It's December - so what?

December - the month that children wait anxiously for, that pocketbooks dread, but the month that can mean more for a person's relationship with God than almost any other time of the year, but only if we stop to spend time with Him. 

Do you have love/hate feelings about this month, about Christmas time?  Let's work on getting "love" to be the primary feeling for all of us.  Maybe we should start out by thinking about why we celebrate December 25.

This month I'll be including little pieces of my book, "These My Christmas Dreams" from time to time.  I hope you enjoy them.

Music is such a beautiful part of preparing for the Christmas season.  God made us so that we would love music.  God made us so that we would sing (some of us, a little off key) but still we sing.  God's song is all about forgiveness and love.  Sing today.  Sing of the Baby in the manger.  Sing of the God who loves and forgives.  His song and His heart are full of forgiveness. 

Floating on the breeze I hear, touching, poignant, crystal clear,

a song of heavenly majesty,

a message sent from God to me.

The song was born when God’s heart broke at His creation’s sin.

He named the song forgiveness.

It would bring us back to Him.

Beating in the heart of God the Holy song began. 

Forgiveness, oneness, purity, is coming back to man. 

Sing and celebrate God's forgiveness.  That's why He came.  That's why we celebrate.

His Presence

God is with you today, even when you don't feel Him there.  I wrote this many years ago, but it came to mind when I had a talk with a friend the other day about God's presence.

How often do I wonder if You hear me when I cry.
How often do I fear that You won't want me when I die.
How often do I feel that You're just sitting there on high
not caring if my heart is sad, or if in tears I lie.

How often do I wonder if You hold me in Your hand.
How often do I feel that I'm just sinking in the sand.
How often does my heart cry – “Are You really in command?"
How often, it's so often, that I feel, alone I stand.

Oh my father God in heaven, my mind knows when I cry
that You are ever near me, and You'll be there when I die,
that You are not ignoring me , just sitting there on high -
without a thought or care for me, when I question -- Jesus why?

My mind knows, but my heart sometimes forgets when I am low
of Your presence and the love for me, and miracles You show.
My mind knows, but my heart forgets when anxious feelings grow.
Please help my heart remember
Your presence is the blessing
that I can always know.

My friend gave me this little bit of advice that I'd like to share it with you.

One secret to developing a heart of gratitude is that we shouldn't wait for something

to be happy about. We need to stretch ourselves and claim the blessing of God’s

presence in every situation.

Isn’t that profound? How many times have you been down in the dumps and thought that there was nothing to be happy about. “The blues” come into everyone’s lives – some of us more than others.

I’ve been blessed with a personality that seems be positive most of the time. But there are certainly days that you wouldn’t want to be around me because I’m a real grump. Depression doesn’t settle on me often, but when it does, I realize just how unpleasant it can be.

About three mornings a week I stumble into the living room, strap the weights on my ankles and do my exercises. I stretch and I lift and I grunt and I sweat, and then I stretch again. The knees need the workout, as well as the tummy and back of course. But in spending those 40 – 45 minutes on the floor, I’m developing stronger muscles and a body that will be able to handle the things I expect it to do.

Of course I could just sit around and wait for the muscles to get strong on their own, I could moan about not being strong enough to climb our driveway, or walk in the woods. Or I could sit and wonder why God doesn’t fix my old knees, but I really don’t think that would do a lot of good. It’s the same way with developing any good thing. We have to work at it. We have to stretch ourselves.

So when we get to feeling a little blue and don’t think there’s anything to smile about, we need to open ourselves to the idea that God’s presence is the greatest gift of all. That’s something to be grateful and happy about even in the hard times.

You know that song, count your many blessings, name them one by one? Well if there was only one, what better blessing to sing about than God’s presence! The Bible calls Him Immanuel, which means God with us. He is!

Thanksgiving

November is the month of Thanksgiving, I’ll bet that when you were a little child your mom taught you to say “please and thank you.” I remember so many times when someone gave me a piece of candy or a gift, my mom saying, “And Diane, what do you say?”

Do you think that’s what God wants from us – a polite “Thank You?” I really don’t think so. Oh, I believe He wants to hear us say the words, but only if they come from deep within our hearts. A heart overflowing with gratitude is what God expects from His children.

Colossians 2:6-7 tells us, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

God wants our hearts to be filled to the brim and overflowing with thankfulness to HIM. I get a little upset at Thanksgiving time, because it’s lost much of the meaning it held when our nation began to celebrate that holiday. The early settlers were Christian people who, with overflowing hearts thanked God for His care, His provisions, and His help.

It wasn't until 1941 Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday. That may have been a good thing, and maybe not, considering what the holiday has become. People think of it as a day of watching football and eating Turkey. In fact many of the cards you see in the stores refer only to “Turkey Day.” If you see a card that speaks of giving thanks, it seems more often than not the emphasis is on thanking other people – not God. That wasn’t the way the observance began, and if we think about where everything ultimately comes from – it’s probably not the way it should be celebrated now.

Hebrews 12:28 tells us, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe."

