...if I was the only one!

Why do we seem to so easily compromise our beliefs for the beliefs of the masses?

This thought came to me this morning while I was brushing my teeth...yes most of my "deep" thoughts seem to come when I am doing routine things and not really thinking about anything in particular. Maybe that is an indication that they are not really my thoughts...

I do think I need to check my beliefs when they differ from others: where did they come from; are they still important to me; what are they based on; has anything changed that would significanly impact my core belief system?

I have to ask myself this question...Are my beliefs, my beliefs or simply handed down beliefs from my parents or my church or someone I admire. Am I willing to compromise those beliefs when they are not convenient or become uncomfortable or differ from the masses? More truthful is because they run counter to what I really want to do or say. And if this is so then do I really believe?

I can't have one set of principles for myself and another set for others. Nor can I compromise my beliefs when it becomes uncomfortable to stand (alone) for what I believe in.

The Bible says "A double minded person is unstable in all his ways."

My Prayer: Lord, The Bible says You are a God who does not change. Your truth remains the same regardless of the situation or circumstance or my feelings, or what others believe. Give me the strength to stand, act and believe only-and-always on the truth of Your Word...no matter the cost.

Summer!

Finally.....Summer is here! Not just a date on the calendar summer but the real summer...hot weather, kids swimming in the pool, early morning coffee-on-the-deck summer. I thought it would never come. Our Spring was declared the "wettest in 117 years"!

The benefits of the wet spring/early summer are....green, green, green! Everything is lush, blooming and green! The spring bulbs; tulips and daffodils seemed to bloom for ever. The lilacs, forsythia, clematis, peonies and rhodies were gorgeous and now the roses! I love my roses.

I actually really enjoy all of the seasons and would be very hard pressed to declare a "favorite"...but today...I Love Summer!

"This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Bitter Sweet

Today has been a bitter sweet day. The mother of 3 of my grandbabies, my ex daughter-in-law remarried today. I have spent much of the day in contemplation and prayer. Old memories are resurfacing...memories of our lives with her as part of our family...memories of my own divorce from my first husband almost 40 years ago and his remarriage...memories of my mother struggling to parent 3 children when my Dad left when I was 4 years old. Although I have experienced great emotional pain in my life nothing prepared me for walking/crawling through the pain of betrayal and divorce with my child and grandchildren.

As I prayed today I found myself not knowing how to direct my prayers. To be honest I am experiencing a sense of release and relief...a sense of closure and an opportunity for a new beginning for my son. I found myself simply praying "Lord make her the woman you created her to be" and "may they come to provide a Godly home and example for my grandbabies".

Over the last 3 years I have been seeking the Godly definition of; forgiveness (even when there is no repentance); Godly love (according to God's Word); and what it really means to "cast all your cares upon Him...".

Today has been bitter sweet....knowing that Gods promise for the righteous is to make the bitter into sweet brings peace and a sense of anticipation...

....Time flys!

Wow, I cannot believe it has been almost a year since I last posted! Life seems to just get busier and busier. Sometimes I think I should go back to outisde employment in order to slow down, lol. I know, I know I am slowing down, it is called aging.....I am in denial!

My 6 grandbabies are growing up so fast. The oldest will soon be 13 and the youngest will be 4 in August. Life does not "march on" it races on! I am very involved in their little (and not so little) lives and am so proud of them and the people they are becoming. God is sooo good....even though they have already faced physical and emotional challenges, He is faithful and He loves them even more than I do and I am continuing to learn to put them and leave them in His hands!

My children are amazing! First of all, they "trust in the Lord". Really I could stop right here...that says it all. Life can be so challenging, but they know where to get their direction and strength. They work hard and each is outstanding in their field...family is priority... and they persevere in doing the right things - the right ways...giving the credit to God!

I have, in the last year, rented a space at "The Fussy Duck" to offer my found/hand-crafted "treasures". My business is called "Fragments". The name comes from the story in the Bible about the loaves and fishes. John 6:12 "...gather up the fragments that nothing be wasted." I love to treasure hunt and Fragments gives me the opportunity to share my finds (my husband is delighted to have me "share").

We have also recently become involved in Jordan Rubins new Beyond Organic organization. He is an amazing young man with an amazing life story. This new venture is exciting for us. I started a Facebook page "Beyond Organic Oregon" and hope to develop this more as this business unfolds.

This is a very short overview of some of what has transpired in our lives in the last 12 months. Hopefully I will be more faithful in updating this blog/diary this year.

Again, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths", Proverbs 3:5,6.

Don't Judge Me!

Don't judge me! This seems to be the current mantra of the world...the Christian world that is. Interesting that the ones who insist that it is not biblical to judge quote only those parts of scriptures which seem to support the notion that as followers of Christ we are to walk in acceptance of the failures and sins of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery is one I have heard referred to often...but they fail to quote Jesus final words to her...."go and sin no more".

We are really setting ourselves up to look like fools if we throw out what we believe are Biblical quotes but fail to read the Bible. Read Romans....we are not to judge the world according to our Christian standards because as unbelievers they will be judged by their sin. However, as believers we have a mandate and a responsiblitly to first judge our own hearts and then in turn to judge the actions and fruit of our fellow believers. There is a clear process lined out in Romans that tells us how to, through Love, reinstate our fallen brothers and sisters to spiritual health.

Guess what, if the Bible says something I'm doing is sin then it it sin! Pretty simple stuff. What we are really saying when we say Don't judge me is....don't hold me accountable to God's word. If I am made aware that it is in God's word then I, as a child of God, would need to make a decision to either repent and turn from my sin or make a clear choice to continue in my sin and fully accept the consequences of my choice. ( That is another whole blog.)

Thank God for Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness.....but without true repentance we make it very clear to whom we love.

Ahhhh, My Spiritual Shower

My Morning Prayer:

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me."

Psalm 51:10 (Amplified Bible)

"God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life."

Psalm 51:10 (Message Bible)

Thank you Father for the daily new beginnings you offer me. Thank you for your forgiveness that covers all my sin. Thank you for loving me more than I love myself. Thank you for your keeping power that holds on to me even when I feel unable to hold on to you. Thank you Lord, for the unanswered prayers, prayed in the heat of emotion! Thank you for my daily salvation....

"For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering. My sacrifice (the sacrifice acceptable) to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart (broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent), such, O God, you will not despise."

Psalm 51:16,17 (Amplified Bible)

"Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice."

Psalm 51:16,17 (Message Bible)

Thought for the day: God wants me to give him a repentant heart and watch him do the rest!

It has been my observation...

Often what bugs us about others are things we do ourselves. Tailgating, stopping in the middle of the aisle at the store to hold a conversation, leaving our grocery cart in a parking place, picking our nose. I'm not talking about ornerines, more like thoughtlessness.....in our own little world to the extent we are mindless of others.

Purposeful living is what I have asked the Lord to remind me of... Doing all things with purpose. Can I give a meaningful, acceptable, thoughtful reason to everything I say and do? Not yet, but with the Holy Spirit's help I am getting better.

Thought for the day: Use irritation with others as an opportunity to self examine.....