These random thoughts play through my mind daily. They are thoughts of Jesus and they are thoughts of you. Here is a glimpse of my day:
You will see Jesus coming near, His voice you will hear...
Praise the Lord, O my soul, His Name is to be praised.
Spend time in His presence, and become His essence.
He longs to hold you close, He longs to look in your face.
He wants to see His reflection in you, as you reflect His glory.
I can't get enough of this amazing love, I can't describe it or speak loudly enough.
I want you to know Him like this, to know who you are in Him.
How can I help you? How can I explain Him? I don't have the right words, but He does.
His word is His essence. It is WHO he is. It describes Him precisely.
There is no other God but Him. There is none above, on earth, or below...He is the great I AM.
He wants to be known. He wants to be praised. He wants to shower you with blessings.
He wants you to be in a position to receive from Him. He has a plan and wants you to walk in it.
Do you rest in His presence? He wants to give you rest.
He wants to give you direction for your life. The One who made you, knows all about you.
The One who made you, loves you perfectly. The One who made everything you see, sees you!
Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you.
Surrender your life to Him and He will give you MORE life!
He who has the Son has LIFE!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, for He has done wonderful things in my LIFE!
Pick up His word, your Bible, and ask Him to speak to you. It is HIS word and He is a man of HIS word...
You can count on it!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Jump for Joy
I read a statement the other day that said: Jumping for Joy is Great Exercise! I loved that!
Yesterday, I experienced the worst headache of my life. On a scale of 1-10, my pain was a 20! It came on very quickly and I found myself in bed for several hours with a pillow under my head, and one over my head and knowing I needed a quick exit to the bathroom if necessary. The pain was very nauseating.
As I lay there in pain, I couldn't help but think of the pain that Jesus endured for me. It's beyond comprehension. This pain was just one part of my body. Though it seemed almost unbearable, I could still move the rest of my body, though I didn't want to.
I kept asking God what I needed to learn from the pain. Pain is a great teacher. It stops us in our tracks, literally. It takes precedence over every other thing in our lives. It gets our attention!
The Bible talks about the church as the Body of Christ. When one part suffers, the whole body suffers. I want to encourage you to get close to God. Ask him the hard questions. Am I doing what YOU want me to do? Am I going where YOU want me to go? Is my light shining for YOU or is it just making me look good?
I am so thankful that today, I am not suffering. My boys are happy that I am going to get to go on their field trip with them. I am in agreement today with my oldest son, "That the same One who made the body can heal the body!"
I am confident that he can heal His body too. If you confess Jesus as your Lord, you are a part of His body. Are you whole? He wants you to be. I want to jump for joy in Jesus' presence. I want to hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Will you jump for joy in His presence?
Yesterday, I experienced the worst headache of my life. On a scale of 1-10, my pain was a 20! It came on very quickly and I found myself in bed for several hours with a pillow under my head, and one over my head and knowing I needed a quick exit to the bathroom if necessary. The pain was very nauseating.
As I lay there in pain, I couldn't help but think of the pain that Jesus endured for me. It's beyond comprehension. This pain was just one part of my body. Though it seemed almost unbearable, I could still move the rest of my body, though I didn't want to.
I kept asking God what I needed to learn from the pain. Pain is a great teacher. It stops us in our tracks, literally. It takes precedence over every other thing in our lives. It gets our attention!
The Bible talks about the church as the Body of Christ. When one part suffers, the whole body suffers. I want to encourage you to get close to God. Ask him the hard questions. Am I doing what YOU want me to do? Am I going where YOU want me to go? Is my light shining for YOU or is it just making me look good?
I am so thankful that today, I am not suffering. My boys are happy that I am going to get to go on their field trip with them. I am in agreement today with my oldest son, "That the same One who made the body can heal the body!"
I am confident that he can heal His body too. If you confess Jesus as your Lord, you are a part of His body. Are you whole? He wants you to be. I want to jump for joy in Jesus' presence. I want to hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Will you jump for joy in His presence?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Chosen!
