“A New Day!”

If life seems at its lowest ebb, because a day’s gone wrong,

Let not your heart be troubled, for a new day soon will dawn.

And we can never be quite sure, just what it has in store,

Since each one is so different, than the one just gone before.

As it penetrates the darkness, with its soft and tranquil beams,

It calms even the most restless soul, and brings new hopes and dreams.

So when a day’s been troubled, and the night is dark and long,

Lift up your fallen spirits, for a new day soon will dawn.

-Anonymous

“There Is None Like You”

There is none like You…

No one else can touch my heart like You do,

I could search for all eternity long and find

There is none, there is none

There is none like You.  -Michael W. Smith

“LORD, there is no one like You!

For You are great, and Your Name is full of power.

Who would not fear You, O King of nations?

That title belongs to You alone!

Among all the wise people of the earth

and in all the kingdoms of the world,

there is no one like You.”

Jeremiah 10:6-7

Truly Valuable

“It is my practice, to determine the value of something,

by imagining my life without it.”

– Herb Kelleher

God’s Love is Not Reckless

“Reckless Love”  by Bethel music, draws you in with it’s pleasant melody and soothing lyrics, and has become very popular song, but…

❤️

The Love of God is Not reckless

Here’s the definition:

reck•less 

(describing a person or their actions) as being without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action. as in “reckless driving”

synonyms: rash, careless, thoughtless, heedless, unheeding, hasty, impetuous, impulsive, daredevil, devil-may-care, irresponsible, ill-advised, injudicious, imprudent, unwise, ill-considered, etc.

This is not what the scriptures tell us about the love of God.

God’s love is caring;

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,”

God’s love is thoughtful;

“So that whosoever believes in Him should not perish,”

God’s love is considerate,

“But have everlasting life.”

He laid down His life for us, not recklessly, but counting and knowing the cost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last First Day🍎

Back- to -School

Today marks a milestone for me.

It’s back to school again and, at our house,  it’s also THE LAST “first day of school”,  as our youngest daughter is now officially a senior in high school. Sure, I’ve been down this road a couple of times before, with two other children who have graduated, and gone off to college, but this one brings a whole season to a close for me and I just wanted to say out loud that “Being a mom is such a great blessing!”

I was blessed to have three miracle babies, when several doctors said that being a mother would never happen for me. So thankful that the LORD has the last word, and the final say, about “impossible” situations such as these.

Every season is a blessing, and as I look back with a smile and forward with joy, I’m grateful for everything that’s brought me to this day.😊

Thanks for listening!❤️

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.”  -James 1:17 TLV

 

A Good Friday For You and For Me

“But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities:

the chastisement of our peace was upon Him;

and with His stripes we are healed.”

– Isaiah 53:5

Power in Simplicity

 

“The ordinary acts we practice, every day at home, are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”

-Thomas Moore

Stand By Me

When the storms of life are raging,
Stand by me
When the storms of life are raging,
Stand by me
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship upon the sea
Thou Who rulest wind and water,
Stand by me

Charles Albert Tindley

In God’s Hands

Image result for when i sit in darkness the lord will be a light to me

Do Good

“Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can,

to all the souls you can, in every place you can,

at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can,

as long as ever you can.”

John Wesley

“For the love of Christ constrains us…”

2 Corinthians 5:14

Where Healing Begins

The Best Education

 “An eternal question about children is, “How should we educate them?”

Politicians and educators consider more school days in a year, more science and math, the use of computers and other technology in the classroom, more exams and tests, more certification for teachers, and less money for art.

All of these responses come from the place where we want to make the child into the best adult possible, not in the sense of virtuous and wise, but in the sense of one who is an efficient part of the machinery of society. But on all these counts,the soul is neglected.”

-Thomas Moore

“…So  commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine.(says the LORD)

Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you go to bed and when you get up.”

Deuteronomy 11:19

Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing, Now it Will Spring Forth

It’s Blooming in the Desert!

After 5 years of devastating drought in southern California, the mountains and deserts of Death Valley are exploding with beautiful blooms and color!

