perfect peace

stay close by my side
keep your eyes on me
though this life is hard
i will give you perfect peace

in this time of trial
pain that no one sees
trust me when i say
i will give you perfect peace

and you'll never walk alone
and you'll never be in need
though i may not calm the storms around you
you can hide in me
burdens that you bear
offer no relief
let me bear your load
cause i will give you perfect peace
stay close by my side
and you'll never walk alone
keep your eyes on me
and you will never be in need
though this life is hard
know that i will always give you perfect peace
i will give you perfect peace

perfect peace
song by Laura Story

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:6-8

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. matthew 11:28-29

babies don't keep

"The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

i read this today and cried. having a second one has made me realize how they are babies only for a little while. what a gift they are. what a miracle they are. how sweet and short this time is.

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.
Psalm 127:3 New Living Translation

my Help and my Strength on this journey

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
psalm 121:2

Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
psalm 124:8

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.^[d]
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
psalm 84:5-6

Spiritual notes

here's the link i talk about below with the quotes from beth moore and betty robison. please watch - it is so good.
http://lifetoday.tv/qt/2010/03/100311.htm


okay, so God has been speaking - i best write it down.

grace is God's gift. grace is also God's empowerment! just think about that. if you are in Christ, you have God's grace!

wake up, o Church.

"God doesn't like our leftovers." - Anne Graham Lotz

we are feeding our thoughts - whatever your thought life is like - you're feeding it.
as a western culture - we are so allergic to the disciplines of the Spirit that we are living in defeat.
get your mind preoccupied with the thoughts of God.
memorize and meditate on scripture. - beth moore paraphrased on lifetoday - can't get the link to work on my mom's computer but you can watch this online - so awesome!!! the whole thing.
the most blessed i am, is when it's just God and me....yes, we are encouraged at church and in the teaching of others, BUT there is nothing like the fellowship with God. - betty robison

May I know the hope to which you have called me, the riches of your glorious inheritance in the saints, and your incomparably great power for us who believe. that power is like the working of your mighty strength which you exerted in Christ when you raised him from the dead and seated him at your right hand in the heavenly realms. ephesians 1:18-20 (changed some of the pronouns to make more personal)

satisfy me Lord in the morning with your unfailing love that i may sing for joy and be glad all my days. psalm 90:14

i've been wasting a lot of time, filling up on chocolate and chips and facebook. praise God for his word - for fellow believers who speak truth and encourage.

you are all i want - you are all i need - everything my heart could hope for - we are longing for the glory of the Lord - cuz we know there's so much more - only you - fill my soul! kim walker, i have found

I AM ...

a worship service i went to last night reminded me of these. considering doing some paintings.

Seven "I AM" Statements of Jesus

1. I AM the bread of life.
   • John 6:35: Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
   • John 6:48: I am the bread of life.
2. I AM the light of the world.
   • John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
   • John 9:5: While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
3. I AM the door.
   • John 10:7: Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep."
4. I AM the good shepherd.
   • John 10:11-14: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me...."
5. I AM the resurrection and the life.
   • John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
6. I AM the way, the truth and the life.
   • John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
7. I AM the true vine.
   • John 15:1, 5: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

The priestly blessing

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

" ' "The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '

numbers 6:22-26

wednesdays with beth moore

i love watching wednesday with beth on LIFE Today with James and Betty Robison. it comes on channel 14.1 at 8:30 on wed. mornings (of course) here in my neck of the woods. but, i just discovered you can listen and watch these broadcasts anytime on the web.

wednesdays with beth

lots of encouragement through the teaching of the Word of God here.

today she said something i loved - that sometimes God wants us to stop telling him, "i love you". sometimes we should tell him, "i love you, too".

so much more

"earth is crammed with heaven
and every common bush ablaze with God
but only he who sees, takes off his shoes
the rest can only sit and pick blackberries"

elizabeth browning

i saw this yesterday written in the margin of my Bible in Exodus when Moses sees the burning bush. i think my old testament professor shared this with the class one day many years ago. i think i may have even blogged this poem before. i guess i really like it. sitting and picking blackberries sounds very pleasant and yummy, but God has so much more to show us and give us. If we will only have eyes to see and a heart to worship and obey.

BSF

it's september 1st! oh my gosh. the weather is cool outside - very pleasant. i'm really not a fan of august.

in two weeks, Bible Study Fellowship ( a non denominational Bible study) will be starting up again and i just wanted to make anyone who reads this blog aware of this very cool study of God's word. i was able to participate 2 years ago when they studied Matthew. they are studying John this year - i don't think it's gonna work out for me this year, but it might work out for you!

if you want really intense, structured, deep study of the Bible, go to the website

Bible Study Fellowship

find a class near you and show up at that location in two weeks to register. they will assign you to a small group. this is not your typical women's Bible study. i've heard people relate it to seminary courses. oh, and it's free. they operate off of donations. during the day classes they have childcare starting at 2 - 5. at night they have childcare for school age children all the way to 12th grade. the children are learning the same scripture that you have been studying during that time.

if you have any questions feel free to ask me. i'll try to help.

Delight in the LORD

My Dear Sister

God has not overlooked you
He has not ignored you
He hears every petition
And intimately knows
The heart beneath it.
Give Him full access
To all your longings
Pray every single day
To become a person who delights in Him.
When it seems to disappear
Remember to check your JAW
Are you jealous?
Are you angry?
Are you worried?
Roll it all on Jesus
He's strong enough to carry it
Big enough to handle it.
Trust God with all your heart
Now leave this place
And go into the world
And do some GOOD.

Saturday's commissioning
inspired by psalm 37:1-9
beth moore and living proof ministries

james

i'm reading through james right now. hear are some snippits that spoke loud.

when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 1:6 don't doubt God

the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does. 1:25 choose freedom, live in the Word and do it

mercy triumphs over judgment! 2:13 don't be judging people - give em a break

about the tongue - whoah

...Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. 3:12 am i producing bitter words or words that give life? can't do both.

the idiot box

i'm trying to be better about being aware of what's going on in the world. it's easy to block everything out being a stay at home mom. to be honest, the news media gets on my nerves after awhile - i have trust issues with them. but, because of that sometimes i block it all out and then i am totally ignorant and that's not so good either. so, i try to get a little dose of the today show during the week, and then lee and i got a subscription to World magazine for Christmas so i've been trying to read that. i also enjoy listening to sean hannity on the radio if i happen to be in the car at the right time. and to balance it all out sometimes i'll catch the hot topics on The View. haha - although they get annoying and talk about sex too much. i enjoy reading World the most.

all that to say, while reading World last week i came across something. On January 17 in a speech at the Madhavrao Scindia Memorial, the Dalai Lama is quoted as saying, "I love President George W. Bush." and later, "it is difficult to deal with terrorism through nonviolence."

i just never expected that.

something else that interested me - from the Hindu national newspaper online -

"Happy people spend a lot of time socialising, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television, a new study finds. That’s what unhappy people do.

Although people who describe themselves as happy enjoy watching TV, it turns out to be the single activity they engage in less often than unhappy people, said John Robinson, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland and the author of the study, which appeared in the journal Social Indicators Research."

i admit, i used to watch a ton of tv. then, i got married, we didn't have cable, so it was a little less tempting. and then last spring our antennae broke, then i had a baby and didn't have time to watch tv for awhile. i started watching movies. then we were able to get a picture again on a few stations and the commercials about drove me crazy.

i'm rambling, but i agree with this study - strangely, the tv is terribly addictive and at the same time unsatisfying.

God reminded me of this the other day - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6 NIV

Or as the New American Standard puts it - ""Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."