We have all just experienced Valentine's Day. Mine was very interesting. My husband and I waited until early evening to exchange our gifts. I presented him with my "love card" and chocolate heart, and then not-so-patiently waited for him to present me with his expressions of love.
After a little while, I started wondering if he had gotten me anything at all. I was sitting on the couch in our living room with my back to the doorway. The next thing I knew, he came up behind me and was dumping candy on my head!! At first I was offended, feeling kind of like someone had thrown water in my face. Feeling very aggravated, I asked him what he was doing! He said, "I'm showering you with kisses!"
Immediately, his explanation put the whole situation into perspective for me. The candy he was "dumping" on my head was Hershey Kisses. . . . he was showering me with Hershey Kisses!!! My attitude about the whole experience instantly changed from feeling offended to feeling that my husband was the most romantic man on earth!
As I look back on that experience, I have begun to be exceedingly thankful that God looks beyond my actions and behaviors to what the motivating factor is in my heart, what the heart meaning is. I am thankful that God knows my heart and the love that I have inside even when at times I don't express it very effectively!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
It has been a really busy couple of weeks for me. God has been busy reminding me that He is in control and I am not! His plans are being worked out moment by moment. A major snow storm rearranged my plans to head to IN to visit with my daughter and speak at a chapel service to about 100 7th through 12th graders at Granger Christian School in Granger, IN. As the Lord would have it, the chapel service was able to be rescheduled to Friday after I was able to get out to IN.
Early in that week I was once again asking God what He was up to messing up my plans, and He showed me that He was allowing me time on that snow day to get a major grant application written and to be able to meet the submission deadline. Had MY plans worked out, I would not have had the time to accomplish this task. Once again, God is in control and His plans are absolutely perfect.
In the message that I shared with the students at GCS, I challenged the students to actively look for God moving and working in their lives. I continue to have wonderful opportunities to "practice what I was preaching" and I HAVE seen God moving in my life in amazing ways. I thank God for HIS plans!
Early in that week I was once again asking God what He was up to messing up my plans, and He showed me that He was allowing me time on that snow day to get a major grant application written and to be able to meet the submission deadline. Had MY plans worked out, I would not have had the time to accomplish this task. Once again, God is in control and His plans are absolutely perfect.
In the message that I shared with the students at GCS, I challenged the students to actively look for God moving and working in their lives. I continue to have wonderful opportunities to "practice what I was preaching" and I HAVE seen God moving in my life in amazing ways. I thank God for HIS plans!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Dedicate-A-Day
This is the "month of love", when we celebrate Valentine's Day and express our love to important people in our lives through giving special gifts and doing acts of kindness. There is all kinds of hype about buying candy, sending flowers, etc. to those that we love, and quite frankly if we don't do that for whatever reason, there can be some unpleasant outcomes for our oversight.
It is thought to be a secular holiday, but in reality we find the sentiment of Valentine's Day clear back in biblical times. If you will recall, many many times in the Old Testament of God's Word, the Israelites were instructed by God to put up an alter (usually a rock) to mark the spot where something significant happened in the life of an individual, family or even to the Israelite nation or more importantly to simply honor God. God called His people to remember those events and to give God honor and praise for His involvement and provision in the situations.
I believe that we should follow the Israelites' example and remember and commemorate significant people and events in our lives today, not just during Valentine's Day, but throughout the whole year.
The kind of gifts we choose to give are very important. Candy lasts for a short time and can pack on unwanted pounds, flowers wilt and die after a few days, and going out for dinner is a short-lived, fun experience. But I have another gift idea. Heart To Heart Support Services, N.F.P., a Not For Profit ministry in central Illinois, is providing opportunities to honor loved ones and commemorate special, significant events in our lives by making a donation of $100 or more to H2H. With this gift, you are giving honor to your loved one and blessing others through your support of the ministry. Your gift continues to live on long after the day has passed. Please check the H2H website at Heart2HeartServe.org for more information on how to make a dedication.