Worshipping God with thankfulness, with reverence and awe, means seeing Him as He is - The Ultimate, The Creator, The Life Giver, The Gift Giver, and our Savior.

So what should we be thankful to God for?  The scripture tells us some of the things.

People  - 1 Timothy 2:1 says, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—“

Think about the people that have filled your life over the years, family, friends, and acquaintances, teachers and preachers. They are all people who have helped you grow and taught you life lessons. Some of the lessons were hard and others were taught in a gentle manner. I think about one man who served as the preacher for our church in Texas for a short time. He taught us all to laugh and he taught us to hug and he taught us generosity. This man had a huge influence in my life and the lives of my husband and children – because he lived exactly that way – laughing, hugging and giving.  I also think about my parents who brought me up in a home that was dedicated to God.

Every gift - In 1 Timothy 4:4 we read, “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”

Everything that God created is good. Wow! When He made the world, the grass, the trees, the fish and the birds and the sky and the sea, He said “It is good.” But as we look around us, and as we receive the blessings that God has given us, do we receive them with thanksgiving? Do we actually thank HIM for warmth, for sunlight, for rain, for a place to lay our tired heads at night? Or do we think that we did something to earn all of that?

James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Every situation -  The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Every situation may not be pleasant. I’m sure that many of you know that with a deeper intensity than I do, and there are times that all we can do is cry. God says not to be anxious, but how can we do that?   The scripture says, by prayer and petition – by talking to God, but always with a grateful heart. and “with thanksgiving.” I don’t believe we need to be pleased with adversity, but we can always be thankful to God that He is in the adversity with us.

He walks with me
In sunshine or in rain
He’s by my side
Oh may I ne’re complain
He aches with me
As I try to stand in vain
He breathes for me
when my body’s racked with pain.

God loves me so
May I with heart and voice
Give thanks to Him
And in His love rejoice.

Remember with me that Thanksgiving is a decision not a date on the calendar.

May God bless each one of you  - I thank God that He put you into my life..

He Abides

Have you ever felt that God was right there with you when you were walking through the hard times?  Did you feel His warmth and care?  Sometimes we only think of Him when we "need" Him, when our hearts are troubled by the cares of our lives.  But sometimes I feel His presence even more in the good times. 

We have had such a beautiful autumn this year.  The golden leaves on the aspen trees, the fresh crisp air and the bright blue sky all seem to cry out "I praise you God."  The religious Jewish people have a tradition of "blessing" or praising God for everything.  When they wake up in the morning they bless Him for the sleep, for the morning, for the ability to wake up.  When they get dressed they bless Him for being the one who clothes the naked.  When they eat they bless Him for His created food and on and on all the day long.


Today I bless God for His love - for loving us so much that He gave His only Son that we might be able to walk with Him through all of our days.

God abides in my life in a marvelous way. 

He is lifting me up

hour by hour

day by day.

He gives me rest when I’m weary and hope when I’m low. 

When I lean on his arm, then His strength He will show. 

I can count on His love and I know He will stay

and gentle my fears

hour by hour

day by day. 

God watches close when I sleep. He’s with me in my play,

from the first blush of morning until light fades away. 

He laughs at my antics and smiles when I please. 

He helps with my working,

and rests when I cease.

God abides in my life in a marvelous way,

lifting me up,

hour by hour,

day by day.

And He’ll abide in your life if you ask Him to stay

lifting you up,

hour by hour,

day by day.

Diane

Raindrops

Do you think blessings come only wrapped in pretty paper? Do they come down from heaven fully grown and emitting beautiful smells and light? Or do they sometimes come to us as rain?

The word “Raindrops” sound beautiful, soft and lovely. But when we use the word “Rain” it has a different sound to us. Like something a little harsh, like a trial. Let’s explore that a little.

Do you remember reading the book of Job? Job was a good guy. He did what God wanted him to do. He lived a pretty blameless life.

One day Satan sought to tempt Job into cursing God. God knew Job’s heart and knew Job would always honor him, so God allowed Satan to have certain liberties in dealing with Job.

It was devastating - Job lost everything. His children and servants were killed and he lost all of his riches. Soon he was afflicted with sores over his whole body.

Of course it would have been good if Job’s wife had been sympathetic, but she didn’t seem to be. She even asked him why he was still following God. She said - Curse Him and die – NICE WIFE. Job called her a foolish woman and said, “Hey, don’t you think we should accept the trouble along with the good that God has given us?” (Or something to that affect.)

When Job's friends confronted him, Job said, “even if God kills me, I’ll still trust Him.” How’s that for faith? It’s interesting that he didn’t say, “I know God will fix everything.”

Job laid out his complaints to God. But he also asked God to show him where he had fallen short. He spoke of God’s goodness, and yet complained about the state he was in. He feels God isn’t listening to him and boasts about how good he’s been. He just doesn’t understand – and that’s the crux of the matter. 

God’s answer sets Job back a bit. In Job 38, it says:, Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”  Later God said, "Have you ever given orders to the morning or shown the dawn its place . . . "Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

Finally God asks Job to answer Him.

