The Amazing Wonders....

This morning I took the kids outside to play while Bill and I prepared to open our pool. During the prep work Bill says "I think I found the frog you've been hearing". I have been hearing a very loud croaking frog for about two weeks now. "He", the frog, fell between the deck and the pool side into the gravel below. I called for the kids to come and see him and by then he had jumped and was clinging to the side of the pool. I told the kids to bring a bucket and we would "transplant" him to a safe place. I'm always worried that our dogs will get them and while I'm not terribly fond of bugs, rodents or insects, I would not want my dogs to kill them (well....maybe spiders). So we decided on a nice tree outside of our fence in the back. When we put that frog on the tree you could barely see it! It was almost invisible. God designed this frog so that it would be safe. Just totally amazing.
Made me wonder, do I stop long enough to really look at God's creation? I'd like to think I do when the opportunity arises. Lately, I've been in awe of so many things. I take each morning to thank God for the new day. My study of Ecclesiastes has really been making me think about the important things in life. This morning I began chapter 5 & 6 and the study asks the question "What Does It Take To Be Content?" I was certainly content watching that little frog on the side of that tree!! I hope you each take time to be content this long holiday weekend. I pray you are able to enjoy God's creation and his specially designed creatures!

Have a God Day!
XOXOX

A long way to go.....

As I was preparing to leave for a medical test this morning I realized that my trust in God is not as strong as I'd like it to be! I felt totally calm about what the results would be but so incredibly nervous about the test itself. See, I have a horrific gag reflex and I just knew that drinking this yucky, chalky "stuff" was NOT going to go down well. Empty stomach, nervous as all get out...not a great combination. So I did what I do so often for others....I prayed and prayed and PRAYED that God would get me through the drinking of that "stuff" and then I knew I would be fine. Guess what? Prayers answered......okay so great....sailed through the test and then......they needed some more x-rays......WHY?? They reassured me that it was because the "stuff" had not coated well so they tossed me on the table and rolled me around until the "stuff" coated the part they needed it to coat. THEN I convinced myself that something was really wrong and with all the build up of tension.....the tears flowed....flowed pretty freely...then I realized right there on the table that I'm not as trusting as I think I am......Now, I'm no longer nervous about the yucky "stuff" but instead the results! At one point during the test the technician asked me to lay on my side with my hands by my face as if I were praying......I responded with "oh, believe me, I've BEEN praying".....they both chuckled. I believe God got me through that procedure and through with not a single gag incident. But now the REAL trusting begins and I'm scared.....I am, I admit it. All the "what ifs" are making me crazy. But I know where to go for comfort, guidance, courage, strength.......I am going to the Word. When I cry out to the Lord I know he will comfort me. I just have to trust in Him.....it's SO hard....I don't really know why because "who by worrying can add an hour to their day".....not me or my days already would be thousands of hours long!! I am thankful that God leads me back to Him, that I know where to go.
I miss you guys SO much. Hope everyone is well.
Love,
Dianna

Today in the Word.....

The previous post was meant for Linda as I read it the morning after she had told me (and the other leaders) that she was having surgery. I could not believe how it spoke to her!! She expressed a lot of fear and when I read this I knew it was really meant for her and that's why I posted it here. I believe it could mean a great deal of comfort for any of us that are facing something that is unpleasant and scary.
In a recent conversation with Linda I brought up the fact that my lack of knowledge of biblical history was really hindering my understanding of the word. She suggested that I think about purchasing a Life Application Bible. So I took her suggestion and received it last week. It is wonderful!! If you struggle with the history of the Bible or just discerning the meaning of scripture.....you may find it very helpful too. Thanks Linda.

Surgery Update: I heard from Liann tonight that Linda was out of surgery and being moved to her room and that the surgery went well. Continue to pray for her speedy recovery.

We love you Linda!

XOXOXO

Food for thought.....

From the book entitled: God Calling - The May 12th devotional

Turn out all thought of doubt and of trouble. Never tolerate them for one second. Bar the windows and doors of your souls against them as you would bar your home against a thief who would steal in to take your treasures.
What greater treasures can you have than Peace and Rest and Joy? And these are all stolen from you by doubt and fear and despair.
Face each day with Love and Laughter.
Face the storm.
Joy, Peace, Love, My great gifts. Follow Me to find all three. I want you to feel the thrill of protection and safety Now. Any soul can feel this in a harbor, but real joy and victory come to those along who sense these when the ride a storm.
Say, "All is well." Say it not as a vain repetition. Use it as you use a healing balm for cut or wound, until the poison is drawn out; then, until the sore is healed; then, until the thrill of fresh life floods your being.
All is well.