When I was just nine years old, a man showed up at our front door.
This man was middle-aged and dressed in a suit. He told me he was from a church located on the other side of the river. I recognized the name of his church. This church would bring a bus through our neighborhood on Sunday mornings and transport children to church. When church was over, they would bring the kids home again. I was always curious what went on over at that church.
My mom had a religious upbringing and felt it was important to take us to church as well. We were C & E Christians mainly. My mom would always try to get us to church on Easter Sunday and we would go for awhile. And then maybe around Christmastime. We would go to church for awhile and then for some reason that would fade again. We always went to "our" church though. She would comment that the church that sent that bus around did it because they couldn't get enough people to come to their church, so they would pick up kids to fill their church.
So on this particular day, when this nice man showed up at our door, I was thinking he just needed another innocent kid to go to his church to fill a pew. But, it wasn't that way. He stood on the front porch and was so kind. He did tell me about his church, but he wasn't demanding at all. He gave me a little booklet to read. I remember feeling at peace in his presence, but scared to death that my mom would find out that I was talking to this guy. He must have sensed my fear and quickly left our house. I quickly disposed of his literature.
As I went back into our house, I was just waiting for someone to make fun of me or question what I was doing out there on the porch. Nevertheless, I couldn't shake the feeling of how special I felt. And how this man's only motive seemed to be to simply tell me that Jesus loved me.
I didn't have a bible of me own. So, I spent time in my mother's bedroom looking through her bible. My curiosity about Jesus became very real. I would try to read the bible, but not much of it made sense to me. I instead would fix my gaze on the beautifully illustrated pictures. I especially loved the one of Jesus coming in the clouds. I often wondered if that was really going to happen someday.
A few weeks went by and the man showed up at our door again. Cautiously, I went out to greet him. He asked me if I would want to go to his church and if I would want the bus to pick me up. He asked if I had any brothers or sisters that might want to come along too. He seemed so sincere. I knew that my mom would disapprove, so I told him probably not.
He was so patient and did not seem to be in a hurry at all. It was like he was sent there just to talk to me. He asked me if I knew that Jesus loved me. He asked me if I wanted Jesus to live in my heart. He told me that I could pray and that Jesus would answer my prayer. All of this was new to me and it made me nervous. How would I explain this to my mom? And I thought she would be so upset if she knew this man was on our front porch. Again, he must have sensed my fear, and kindly left.
I never saw him again. But, many years later, that scene came to my mind. At the age of 23, I again was asked if I knew that Jesus loved me. Shortly before this, I had told Jesus I would follow Him if He would teach me what that meant. Now, with her bible in hand, my aunt methodically worked her way through the book of John. When she was finished and with my heart opened wide, I truly understood that Jesus loved me enough to die for me.
I have been walking with Jesus for 22 years and again tonight the Lord took me back to that day on the front porch. He was seeking me when I was only 9 years old. I do believe the man on my front porch was obeying Jesus when he showed up at my door again. I believe that I was his assignment that day. It was really Jesus knocking on my heart's door. I am sorry it took me so many years to answer.
Jesus chose me. He sought after me. He pursued me. He let me hear him knocking on my heart's door.
Do you know that you are a chosen one? Do you know that He pursues you out of love? Will you answer the knock at the door? It's Jesus...let Him in...don't be like me and wait for years and years...open the door today...you will never regret it!
This man was middle-aged and dressed in a suit. He told me he was from a church located on the other side of the river. I recognized the name of his church. This church would bring a bus through our neighborhood on Sunday mornings and transport children to church. When church was over, they would bring the kids home again. I was always curious what went on over at that church.
My mom had a religious upbringing and felt it was important to take us to church as well. We were C & E Christians mainly. My mom would always try to get us to church on Easter Sunday and we would go for awhile. And then maybe around Christmastime. We would go to church for awhile and then for some reason that would fade again. We always went to "our" church though. She would comment that the church that sent that bus around did it because they couldn't get enough people to come to their church, so they would pick up kids to fill their church.
