Insta-Thanks

 I am thankful for...

The beautiful city I live in. It takes my breath away every day.

My loving family. I miss them all so much. My heart is heavy thinking of them all so far away.

My wonderful husband who fills my life with blessings daily. I cannot imagine life without him. He is my number one blessing for sure.

The #SheReadsTruth community. These devotionals have encouraged me and helped so much to keep me accountable in reading God's Word daily.

Coffee. I'm not thankful for it in the dependent on caffeine sort of way, but in the way that is simply thankful for the joy it brings into my life. I love the taste of coffee.

For our amazing church family and the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing in Delray Beach.

The fact that Christmas is coming soon.

My kitchen that I can cook, bake, and wash dishes in.

The opportunity I have had over the past (almost) year to write and express myself creatively through this blog.

The wonderful network and community of bloggers that I am beginning to be a part of.

The opportunity to share my passion for crochet and design with all of you through my Etsy shop.

The fact that my sister arrives in Florida to visit me, soon! Very soon!

I am thankful for delicious sweets and treats like pumpkin pie for breakfast.

But most of all, I am thankful for the One to whom I give thanks. I am thankful for grace, for not only a clean slate, but for the righteousness of Jesus credited to my account. I am thankful for the hope of heaven someday. Truly, I am blessed.

Be blessed,
<3

Promises to Heal Your Heart

Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:43-45 ESV)

During one of my four+ hour driving shifts during our trip, I was listening to this passage from the book of Joshua. (Listening to the bible being read aloud? I know!!! How cool, huh?)

The words seemed to jump out of the air and grab my attention.
"Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass."
NOT ONE WORD..."
Wow! This is the God that we serve. And this is hope. He gives hope, because He is faithful and true.

Reading and meditating on these words, I was filled with hope. I began to think of specific words God had spoken over our lives and that others had prayed over us. How wonderful to have the assurance that not one word of these promises would fail.

But these blessings did not just come to the Israelites. Connected to these promises of blessings were promises of trouble and punishment if the Israelites did not stay faithful to God.

"But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you." (Joshua 23:15, 16 ESV)

I began to think of the many promises that are scattered throughout the Bible. They are almost always conditional. Why? Because God is a just God and He cannot do anything that is contrary to His nature. To leave sin unpunished would be contrary to His nature of perfect justice.

But I cannot always perfectly obey God.
I cannot be righteous.
I cannot love perfectly.
I cannot be unendingly faithful.

So that is why Jesus came.

HE is always perfectly obedient to the Father.
HE is righteous.
HE always loves perfectly.
HE is unendingly faithful.

And because He gave me His righteousness, if I choose to accept and live in His righteousness, all the promises and blessing that He has promised are mine.
"Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord..." has made to me, His child, will fail.

Praise the Lord!

What better encouragement could there be as we are driving across the country to serve the Lord in what He has called us to do? All His promises...the hard ones where He has promised to make us like Jesus, and the wonderful ones where He has promised to keep us in perfect peace....are going to be fulfilled in us...are BEING fulfilled in us.

And the best promise is yet to be fulfilled...the promise of heaven. What a beautiful day that will be!

Praise the Lord!

Be blessed.
<3

Am I consistent?

I have been wanting to write this post for awhile.
I have been thinking about this for awhile.
I have been trying really hard for awhile...off and on.
I have been struggling mentally for awhile.

Consistency

Why is it so illusive?  Just beyond my grasp?  Always a bit further out of reach?

I want to be consistent.  Lately I have had to ask myself....what does that mean?

I am not the type of person who gets up EVERY DAY at the SAME TIME....who goes to bed at the same time...who has a system for everything they do (and it never changes).  I am not the person who has a routine...who has the same work schedule 5 days a week....who sleeps a normal number of hours every night...who has "date night" every Friday with her husband...who exercises every morning like clockwork.
I want this to be me...but it is not...

Why?

Because that is not who I am...that is not my life.

My life is busy...my life has a different schedule everyday...my life is organized around people...my life is a collection of odd tutoring jobs and lifeguarding...my life will stop or rearrange for people almost anytime....my life is devoted to serving God....my life is organized...my life is fun...my life is NOT consistent/scheduled/or routine.

Some of you may be confused as to why I think this is a problem. I am a first born, A-type personality that likes things neat, symmetrical, organized and...consistent!

As I've thought about this, I've moved from FRUSTRATED to DETERMINED to DISCOURAGED to CONFUSED to NOW....and where am I now?