Have a God Day!!
XOXO

Seeking Approval - Part 2

In doing some research I came across this article and it it so well written I wanted to share. The parts that are bold in red are the parts that particularly touched me. I love the use of the word unique and how many times it mentions "not giving up yourself."

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalms 139:14

Have a God Day!
XOXOX


The Rev. Patricia Hunter

When seeking approval, be true to yourself.
Every day we make decisions about how much of ourselves to share. What if we share our thoughts, desires and passions, and others reject...


The Rev. Patricia Hunter

Special to The Seattle Times

Every day we make decisions about how much of ourselves to share. What if we share our thoughts, desires and passions, and others reject us? What do we do then? We may need a friend to help wipe our tears, but we will survive.

Though others may not believe in us, it is important to stay true to our values and dreams. It's OK to seek others' approval — if we don't give up ourselves in the process.

Deep down, we all want to be liked. Children want to please parents, teachers and friends. They learn early on that if they please older people around them, they'll get even more attention.

My sister and I went shopping with my nephew when he was 2 years old. We could not get help from the salespeople because Nathan was the center of their attention. He already knew how to work a crowd.

We carry our desire to be liked into adulthood. We join fraternal organizations, social clubs and churches to find community. Finding a place that approves of us is just as important as finding an organization that supports our values.

We want to fit in on our jobs, too, and be appreciated for our gifts and skills. It's important to be a team player if we want to succeed. Often, we think of teens when we talk about peer pressure. In truth, we feel pressure at all ages to conform.

The desire to fit in is understandable, but at times the cost is too great.

If one has to listen to degrading jokes from friends in order to be part of the ol' gang, it may be time for new friends.

If we are looking the other way when we see friends mishandling other people's money, we are not being a friend at all.

If one has to lie about her heritage or identity out of fear of rejection, the spiritual cost is too high.

Each of us is uniquely and wonderfully made in the image of God. If we pretend to be something we are not in hopes of fitting in or getting approval, we are not being the person God created us to be.

It is easy to identify cliques in our churches and on our jobs. The mission statement may say all are equal. But it is easy to see that some people are more equal than others.

Cliques are always going to be around. In a large group setting, smaller groups are formed for support. Cliques in themselves do not bother me, unless they degrade others and members consider themselves superior. What I find problematic is when one gives up her unique character in hopes of being accepted. We can find support on the job and within our spiritual communities without hurting ourselves or others.

On the job, it may be necessary to limit how much personal information is shared. Work isn't always the best place to discuss your beliefs, identity or heritage. Doing so may adversely affect a career.

But being discreet at work is different from pretending to agree. Losing one's moral compass in search of another's approval is deadly. Jesus put it another way: He said, what does it profit a person to gain the whole world and then lose his own soul?

We do not choose our heritage. I have a friend who swears her mother took home the wrong baby from the hospital, because her values and goals were so foreign to the rest of her family. Although we have no say in who our parents are, we can learn from their examples. We can emulate their strengths and try not to repeat their shortcomings.

It takes a strong sense of self to listen to one's inner voice or intuition.

I believe we are seldom steered wrong if we listen to our hearts. It is easy to drown out that inner voice if we give our will over to popular opinion, the majority, or those with more power and money. It is so important to remember that history is full of occasions where the majority was wrong — from slavery to the war in Iraq.

I want to be accepted as much as the next person, but my purpose on the planet is not to please others. My purpose is to proclaim the love of God to those who may never enter a church. Going against the grain can make for some lonely times. But knowing I am doing the right thing and being true to my calling is the most important approval of all.


The Rev. Patricia L. Hunter is an associate in ministry at Mount Zion Baptist Church and an employee-benefits specialist for American Baptist Churches in the USA. She and other columnists take turns writing for the Faith & Values page. Readers may send feedback to faithpage@seattletimes.com

Seeking Approval.....

