TRUE LOVE

TRUE LOVE is an every changing emotion.  Al and I are celebrating 65 years of true love on the 9th.  Believe me it is different today than it was 65 years ago!

This is a good thing.  Had we not been able to change when our circumstances changed  or as we changed in the aging process, possibly our true love would have been choked and died.  But because of all the changes that we have experienced through our life,  it has caused our love to blossom into a mature emotion that defines True Love at its best.

I have been reading through the “Happiness Project” with daughters and granddaughter.  We are discussing the chapter on marriage.  I wanted to skip that chapter as I figured I must know it all by now. BUT, no I thought maybe my experience would be a help to them.  Well, the growing never stops – I am leavening so much more about myself and my contribution to a happy marriage and keeping true love alive than I imagined.

I thank the Lord for the years He has given me and the experiences that have brought me to this day and made me into the woman He is trying to fulfill in me.

True love does exist – if you have found it – don’t smother it – just flow with it and adapt, adapt and welcome changes and let it blossom into something beautiful.

For Al and I the key element to weathering the storms and keeping true love alive has been our inclusion of God in the partnership.  He Is the boss and we follow His directions as much as possible. “A threefold cord is not quickly broken”

Ecclesiastes 4:12b

OVER THE TOP, appropriately was the theme for the Anaheim WOMEN OF FAITH conference which I attended Saturday,  Sept. 10th. It was an over the top exerience in many ways.  It was my delight to hear 2 of my favorite singers, Amy Grant and Sandy Patti. Sandy shared her story which was an encouragement to any who have waged a battle with weight. I will always remember that “God is enough”.  LISA WHELCHEL (from Facts of Life) related her journey to find “friends” as a grownup. PATSY CLAIRMONT  encouraged us to have hope for healing – and kept us laughing with her great sense of humor.  MARILYN MEBERG really hit a sensitive nerve in most of us as she talked about living with the cravings that we all deal with…always wanting more!!  What a blessing all the women were who participated – a great worship team.  I am grateful for those who have dedicated themselves to the overwhelming effort of producing such a conference.  Thank you Nelson Publishing.

Check it out at www.womenoffaith.com. September 9-10 Honda Center
Women of Faith encourages women of all ages and stages in life by offering events, materials, and online resources.

Did you eat breakfast this morning?  …

We are told that a nutritious breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It is necessary to get our metabolism functioning and supply nutrients for the days activities.

They tell us that if we don’t eat breakfast our body goes into a negative energy supply and it is hard to maintain throughout the day.

This is an important thought to me because I see the parallel to supplying our spirit with the energy to meet the demands of the day.  Of course, to the believer, that food source is God’s word.  As we read it it feeds our soul and we have the spiritual energy to cope with the days demands. How does this happen.  Scripture tells us that God’s word is alive.  As it is fed to you through your eyes or ears you are taking in spiritual life.   There really is no substitute for growth of the spiritual life.  We can listen to many speakers, read many Christian books, but this does not substitute for God’s direct word.  As good as much of the reading and listening to excellent teachers of the word is – that is GOd’s word filtered through someone else.  Go directly to the source for you strength for the day, wisdom, guidance, encouragement, self adjustment.

Do you feel spiritually malnourished, lacking spiritual energy, enthusiasm, direction, confidence, power for living? The Great Physician has a prescription for you; A healthy dose in the morning of God’s word.

Psalm 119:11

New King James Version (NKJV)
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:16

New King James Version (NKJV)
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

Colossians 3:16

New King James Version (NKJV)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Hebrews 4:12

New King James Version (NKJV)

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

1 John 2:5

New King James Version (NKJV)

5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Psalm 119:133

New King James Version (NKJV)
133 Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

Where is your footing?

Do you ever feel as though you are standing on a hill of sand.  Do you see yourself standing and slowly sinking as the sand seeps in between you toes and you begin to those your balance.  Are you a victim of the shifting sands in your life that keep throwing you off balance.

When we think as the current world thinks and sees things in a contemporary view of  the American lifestyle – or even the American Christian lifestyle – those sands keep shifting.  Do you long for a stable piece of land that does not shift – where you can maintain your balance .

I have really good news for you.  I have a little piece of property that is not for sale but I know the owner and He will gladly let you occupy it.  This piece of land is as solid as a rock right to the core.  It won’t matter how the wind blows – even a flood will not wash it away.  Here is the address:  It is found in the Bible .

