Consider

Today my three year old and I sat down to read his Chick-fil-A "book." It was one of those fold out maps with a decoder. This particular book contained different facts about planets and NASA. None of these things were new to me, but as I read them to my child I realized how long ago it had been since I had considered the facts of where our planet is, how many of our earths would fit into you-name-it, and really just how small in comparison it is to all that is around it. My son quickly got bored with it and moved on, but I began to ponder those facts the rest of my day. Many times I am so busy that I forget to consider. This evening I couldn't help but think of the old hymn "O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds thy hands have made..." What a beautiful perspective to have of how great is our God! AND even in perspective of how great and big he is (which makes me very little) the bible is full of God telling us how much He loves each and every one of us. Luke 12:7 says that God even numbers the hairs on our head! Such beautiful detail to God's involvement in each of our lives. May you too be awestruck by God and his intimate love for you!



"How Great Thou Art"

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!

Details Matter to God

Hi friends! I haven't posted in far too long. My 30 day writing challenge is about up and I managed to set up only a little bit of the blog. I am still planning to come back and continue past the challenge and pursue writing. 

Today I was thinking of all the things I want to say on here and just don't seem to make the time to say them! Well, I am taking the time now before I head to bed. 

This morning as I read my daily bible reading I was struck by the thought of how detailed God is. I mean all we really have to do is look around at our world and how ordered it is to understand that, but in Exodus as God is giving the instructions to build the sanctuary I was reminded again of His attention to detail. If you have read the book of Exodus around about chapter 25, and if you are like me, you start to wonder how this information is important to you. I believe for today, it was to remind me that the details matter to God! 

God is not a bigger, better me. He is holy. He is other. He is so not me and I am so glad for that! His ways are not mine and the depths of His understanding far outweigh my limited scope of understanding. He loves all the details. His loves my details and your details. The things in life that we notice, He notices too. There is comfort in knowing that God notices and will take care of the details. 

The second part of understanding His great attention to detail is a sense of awe and reverence. When we consider the detail in which He described to the Israelites how to make each item we know that the details matter. Every detail was made clear. There were no questions on how to make things. He told them all the details. 

Maybe this is a stretch, but I started to wonder if there are certain details in my life that I think God won't notice and therefore I won't be accountable for them. Ouch! Unfortunately, I know it doesn't work that way! James 4:17 (NASB) says that "to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin." (The whole chapter is a good read) 

Anyway,  lately I have found myself more and more focused on the fruit of self-control. I think the Holy Spirit wants me to be teachable in that area since it keeps coming up :) I want to make sure I am living life God's way and not my own. What about you? Do you feel God calling out areas of detail in your life that need attention?  Are you resting in His attention to the details of your life? 

Encouraging One Another

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

(1 Thess. 5:11 NIV)

I have so enjoyed following my friends Brittany Willard (thesehappytimes.com) and Jennifer Watson  (jenniferreneewatson.com). I may never blog to the extent they do, but I am thankful for the encouragement along the way. Sometimes the enemy of our soul tries to twist things so that instead of an encouragement from others we compare ourselves to others, but there is no time for those comparisons! There are people who desperately need the hope of Jesus. I am excited to jump into this blogging community and join in with those who make a difference with the words the Lord is giving them to share. 

Here’s to no more hiding! I look forward to sharing more of what the Lord is doing in my life! Thank you for coming along with me on this journey. I pray you will be inspired to no longer hide, but allow Jesus to move you forward in His plans for your life as well. 

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. (Ecc. 4:9-10, ASV)

Leaving Excuses Behind

So, the more I thought about writing and then about blogging, I couldn’t get away from the thought that it’s all been said before. Why should I write when there are others who do such a good job. I mean, that’s their profession. They are professional writers! "God, why in the world would there be a place for me in writing?" Isn’t that how all our excuses go when we want to hide? But, when my husband called me the other morning and said “God wants you to quite hiding,” I knew that meant I would just have to give up those excuses and move forward. We all have excuses. The bible is full of the great men and women who obeyed God in spite of their reservations. Why? Because they trusted God. May we all choose to be brave and strong by putting our trust in the Lord!

Trust the Lord! Be brave and strong and trust the Lord. Psalms 27:14 (CEV) 

Quit Hiding

Today is the day! Today I will QUIT HIDING (with the help of the Jesus)! You see, earlier this year God told me to start something new. Through another individual, God asked me to write. I almost laughed out loud! Honestly, writing is the last thing I ever thought I would pursue. I’ve wrestled with the idea all year long; knowing that God told me to do it and earnestly seeking the “what will I write, Lord?” This morning as I read the account of Abram being called by God to leave everything for “a land I will show you,” (Genesis 12) I was challenged to trust God with the “what” later on down the road. For now I just need to be obedient and write.  

Sometimes I wonder how the patience of the Lord can last through my indecision and my procrastination. I think He must be so frustrated. Just like I get frustrated with my daughter for behaving timid and shy. Even at 5 years old she still burrows deep into my legs when we enter a new and unfamiliar place. She loves caring for others and watching them, but she is so slow to interact with the unknown. I don’t know where she could possibly get that from! :) Thank goodness God’s mercies are new every day!