So...yesterday in Women to Women a topic came up that really got me to thinking......One woman shared that she was seeking approval or at least an opinion from her father on a very important issue in her life. When he didn't respond as she had hoped, neither negatively or positively she was hurt. Seeking approval is a syndrome I suffer from as well. Having long been a pleaser I could totally relate. Then I began to think.....dangerous, I know....but.......Why do we try to seek approval from others rather than from God, our creator, who knows us so well and has a plan for us? And why is it bad to WANT approval from friends and family? So that's what I'm going to address here over the next few posts. I want to know where seeking approval crosses the line into sin. I want to know where seeking approval and serving others becomes blurred. I want to know why, in my human flesh, here on this earth, it is wrong to want people to like me. I want to know where doing good and seeking to stroke my ego become confusing.....

One website quote says "It boils down to feeling desired and loved". Okay, I'll agree with that. I like how it feels to be loved AND desired. But then it says "For most people in the world approval-seeking is an expression of low self-esteem". Hmmm, I can see this point, but this is NOT me. I'm pretty confident, but I don't believe I've ever had low self-esteem. I may suffer from a little bit of shyness until I get to know somebody, but low self-esteem, not in my case.

Then this poster goes on to say, "Praise temporarily fills the void created by the feeling of not being loved and we experience pleasant emotions. Because we don't know how to close this void we figure that we can only be happy when others approve of us. Usually we come to this conclusion when we are still very little because the big people around us that we look up to (parents, teachers etc.) are fond of harshly expressing their disapproval when we don't act the way they expect us to. Disapproval feels bad so we start trying to act in a way that others will like and gradually this kind of behavior becomes a habit. Slowly the emotional high we get from approval becomes addictive and when we don't get our dose, we suffer. That motivates to conform to others' rules even more."

Ah ha!! Now we are getting somewhere. This may help to answer my first question.....where seeking approval crosses the line into sin.....If we begin to conform to what we think others will like than we lose our true self. We lose/change the person that God created. Now that is huge to me. God created me, uniquely.....I am like no one else...I have special talents, special gifts, given to me, by God, for HIS purpose. If I begin to change myself than I am changing what God made.
I strongly maintain that I am NOT changing myself so that others will like me but instead I want people to like me for who I am. It's unrealistic to believe that everyone I meet will like everything about me......totally unrealistic....but I don't change who I am....I won't compromise my moral, my values, my beliefs, God's mission for me......for someone to like me. But maybe I will strive to do better, be kinder, be more giving, mind my tongue, use my gifts for the benefit of others, be more patient.....but then would I be destined for this behavior by the very act of God creating me? So many questions.......

As always, we should go to scriptures to seek out answers to our questions.

Galatians 1:10 says: For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

But exactly how do we do that? By this passage it seems pretty black and white doesn't it?

Have a God day!
XOXOX

What a beautiful evening....

Last night was just a wonderful evening wasn't it? Seriously, I could not feel more blessed than to be surrounded by such Godly women. Just amazing.....I do not have the capacity to absorb it all. Thank you all for such a wonderful year.

As I was sitting down to do my study this morning I was thinking about what I might post to the blog. When I began to think about doing a blog I thought "what if I can't think of anything to post?" But I needn't worry EVER. God always brings it to me. I don't even have to look for it.

I have a devotional book called God Calling. It was a gift. I have many devotional books so even if I rotate them I only pick them up occasionally. This morning I picked up this one and today's message is this:

May 5

Let Me Choose

My loved ones. Yes, with the heart, not the head, men should think of Me, and then worship would be instinctive. Breath in My very Spirit in pure air and fervent desire. Keep the eye of your spirit ever upon Me, the window of your soul open towards Me. You have ever to know that all things are yours--that what is lovely I delight to give you. Empty your mind of all that limits. Whatever is beautiful you can have. Leave more and more the choice to Me. You will have no regrets.

I've been so worried about falling from God's word this summer that I prayed this morning "please Lord, continue to work in me that I would crave your word every day"....imagine how my heart felt when I opened this devotional and it said "with the heart, not the head, men should think of Me, and then worship would be INSTINCTIVE"......I love our God. He KNOWS what we need and when we need it!

Have a God day ladies!

God sure does open doors....

