Coming together

This is the beginning of the wedding season for many and it is so fun to watch and listen to all of the activity that happens before the actual wedding day. I have two grandchildren getting married this summer so this is an exciting time for our family. Early planning began last summer and now they can just relax and enjoy all the pre-wedding activites. It is so wonderful for families to get together and enjoy being together. As gas prices continue to climb, the expenses of coming together is getting very pricy so it may be longer between visits. That makes me appreciate the sacrifice, time and energy it takes young families to travel to come home just to visit or for a special occasion like a wedding. I appreciate my family and I am so thankful for each one. I pray everyone reading my blog will be able to visit their family sometime this year and if you can't please call them more often and enjoy hearing their voice and just enjoy visiting with them. The following is a quote from my book, Living Waters: "Do not let the enemy of your soul entice you to think on the negative, but embrace the positive." I look forward to our family reunion this summer!

Sharing

Last evening we shared a meal with friends! The food was good and the sharing of our lives in conversation was even better. Jesus shared a meal often in scriptures and of course the greatest meal was the Last Supper, which we all can partake of today. I love to cook and then enjoy the results with others. Tonight some family members are coming by for leftovers as I cooked way too much for the dinner party the night before. It really won't matter that the food was cooked the day before, but what matters is that we will be together and sharing what is going on in our lives. I hope you take time to have friends or family come to your home for a meal and enjoy a delightful time together. After Jesus died and rose from the dead he cooked fish over an open fire on the shore for the disciples as they came ashore with their net full of fish. (John 21:9) He not only fed his disciples then, but he still feeds us today. We can read the Bible and be fed and we can receive Him in Holy Communion. We can listen to Him in prayer and be fed with what He speaks to us in the silence of our heart. My book "Living Waters: Writings from the Heart of a Christian" is all about Jesus speaking to my heart and feeding me Living Waters.

Weather

The sun is shining and it is lightly snowing! Guess I am ready for some warm Spring weather, but in Wyoming, Spring doesn't come easily and sometimes not at all. I have learned over the years not to put out the summer plants until after Memorial Day because they might freeze. Oh well, our summers in Cheyenne are worth giving up a warm Spring. I love the fact we don't have extreme heat and we have mostly pleasant summer days. So much sadness and devastation being experienced in the South right now that I need to be more thankful for the weather we are having. May God comfort and bless all who have lost loved ones in the tornadoes and may our country rally around and help the suffering and hurting that were affected by them. Perhaps we should all say a special prayer of thanks right now for the home we are living in, the food we have on hand for our next meal and that we and our family is safe. Thank you Lord Jesus for keeping us safe and in your care right now. Please help all of those that are without a home because of severe weather and are worried, afraid and not sure what they will do next. Help us all to reach out with a helping hand to someone in need.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Such wonderful news that Jesus died and rose from the dead. That is my hope and my salvation. He died to save me from my sins. My part is to accept Him as my Lord and Savior, confess my sins and turn away from them and follow Jesus. I invited Jesus into my heart forty years ago and my only regret was that I didn't do it sooner! Following the Lord isn't always easy, but it is the way to peace, love and joy. He is my source, my inspiration, my everything and comes first in my life. My husband comes next and then my family. The other things follow, such as being obedient to the tasks the Lord has called me to do, like spread the Good News by the way I live and speaking up if it is needed. My task this year has been to get my book "Living Waters: Writings from the Heart of a Christian" out into the public so others may experience the beautiful messages God has given to me in prayer. It has helped many people already and the messages will speak to the reader if one allows God to do so in the silence of their heart. May God richly bless you this Easter Day and may His graces abound in your life. Jesus is Lord and has triumphed over death!

The wind has been strong the past two weeks and it always feels so good to get home and out of it. Come to think of it, I always love to come home. I even love a good snowstorm that keeps me from leaving the house for several days. Just something about one's home that is comforting and cozy. How blessed I am and probably everyone else that is reading this post to have a nice home that is warm and comfortable. So many people the world over can't say that and even if they have a home aren't as warm as they would like to be. The economic crisis is affecting people in so many different ways and keeping the heat turned down is one of them. Eating less and eating inexpensive foods is another way some people have to budget. In these difficult times it is easy to become worried and afraid and wonder what is next, yet God loves us and wants us to have his peace, love and joy. God's word tells us that he will never leave us or forsake us, so no matter what you are going through you can turn to him and trust that he will see you through. So if the turmoil of life has you feeling like you do on an extremely windy, cold day, come into the Lord's house and rest awhile and let him speak to you and comfort you.

Gossip

Have you been affected by gossip? Have you been the gossip-monger? The dictionary definition of gossip is: "Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature. A gossip is a person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors." I think two key words in all of this is rumor and habitually. So beware when you are tempted to gossip or listen to gossip that is a rumor and designed to ruin the person that is being gossiped about. Jesus was a victim of gossip and accused of many things, yet he went about doing the Father's business. He also says that if we follow him we also will be persecuted and in my opinion being gossiped about is persecution. So stop and think when someone is relishing in revealing some juicy, intimate news about another, is this of Satan and designed to harm one of God's little ones? Also, be bold and speak up and say this sounds like gossip to me and stick up for the person that is being gossiped about. I am thankful for a friend that recently did just that!

In my book "Living Waters" there is a message on page 48 that is titled "Love not as the world" and so it is good to remember that love will show others the way to Jesus!

Change

It seems to me nothing ever stays the same. I go along for quite sometime and things are the same and I get used to it, then I notice a store I loved to shop in has closed or else no longer carries the brand that I liked. People change too! We not only grow older but we sometimes grow wiser and change some of the stupid things we once did. Sometimes we even discover that we need to grow closer to God as He is our helper and our shield. This often happens in times of stress, sorrow or perhaps even just being discontent with life. I love the scripture that states: We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called according to his decree. (Rms 8:28) When things happen that I don't understand I can recall this scripture and know that God is in control and he will bring good from it. Have a good week!