I realize that God's word encourages consistency...but not consistency in routines or schedules.  It encourages a consistent life.

I want to be a woman who is consistent:
CONSISTENT in loving and following my Savior with my whole heart.
CONSISTENT in serving and cherishing my husband.
CONSISTENT in praying for those I love.
CONSISTENT in my words and actions.
CONSISTENT in loving others even when it is inconvenient
CONSISTENT in arranging my life around others
CONSISTENT in trusting God and living in HIS PEACE...no matter how crazy or inconsistent my schedule is.

A different kind of consistency

As I think about this, I once again realize that in my own strength I will be an utter failure...or at best an uptight legalist.  I need, we need, God's strength to be consistent in our walks with Him and our relationships with others.

To be consistent like Jesus, we need the strength of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

This is my heart and prayer right now.  I hope these thoughts that have been running around in my crazy mind can bless you somehow.  

This is how the afghan I made looks on my in laws' couch!  I made it as a gift for my mother in law.

Me sitting on the floor of my in laws' back room while writing this post...Travis was doing our taxes! 

Earlier this week I made homemade corn dogs! They were great!  Tutorial to com!

Btw...these instagram pictures are just another example of how I feel totally inconsistent. Last week I had like 12 pictures for my post...this week...three....

Oh well, through the grace of God I am learning that this type of consistency is not the type of consistent I need to be.  So let's be consistent together...a consistency that will last in light of HEAVEN!  Through the strength and grace of Jesus, this is my prayer.

Be blessed.

Dates and Satisfaction

My husband and I went on a date tonight. It was wonderful!

It feels like half the time we try to go on dates, they end up costing or being more work than their worth.  But tonight we had a gift card for Anthony's - A local seafood restaurant.  The food was amazing!  (I had to repeatedly resist the urge to whip out my cell phone for a few pictures!  This was a date, not a time to document cute food to show off on my blog!)

I was bored by the time we took the last picture...but I thought I'd include it just for fun!

I really wanted some quality time with my hubby, so I focused in on asking questions and really hearing him.  I also tried to talk about stuff other than schedules, work, etc.  Those topics came up some, but it was okay.  My goal was to enjoy my husband...and I thoroughly did!  (And still am in case you are wondering...we are sitting side-by-side on the couch, each working on our mac laptop! <3)

However, since we went to dinner early (to avoid the crowds), we still had the whole evening ahead of us.  Both of us still needed to spend some time in God's word.  So we plopped down on the couch (after my husband graciously snapping a few dozen photos of me) and started to read.

I was in Isaiah 55.  Listen to this...
"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance." (Isaiah 55:1- 2 NKJV)

Those were the first two verses I read and they stopped me dead in my tracks.  So often I get so caught up in life that work, food, drink, and even time with my husband become the most important things to me...things that I have to get done. God is calling to the Children of Israel and trying to help them realize that they are spending their time and money on things that will NEVER satisfy them. Even food! I eat and I am hungry again in four hours. It could be the best meal of my life and it makes no difference. The ONLY thing that can TRULY satisfy me is God.

I don't believe that. I know I don't. Why? WHY? I know from personal experience that God is what truly satisfies me, and yet I still don't let myself be filled by Him. I run to other things.

"Lord help me to believe this so that it affects my life. I want to be satisfied in You."

So yes, this post is titled "Dates and Satisfaction".  Am I finding my satisfaction in dates and fancy dinners with my husband or in God who gave me those good things to enjoy?  Don't get me wrong.  Time with my husband is a very satisfying thing...but it too is temporary.  Praise God for His eternal love, salvation and peace.  I want to be able to confidently say, "He is my all, my satisfaction!"

May your evening be blessed and filled with satisfaction in God!

We have all Eternity

I get so depressed sometimes thinking about friends and family who have moved or are moving far away.  I  miss them, and I don't want those relationships to end.  Even in this modern age of technology, it is still so hard to be apart.  Yet today as I was pondering this and praying about these feelings, I felt the LORD give me a gentle reminder in my heart...

This life is only the beginning.  If my dear friends and family believe on the LORD Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation, then this life is only the beginning.  We will have ALL ETERNITY together in heaven to praise God and enjoy fellowship together.  How sweet a time that will be - free from sin, sorrow, pain, and guilt!  And we will be in the presence of our God!  Praise the LORD that no matter how tough this life gets, because of Jesus, this is the worst it will ever be.  I have HEAVEN to look forward to!

I can't wait to spend eternity worshiping God with my brothers and sisters in Christ!  Praise the LORD!