Today was another day to work on the tree for the upcoming play that our pastor wrote. One of my jobs was to get drinks for everyone on this very hot day.

Funny thing how I have traveled this road many times, I thought I could amost drive it blindfolded. Yet at that very moment I was proven wrong.

My car was headed down the usual path when I was deep in thought....suddenly I recognized the trees and buildings....and the stop sign. I had gone a couple of blocks past my turn! UGH! Fortunately it was a simple turn around and I was heading back to my intended destination for chilled drinks. Everyone was so thankful for the cool, refreshing beverage!

In the same way, I am heading down a narrow path. Where are my thoughts? Will they take me down a different direction.....and how soon will it be before I noticed how far I've gotten?

There are so many distractions and temptations that vie for my attention. People are watching me, waiting for each "cool and refreshing drink" that I bring as I follow Christ along His Path...walking in obedience. It is my prayer that I keep my focus on Jesus and my ears in tune to His Voice...for it is only He that knows the way....it is only He that will keep me safe....

Lately I am involved in helping create a hugemongous tree for an upcoming play.

This last Friday some friends and I spent wrapping strategically set tomato cages in newspaper and tape…preparing them for the next step of paper mache. Carefully we laid pieces down because they were just too big…and weren’t secure in their spot, stretching ourselves to reach every spot…being so gentle as to not put a hole through the thin paper and have to start over.

Then the process of paper mache began. With our arms in a 5 gallon bucket after the liquid was mixed, we dunked pieces of newspaper deep within this adhesive and then out, slopping goop everywhere…wiping our hands on our pants and shirts…..as we stepped through puddles of goop. It was one big mess!! It seemed like forever getting things cleaned up and ready for the Sunday Service….

But the following day, phase one of this project looked really cool up on stage…and people were so excited and curious as to what was going on.

In the same way…..we are like this tree. God is preparing us for something spectacular!

I know He’s had to bend me and move me in ways I didn’t want to go….if only I was an inanimate object, then it would be easier on Him! But I believe there are times…more than not….to where my pride is more hugemongous than this tree. Yet nothing is impossible for God…He’s right there reaching and stretching so to cover a multitude of sin…..

Christ isn’t afraid to get dirty….to step in all the stuff that goes in and what must come out….He is eagerly awaiting the final outcome with great anticipation as He marvels at each step of our lives. And when life punches a hole in His project….He dips His hands in the goop and repairs….letting things dry before the next step....

This morning I was on my way to a destination and I came upon a red light. While I waited I checked my rear view mirror to see how my hair looked and if I had too much powder on. I took a kleenex and gentley wiped my face....

As I was setting the kleenex down, I heard this loud, strange noise...almost like a fog horn, I've never heard before. I was already past the train tracks....I looked all around me for this strange noise. It was when I looked again in the rear view mirror that I saw this humongous semi right behind me. Glancing forward I looked at the green arrow...now accompanied by a green light. How long had I been sitting here?

In the same way there are times in my Spiritual life that I get distracted with a variety of things...especially life's "mirror" thinking, "this will just take a moment". But in reality, it takes much longer than I anticipated and I find myself adding on more things to do, while I'm waiting.....leading me way off track.

But thankfully, God's vehicle is so much larger than the semi that was behind me and He's there in my view.....I praise God that He isn't afraid to give me that "wake up" call...to get me moving on the right path once again....

Many years ago in high school, my dad was driving us home from a game. My window was down so I could enjoy the wind rushing through.

Off to the right, a car full of boys kept pace with my dad's car. The boys inside flipped us off.

I was upset and wanted revenge......but had to find a way that my Dad wouldn't see me. I hung on to the upper frame of the door and returned the "favor", which only inticed them to continue sharing the "universal sign".

By now, my Dad had seen them. He was very upset. Still I continued to hold my middle finger up...out of my Dad's sight.

And the boys continued to give us the "bird".

Well, my dad followed this car full of boys to their final destination. He got out of the car and demanded to speak to their father.

Soon everyone was standing in a circle as my Dad, his face now red, argued with a raised voice with their father. "My daughter would never do anything like that!"

Finally "Just ask her" was insisted.

My Daddy turned to me, looking deep within my eyes and asked me "Did you flip these boys off?"

My dad had been in fights before, so I knew that he would possibly be in another one, depending on my answer.

"Yes, I did."

"What?" He barely whispered.

See, lying always seemed to help me out of spot...at least I thought....but was I going to let my Daddy suffer at my expense? So I forced the words out, "Yes, I did."

My Daddy's face went white, as he took a deep swallow and apologized.

On the way home, he told me how proud he was of me for telling the truth. And from that moment on I have rememberd that...I am so blessed to have learned that lesson.

In the same way...our Creator is leading us Home. There will be those temptations to the side that will pull us away...distract us from fellowshipping with our Father. Those temptations will lure us into behaving in a way that God never intended....lead us away from who we really are. Our focus is turned to the distraction.....dealing with it ourselves...when our Father is right there with us.