For who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock?”2 Sam 22:32

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Matthew 7:23-25

Have you ever tried to define the meaning of the word “Love”.  It is so important to understand what this most popular of all emotions is all about…and I am not the person to give you the technical definition or the theological definition of the definition a teenage lover might give you.

Read more in the Blog….

Lord, today I am so full of “thoughts”.  I would like to express the deep feelings that you  have placed in me. I  Feel they are there to be shared.  Words just seem so inadequate.  How does one put their heart on paper?  Come to think of it – you have enabled people to express your heart on paper – our precious Word of God.

TO READ MORE…GO TO BLOG

Are you an expression of God’s love?  That is my desire for the coming year as I just celebrated my 83rd birthday.  I asked the Lord what is His desire for me this year and it came clearly to me “Be an expression of my love”.

Recently I have experienced such expression of God’s love toward me and it warmed my spirit, renewed my strength, filled my with indescribable joy.  It made me so aware of what a gift we have to give – that of being an “expression of God’s love”.

Read more under blog…..

May your Christmas day be filled with love and joy…from your friends & family…but especially from the Babe of Bethlehem, who seeks a dwelling place in your heart, soul and life!  Is He there?  or is He still knocking? Read the blog “Because of Christmas”.

Be sure and read the article “Strength, Power and Hope” under the Blogs.  No matter what is happening in your life at this time, I am sure you need Strength, Power and Hope – and Love – all available from the “Babe of Bethlehem”

Merry Christmas  - Celebrate this magnificent gift – the author of all that matters in this life.  Al and I send our love and prayer for an abundant, blessed New Year.

Did you see that! – What?  There He is again touching your life and you didn’t even notice??  It happens to me all the time.  I am learning to look for Him.  Of course, a lot of what God does for us is behind the scenes – we don’t see it but we reap the benefit. I love to see the way He interfaces with our lives on a daily basis – but we have to be looking for the evidence.  God has done a very special thing for me and my family recently by bringing someone into our lives that has blessed our socks off!  Connecting with Bryan Duncan and his music has been a blessing ‘above and beyond”.  The far reaching affect on our lives will only be told in eternity.

So I challenge you to look for God in the daily happenings of your life.  He is there – you just have to tune your spirit to see Him and know Him.  Start by thanking Him for all He is doing in your life that you haven’t noticed.

Sometimes it is hard to express the happiness that is described as the “joy of the Lord”. That deep feeling of contentment – that knowing that Jesus presence is with you regardless of what circumstances surround you.  Just knowing that God loves me as I am – not expecting  me to be someone else.  It is interesting that that kind of happiness isn’t dependant on what is going on in my life.  It isn’t dependent on all my “needs” being met.  It does not depend on whether people are loving me or not.  It is so deep inside that it hurts to think of losing it.  But, sometimes it gets hidden by our distractions and we seek it places outside of the “presence” of the Lord.  When we realize that the source of that “joy” is the presence of Jesus we making it our priority to maintain Jesus presence in our life – in the place of prominence and priority. – Or do we forget, sometimes?

“Really?..none of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn’t eat any of it?”.

“Of course we may eat it,” the woman told him. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center  of the garden that we are not to eat…..”

“The woman was convinced. How lovely and fresh looking it was! And it would make her so WISE!” Genesis 3: 1-6 (excerpts from the Living Bible).

Don’t we all fall for that line – “It is so beautiful – how can it be wrong”.

Don’t we all love to feed our ego by thinking of ourselves as “wise”.

Desiring wisdom is a good thing if it is acquired God’s way.

Proverbs l:7 (NLT) tells us “God’s way”:

“How does a man become wise?  The first step is to trust and reverence the  Lord?”

James 1:5(NLT)

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and he will give it to you.  He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.”

We so love to take the credit for the wisdom that come from God – and the gifts that are entirely from him.  We become so pleased with ourselves when we are successful.  True humility seems to be part of the “beginning of wisdom”.

Thank God for His unlimited mercy and love for us poor creatures who are so slow to learn!

How God must love us – too put up with our stupidity and continue to bless us.  We go through life enjoying daily blessings and favors from his hand and at the same time concern ourselves with the future “what-ifs”.  A new friend reminded me of God’s love recently with  his song “I love you with my life” -

I would like to say,
Just before I leave you,
Ill be back someday,
And with me I will take you
So do not be afraid,
Only watch and pray,
And wait for my return.
Ive done what I must do,
My work here is completed,
Its all been done for you,..

By Bryan Duncan

I love you with my life