So on this particular day, when this nice man showed up at our door, I was thinking he just needed another innocent kid to go to his church to fill a pew. But, it wasn't that way. He stood on the front porch and was so kind. He did tell me about his church, but he wasn't demanding at all. He gave me a little booklet to read. I remember feeling at peace in his presence, but scared to death that my mom would find out that I was talking to this guy. He must have sensed my fear and quickly left our house. I quickly disposed of his literature.
As I went back into our house, I was just waiting for someone to make fun of me or question what I was doing out there on the porch. Nevertheless, I couldn't shake the feeling of how special I felt. And how this man's only motive seemed to be to simply tell me that Jesus loved me.
I didn't have a bible of me own. So, I spent time in my mother's bedroom looking through her bible. My curiosity about Jesus became very real. I would try to read the bible, but not much of it made sense to me. I instead would fix my gaze on the beautifully illustrated pictures. I especially loved the one of Jesus coming in the clouds. I often wondered if that was really going to happen someday.
A few weeks went by and the man showed up at our door again. Cautiously, I went out to greet him. He asked me if I would want to go to his church and if I would want the bus to pick me up. He asked if I had any brothers or sisters that might want to come along too. He seemed so sincere. I knew that my mom would disapprove, so I told him probably not.
He was so patient and did not seem to be in a hurry at all. It was like he was sent there just to talk to me. He asked me if I knew that Jesus loved me. He asked me if I wanted Jesus to live in my heart. He told me that I could pray and that Jesus would answer my prayer. All of this was new to me and it made me nervous. How would I explain this to my mom? And I thought she would be so upset if she knew this man was on our front porch. Again, he must have sensed my fear, and kindly left.
I never saw him again. But, many years later, that scene came to my mind. At the age of 23, I again was asked if I knew that Jesus loved me. Shortly before this, I had told Jesus I would follow Him if He would teach me what that meant. Now, with her bible in hand, my aunt methodically worked her way through the book of John. When she was finished and with my heart opened wide, I truly understood that Jesus loved me enough to die for me.
I have been walking with Jesus for 22 years and again tonight the Lord took me back to that day on the front porch. He was seeking me when I was only 9 years old. I do believe the man on my front porch was obeying Jesus when he showed up at my door again. I believe that I was his assignment that day. It was really Jesus knocking on my heart's door. I am sorry it took me so many years to answer.
Jesus chose me. He sought after me. He pursued me. He let me hear him knocking on my heart's door.
Do you know that you are a chosen one? Do you know that He pursues you out of love? Will you answer the knock at the door? It's Jesus...let Him in...don't be like me and wait for years and years...open the door today...you will never regret it!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
What's a Love Note?
If this is your first time to the site, and you are wondering "What is a Love Note from God?", I encourage you to read my story, entitled "Daughter of the King". You will find it under "Blog Archive" in the February file. Look on the left side of this page and click on February. Scroll through the blogs until you see my story. Be blessed...God is longing to show His love to you!
He Looks At You With Eyes Of Love
Some of my friends have been sharing "love notes" with me. They are looking "up" and looking "for" their own personal message from God. It is really exciting to hear what God is doing in their lives!
My latest love note came on a very, very cloudy cold day the week of July 4th. My husband and I and our two little boys were spending a few days at a campground. This is a really fun place to be and next to Disney, the boys find it their favorite spot to spend vacation time. Well, this particular week was unseasonably cool like most of the summer has been. It was in the 50s and we were in pants and sweatshirts.
We had been fishing and had gotten rained on. We had been to the dog park, to the mini golf and were marking off our list of to-dos in spite of the weather. One of our favorite things to do at the campground is paddle boat around the lake. We decided to take our chances and go out on the lake and pray that it didn't rain too hard for us to get back into shore. We paid for our 30 minute cruise and headed out on the lake. It was very relaxing to hear the water hit the boat and at the same time knowing our legs were getting a work-out. We were enjoying our time and just chatting. As we rounded the end of the lake, the sky had turned darker. Being a little fearful of lightning and getting stuck out on the water, we decided it was time to head back.