I pray that you take advantage of this wonderful Valentine's Day season to bless those you love and honor them in special ways. We can never express our appreciation to one another too much and everyone needs to know that they are loved. Let's be sure to show and tell them.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this blog! You are an encouragement to me and I am honored to have the privilege of sharing my heart thoughts with you. Have a blessed and Happy Valentine's Day season!
It is thought to be a secular holiday, but in reality we find the sentiment of Valentine's Day clear back in biblical times. If you will recall, many many times in the Old Testament of God's Word, the Israelites were instructed by God to put up an alter (usually a rock) to mark the spot where something significant happened in the life of an individual, family or even to the Israelite nation or more importantly to simply honor God. God called His people to remember those events and to give God honor and praise for His involvement and provision in the situations.
I believe that we should follow the Israelites' example and remember and commemorate significant people and events in our lives today, not just during Valentine's Day, but throughout the whole year.
The kind of gifts we choose to give are very important. Candy lasts for a short time and can pack on unwanted pounds, flowers wilt and die after a few days, and going out for dinner is a short-lived, fun experience. But I have another gift idea. Heart To Heart Support Services, N.F.P., a Not For Profit ministry in central Illinois, is providing opportunities to honor loved ones and commemorate special, significant events in our lives by making a donation of $100 or more to H2H. With this gift, you are giving honor to your loved one and blessing others through your support of the ministry. Your gift continues to live on long after the day has passed. Please check the H2H website at Heart2HeartServe.org for more information on how to make a dedication.
I pray that you take advantage of this wonderful Valentine's Day season to bless those you love and honor them in special ways. We can never express our appreciation to one another too much and everyone needs to know that they are loved. Let's be sure to show and tell them.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this blog! You are an encouragement to me and I am honored to have the privilege of sharing my heart thoughts with you. Have a blessed and Happy Valentine's Day season!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Have you ever seen a "Where's Waldo" picture? Waldo is this cute little guy who is hidden in a very busy, chaotic picture filled with lots of cars, people, buildings, animals, etc. The object of the picture game is to find Waldo.
Sometimes life is like a "Where's Waldo" picture. It gets very busy and chaotic. The chaos is caused by all different kinds of things like demands from work, commitments to organizations and activities, responsibilities at home, and even major life events like weddings, new babies and even funerals, etc.
Oftentimes when life gets chaotic, we get overwhelmed and begin to wonder "where's God?" We know He's there somewhere, but we just can't seem to find Him. In His Word, God tells us that "if you seek Me, you will find Me." During those times of busyness and chaos, we need to ask, "God, where are You?" We need not doubt His presence, but we do need help finding Him.
Just like in the "Where's Waldo" picture, it is easy to miss seeing God, but when we intentionally look for God, we will find Him; and when we find Him, we also find the peace that we long for in the midst of our Chaos.
So, when life gets chaotic and we are overwhelmed by all of the things life is throwing at us, let's remember to ask God to help us find Him . We will not only find God, but we will also find His peace. Have a peaceful, blessed day!
Sometimes life is like a "Where's Waldo" picture. It gets very busy and chaotic. The chaos is caused by all different kinds of things like demands from work, commitments to organizations and activities, responsibilities at home, and even major life events like weddings, new babies and even funerals, etc.
Oftentimes when life gets chaotic, we get overwhelmed and begin to wonder "where's God?" We know He's there somewhere, but we just can't seem to find Him. In His Word, God tells us that "if you seek Me, you will find Me." During those times of busyness and chaos, we need to ask, "God, where are You?" We need not doubt His presence, but we do need help finding Him.
Just like in the "Where's Waldo" picture, it is easy to miss seeing God, but when we intentionally look for God, we will find Him; and when we find Him, we also find the peace that we long for in the midst of our Chaos.
So, when life gets chaotic and we are overwhelmed by all of the things life is throwing at us, let's remember to ask God to help us find Him . We will not only find God, but we will also find His peace. Have a peaceful, blessed day!
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