Thus says ADONAI…

“Here I am, doing a new thing; Now it is springing up!”

“I will make a way in the desert and rivers in the wasteland”

– Isaiah 43:19

TLV

Cactus blooms in Southern California desert/Photos- CBS News

Unto You Is Born This Day, A Savior!

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,”

                                            “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

          Luke 2:8-14

Gift of Life

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

After The Rain

“Turn you to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will restore double unto you;”

Zechariah 9:12

“And… the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Job 42:10

Awesome!

God is AWESOME!!!

Tuesday, Choose Day

…”Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts,…”

Image result for choose ye this day

“…Choose you this day whom ye will serve…”

Hebrews 3:15 and Joshua 24:15

April First

 

 

Image result for april fools dayImage result for april fools clipart

“You can fool all the people some of the time,

and some of the people all the time,

but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”

 ~Abraham Lincoln

Just Desserts

Image result for snoopy and dessertJust remember, Desserts is Stressed spelled backwards,

So relax and have a great weekend,

You deserve it!

A Place of Forgetting

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

“…This one thing I do

Forgetting those things which are behind,

and reaching forward to

those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”

 Philippians 3:13-14

Taking Flight

“Grace is what picks me up and lifts my wings high… and I fly!” – Joybell

Image result for toiling through the night

Monarch butterflies take to the air on a 2 month, 2,000-mile flight over fields, forests, cities, plains, open water, deserts, and mountains to a tiny region of central Mexico where they’ve never been before, arriving at the exact same time each year!

“Until you spread your wings you’ll have no idea how far you can fly.”

– Unknown

Every Single Day

Image result for psalm 23:6

Simple But True

Image result for family at home dinner

“The ordinary acts we practice every day at home

are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”

-Thomas Moore

St. Patrick’s Day

Image result for st patrick's day

The true story of St. Patrick’s Day, is about a simple man of prayer, perseverance, faith, and  a genuine concern for others. I  really like this story, and I hope that you will too!

Patrick, whose real name was Maewyn Succat, was not Irish, but English. He was born to a wealthy Christian family,  and as an early teen, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland to become a slave. His name was changed to Patrick. As a slave in Ireland, he witnessed the pagan practices of the Irish, but remained true to his Christian faith, and it is said that he prayed up to a 100 times a day.

One day Maewyn escaped and took the long journey back to his home in England. After many years,  he developed a deep desire to return to Ireland as a missionary. He taught the people about God and advised them not trust in pagan superstitions. He used the three leafed clover, the shamrock, to explain the Trinity,” Three in One”, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland, and after 30 years of evangelism, he died on March 17,  461 AD. After his death he became known as St. Patrick and March 17th has been named a holiday in honor of him.

  St. Patrick’s Day is about the faith and sacrifice of a man who shared his faith, and the love of God, with a nation…

and for that we remember him today. ♣

It Doesn’t Matter What Things Look Like…

Image result for tried and true verse

“For we walk by faith and not by sight.”

Seems Like Only Yesterday…

500 PostsMy how time flies!

Just wanted to share my good news with you. Yesterday I blogged my 500th post at Faithrises and this is my award!

So happy to have been blogging and sharing here and a special thank you to all of you who have visited, liked or followed Faithrises.

God Bless you!

Love,  Faith

Monday Motivation

“Lord, when I feel that what I’m doing is insignificant and unimportant,

Help me to remember that everything I do is significant and important in Your eyes,

Because You love me,

And  You put me here, and

No one else can do what I am doing in exactly the way I do it.”

― Brennan Manning

Question

Is any thing too hard for God?”  Genesis 18:14

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”

Jeremiah 32:27

ANSWER 

“With God nothing shall be impossible.”

Luke 1:37

There Is None Like You

There is none like You…

No one else can touch my heart like You do,

I could search for all eternity long and find

There is none, there is none

There is none like You.  -Michael W. Smith

“LORD, there is no one like You!

For You are great, and Your Name is full of power.

Who would not fear You, O King of nations?

That title belongs to You alone!

Among all the wise people of the earth

and in all the kingdoms of the world,

there is no one like You.”

