Seven Giveaways

Nault's Nook is hosting seven spectacular giveaways! You have got to go over and check out her Fall-Tacular giveaways! From a $200 Visa Gift Card to a Kitchenaid Standing mixer.....these giveaways are great! I've entered to win the gift card here, the mixer here, and some cute vases that I would use in my daughter's wedding here! Just go check out her blog to enter all of these giveaways.....Nault's Nook Blog!

Watch It!

Yay! This one is a funny... I love it when God shows me things through humor rather than personal, brutal, experience...

A week or so ago my two daughters and I attended a wedding. There were lots of friends and family in attendance. I have a dear cousin whom I adore and really, she is a role model to me. She is the mother of three beautiful children who have all grown up and married godly mates and now are raising their families in church! Can I get an AMEN to that! I often seek her counsel on child rearing issues. I so want my family to have that closeness she shares with hers.

Any way, so these three children all had babies of their own a couple of years ago. Her daughter has another child a little older than the two year old(as of tomorrow, Happy Birthday Kloee!) She is the most adorable child with her chocolate brown eyes and head full of dark hair. I don't get to see these babies often, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. I was talking to Nonie, my cousin and admiring Kloee and patting her on the back when she looked me dead in the eye and said "Watch It!". You can imagine my surprise and then, of course, we all broke into laughter. You see, Kloee had been "taught" to say this to a particular pesky family member. I'm sure Kloee found me pesky in that moment and just reacted naturally.

I was in no way offended. You see, I had first hand experience of the same. My mother taught my Shanna, as a toddler, to tell Papa to "Get Gone" when he was bothering her. One day we were seated in Arby's near the door eating when a gentleman entered. My then adorable 2 year old smiled and waved "Hi!" to the stranger. Charmed by her dimples and friendliness the man approached the table and patted her on the back. Well, apparently she felt he had gotten a little too close. She threw up her hand, as if pushing him away and told the man to "Get Gone!"

As I reflected over these moments, I wondered how often my natural reaction is driven by past experience with no real maturity or truth. The brokenness caused during the traumatic experiences of life developed certain self defense mechanisms. For my own protection, I lived in walls or should I say live within walls that are often hard to break through. When I have not dealt with the real issue, I have held on to the brokenness and thus not learned the truth God so wanted to reveal.

Praise God, I don't have to stay there. Jehovah Rapha is ready, willing and so able to heal me and teach me truth. I don't have to live the victim any more. During those moments God gave meJeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise." Sadly, I don't always live it, but God gently reminds me through little mouths like Kloee's.

I have issues to deal with and if I will give them to Him, He will open my eyes and show me His truth and how to apply it. Armed with His Word, I can then more appropriately respond to those life moments rather than simply reacting. I want to be so filled with Jesus His way is my natural reaction.

Awed by His mercy and grace,

Arla

Busy-ness vs Worship

Have you ever been driving somewhere in particular and when you arrived at that place could not remember how you got there? Pretty scary! As women, we often take on so much responsibility...husband, children, elderly parents, close friends, work. So many people that we love and cherish in our lives and we so want to give to them in every way possible. We have so much churning in our brain that we often function on auto pilot.

Often I have wondered how I arrived at a particular place in my relationship with God. I am so in love with Jesus. I am committed in my prayer life. I am reading His word....then I wake up one morning and it seems I have drifted away?! I don't feel that same ever present hand guiding the way. Suddenly, I am in the driver seat asking His blessing on all that I am doing. I'm not feeling His presence in everything that I say and do....

Then it dawned on me....as I assume more and more responsibility in good things, I am stealing from my time with HIM. I must not confuse my "busyness" about His work with true WORSHIP of Him. Time serving Him, while very important and necessary for the Kingdom's work, is NOT worship of HIM. I MUST set aside time each day to READ HIS WORD and mediate and let HIM speak to my heart.

Have you ever been part of a friendship where you seem to do all the listening? How did that relationship progress? My guess is that the bonds of friendship weakened over time. Our relationship with Christ, while we can NEVER lose our salvation, can become less close and personal if we don't devote that time to HIM...if we don't allow HIM to lead and us to follow...

Forgive me, Lord. I so want Jesus to be part of my life every moment of every day....

Pure and Holy Passion by Glad

Give me one pure and holy passion...

Give me one magnificent obsession...

Give me one glorious ambition for my life...

To know and follow hard after you.....

To know and follow hard after you....

To grow as your disciple in your truth...

This world is empty pale and poor

Compared to knowing you my Lord...

Lead me on and I will run after you...

Lead me on and I will run after you.....

Nothing can separate us.....from HIS love

From LOVING WELL Journal by Beth Moore, Week 2 Day 5:

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!" Romans 8:38 - 39

To get to the root of our insecurities....God's word says that we are not yet mature in love - not how we love, but how we allow God to love us-we are fraught with insecurity. It is the outgrowth of UNBELIEF. No matter how we dress it and try to make it look like humility, it is UNBELIEF. Its root is PRIDE.....

Your anger can't separate you from the love of God. Your sin, hatred, your self-righteousness, your stronghold, your addiction, the Devil himself cannot separate you from the love of God. His love to us is unlike anybody else's love will ever be to us.

Read the following questions and statements. I believe God wants to ask or say to you....JUST REVEL IN HIS LOVE FOR YOU.....