No eye has seen,
My latest love note came on a very, very cloudy cold day the week of July 4th. My husband and I and our two little boys were spending a few days at a campground. This is a really fun place to be and next to Disney, the boys find it their favorite spot to spend vacation time. Well, this particular week was unseasonably cool like most of the summer has been. It was in the 50s and we were in pants and sweatshirts.
We had been fishing and had gotten rained on. We had been to the dog park, to the mini golf and were marking off our list of to-dos in spite of the weather. One of our favorite things to do at the campground is paddle boat around the lake. We decided to take our chances and go out on the lake and pray that it didn't rain too hard for us to get back into shore. We paid for our 30 minute cruise and headed out on the lake. It was very relaxing to hear the water hit the boat and at the same time knowing our legs were getting a work-out. We were enjoying our time and just chatting. As we rounded the end of the lake, the sky had turned darker. Being a little fearful of lightning and getting stuck out on the water, we decided it was time to head back.
I still wanted to squeeze out any enjoyment we could get from our ride back, so I said to my little "sky watcher", "Why don't we look for heart-shaped clouds". I didn't get the words out of my mouth when he said, "Look, Mom there is one right behind us." And there was. It was a perfect heart in a little bit lighter shade of gray against the dark gray backdrop. I was so awed. We all giggled, because they thought it was a little silly for me to suggest finding clouds in one big blanket of dark sky anyway. Once again I experienced that moment of "speechless". I am always grateful that the Lord continues to bless us and to build my little guys' faith.
We watched it dissipate and turned to look toward the shore. Just as I did I noticed another cloud formation. It was a huge eye. You could make out the top lid, the bottom lid, the eyeball and the pupil. I got so excited! I said "Hey, guys, look at that huge EYE!" In a matter of seconds, where the pupil was located it began to take the shape of a heart! I am NOT kidding! It was incredible! We were all amazed! A huge eye with a heart in the middle of it.
We watched it dissipate and turned to look toward the shore. Just as I did I noticed another cloud formation. It was a huge eye. You could make out the top lid, the bottom lid, the eyeball and the pupil. I got so excited! I said "Hey, guys, look at that huge EYE!" In a matter of seconds, where the pupil was located it began to take the shape of a heart! I am NOT kidding! It was incredible! We were all amazed! A huge eye with a heart in the middle of it.
I fumbled for my camera. I had it safely nestled in a ziplock bag in the center of the boat. Unfortunately, by the time I got my camera ready, the formation was already disappearing. As you might guess, I was pretty disappointed. My husband gave me these reassuring words. He said, "It's okay...I think the Lord just wants you to know that He looks at you with eyes of love". Awwww...see how my husband's heart is responding to God's intimacy. How can you resist such love?
I wish I had the right words to describe my feelings. I hope you will bear with me, because I sound like a broken record. I remain "speechless" in His presence...
I wish I had the right words to describe my feelings. I hope you will bear with me, because I sound like a broken record. I remain "speechless" in His presence...
No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared
for those who love him.
1 Cor. 2:8-10
Monday, July 27, 2009
A Real Nail Biter
Early this year while working through a bible study entitled "John, the Beloved Disciple" I answered a question. The question presented was: If you could change something about yourself, what would it be and why. The answer came quickly. I would stop biting my nails! My reason: I think it is a poor testimony to God!
I have been praying about being a nail biter for many years. I have stopped at times, used horrible tasting nail polish and even had fake nails put on ~ which I BIT OFF! Talk about disgusting...that was MANY, MANY years ago though. And I still found myself hating my hands and hating that terrible habit.
If someone wanted to take a picture of me, I would try to hide my hands. I read a story about Princess Diana after she died and her photographer told the same story about her. Interesting, I thought...she's so beautiful. Around the same time, I watched a home movie and there I was at age three biting my nails. WOW! Now that has been a long-standing problem.