I'm renewing my study of Ecclesiastes now that our Tuesday night study is completed. Prior to today I've read through it completely one time and have followed an online study for the first two chapters. This morning I began again and read through the entire book for the second time. Since I'm relatively new to the Bible I am always amazed at how God speaks to me. I have a feeling that if I ever become well read in the Bible, I'm still going to be amazed at how God speaks to me. I watch Sarah bring the word to us and I watch her tears and I see her react surprised and amazed at what she discovers and if Sarah still has that newness, than that must mean that all the days of my life I will find something new, something meaningful, something pertinent every time I open the word, to the end of my days! How awesome and exciting is THAT????

Being an optimist, I at first, found this book to be particularly negative and depressing.....but reading through it, REALLY reading it, there is just so much wisdom and knowledge to be gleaned.....I love this blog because I can share my excitement with others as I'm quite sure sharing it with a 3 or 4 year old probably won't reap the same benefit! :-)

Ecclesiastes 3:14 says "I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it."

I find that verse particularly comforting and one of the reasons I picked God's Enduring Love for the name of this blog. I love the word endure. Endure: To suffer patiently without yielding; to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding.......What a wonderful God we serve. That He would be patient with us. There are so many other verses that touched my heart....just so many.....but if I get too windy Linda might make fun of me! So I'll stop here and pray that if you get a few minutes you might take a look for yourself which is FAR better than me telling you about it anyways!

Have a great day!

Revisited.....

I was going through some old documents and I ran across this Proverbs Devotional that I thought was extremely appropriate for us right now. The bold and red portions are parts that really spoke to me.

I am SO excited about the direction in which our women's ministries are heading! Women really are the backbone of family. God gave us special gifts and if we use those gifts, there is no doubt in my mind we CAN move mountains for God's glory!!

Special thanks and glory to the wonderful writers for Proverbs 31 Ministries. These are some very talented women who are willing to step up, be vulnerable and minister to all of us.


The Friendship Project
5 Jan 2010
Whitney Capps

"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' Luke:10:29 (NIV)

It was a room full of nearly strangers, barely friends-until that day. I asked the ladies to stand as I read from a list of life experiences. If they had lived through one of the descriptions they stood up. One by one, sobbing women rose to their feet as I read the list. They were family in name only - a family of believers from the same church gathered together for a women's retreat where I was the guest speaker.

Twelve women stood together when I asked if anyone had had a miscarriage. One woman had buried a spouse. Five came from unbelieving homes. One had lived through marital infidelity. Three had escaped relationships where they had faced verbal, physical or sexual abuse. Three ladies had struggled with depression. The list went on and on. By the time I had finished, every woman in the room was standing.

We were knee-deep in one another's junk, and yet I had never felt closer to a group of women. As we closed the session I asked them to share more about their stories at their individual tables. As I surveyed the room, women who had been strangers only minutes before were huddled around one another, embracing, sharing and weeping. God was knitting hearts together. It was a moment I'll never forget.

I am realizing that women of all walks of life crave friendships. And yet so many of us feel that we are lacking meaningful, authentic relationships. How is it that a church full of women with a common thread of faith are not friends? Worse yet, if we aren't friends, can we hope to offer authentic relationships to those who enter the doors of our churches every week?

I fear the answer is "no, we can't" unless we change and make a few necessary sacrifices.

Recently I've gleaned some life lessons from the story of the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10:30, Jesus paints a not-so-favorable picture of the religious and respectable. I wonder if He would have the same indictment of our churches today? The priest was seemingly too busy to befriend the one in need.

Can I be honest? I am regularly guilty of this sin. Before and after church my husband and I busy ourselves with the work of tending to our children, and doing the business of church. I move past people who are hurting, but I don't stop with my busyness to see their needs. I rarely get off my horse. I am the priest.

The Levite rode past the hurting man too. Perhaps he felt he was too clean to get dirty in the messy business of grace and mercy. Helping the man in need would have made the Levite ceremonially unclean. He wanted to preserve his position and place.

Let me do a little more truth-telling. I don't usually want to get knee-deep in other people's junk. If I don't get into messy relationships I avoid having to deal not only with my own junk, but other's as well. So I don't get off my horse. I am the Levite.

Here is the problem. Real relationships require time and transparency. If we want to move from being casual acquaintances to genuine friends you and I will have to share pain and joy in an authentic, sacrificial way. I believe this, but for right now it's just theory.

