Today and Forever

en·dur·ing  

/enˈd(y)o͝oriNG/

Adjective Continuing or long-lasting.

Synonyms lasting - durable - permanent - abiding - stable

(Dictionary.com) 

Romans 5...
5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

*Sufferings---> troubles, distress, oppression, tribulation

What if good came from what feels the worst? Because there is a God who is a Redeemer. He loves to make beautiful that which is covered in a mess. He renews. He remakes. He restores and rebuilds.

*These produce perseverance. 

*Perseverance---> Think: endurance, patience

To endure can be to bear without resistance
or with patience.

Thank you God for the bad and the ugly. You never leave. You have sustained and moved me from one season and trial to the next. And God, I won't ever ask you to trade this messy process into a flawless one. For I am learning. I am growing in this. And as long as I'm with you, Jesus, I'm happy to carry on this road.

There is a synonym for enduring- it is abiding. May I be found abiding in you, Jesus. May I be found "about my Fathers business"...whether it looks good and pretty or scary and trying. May I go with you God, even when I don't see what lays ahead.

Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. -Psalm 139:16

I'm in this for life. I'm going with you.

Grace

Believe

May we never forget how truly present the Spirit of God is. He loves to engage with his kids, this loving Father of ours. And today I hear such a clear and absolute voice coming from within and all around me. I've been encouraged this evening to tune into what God is speaking. He is always right on. 

I am doing a new thing. Won't you allow this? I am trustable, reliable. 

I'm here.

 Active. 

Will you let go of agendas? And watch me move. 

Grace, I AM GOD. Do you trust me?

 Before anyone else... I AM God.

 Count on me. Go all in. You won't regret. 

I am Alpha.

 I am in the end. 

I am with you now. 

Go ahead now, do as I say...and I will make a way where you see impossibilities. 

I am Alpha. 

I know the way. 

Believe. If you believe...

^{John 7:37} On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”^[c] 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Please take a listen today.

Let's Believe,

Grace

Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

More tomorrow...

Grace

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,...

 through whom we have gained access by faith into 

this grace in which we now stand.

I heard a thought provoking quote today... 

"When we hide our weaknesses from others, we are also hiding God's grace." 

Hm...

Tonight as I walked into the house, I took a moment to look up at the night sky. 

...I do this from time to time. It helps me to re-gain perspective. It takes me out of my "own-little world," and renews the big picture... 

I am a small part. 

I am one of many. 

I could be called "insignificant." 

But I am not... 

Every time I look upward, I find that God whispers upon my heart. 

He knows me. He sees me. 

He counts me right with Him. 

He has a plan for my life. 

He reminds me that above the noise and distractions of this temporary earth, 

there are The Heavens. 

There is another realm... 

A realm beyond my physical eyesight's view.

 But I am not out of God's view or His witnesses' view.

 I am recognized. I am seen. I am heard. I am called and created with a purpose.  

I stand in grace. 

I haven't earned a position to be loved and noticed and given to in this capacity---

 by The Almighty God.

He has chosen to love me in all my hateful ways.

He chose me.

He chose to give me life.

To breathe into dead flesh and bring my spirit to thriving life.

 This is grace.

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

 This inheritance is kept in heaven for you...

I will lift my eyes up to you, O King...for I am sure that I need your help. And I do believe you will respond. I do believe you will extend your strength to me. I do believe you will send help. For God you are living and active... I know I make mistakes. But your grace is sufficient for me. And this life on earth is only the beginning. May I spend my time here sharing this hope found in you.

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. -Romans 5:1-2

Grace

Getting to know you...

Have you ever had the experience of thinking you know someone, only to find that you don't really?...I mean-- have you ever been a part of a circle of friends and assumed you had so n' so all figured out, only to feel you've met a stranger the first time you actually spend time together- one on one.

 ...Have you ever thought you had a relationship with God because you run in circles of Godly, church peoples and regularly attend worship practices and bible study groups? Have you ever come into the presence of God only to find you had the wrong idea about Him for far too long? 

Have you come to find you've completely boxed in The Almighty God, who is way far too immense for any type of box or human container or mindset or moral code? Could it be that God is far more gentle then this voice inside your head, you've dubbed, "Jesus?" 

Or maybe you've encountered the Holy Spirit and had a revelation->" He's actually Holy!" And so... different. He is different; set apart from ANYONE you've ever seen or heard or known. 