Jeremiah 10:6-7

It’s Not Pumpkin Season!!!

Pumpkin muffins in August… Really?

Just like  Ecclesiastes 3:1 and the classic folk song says: “To everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season, (turn, turn, turn)

or simply put

“To everything there is a season…

And I know it’s been unseasonably cool this summer, but it’s still summer, and although I like pumpkin bread, muffins, and coffee during  the fall, I’m just not ready for them now, while it’s still 80 plus degrees outside.Still there are all these commercials on TV now that are just taking all the fun out of my cozy seasonal traditions.

First, its Christmas trees in late October, and now warm pumpkin pie in August?

I’m just sayin’ … ‘Tis not the season :)

Think

“…Whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovelywhatever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Philippians 4:8

The Greatest Daddy of All

God is our Abba Father

In Scripture, the name “Abba Father” is one of the most significant names of God in understanding how He relates to His people. The word Abba is an Aramaic word that would most closely be translated as “Daddy,”  an endearing term that children  use to address their fathers. “Abba Father” signifies the close, intimate relationship of God our Father to us, His children, and is an expression of the childlike trust that we have in Him as our Father…

“The Greatest Daddy of All”

Happy Day

“This is the day which the LORD has made; Let’s rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24

 

He is Risen

“Christ the Lord is risen indeed! “

Remember Me

 

“And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:19-20

There are many traditions, holidays, and ceremonies, that we observe and hold in remembrance, and many of them in the name of Christianity. We celebrate birthdays, and Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, and that’s fine, they are special days, and it’s good to celebrate, but there is one thing that the Lord has asked us to observe, in remembrance of Him, and the sacrifice that He made to redeem us, saying;

“Do this as oft as you will, in remembrance of me.”  II Corinthians 11:25

As we remember the last supper today, we are also reminded of Christ’s sacrificial love for all of us. We are reminded of His tremendous suffering, and the price that He paid to save us. We are reminded that by His grace, through faith, we are saved.

Thank you, Jesus.♥

Just as He Said

“He was handed over for our transgressions and raised up for the sake of setting us right.”

“He is risen, just as He said!”

Romans 4:25 and Matthew 28:6

TLV

Sign of the Times

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.”

Joel 2:31-32

 

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Acts 2:20-21

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood…”

Revelation 6:12

St. Patrick’s Day

The true story of St. Patrick’s Day, is about a simple man of prayer, perseverance, faith, and  a genuine concern for others. I  really like this story, and I hope that you will too! ♣

Patrick, whose real name was Maewyn Succat, was not Irish, but English. He was born to a wealthy Christian family,  and as an early teen, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland to become a slave. His name was changed to Patrick. As a slave in Ireland, he witnessed the pagan practices of the Irish, but remained true to his Christian faith, and it is said that he prayed up to a 100 times a day.

One day Maewyn escaped and took the long journey back to his home in England. After many years,  he developed a deep desire to return to Ireland as a missionary. He taught the people about God and advised them not trust in pagan superstitions. He used the three leafed clover, the shamrock, to explain the Trinity,” Three in One”, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland, and after 30 years of evangelism, he died on March 17,  461 AD. After his death he became known as St. Patrick and March 17th has been named a holiday in honor of him.

  St. Patrick’s Day is about the faith and sacrifice of a man who shared his faith, and the love of God, with a nation…

and for that we remember him today!

No Matter What Lies Ahead

“Faith says that no matter what lies ahead of me…God is already there.”

Author Unknown

Lesson From “A Christmas Carol”

“Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it.” – Charles Dickens

“And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light…”John 3:19

“But even old Scrooge came around, and let the Light shine on his ways!”  :)

Black Friday

We were “in the red“, and Jesus put us “in the black.”

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

George Bernard

Weapons of War

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds…”

II Corinthians 10:4

Remembering

“Freedom isn’t free.”

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:13

Right Around the Corner

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat,

 and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Genesis 8:22

I’m Just Sayin’

“If God be for us, who can be against us?”

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:28 and 38

Cheer up! It’s Contagious

Here’s a funny little story.