I'm curious. What would happen if we covenanted together to get off our high horses and got into one another's junk? I wonder if our churches would explode. I wonder if lives would be forever changed. I wonder if the Church would shed a little bit of its reputation of hypocrisy.

Want to see what would happen? It's not too late to add a New Year's resolution. Let's resolve to change lives through friendship. Let's slow down. Let's share our stories. Let's get knee-deep.

Dear Lord, give me eye s to see those in need around me, and give me the courage to respond. Father, I want to be a part of life-changing friendships by offering grace and mercy. You call us to love others as ourselves. Help me obey this all-consuming command. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
The Friends We Keep: A Woman's Quest for the Soul of Friendship by Sarah Zacharias Davis

Visit Whitney's blog today

Traveling Together: Thoughts on Women, Friend ship and the Journey of Faith by Karla Worley

Join Whitney's Facebook group The Friendship Project for more details about this campaign

Application Steps:
How can you simplify your Sunday routine to allow more time for building relationships?

With whom can you share part of your story in hopes of offering encouragement and hope?

Reflections:
Do you have genuine, edifying friendships? Why or why not?

Are you reaching out and developing new friendships with those in need around you?

Power Verses:
Luke 10:27, "He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"; and, "Love your neig hbor as yourself.'" (NIV)

Luke 10:33-34, 36-37, "But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds…and took care of him… 'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'" (NIV)

© 2010 by Whitney Capps. All rights reserved.

Proverbs Devotional

I thought this was a good on!


Undignified Worship
29 Apr 2010
Glynnis Whitwer

"...It was before the LORD who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel – I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this... ." 2 Samuel 6:21-22a (NIV)

I grew up in a traditional church, singing traditional hymns. Being a Christian was very matter-of-fact for me. I was a Christian in the same way I would have told you I was a student.

Nothing much changed in our little church. Every Sunday, faithful men and woman of God taught Sunday school, served on committees and made lemonade, coffee and cookies for after-church fellowship. It was a wonderful experience and I grew up loving God's Word, His church and its people.

When I was a high schooler in the late 70s, I was introduced to Christian "rock and roll." Being in Arizona, we got overflow from the California Jesus movement, and were familiar with many of the bands coming on the scene. I heard songs by Keith Green, Second Chapter of Acts and Phil Keaggy. These songs depicted a faith in God that was passionate and alive. Something stirred within me as I listened to their music over and over.

I can still vividly picture myself in a sold-out symphony hall before a live concert as one half of the room yelled, "We love Jesus, yes we do. We love Jesus how 'bout you?" I was on the other side, and we answered as loudly as we could, repeating the challenge. Joy and celebration vibrated through the hall as we shouted, jumped up and down and waved our arms in the air for love of Jesus.

It was completely undignified and I was completely undone ... never to be the same. I knew I wanted a faith like that. I wanted to be so excited about Jesus that it overflowed, and I didn't care what my worship of Him looked like.

A few years ago, I read the story of King David dancing before the Lord. Now there was someone who didn't worry what others thought. David had overseen the return of the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem, and as it neared, he couldn't contain his joy. He replaced his kingly attire with a simple outfit and danced with all his might.

His wife, Michal, watched from the window and didn't approve of David's behavior. She was disgusted with him, and told him so. David wasn't fazed, and responded with words that encourage me today, "It was before the LORD who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel – I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this ..." (2 Samuel 6:21-22a).

David was so in tune with God's heart, that he was unconcerned with the judgmental comments of others. David's only focus was on worshipping his God with sincerity an d abandon.

That is my hope and prayer for myself. I want to let go completely of the fear of man, and worship with uncontained joy. When I am older, too old to dance in some people's opinion, I hope you'll find my gnarled hands raised, my gray head bobbing and my body swaying in worship. My kids and grandkids might be embarrassed. But, yes, I will be even more undignified than that for my King.

Dear Lord, King David got it right, and I want to as well. You are worthy of all my worship and adoration. Forgive me for letting the opinions of others influence my worship of You. Help me to focus more on Your majesty, and less on myself. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

If.....

Every morning when I sit down to quickly check my e-mail I pull off the previous days calendar page to read the new one. Lisa, I love this calendar. Often I'll go to the Bible and read the verse and the verses before and after. Today's is so fitting....well, isn't EVERY verse fitting? I don't think I've read a single one that I could not apply to my life on the very day I read it!