God will hold us accountable....He wants to defend us, but it is only when we speak the TRUTH that He can really help us. It is when we know the TRUTH and speak it with our Father that we will grow and mature.

As I am on my way Home with my Father...enjoying the mighty rushing Wind...I am so thankful for that life lesson my Daddy taught me many years ago...

This morning I was reminded of when I was a teenager, of how I would enjoy a rainy day. I would open my mom and dad's window and turn the classical music station on. Their bed was in the corner up against the wall that had the window that I opened...so it was a treat to lay at the foot of the bed and enjoy the view.
The rain would fall almost rhythmically along with the music...Sometimes the clash of thunder would demand to be heard....but I was never afraid. The smell of the earth-scented drops, the splashing of the puddles as people and cars moved through them, and the brightness of everything being washed.....brought a peace to my being.
But today, I found myself wondering why I don't have the same curiosity for the storms of life. Is it that I don't get to lay back and watch it all happen....that I now have to be "out in the storms"?
Oh that I may again rejoice at the falling rain....may I learn to dance in the rain and sing with the robins....for soon everything will be as if it were a new start.....may the tears from the pain give me a new angle at which I see things...may I see them as God sees them looking at me through His "window".....may I take delight and be thankful for the life I have been so blessed with!
Tomorrow is a new day and storms are just passing through, but the sun/Son is always there...

When I was a little girl, my grandma worked at a place that made hair decorations of all kinds. Each time she would visit us, she would bring us a bunch that we could add to our collection that added to our fun.

My dad would take naps on the couch and my sister and I would take advantage of this golden opportunity. As he lay sleeping, we would fill his hair up with all kinds of "pretties", carefully watching for the moment he would wake up. And soon he would wake up and chase us through the house as we would run away screaming.

In the same way God is working on our lives, chipping away at what shouldn't be there and adding what should be. He desires us to chase Him, except He's standing firmly still, with His arms stretched wide open to catch us. Our Creator longs to spend time with us getting to know us....listening to us, waiting for us to wake up and run toward Him.

I have been dealing with back pain for about 20 years now.....it started when I slipped and fell against the bathtub, injuring my tailbone in the process. Through the years as it's worsened with lifting and moving things, I've taken it upon myself to become my own doctor...to get rid of the pain. So I started out increasing the Ibuprophen I was taking...and the pain would go away, for a time.

But then it would return...and I would gradually increase the dose. Sure enough....the pain would go away.....and sure enough it would return. I increased the frequency of taking so many pills, because I thought that I couldn't take anymore at one time...so I just wait some time and take some more. I even switched to Excedrin. I wanted the pain to be gone...and I wanted a simple, easy solution.

This carried on just until here recently.....because the "warning signs" of headaches/migraines, chest pains, stomache upset (most of the time) among so many other things...they were beginning to scare me. I didn't want to live like this anymore.

There had to be a better solution to pain management than what I was doing. There was. I just had to listen, trust and follow the rules. I needed to let the doctors know when I was in pain....I needed to do the stretches to work through the pain...no matter how tedious and boring I felt it was.

I am now seeing the doctor and haven't been taking any Ibuprophen or Excedrin since the end of January. Yes, I do have back pain....the stretches that I was shown help so much. And I don't feel like I'm in a fog....I am actually LIVING life for once.

I share this story because I know there are so many people out there with pain....greater than mine...or not. You want it to go away.

This back pain of mine will always be here to some degree because of an accident I couldn't control. Yet, I am thankful for it because it has put me in a place to trust someone other than myself....to trust the One Who created me....Who knows me far better than I know myself...and for that I would never trade this pain as long as it keeps me close to Christ...

Yellow Lights

The other day I was going home and was coming upon an intersection that had its light just turn yellow. I was thinking that I would easily whip around the corner before it turned red. The only problem was that there was another car in front of me who came to a stop.

Thoughts filled my mind as to why this driver was stopping...what was wrong? Clearly she could have made the turn easily...and then I could have too. UGH!! Why?!

Here's the answer: The driver was adhering to the warning signs to avoid danger or death in the drivers life.

Quickly God pointed out the parallel with this in my life. How do I handle Spiritual warning signs? Am I thankful for them? Or do I just make my own set of rules and hope for the best....not knowing what's waiting around the corner? Am I going to watch the warning signs and apply them, or am I going to blame others that I couldn't make the "turn"? Who will I blame if I were in an "accident" injuring many lives...not just my own?

I praise God for the warning signs in front of me!!

Today the mailman delivered violin books....one including, "Violin for Dummies". Quickly I tore open the box and flipped through the pages...thinking back to when I used to play many years ago. From the fourth grade through graduation I took lessons and had aspirations of playing in a symphony.

Yet after graduation, I found distractions that made it more and more difficult to practice and soon, I didn't want to play anymore. However, each time I heard classical music...whether in a store, on t.v., or elsewhere....I could imagine myself playing my violin.

And a few days ago I ordered a few books to get me back on track of playing. I may never play in a symphony....but I can play for the One who made me.

