Monday, May 30, 2016

Memorial Day 2016!

Remember all the men and women in the military who have served this great nation. Sometimes we forget their sacrifice - long periods away from their family and home. Often we forget their efforts to keep our nation free by putting their lives in harms way. Please stop and say a prayer for everyone that has served, is serving, and will serve in our armed forces. America is free and beautiful because of them! God bless our military! Angela

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Dump It!


Getting rid of years of your “stuff”, your mom’s “stuff”, and your grandmother’s “stuff” is hard. Why did I hang on to so many things?

Just dump it! But I can’t. I feel like a child clutching a toy, screaming, “Mine!”

Recently, I tried to throw away the 200 VHS videos my grandmother gave me. It should have taken me no more than 15 minutes to pick up those videos and toss them into the trashcan. Two hours later, I’m still reading the backs covers, reminiscing over the times I sat with my grandmother and watched these old black and white and colored films. Beautiful memories, along with unforgettable quotes.

How could I throw away Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. I mean it is William Holden and Jennifer Jones! Who could forget Suyin saying this?

“I am so happy it frightens me.”

“You are gentle, and there's nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.”

Okay . . .you didn’t see the movie, and these lines mean nothing to you. That’s okay. I’ve cried for both of us.

The point is I’m struggling to throw away things in order to downsize my life. I’ve got stuff packed up to the ceiling!!!

Why am I struggling over things that are not being used? And probably never will be. It makes me wonder what else I am struggling to get rid of.

“Everything in this life—and everyone you hold dearest and most precious—you must release one day. Corrie Ten Boom said it well: "Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open." Job, who had suffered the loss of his ten children, had learned the hard lesson of holding onto God’s gifts with loose fingers. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. May the name of the LORD be blessed!” (Job 1:21) Are you grasping something—or someone—too tightly? Loosen your grip.” (Reg Grant on June 21, 2009 in DTS Devotional)

Maybe God is getting me ready for a bigger downsize. Maybe the housecleaning and house-clearing is a way to prepare for now and later. As I picked up another old movie, I felt it was time to let go.

Maybe it’s time for me to finish the work of letting go of temporal things.


“I cling to You; Your strong right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:8

Cling to Jesus and hold everything else loosely in your hand.

God bless you,

Friday, May 13, 2016

Do you believe?

Several weeks ago I began whining about my health, lack of energy, and feeling overwhelmed with life. I prayed, but the words I uttered sounded like whining, too. Frankly, I was getting tired of myself.

During all this boo-hooing, I kept doing my Bible study. One morning I ran across Matthew 9:28 and I stalled, reading it over and over again.

“Do you believe I am able to do this?”

All those “I” statements came rushing back to me. I can’t do this. I’m too tired to do that. I wish I could crawl under the sheet and stay there until I feel more like me.

I . . . I . . . I.

So I kept reading the verse. Did I believe God could do this? Handle all my mess? Could I trust Him enough to get it done?
Then the absolute unimaginable sentence slipped into my mind. Would God do it the way I wanted it done or would He change things . . . or change me?

Wow! Now I had shifted the whole ballgame. God was asking me to put my full trust in His delivery even when I didn’t particularly like His response. So I spent the next few weeks listening, waiting, doing less complaining, and a lot more praying.

I began each day in prayer. And I prayed over what I had on the calendar and asked for God’s guidance on every bit of it.. At first it was an inner struggle. If I sat down, my knees would bob up and down. My grandmother used to call it the St. Vitus dance. I never asked her what it meant, and I’ve used the expression many times; so I looked it up.

“Sydenham’s chorea, historically referred to as Saint Vitus Dance, is a disorder characterized by rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements primarily affecting the face, hands, and feet. “

In my case, it was the legs. But the action actually began to calm me down. Don’t ask. I’m strange. Ask my granddaughter, Jackie. She shakes her head and smiles as soon as I begin to explain the oddities of life. Don’t ask about that either.

At the end of each day, I began to see God’s hand in every movement. The layout of my plans under His direction began to have a rhythm. The most important things were done first. There was no mayhem anymore. And no . . . I did not complete everything on my list. That’s the beauty of it. I realized I didn’t need to.

That’s when I began to feel the internal change. The power from within that could only have been from God. I became excited to visit Him in prayer each morning and dedicate my list to Him. Before long, I felt at ease prioritizing my list, keeping a separate list for things “I’d like to do”.

The internal change became an outward change. My legs quit bobbing when I sat in silent reflection and prayer. Yes, I was still tired, but I also began stopping during the day. I started coloring. Yep . . . coloring! I kept a table set up with colored pencils and beautifully illustrated scripture sheets from a coloring book I bought at a Margaret Feinberg Women’s Conference. Even if I stopped for 10 minutes, it gave me time to breathe deep and reflect.

It’s amazing how revived I became and was able to accomplish more than I could have imagined, even doing things not on my list – mailing cards and calling family and friends.

It’s been eleven weeks. Eleven weeks of believing Jesus can do this. My Bible study has gone deeper. My prayer life has accelerated. Knowing that I need the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, and yes, Life Planner, too. I need Him in the extremes of life and in the everyday planning of it.

Thank you, Jesus, for standing by me and showing patience in my angst. I’m still tired, but You are helping me manage that, too. Bless you for loving me to the uttermost!


God bless you!