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14

I love this verse and it's one I will have to live by this summer....especially the part that says "pray and seek my face".

Have a great week ladies!
Love you all!

Godliness

I have to admit when Sarah was talking about our Tuesday evenings coming to an end and how to continue to be vigilant in our walk over the summer months, I was a little nervous. I need to jam pack my schedule so that I can adequately fill my time with praise, study and worship until we meet again in September! I have so many studies I've started....One on the book of Ecclesiastes, one on the topic of justification, one on the book of Ephesians......all I dabble in and return to here and there along with reading a few books and trying to decide which books to place on my summer reading list. I also intend to accept an invitation to a Thursday night study for about four weeks beginning June 17th and I plan to join a Tuesday night study if it materializes. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be difficult without fellowship but I am committed AND convicted!!

During our study in Peter I decided to pursue something....something called Godliness.

Sarah defined godliness this way: Practical awareness of God in ALL aspects of our life. What a challenge. What does that look like? What does it feel like? Today I decided to put it to the test.

Bill and I headed down to the reservoir to do that same five miles we did in the rain last Sunday. This time though Bill took along his fishing pole and while I did the five miles he fished along the shore. I began my workout by listening to WCRF. Totally unrelated to my topic here, but too good not to mention, the host said "We don't realize how shattered we are and we can't begin to imagine how much we are loved". I thought that was a pretty awesome thought. Anyways, half way through my walk I decided I needed some music! I turned my MP3 player to "Oldies". I decided that I would listen to this music and in each song I would find God. Sooooo take a look at some of the songs on my play list:
Disclaimer: I said OLDIES, some of you may recognize these songs and some of you may be just too darn young! :-)

Julie, Julie, Julie - Bobby Sherman
Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond
Build Me a Buttercup - ?
I Think I Love You - David Cassidy
Puppy Love - Osmond Brothers
Put A Little Love In Your Heart - Jackie DeShannon
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
Ben - Jackson Five
Got To Be There - Jackson Five
You Are Always On My Mind - Partridge Family

I don't believe there was a single song that did not have the word "love" in it. And many of them were filled with lyrics by which I could make God the subject.

When I Need You - Leo Sayer

When I need you, I just close my eyes and I'm with you
And all that I so want to give you, is only a heartbeat away.
When I need love, I hold out my hands and I touch love
I never knew there was so much love keeping me warm
night and day.......


Put A Little Love In Your Heart - Jackie DeShannon

Think of your fellow man, give him a helping hand
Put a little love in your heart
I hope when you decide, kindness will be your guide
Put a little love in your heart
And the world, will be a better place
And the world, will be a better place
For you....and me....you just wait and see......


You Are Always On My Mind -

You are always on my mind
If I've got to go through this whole life
day after day to find you there on my mind.

Got To Be There - Jackson Five

Be there in the morning
To welcome her into my world
To tell her that she's my girl
And that when she's with me I'm home

Hey, I didn't say some didn't take a little imagination but God is still there when you think of being with him in the morning and welcoming Him into your world and that when you're with Him you're home.....

You get the idea.......

This practical awareness was feeling pretty good.....

At times I found myself singing loudly with my arms in the air.......my finger pointing to the sky......a huge smile on my face.....It was so awesome....just me and God.......and a little nostalgia...........That second 2.5 miles went by lightening fast. So fast that I flew right past where I was to meet Bill. He saw me but I didn't see him so when he came looking for me I have to admit, I wish he hadn't because I would have been able to spend more time finding God in my Oldies but Goodies!! There I was totally drenched in sweat, out of breath, big smile talking about how great it was to workout, the beautiful weather, wonderful music and then declaring loudly PRAISE GOD!! He either thought I was totally crazy or wished he had ditched his fishing pole for a little of what I got on that run!! What cannot be denied is that in every circumstance in which we find ourselves, we CAN be a witness!

My sister in law that just lost her sister told me that her husband (Bill's younger brother) said to her that he went to church and lit a candle for Pam. He told her that he is learning from her and her faith in God!

When we can find God in every little thing, we can be awesome witnesses to everyone we come in contact with just by having conversation with them.

I hope as you begin your week that you can have a practical awareness of God in all aspects of your life.

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 1Peter 4:11