless you!

Taking A Break

~ Psalm 96 ~

"O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day."

"Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among the people.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods."

"For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."

"Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord glory due unto his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts."

"O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; fear before him all the earth.
Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth;
the world shall also be established that it shall not be moved;
he shall judge the people righteously."

"Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.
Before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth:
he shall judge the world with righteousness,
and the people with the truth."

 As the Lord and I walked and talked
on this beautiful Autumn day,
I was reminded of His love and care
over every aspect of life.
Right now I have many irons in the fire
and the Lord has gently whispered...
Take a break, Debbie.
I'm going to do just that, dear followers.
I will be absent from our sweet blogging community,
but plan to visit and enjoy Stephanie's

tea cup & mug exchange party this month.
My photos and revealing will be on Stephanie's blog.

"Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."
Thank you Heavenly Father,
that we may come to You, and find rest for our weary souls.
Your Word tells us that Your yolk is easy,
and Your burden is light,
 what  peace and comfort Your promises hold for us.
Amen.

Be Glorious!
~ Debbie ~

Away From my Blog

"Prayer is no fitful, short-lived thing,
it is no voice unheard and unheeded
in the silence. It is a voice which goes into
God's ear, and it lives as long as God's ear
is open to holy pleas, as long as God's heart
is alive to holy things.
God shapes the world by prayer."
~ E.M. Bounds ~

 

 I want to thank those of you, Dear friends,
for the prayers you have lifted
on behalf of my parents, especially my father
and his health issues.
On Monday morning the 4th
my father will be having open heart/by-pass surgery.
 ~
"Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth;
help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart."
~ Martin Luther ~
~
There is peace with-in our hearts
just knowing others are on their knees
in prayer when the needs arise.
I know you will be praying,
and from the sincerity of my heart, thank you!
~
I will be spending some time with my parents
so I will not be posting.
I will be getting my messages, so please feel free
to contact me if you would like.
Should time allow, I will pop my head in
and try to say hello.

~~~***~~~

"And in that day you will ask Me nothing.
Most assuredly, I say to you, 
whatever you ask the Father in My name,
He will give you."
(John 16:23)
Amen

Joy!
~ Debbie ~

I'm Back!

" Blessed be the Name, blessed be the Name,

blessed be the name of the Lord!"

I love the chorus to this hymn

and sing it in my heart

when rejoicing over the goodness of the Lord.

My dear and sweet friends,

blessed be the name of the Lord,

for He has blessed my heart richly.

***

" The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich,

and he addeth no sorrow with it"

( Proverbs 10:22 )

This is a beautiful piece of scripture

 I claimed during my time away and,

 with the health issues I have been going through.

The goodness and grace of my precious Heavenly Father

is more than I can put into words dear friends. 

My God, my Savior and the healer of my body

has touched me with His tender hand and mercies.

In a very short time I have made great progress!

All my praise and thanks go to my God,

with an overflowing believing heart while

trusting in God's promises found in the Scriptures.

***

"Father I thank thee that

thou hast heard me"

(John 11:41b)

This was the prayer of Jesus when he brought Lazarus back to life.

By faith I trusted in the Lord 

knowing He would hear my prayer

because Philippians 4:6  tells me ~

 " Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer

and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known unto God" 

 By "prayer and supplication"

 supplication is for particular needs.

"We can continue in prayer, 

and watch in the same with thanksgiving"

( Colossians 4:2 ) 

 God desires that we would be in prayer always

and watching with thanksgiving

as He answers those prayers according to His will.

His love for us is far greater

than we can even fathom.

His ways are far greater

 than all that we can do for ourselves.

His ways are perfect

 no matter what the outcome of our prayers may be.

Therefore ~

 we watch we wait and we trust Him, with a thankful heart.

And then... We are to pray one for another.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man

availeth MUCH."

(James 5:16b)

You my dear and sweet friends

were out there praying for me I know,

because I could feel those prayers and your love.

From my heart ~ thank you!

Thank you for your love care and concern,

my heart is truly blessed.

Precious Heavenly Father.

Your love brings me to my knees

with a heart full of gratitude and praise.

You care about every detail of our lives,

more than we even care for ourselves.

Many times we fail and yet ~

You are there to pick us up

and love on us in all the areas we are so in need of.

Thank you. Thank you for so much!

Amen.

To God be the Glory!

~ Debbie ~

I'm joining the party with
Inspiration of Roses

 

Vacation

Hello my sweet friends!

 Just like the birds I'm flying South!

We have had a rather mild winter for Colorado.
Though this bird house that is nestled in our back yard
does not have nearly the snow covering it
as it has in previous years
 it is still in need of a good roof shoveling.
* And some siding repair I see*

 ~~~***~~~

I'm going South where the sun is warm and bright
for a little while.
I have been having some health issues
so this is a perfect time to get away
and I'm praying that some good natural vitamin D might help.

~~~***~~~

The last couple of weeks I have
been missing in action
in our wonderful blogging community
and I have missed you!
I have found it hard getting to the computer
to write a post
and visiting you ~ my sweet friends ~
has been put on the back burner,
I'm sorry.
 I hope to be back in a few weeks.
Love you all,
 and thank you for being such faithful followers.
You bring joy to my heart.

~~~***~~~

Joy to you!
~ Debbie ~

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