Hey, I've found myself in this place...more than a couple times! I'm starting to realize and/or re-realize some that God is God and His character is beautiful in every way. 

His standards are grace-filled and outstanding. His love is indescribable and absolutely unearned. He's more gentle than a whisper, while stronger than demolition bulldozer. He's in tune with what's going on everywhere with everyone at anytime. He's not hard to contact. His gift of relationship is free free gratiz free!!! ...If you only you'll believe.

 He desires to talk, to listen, and to guide His children. He is God. He is who He is. He will be who He will be. He will never change. He is Love. He is Savior. He is Father. He is faithful even when I am faithless. And even with the best vocab, he is beyond human description. 

He is Holy. 

I believe God wants me taking risks because he's not about playing it safe, like ever. He is dangerous. He is wild. He is free. And again, He is faithful. 

Isaiah 41:10 "Do not be afraid, I am with you..."

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

God, grant me courage and help me trust you in my walk. I need you, Jesus. May I come to know you more in 2013. May I walk abiding in you. May I become humbly reliant and in love with you.

Yours,

 Grace

On The Road Again

My mom is an outstanding woman. She shines such light in her walk with God. She is a friend of God. She is an inspiration. Tonight I want to reflect on something she brought up in one of her latest blog posts... She talked about having a secret place with God. A meeting place to communicate with THE Almighty God...

Just thinking about that...

Prayer is incredible in that you can meet with God-anywhere. Anytime!

There is no sign up list or busy signal. God is available. God is the most attentive listener.

On this topic, I want to say, "Let's hear it for solo car rides!!" :) There's nothing like a lengthy car ride... To be seated with no distraction. You are obligated to stay focused anyway (for safety purposes, right?) And no one can ever hear what's said in that vehicle. It's so secret.

And that's all. I am thankful. 

Check out my mom's blog today! 

Grace

Progress!!!

CHECK!

I am celebrating baby steps! Today I accomplished two biggies on my list. :) 

And that is good.

It's okay to pace yourself. I am learning that I work most efficiently one step at a time. 

:) That's it today.

Grace

Words

Proverbs 12:18

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 (msg)

 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

I'm a words girl. And by that. I mean, I just love words...

 I love to hear recited poetry. I love to read lyrics to a song and ponder them. I love to read a card. I love to read a billboard. I love to write a card, a blog, a text...etc. I love to see words in people's homes, on a necklace, on a tattoo... In a box, with a fox, over here or over there and everywhere. ;) ... I just plain like em'. 

There's such weight in words. Words can make or break a relationship, a moment or a memory. Words can break a heart or heal one. Words of truth, words of wisdom, words of encouragement, words that carry a beautiful message, these are my favorite kinds of words.

I am so very thankful to have people around me who will speak these kinds of words into my life. Tonight I was reminded, so on time, that words are POWER-packed!. 

Encouragement can flip a mindset and fuel one to step into destiny.

Tonight a treasured person in my life spoke truth and I am so grateful. I needed to hear it! I needed to hear it just the way it was said. Because it was said in such a way that made me believe I was believed in. And I'm not alone trucking up this hill reciting "I think I can I think I can I think I can..." with no one around or beside me. I am not alone. I am not the only one who believes. And ...I can do it! 

When's the last time you thought about encouraging someone but held it in? I know I don't always say what I'm thinking when its good. Why is that? 

May we remember in those moments the times that someone spoke into our life words of LIGHT...words of hope...words that pushed us one step closer to destiny. 

Let's speak out,

Grace

Smile

A happy heart enlightens the face, but a sad heart reflects a broken spirit. So, it's been about two weeks now since I started my 49-consecutive days of blogging with positive intent. I am brought back to something so simply positive today... The act of smiling! I once heard someone talk about this verse I posted, above, from Proverbs 15:13. They spoke about smiling...who speaks about smiling? Isn't that more something we just do... Or don't do?! I could try to break down everything this person pulled from this verse but then the post may drag and I'm a little sleepy as is. ;) Hah, so... I do want to share the verse, though, because I believe there is truth to heard here.  Another version says it like this: A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Do our smiles reflect our hearts? Does our demeanor bring forth a story? ... I believe it does. We can talk, here, about being in tune with the people around us and the state that they are in. That's so important. But tonight I want to touch on something different... Sometimes when I drive in my car and I'm feeling kind of down or worried or overwhelmed or just in a plain-old bad "attitudey" mood...I start practicing this exercise. To be honest, I think it was a God-given exercise that worked its way into my mind after hearing the above verse. And all I do is just start- SMILING! That's it? Yup. I just start smiling. No one else is with me in my car, but I just smile. And I tell ya what, and I kid you not, without fail, I feel good. Ya know what I think the truth is?... I think the truth is I've got zero reasons to be in an ugly mood. I am blessed beyond measure. And sometimes I forget that. How? Call me crazy, I do not know. But when I smile it's as if my face tells the story of my heart that somehow my mind forgot today. The truth.  So, child of God... smile today. I dare you to. When no ones even looking... When you're feeling at your worst. And maybe, juuust maybe, what's really going on- deep down beneath the shallow thoughts and circumstances will begin to shine through.  That's joy. That's Jesus. That's Strength.  That's all for now,  Grace PS If that last photo doesn't make you smile, then Idk what to say! :)