Yet, I still have those distractions today...my cat bumping my arm. After telling her no a few times, I decided it would be best if I just stood up...and sure enough she went into the other room.

I find it's that way in my walk with Christ...when I get too busy..He has a way of making Himself known in His own unique way....reminding me of how it is when I spend time with the King of Kings.

And there may be trials that will try to stop me from drawing close to our Creator. Yet, I shall not give up...but stand up instead.....

I am sitting here at my laptop feeling drained and clammy....though very thankful, because just a few hours ago I was so very sick. My head was swollen and pounding...my body had just finished throwing up for the...I don't know how many times.

It all started early this morning with a migraine; most likely the result of not getting enough rest or water. Still I continued through my routine, because normally they go away after I'm up for a bit.

How difficult it was driving....as I went about my morning routine...this headache was growing into a migraine! I felt like throwing up. So when I got home, I snuggled deep within my covers, after taking the first two pills of this new migraine medicine the doctor prescribed to me. An hour later, when my migraine had worsened, I took another pill...as prescribed. Still my head throbbed away.

I surrounded my skull with ice packs and laid there waiting...sleeping and waiting. Still another hour passed by and my head still throbbed. Atop my head was a huge bump that was trying to grow. I took another red pill...again, following the prescription and laid down again.

By now I was very groggy. Though I was tired....it was difficult to sleep with my head hurting...so an hour later, I take the final pill...wondering when this pain would go away.

Suddenly, I had to throw up. Oh, I was so very sick. I thought that was the end of it...but I continued to throw up the rest of the day and evening....then, I fell into a deep sleep.

I awoke to my phone ringing....which normally when I am trying to sleep, would bug me. Yet as I answered the phone, I noticed my migraine was all but gone and I didn't feel one bit like throwing up. Praise God!

Thinking back to many years ago....I remember being "sick" as a result of the choices I had made. My life had turned to one huge "migraine". Everything seemed to "hurt" and it was difficult to see the blessings I had because of the pain my whole life was in.

Many times I would "throw up" my story to anyone who would hear....because I wanted answers on how to be healthy.

It wasn't until I started reading God's Word and applying what I was reading, that I began to find relief. Yet Christ's healing came at a price. I would have to let go of the poor choices I was making and listen and do as the Holy Spirit guided.

Today, I still have trials....but my "Immune System" is now strong enough to ward off whatever comes my way...praise be to God. But I must remember to take care of myself through reading my Bible, praying, singing praise, keeping accountable by attending church.

I am so thankful that Christ never leaves me alone. The Bible says so in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5. I praise God that He is my Healer!

Today I had an appointment with the Health and Wellness Center. I was some what dreading going there....I knew I would be sitting and listen to someone talk about healthy habits.

Most of my body has been cheering me on about going because my body doesn't like the things that my taste buds do. My body wants a change.

There was another individual there for the class too, so I wasn't alone in this class. However, I wondered if he really wanted to be there too.

So with all the aboved mentioned....I was surpised as my mouth betrayed my tastebuds and volunteered me to go back.....my mouth said something about needing accountability or that I wouldn't be able to do this. My mouth also asked to speak with the fitness counselor too the day I go back.

Much of me is pouting within....knowing that it's going to take work to get and stay healthy....but I feel relief washing over me because it's a new start. God helped me lose the weight before, He will help me lose it again...and even more.....He knows I need Him to get through this.

It's the same way with making time for Prayer and Bible Reading. There will be everything to try and stop me from doing so....pets, phone, etc. But when I continually press on and guard that time...God rewards my faithfullness and my heart. He makes me stronger and healthier for the trials through my day.

In the same way...as I exercize and eat healthier....I will have more strength and wisdom for the trials through the day.

I praise God He keeps me accountable....

I have often wondered how Jesus felt being in crowds....but today, I found a glimpse of the answer...

Today we went to Walmart to get a few groceries. Everyone must have had the same idea that we had as there was almost no room to walk.....much less to move a cart around. God made people so very precious....but when there's a multitude of people, it's easy for me to forget about others and go into "just get me out of here" mode. I felt so stressed as people were bumping into each other coming into the store and leaving....there were lines to leave that were clogging!! UGH!!!

But then...as God is so wonderful about doing...the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and had me look over at a woman walking very patientlly with a walker. She was limping as she clutched the handlebars and pushed forward. She too was here, in the crowd with me, at Walmart.

Suddenly all my stress was gone. How can I complain? Thank You Holy Spirit for redirecting my focus off of myself on to others...

I thank God for music. It's catchy. I find myself humming...even singing songs, and jingles I've heard from here or there. They can be annoying, because sometimes I get a song or jingle in my head that I've heard from somewhere and it just doesn't want to leave my thoughts. Then there's those songs I want to sing over and over and over again because they bring me joy and peace...or just make me want to dance (even if it's in my thoughts...because I'm in a place where I'm not allowed to dance...or I'm afraid to show the world my dance skills). There are those songs that leave me wanting more out of life, that gives me hope....I want my life to be like music...