October 29, 2012

Sandy

Hurricane Sandy has been here, &  she doesn't seem to want to leave. . . .
We've been feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy since mid Saturday.  And it has continued to be rainy, windy and colder than usual here. . . Just wanted to post a new little video of a song that will help us to remember that no matter what storms we may be going through, the Lord has His eye on us and has promised to take care of our every need. . . .Earlier this afternoon I was hearing this "strange" sound outside my window, and when I opened the window it was the sound of a few birds singing. . in the rain and wind!!  ??   I thought, "WHAT IN THE WORLD?"   but it's a lesson to me. . sing in the rain...sing in the storm.  We know Who is in control. . and cares for us even more than we could ever imagine.
Hope you all have a good week. .  .and enjoy the following video. . . take care.
Hugs,
tammi

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Phil. 4:19

 

 

October 25, 2012

Hope for the Journey: I Will Rise

Do not gloat over me, my enemy!  Though I have fallen, I will rise. 
Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. 
Michah 7:8
 
Until we reach heaven, we will face many a battle while on this earth.   I pray that the Lord will use this arrangement to give hope to those who may be fighting a battle today, or maybe feel as if they've been "knocked down" by the enemy.  May the LORD give us all the strength to carry on.   He will soon bruise the enemy under our feet.  That means we will be standing upright, on our feet, and not "knocked down!"   So. . .Be encouraged.  "Be thankful, for this is the will of God for us, in Christ Jesus."
 


The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.  Romans 16:20

 

October 20, 2012

Is There Light at the End of This Tunnel?

 

Where's the Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Every now and then I need to be reminded that God's timing is perfect.  He is not bound by time like we are.  That concept is extremely difficult to fathom for our finite minds.  When we're going through what seems like an endless tunnel, feeling almost trapped by the circumstances that have surrounded us, we can become overwhelmed because "nothing seems to make sense."  
 
The other morning I whispered to the Lord "There seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel."  Then I reached for a Bible verse on a card that is in a little "bread box of promise cards."  Here's the verse that I drew.  John 8:12 ~  "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."   It was as if the Lord directly responded to my prayer.
 
I had been feeling like "I've sought You, and Your Guidance, Father, each step of the way.  I have asked for Your will to be done, and yet I feel like my present circumstances make no sense....things don't seem to "feel" as if they are "working out" as I thought they would.  I feel like I'm "in the dark" as to the big picture of Your purpose. 
 

Can There be Light in the Darkness?

In John 8:12 Jesus says He is the Light of the world and if we follow Him we will NEVER walk in darkness.  The world in which we live IS dark because of sin.  However, if we follow Jesus step-by-step each day, we won't walk in darkness ~ we won't "walk" (or live) as the world lives:  continually in sin and darkness.
 
Even though we follow the Light of the world (Jesus) there will be times of dark storms that we have to endure.  With God's help, we can still walk uprightly, even in the midst of these dark storms. 
 

Darkness vs. Burdened

Perhaps I've been confusing my feelings of "being in the dark" with feeling burdened by life's circumstances. 
 
God hasn't promised to tell us why He allows everything that happens to us.  There will be times that circumstances leave us "scratching our heads, wondering 'why?'."  This feeling "in the dark" to the Sovereign will of God can easily become a burden if we don't quickly take it to Him with a trusting, thankful heart. 
 

In every thing give thanks, for THIS is the will of God. 

When things don't make sense,
when there seems to be "no light at the end of the tunnel"
~ ~ ~ ~
Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:18
 

And when you're running out of steam: 

 


            The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
            T
he LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
                                                 
Psalm 27:1
                           You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
                          my God turns my darkness into light.
                                                   Psalm 18:28

 
 
I thank You, LORD, for even though things don't quite make sense, You are my Light; You are my strength; You are my salvation; You are my Hope and my Future; You are my Shepherd; You are my Guide; You are my Provider.  You are the One Who has promised to "teach me what is best for me," and to "direct me in the way I should go."  (Isaiah 48:17)  I believe Your Word to be true.  I believe that one day the "fog will be lifted," and I will understand what You were doing during these circumstances.  . . and I believe You will enlighten me soon, because "I would have fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."  (Psalm 27:13)  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.
 
 

October 7, 2012

Tips to Feel B.E.T.T.E.R.

How to Feel Better

 
 
Ever had one of those days (or years) when you just can't seem to pick yourself up out of the "discouraging dumps". . .you start to lose interest in the normal things that you once enjoyed.  ??    Well not long ago my daughter was telling me how she felt so discouraged and just wanted me to help her "Feel Better."  "Please tell me what to do, Mom!  I don't like feeling this way."   When your child is in need of help and you don't have a clue how to help them, take the request to the Lord.  After all, He is their Heavenly Father and loves them more than you ever could.   So that's what I did.  I quickly whispered, "Father help me to help HER know how to feel better."

Almost immediately an acrostic began to come to my mind, so I started jotting it down.

B- Busy.   Get busy.  Most of us find when we have nothing to do that's when the enemy comes in to steal our joy, tempt us to do wrong. Simply put:  "Idleness is the Devil's workshop."

E- Exercise.   I know this may seem silly.  But really it's not.  When we exercise our bodies, the special little chemicals in our brains called Endorphines are released, and they are our bodies' natural way to help us feel GOOD emotionally.

T-Think Positive.  Guard your thoughts.  Being idle can tempt us to think negatively, if we're not careful.  Whatsoever things are of GOOD REPORT, think on These Things. 

T-Treat others as you want to be treated.    Sometimes when I'm burdened or discouraged, I find my thoughts to lean towards the negative spectrum...causing ME to feel negatively about everything AND EVERYONE around me.  If I think negatively about others (or even myself) then I am apt to TREAT others (or even myself) unkindly.

E-Eat right.   I know...this seems obvious. . but think about it.  When we're discouraged, we're apt to either STOP eating all together, or eat TOO much---and it's likely that we're eating too much of junk. . . causing a vitamin and mineral deficiency...which has a direct affect on our brains (our thoughts, and subsequently our bodies ~ which affects our relationships.)  It's like a snowball affect. 

R-Rest & Relax.   Discouragement tends to keep us awake at night, which in turn steals our bodies' time to regroup, refresh, fight germs, and replenish the neurotransmitters called serotonin....those have a direct affect on our thoughts and impact whether we will feel "good" or "bad."     Relax....Rest in the LORD..He has control of every aspect of our lives.  This should cause us to breathe a sigh of Relief!   

It amazed me to see just how QUICKLY the LORD gave me a response to share with  my daughter.  I got tickled as I began writing the letters and acrostic down as He was guiding my thoughts.  I told her that if you notice, these tips are even in PERFECT ORDER.  If we are NOT BUSY then it snowballs downhill from there.  God is so good.  He says, "Before you call, I will answer, and while you are still speaking, I will hear."  That means even before I came to Him with this problem, needing an answer, He already had the answer...and while I was still speaking, He took the time to listen to me....then gave me the solution to share with her. . and NOW I'm sharing this with you.

Simple tips...but I hope that you will always remember when you're feeling discouraged, these are some practical tips to putting you on track to Feeling B.E.T.T.E.R.  

Feel free to pass this little "Rx" ( prescription) along to anyone you know that may need some encouragement.  :)

Hope you all have a great week!

Thank You, LORD, for answering me so quickly when I presented this problem to You.  I am still tickled at how quickly You responded by giving me these thoughts to share.  I pray that You will receive glory for all that is done this week in our lives. . .may we always look to YOU to help us.   
In Jesus' Name, Amen.