The food chain...

Last night Robert was watching a nature show on PBS about Cuttlefish. I was kind of listening to it while cleaning up the kitchen and such. (You know those lovely nighttime duties that usually falls on the mom!)

Anyway the narrator was talking about what other creatures prey on these fish. The narrator said that everything has a predator. I thought about how that is true and started thinking about the food chain. But I thought about how humans don't have a predator, no other animal preys on humans.

Then God reminded me that we do have a predator. Satan is our hunter and we are the hunted. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." John 10:10

But we have our own armor to protect us from his attacks. That is the armor of God. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:11

So unlike the cuttlefish that gets eaten and doesn't have an armor to protect itself, we have our own armor to protect ourselves with. We have the armor of God and the power of Jesus Christ.

Waiting on the Lord

The other day I went down to the lake for some quiet time with the Lord. I spent the past weekend getting to know him more and wanted to continue that. So what better place than to enjoy the peace and beauty than Black Lake.

This is what I arrived to see...




Talk about beautiful! It was amazing!

So I sat on the dock for some quiet time with him. As I sat there, he performed a show just for me! The birds were singing and flying about. A beaver swam right in front of me! A duck came up to the edge of the dock to check me out too! It was absolutely amazing what was going on around me.

As I sat there waiting for the sun to rise God spoke to me. I realized that the sun seems to set very quickly. So quickly that if you are at the beach and happen to look away you could miss it. Yet the sun seems to take it's time rising. As I sat there in anticipation of it's rise, God spoke to me. He told me that waiting for the sun to rise is the same thing as waiting for him. I too must wait for him to show me his full glory. I got a glimpse of it this past weekend but it was only just the beginning!

I am on a new journey with him. It's a path that I have never been down before. There is excitement and fear around the corner but it will be so worth it. It will be worth the wait! There is more, he wants to show me the more!

Because if I thought this was beautiful, I can't even imagine what heaven and seeing God's face will be like!I can only imagine!

A love story...

Once upon a time there was a princess. The only problem was that she didn't know she was a princess. That is until her met her prince in the woods of Colorado. She had an encounter with her prince charming who has been waiting for her. That princess is me! The prince in my story is Jesus. (Of course Robert too!)

I am his beloved. I am his princess. I am his daughter too! He loves me so deeply that I cannot comprehend the depth of it. I only got a glimpse of it this weekend. He wants to romance me and show me how much he loves me! He wants me to enter into a journey with him.

He told me a lot this weekend. But above all else he told me he loves me! I fully get it now! I am loved by the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Messiah!

Here is one of the ways he romanced me...

Here is another...



















And another... this one he made me wait for...














My heart is so full that I cannot understand it. I am a new woman who is a princess on an incredible journey! So here we go!

Make Friends With Whatever's Next

Hmm that is an interesting concept. Make friends with whatever's next. A few weeks ago I received an email from a Max Lucado weekly update that I subscribe to. This was the title of his email. He talked about accepting and embracing change. Change is necessary, it's part of life. God creates change to help shape and develop us.

Then today I read something else. This one was from a different author. He talked about how God goes before us. He goes before us to prepare things. He also talked about standing at the intersection of two roads. As you look down one of them, the road curves so that you cannot see it. But you see dark clouds and feel anxious. There are notes from previous people to follow them down that road, that it is worth it.

This really struck me since I am about to embark on an adventure that is going to change my life. I am going on a four day adventure with some friends to a place that is going to be a whole lot of fun and a whole lot of work. We have NO idea of what's going to happen... only that it has the potential to be life changing.

But I know two things... God is already there. He is preparing it for me. He is also here with me preparing me now as I pray about this upcoming event. I see him there fluffing the pillows, testing the food, whispering my name into the hearts of the team that is there.

I also know that I need to "make friends with whatever's next". Change is inevitable. Things change. People change. Sometimes change is good, sometimes we feel that it is bad. But in the long run, all change is good. God's promise to us is that he would never leave nor forsake us. So even when he changes things on us that we don't think are good, they usually are. He has a plan for us, for me.

So as I embark on this adventure, my prayer is that I embrace it completely and "make friends with whatever's next".

As I was stepping outside my door this afternoon, I discovered this butterfly on my flowers. It was twittering around this pink flower. I was able to grab my camera to take this picture of it. I took a couple of shots then came back inside.

After I uploaded them to my computer, I realized the detail that I was able to capture from the butterfly. It made me think about God. When you look at the butterfly there are so many details on a creature so small. From the lines and colors on it's wings, to the way it flies around the flower to the way to fluttered off. God cares so much about this butterfly that He created it.

But He cares even more about me. Why do I seem to forgot that? In Luke 12:7 it states "Indeed the very hairs on your head are numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than sparrows."

Lord please send me more of these reminders. I need to know that you care.

What Does He Want?

What is it that God wants from us? Does He want to use us as Him puppets in some weird play? Does He want our money? Does He just want us to do the rituals? No to all! He wants us. He wants a relationship with us. He wants to talk to us everyday. He wants to be with us. He loves us.

So why is this so hard for me? I try to be a good wife, a good mom, a caring friend, a helper when there is a need. Yet why do I not always put God first? Why do I sometimes give Him whatever is left at the end of the day? Argh! I know this isn't right. I know that isn't what He wants, nor is it what I want. I know that when I am intentional about giving Him me first, then I am so blessed by that. Yet I continue to forget and sometimes I give Him the leftovers.

And what amazes me above all of this... He NEVER gives up on me. He still loves me. He is still the same. He still wants me. Who else does this.... no one like Him.

Thank you Lord for never giving up on me even though I seem to forgot the obvious. You are so amazing.

Do we believe?

Do we believe that God is going to act? Do we believe that He can actually do the things He says and promises?

This week I had this lesson in a situation with a child. I prayed for this child but I don't think that I really believed that there was anything that God could do. I may have even said this to a friend when I was talking to her about it. I should know better... yet we seem to forget.

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:22-24

Have faith in God... why is this so hard for us? Why can't we just believe him? Because people let us down so we learn to not trust.

This week our church is doing a VBS. We're learning that God is always there and He does what He says He's going to do. He will never leave nor forsake us. The bible is full of His promises yet we forget and tend to not believe Him. The kids seem to believe and get these lessons better than us adults at times! This is why Jesus said to "have faith like a child". He knew that as we became adults, we would forget and not believe!

So it took the lesson for a child for me to believe Him. I am SO thankful that He forgives us for not believing Him! I am even more thankful that I am His child and that He is always there for me... He promises.