So early this year, I decided I was ready to tackle this problem again. I was in a dilemma PLEADING with God to help me STOP BITING MY NAILS. I prayed once again and told God that I would definitely stop this time because I wanted to honor HIM! I would discipline my mind to stop the thoughts that seemed to be causing my anxiety and resulting in the nail biting. I would quickly analyze them, pray about them or confess them, or whatever I needed to do, to move on. It worked a lot! Other times, I would pray about it and later look down at my hands and see my nail-bitten fingers and have that same awful feeling. I was disappointed in my lack of discipline. I sometimes would just convince myself that it was just the way I am!
That would only last awhile, before I would be wishing for pretty nails again.
Sometime the end of May, as I was driving down the road...God seems to use those times when I am all alone to speak the loudest...mmm...that must mean I am hearing the loudest at those times... Anyway, I was driving down the road and found myself chewing on my nails. I recognized immediately what I was doing and stopped biting my nails. I prayed about whatever was on my mind. I immediately felt better. I felt successful and convinced myself that I responded so quickly this time that I must have this thing whipped!
Not so quickly now...I drove another 3 minutes, and guess what...my hands were in my mouth again! With no apparent effort, I was doing it again. I was ticked!!! I felt like such a failure!!!
I immediately cried out to Jesus...Please, Lord, help me! Why do I do this? I hate this about myself...it is a terrible testimony to you! I tell people how you bless me and give me peace and that you are so faithful, yet here I am filled with anxiety about so many things!
I was so honest with the Lord and I knew he was listening.
The Lord spoke into my heart and I will never forget it. He said, Tammy, you take immediate responsibility for everything and for everyone. When these thoughts come to your mind, you think it is up to you to solve all the problems in your little world.
I said, But, Lord, I can't solve all the problems in my world. A lot of this stuff hasn't even happened and if it did, I couldn't stop it anyway. I can't change anyone or change their circumstances or fix anyone! And the amazing thing is it is all in my head! All of these random thoughts present themselves as real, and most of it is not even reality!!! Why do I think that if I "think" about it long enough, I will be able to "solve" it? As I uttered that to the Lord, I saw it so clearly. I felt a huge weight come off of my shoulders.
I have been set free to let God solve all of the problems in my world! WOW! He is big enough! I have stopped biting my nails, and when those random thoughts enter my mind, I recognize they are not for me. I dismiss them and I thank God that He is God.
I am enjoying my new nails and my aged but beautiful hands. They are the ones that God gave me and they are His. I want to use them to glorify Him. I want my hands to be a testament to the One who carries the weight of the world on His shoulders and and to the One who watches over me!
So, what's your story? Where do you turn to solve all the "little problems" in your world? Maybe yours isn't as evident as mine like the awful habit of nail biting. Maybe you've convinced yourself that you are not like me at all. Hopefully, you're not. But, if the Lord has used my story to nudge you, I urge you to be completely honest with Him. He knows you intimately and He wants to set you free from all anxiety. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you! He is an amazing God! Put your trust in Him and I promise you will not be disappointed!
I have been praying about being a nail biter for many years. I have stopped at times, used horrible tasting nail polish and even had fake nails put on ~ which I BIT OFF! Talk about disgusting...that was MANY, MANY years ago though. And I still found myself hating my hands and hating that terrible habit.
If someone wanted to take a picture of me, I would try to hide my hands. I read a story about Princess Diana after she died and her photographer told the same story about her. Interesting, I thought...she's so beautiful. Around the same time, I watched a home movie and there I was at age three biting my nails. WOW! Now that has been a long-standing problem.
So early this year, I decided I was ready to tackle this problem again. I was in a dilemma PLEADING with God to help me STOP BITING MY NAILS. I prayed once again and told God that I would definitely stop this time because I wanted to honor HIM! I would discipline my mind to stop the thoughts that seemed to be causing my anxiety and resulting in the nail biting. I would quickly analyze them, pray about them or confess them, or whatever I needed to do, to move on. It worked a lot! Other times, I would pray about it and later look down at my hands and see my nail-bitten fingers and have that same awful feeling. I was disappointed in my lack of discipline. I sometimes would just convince myself that it was just the way I am!