1. Do you realize that I came to meet with you?
2. Do you have any idea how much I love you? How taken I am with you?
3. Do you know that I have never forsaken you nor will I ever reject you? I was there all along., I always will be.
4. Do you realize I knew everything about you the day you were conceived? I anticipated your life and planned for it.
5. You do have an enemy, my child. But it is not Me. He wants you to think it is.
6. I am for you.
7. Do you think you need to prove yourself lovable to Me? Deep down inside, are you trying to earn My love and attention?
8. As you strive to love Me more, do you realize the key to loving Me more is to let Me love you more?
9. Why are you resisting Me? Why are you running from Me?
10. To whom have you compared Me, and with whom have you confused Me?
11. I am not like them.
12. I know what's happened. I know what's on your mind.
13. I alone know the plan for how this turns out well. I alone know how to prosper you through this.
14. My eyes and My affections are on you right now.
15. Quit trying to be so strong. Let Me be strong for you.
16. I love you unashamedly. Even now My banner flies over you. Everyone in the Heavenlies knows how I feel about you. I'd leave you red-faced over My love for you...if you'd let me.

Just thought I would share my quiet time revelations today......sigh.....I love My God!

Awed by His mercy and Grace,
Arla

Dwelling in His Shelter

Psalms 91:1-2 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
How I long to dwell in the shelter of the Most High. So why do I not? It is available and possible. HE wants me there. Why do I choose to keep struggling out there on my own? It makes no sense. And truly it is a state of mind!
My goal is to refocus my mind and daily choose to dwell in HIS shelter. I love these verses in Psalm 91. Maybe if I read this chapter every day for a while, I can memorize what HE promises there. Then living in HIS shelter will be habit forming.
I pretty much have the first and second verses committed to memory. But I had never really read and processed the rest of the verses. HE promises protection from all the things that I fear...in verse 9-11 "If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the Lord, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."
So powerful and available to claim. And then, the final words of this chapter in verses 14 - 16 "Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
What do I have to fear when I choose to acknowledge and His name and give Him all the glory and honor He so rightfully deserves? Nothing! I can call upon Him and He will hear and answer my prayers. He will protect me and walk with me and guide me in all my ways.
Praise Your name, Father, for You alone are worthy!

Awake Again!!

So it is now 4:25 a.m. and I am awake once again in the middle of the night....woke at 1:50 a.m. I have prayed, had my quiet time, caught up on a bunch of stuff on my list, and did the things I have been meaning to do but just haven't had the time...refreshing to get them all out of the way...but I know I will be exhausted by the end of this busy day.
I am learning that I can survive on less sleep. God created me and here is another revelation...HE knows how much sleep I require to function and HE will give me all that I need for today. I expect to check out late this evening and enjoy some refreshing sleep...until sometime tomorrow and pity the poor soul that disturbs it. Girls are planning to sleep in as well so I will be able to really disconnect by turning off all the phones. If it is an emergency....drive over (:.
I am seriously excited about LIFE these days. Every day brings an opportunity to witness for HIM in word or deed and I am thrilled to be called. I do not want to waste a second. Becoming a vessel that HE can use has taken TOP PRIORITY in my life. It should have been all along but I had my priorities mixed up. Forgive me FATHER and use me LORD. Fill me with your HOLY SPIRIT and make it happen. I am ready....I am EXCITED....can't wait to see what the day brings!

No Regrets...

My goal is to always live life with no regrets. Has this always happened, honestly no. But I try and make it my mission every day. I want to live full throttle and do everything God has gifted me to do, accomplish everything He gives me to do, dream every dream and just be everything He created me to become.

There is so much peace in this lifestyle. I still cry at night sometimes thinking about Dad and wish our relationship could have been different. But it wasn't and there was no way I could change a lifetime of 46 years in 2 and one half months. And it was never my goal to hurt him. I truly wanted to just get to know him better to try and understand why he did some of the things that he did. So I didn't ask the hard questions and I may never know the real answers. For now, I just make up the answers.

That last night we spent together, as I sat by his bed changing the channels on the tv for him when he couldn't push the buttons himself, I really, really wanted to ask him...."Dad, you never told me, but I know it's true....I was always your favorite right?!" I still chuckle in my head as I think about it. I almost said it out loud. Please understand that this is not meant as anything negative toward any sibling. It is just that inside of me, there is and always was this desire to be a Daddy's girl. I so wanted his love and approval, that I have spent my life being a man pleaser.

I can truly reflect back on a lot of decisions that could of, should of been different and realize that the reason I made the choice that I did was to please some man along the way. Wow! I have realized some of this before and vowed to change but change is really hard especially when it comes to bad habits that have continued way too long. I have often denied my personal feelings and neglected needs to gain the approval of a man.

No more! No more I say will I live to please anyone other than God, my Father, my Savior, my Everything. It is after all HIS approval that truly matters. When this life of mine is passed and done, it is HE that I shall stand before and so desire to hear say, "Well done good and faithful servant." I want to see the look of love in HIS eyes and know that I am home and know that HE is well pleased with all that I have done.

Gotta print that Reba Mc Entire song here:

Reba McEntire...The Greatest Man I Never Knew

The greatest man I never knew
Lived just down the hall
And everyday we said hello
But never touched at all
He was in his paper
I was in my room
How was I to know he thought I hung the moon

The greatest man I never knew
Came home late every night
He never had too much to say
Too much was on his mind
I never really knew him
And now it seems so sad
Everything he gave to us took all he had

Then the days turned into years
And the memories to black and white
He grew cold like an old winter wind
Blowing across my life

The greatest words I never heard
I guess I'll never hear
The man I thought would never die
S'been dead almost a year
He was good at business
But there was business left to do
He never said he loved me
Guess he thought I knew

I am glad that I can say that he did finally tell me that he loved me unprompted by me. I don't think that I ever left a visit that he didn't say I love you. I made sure to kiss his cheek and tell him how I felt. Glad to know that the last words spoken between us were words of love. It's hard to comprehend that he is really gone for now. I am thankful that I will see him again one day!