My hope, my Father, my rest and peace.

I've always been the student who carries around a bit more than she needs. "What's with that?"... Maybe it's my thinking, "I don't want to be the student who always forgets something and sits in lack." Or maybe I don't want to be the one who always has to run back to her car to grab something...

I'm usually found with a pile in my hands and bag on my back. As far back as I can think back, as a student, I've always been this way, carrying a lot. 

And I think it may stand true physically and figuratively speaking at times. 

It's so crucial I that I daily let go. Put it all down. And realize I don't carry myself. I don't carry the people that I love. I don't carry the world and all its responsibilities on my shoulders. And when I feel some sort of obligation to attempt to carry all of that, it's a lack of trust and believe that God is stronger and able and just and sovereign.  

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Lord, you are the answer. You are the savior. You are the peace. My peace. 

May my mindset be renewed. May I no longer feel a sense to carry it all because I might not get a chance to come back to my source. May I freely run to the source, daily, with no feeling of obligation to "have it all on hand" or not make one mistake. 

You have an open hand. An open-door policy. An undeniable access. THANK YOU JESUS!  

Taking off the load and resting in you, tonight, Jesus. For today I have tried so hard yet made mistakes and even grown weary. But in you I will find rich rest. 

Believing,

Grace

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,...through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Relationship

Whew,

I'm actually doing it...

blogging today.

Unfortunately, I woke up last night, in the middle of the night, quite sick. The good news is I am feeling much better, thankfully. I'm just feeling tired.

But even in that, I sense God is giving me the encouragement I need to keep committed to the task at hand.

This one is short but honest and truthful and this is it: God is listening. God is attentive.

Psalm 34 says 4. I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 

5. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 

When we seek Him and call on His name, this is not to be confused with "thinking to self" or "wondering," and "wishing." We've been made right with God through Christ's sacrifice SO THAT we can communicate and live in and with our Father in heaven.

On earth as it is is in heaven. 
May we believe that when we call on you, Lord...when we look to you, you are attentively listening, willing, and able to communicate with your children. Relationship.

You Make All Things New

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

                                               He who was seated on the throne said,                                                                       “I am making everything new!” 
I believe God has been waiting for me. We often hear that phrase, "waiting on the Lord." But nope, that's not the one I am referencing today. I believe God has been waiting for me.And today I am dusting off the residue from falling down...I am dusting off, and standing for Him. Because I believe He knows something I don't.He sees somethings that I just don't yet see. I might not see some things till they're staring me square in the face. Hhmm...But that's what this walk with God is about, right?This walk of Faith.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I'm going with God. And I am trusting Him.  

Walking, stumbling on these shadow feetToward home, a land that I’ve never seenI am changing, less and less asleepMade of different stuff than when I began
And I have sensed it all alongFast approaching is the day
When the world has fallen out from under meI’ll be found in You, still standingWhen the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their kneesWhen time and space are through, I’ll be found in You
There’s distraction buzzing in my headSaying in the shadows it’s easier to stayBut I’ve heard rumors of true realityWhispers of a well-lit way
When the world has fallen out from under meI’ll be found in You, still standingWhen the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their kneesWhen time and space are through, I’ll be found in YouYou make all things new, you make all things newYou make all things new, you make all thingsYou make all things
When the world has fallen out from under meI’ll be found in you, still standingWhen the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their kneesWhen time and space are through, I’ll be found in You
When the world has fallen out from under meI’ll be found in you, still standingEvery fear and accusation under my feetWhen time and space are through, I’ll be found in YouWhen time and space are through, I’ll be found in YouWhen time and space are through, I’ll be found in You

Grace