That would only last awhile, before I would be wishing for pretty nails again.
Sometime the end of May, as I was driving down the road...God seems to use those times when I am all alone to speak the loudest...mmm...that must mean I am hearing the loudest at those times... Anyway, I was driving down the road and found myself chewing on my nails. I recognized immediately what I was doing and stopped biting my nails. I prayed about whatever was on my mind. I immediately felt better. I felt successful and convinced myself that I responded so quickly this time that I must have this thing whipped!
Not so quickly now...I drove another 3 minutes, and guess what...my hands were in my mouth again! With no apparent effort, I was doing it again. I was ticked!!! I felt like such a failure!!!
I immediately cried out to Jesus...Please, Lord, help me! Why do I do this? I hate this about myself...it is a terrible testimony to you! I tell people how you bless me and give me peace and that you are so faithful, yet here I am filled with anxiety about so many things!
I was so honest with the Lord and I knew he was listening.
The Lord spoke into my heart and I will never forget it. He said, Tammy, you take immediate responsibility for everything and for everyone. When these thoughts come to your mind, you think it is up to you to solve all the problems in your little world.
I said, But, Lord, I can't solve all the problems in my world. A lot of this stuff hasn't even happened and if it did, I couldn't stop it anyway. I can't change anyone or change their circumstances or fix anyone! And the amazing thing is it is all in my head! All of these random thoughts present themselves as real, and most of it is not even reality!!! Why do I think that if I "think" about it long enough, I will be able to "solve" it? As I uttered that to the Lord, I saw it so clearly. I felt a huge weight come off of my shoulders.
I have been set free to let God solve all of the problems in my world! WOW! He is big enough! I have stopped biting my nails, and when those random thoughts enter my mind, I recognize they are not for me. I dismiss them and I thank God that He is God.
I am enjoying my new nails and my aged but beautiful hands. They are the ones that God gave me and they are His. I want to use them to glorify Him. I want my hands to be a testament to the One who carries the weight of the world on His shoulders and and to the One who watches over me!
So, what's your story? Where do you turn to solve all the "little problems" in your world? Maybe yours isn't as evident as mine like the awful habit of nail biting. Maybe you've convinced yourself that you are not like me at all. Hopefully, you're not. But, if the Lord has used my story to nudge you, I urge you to be completely honest with Him. He knows you intimately and He wants to set you free from all anxiety. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you! He is an amazing God! Put your trust in Him and I promise you will not be disappointed!
Happy Summer!
Hello again! I have been enjoying this Summer so much being home with my boys! It is going by so quickly. We just finished our first Swim Team season and it was so much fun. The boys learned a lot and even were part of a relay team that set a new county record!
I have also been busy planning my daughter's wedding, which has been a lot of fun too. The ball is rolling very quickly now and reality is setting in. My little girl is going to be a wife and I can't wait until the day they decide to make me a grandmother! No pressure, though, haha! I'm so happy for them~
Every day I have seen God's hand guiding our steps and blessing our lives. He is so good and He is so faithful! He has done mighty things in my life that I can't wait to share with you. I hope that your eyes are upon Him and that you are resting in His love for you everyday!
A note from my daily calendar: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matt. 22:37
If we place God first in our lives, all else will fall rightly into place, and love shall reign supreme.
I have also been busy planning my daughter's wedding, which has been a lot of fun too. The ball is rolling very quickly now and reality is setting in. My little girl is going to be a wife and I can't wait until the day they decide to make me a grandmother! No pressure, though, haha! I'm so happy for them~
Every day I have seen God's hand guiding our steps and blessing our lives. He is so good and He is so faithful! He has done mighty things in my life that I can't wait to share with you. I hope that your eyes are upon Him and that you are resting in His love for you everyday!
A note from my daily calendar: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matt. 22:37
If we place God first in our lives, all else will fall rightly into place, and love shall reign supreme.
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