Then Job answered the LORD. He said, ”I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.”

Later Job says, “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job had been complaining about something he didn’t even understand. He was putting himself on the same level as God. We often do that. But how can we always understand the mind, and the power of God? Job didn’t know that he was an example to Satan of the type of trust God’s expects people to have in Him. He didn’t know that God was so sure of Job’s love that He could allow Job to go through these troubles. He didn’t know that the blessing of learning God’s desire for purity was going to be his. He didn’t know that although he thought he was good – he fell far short of the purity of God. He didn’t know that God was showing even Job how to trust Him.

In the end Job began to see another side of this relationship, because he repented and God forgave and blessed him abundantly!

God sends the rain to wash clean our hearts. Jobs blessings came through raindrops. This time the rain was a real gully washer, tearing through Job’s life. It was accompanied by wind – a real storm. The rain in Job’s life was a blessing. It helped him grow, and because of it, Job learned more and more to trust God and to know that no matter where he found himself, in the sunshine or the rain, God is God even though we don’t always understand.

Sometimes our blessings come through raindrops.

You might want to copy this URL and listen to Laura Story sing Blessings. It’s beautiful.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mmgV6mPvb0&noredirect=1

Remember and Tell Your Children

Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced Psalm 105:5


There are so many ways that memories affect us. Sometimes they make us happy, or angry, or maybe afraid. But when our memories are based on what God has done in our lives, there is comfort and contentment. God tells us to remember and to pass those memories on to others.   

Grandma and Grandpa Kasworm

My memory is definitely not as sharp as it used to be. But that doesn’t mean that it is gone – I find that it just takes a little longer for the wheels to turn, and sometimes it takes something to jog that memory.

Smells do that for me. I remember the smell of the Russian Olive trees that surrounded my Grandma Saathoff’s house, the smell of the earth when my mom was planting her garden, the heady smell of the pine trees that were so much a part of camping with the family.

I remember the smell of my Dad when he came in from working on the car. I can’t go to a garage without that picture in my mind of his greasy hands and overalls.

Remember the good times.  The Bible says to think on the "whatevers."  Philippians 4:8 (NIV) says

 

Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.

More importantly, do you remember the things that God has done for you? When the Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, God rescued them. And He told them to remember!



“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:15

God told them to Observe the Sabbath day. He was referring to what became the feast of the Passover. He wanted them to remember everything about that day when He passed over the houses of His people and rescued them from slavery. God said to observe that day. He wanted them to take some time out from their regular schedule to remember.



Do you take time out to do that? I know that as I’ve gotten older, I do have more time to remember, but what I do with my thoughts? Do I spend more time reading or watching TV or doing crossword puzzles? Now there’s nothing wrong with any of that – crossword puzzles are my choice – sharpens my brain – I think. But do I spend more time remembering what God has done for me or for the ones I love?

God didn’t tell us to just remember – He tells us to tell others about Him so that they can learn to revere, respect, and love Him. He said to tell our children – to tell the people. He told the Israelites - - “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” Deuteronomy 4:10

God also said that if we remember, we won’t be afraid. If I remember the times that He has rescued me from my own bad choices, or if I remember the times that He has answered my prayers for help, I won’t be afraid. He told the Children of Israel. “do not be afraid . . . remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. Deuteronomy 7:18

 

What are you afraid of? Do you think that the God who sent the plagues on Egypt, who rescued a million people from the hands of mighty Pharaoh, and protected and provided for His people for centuries, cannot provide for and protect you? If you have fears, remember the times that God has protected and provided for you in the past. And if you can’t remember any time that happened, think of the times He protected others who loved Him.

And finally and most of all, we need to remember who God really is. He’s the rock we can stand on. He is the creator of all things. He is our Father, Redeemer and Friend.







He Will Set My Feet Upon a Rock

I’ve been reading a bit about the Psalms lately. They are provide inspiration for my soul and they touch  my heart!

About two-thirds of the Psalms were written by the greatest song writer this world has known. His name was David. David, who started life as a shepherd, became a king and shepherd of the nation of Israel. David was a flawed human just like the rest of us. He sang songs of sorrow for his sins, songs that were cries for help, and songs of praise to the God who helps and forgives.

Other authors of the Psalms were masters of the choir or singers. The individual Psalms were gathered together, written down, and used by the Israelites in worship. Jesus often quoted the Psalms in His teaching. You’ll find two in the beatitudes.

Here is one of my favorites, Psalm 27. I’ll only quote the first and the last part of it.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid? . . .

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,  to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

Wow! To see God as our light and salvation, to know that He is the "stronghold,” the only thing that will not fail with the storms around us, to never have to be afraid, what a blessing.

If I can really seek God and want to live with Him all the days of my life, and if I want only to look at His beauty and goodness, oh, that is a blessing.

He will keep me safe if I hide in the shelter of His love. He will put me where I can withstand the roaring waters of this life. He will set me high upon the rock and I will not ever need to be afraid.