Last week our youngest daughter came home from school, and told me that her sixth-grade teacher has a very funny way of cheering herself up. She said that whenever her teacher is feeling low, she pops on a funny red clown nose, takes a drive in her car, and every time she stops at a red light, she turns and smiles at the driver next to her! I burst out laughing when I heard this and said,” That’s hilarious! She not only cheers herself up but others too, in the process! “

“A cheerful heart is good medicine…” Proverbs 17:22 ♥

From the Beginning

“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well.

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!”

Psalm 139:13-17

Marvelous Light

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light…”

I Peter 2:9

Prayer and Fasting

“…If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Remove from here to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

But this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Matthew 17:20-21

Squeaky Clean

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:10

Wings As Eagles

“Have you not known? have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary?...

He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40: 28-31

Seize The Day

Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called “the present!”

“Lord… teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Psalm 90:12

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is filled with  twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

– Author unknown

Iron Sharpens Iron

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Henry Ford

God is Faithful

Baby Blue Pinto

 

baby blue pinto 2

What comes to mind when you hear the word pinto? I guess it depends on how old you are, “It’s a bean! It’s a horse! No! It’s an automobile!!!!!” That’s right, a Pinto is an automobile produced by Ford in the 70’s. It was a squatty, compact car with a huge triangular window in the back. But to me, a sixteen year-old looking at her first car, it was the cutest thing that I had ever seen! One cool morning in October, when I was seventeen, I was just leaving  for school when my mother called out from the back of the house, “Hey, drive carefully and remember what they said on the news about those Pintoes blowing up!! Be careful.”  This was true. Upon impact, (near the gas tank), Pintoes were sometimes prone to explode. “Ok, I’ll be careful.” I answered, and I was on my way. I didn’t put my seatbelt on because I was dressed up and I didn’t want to crush my skirt, but about five minutes into the ride at a traffic light, I put my seatbelt on. This was peculiar because usually if you don’t put your seatbelt on as soon as you get into the car, you don’t really think about putting it on at all. But that’s what I did and as soon as the light changed, I began driving and noticed a large van driving erratically towards me.  I thought, “What’s he doing?” and in what felt like a split second, I saw this van coming right towards me. It hit my door and the impact was so forceful that the entire windshield shattered in front of me. I screamed, and immediately thought to myself, “This is what it’s going to be like to be dead!” On impact, the metal from the outside of my car door slashed through my upper thigh and then the car door came completely off. It was stuck to the front of the van.  My little car spun around and around and crashed into the guardrail of a bridge above an interstate.  I looked up and saw the driver of the van running toward my car. I couldn’t get up, and I think that he thought that I was dead because as soon as he saw me reach up to pull myself out, he ran back to his van and drove off. It was a hit and run. Everything seemed fuzzy, but there were witnesses who stopped to help me and called the police. I heard an officer say that if I had not had my seatbelt on I would have been killed. I could have been thrown from my car or my car could have fallen through the guardrail to the busy interstate below. I was taken away in an ambulance and I remember that I was still chewing gum even though my mouth was full of glass, it was a miracle that I didn’t have a single scratch on my face. I heard the medics saying they couldn’t do anything about the gum or glass in my mouth because I was in shock.I could hear them talking but I could not respond. I was unable to speak, even though I wanted very badly to tell them how to contact my mom. It turns out that in addition to a large laceration on my left thigh, the force of my body being thrown against the seatbelt caused my pelvic bone to be broken in three places. The officer was right. If I hadn’t had my seatbelt on, I would have been killed. Thank God I put it on at that traffic light just before the accident. I was unable to stand or walk and  was on complete bed rest. When my mother and grandmother went to look at the remains of my Pinto, they came home, looked at me and cried. They said that the car was completely demolished and looked as though it would be impossible for anyone to have survived. It was my senior year in high school so I had to be tutored at home. After three months, my doctors said that I had healed up well, I returned to school and was able to graduate with my class. Now, many years later, when I think of that terrible accident in my baby blue Pinto, I am reminded that God kept me safe in the face of great danger. I lived to tell the story and I’m thankful….Peace.