A Change of Plans

Does this look familiar to you??  Do you recognize this city?

It's a city I have never visited before . . . but I'm about to become very familiar with it.

Eleven days before my daughter is to be married . . . . her fiance gets new orders (he is a U.S. Marine!).

Goodbye to my daughter living in Norfolk, Virginia . . . hello

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA!!!

So we are switching gears very quickly.  Cancelling the apartment on which they have a deposit in Virginia.  Cancelling her enrollment to a University in Norfolk.  A quick registration for online classes through a University here in Missouri.

Instead of living 1,050 miles away, our daughter will be living 1,705 miles away for the next two years.

I am reminded of James Chapter 4:13-16

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

We have been making plans, and God has changed those plans.  I think God is trying to remind me that HE is in control . . . not me.  And that is a hard pill for me to swallow . . . because I like to be in control.  And as Christians we have to let God be God.

I'm learning.

I always said that I wanted to travel.  I just never dreamed I would be visiting my daughter living in California!!

Please keep praying for us as we are in the "home stretch" for wedding planning (July 4th!!!) and as new arrangements are made for their new assignment.  We are asking God to GO BEFORE THEM and to put them in the housing He wants them to be in.  We are asking for safe travels to California for them.

I'm learning to say not my will, but Yours God.   His plans are so much better than mine anyway!!

Blessings to everyone who reads my blog.  I pray for you all . . . asking God to bless you and meet your every need in Jesus name!!

Suppertime

Suppertime at our house.  We eat meat and a vegetable.  I usually serve a lettuce salad on the side and we all love Ranch dressing.

This was our supper from a couple nights ago.  And a very typical meat at our house.  Pork steak and green beans.  Even though we raise cattle, and BEEF is on the menu most nights, we all love pork steak.

Usually my handsome hubby will grill the pork steak, but this particular evening he was just too busy . . . so pan fried had to do.

We love potatoes, but I'm usually low-carbing it, so potatoes aren't on the menu very often.  My family LOVES my roasted potatoes.  Yum Yum!  Sometimes I break my low-carb rule and fix potatoes, but on this particular evening, just meat and green beans and a salad.

And in case you're wondering, NO, those green beans aren't home canned.  We used up all our home canned green beans several months ago.  These are store bought.  And it has been so WET we haven't even planted our garden yet this year so we won't have any home canned green beans until fall.

What's a typical meal at your house?  

I Want Your Opinion on a Devotional/Bible Study

My friends, I need your advice/suggestions/opinions.

I'm looking for a really good devotional/Bible study.  I want something I can do on my own, not a group study.  I want something "meaty."  Not just a little "feel good" verse, but something that teaches me.  Something that makes me think.  Something that draws me nearer to God.

So I'm asking for your opinion.

I've heard a lot about Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts.

I follow Ann's blog, but I've not read this.  If you've read her book, what did you think of it?

Is there another book or study that you would suggest?   

I'm just like you . . . I don't have a lot of spare time, so I want something that really feeds my soul, not just a light, quick read.  I look forward to reading your suggestions.  

I want to share a verse that has been ON MY HEART lately.  It is found in Jeremiah 33:3  "Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know."  

 

I want God to answer me.  I want to KNOW Him MORE.  I want to walk with Him.  Now don't go crazy, I know that He is in heaven and I am here, and we won't physically walk together until I'm in heaven.  But I want His Holy Spirit to walk beside me continually in my daily life.  I want to glorify Him.  I want to call out to Him, and have Him answer me.  I want Him to show me those "great and mighty things which I do not know." I want to show His love to others.

Just what is on my heart today. 

 

Blessings to each and every one of you! 

More and More And More And More of You

My new favorite song, and the cry of my heart.  More and more of the Holy Spirit!

"More And More Of You"

We have had enough of getting everything we want
We are weary of living this life just for us
Oh, forgive us all for seeking Your hand and not Your face
Come and empty us, Father, we are desperate in this place

Holy Spirit, fill us with Your fire
Give us Your desires
Hold us close to You
Holy Spirit, give us revelation
Your healing visitation
Nothing else will do
We want more and more
And more and more of You

You have given us so much more than we deserve
You deliver us by the power of Your Word
So, God we lift You up
Giving You the honour that is Yours
Thank You for Your love
This is what we are living for

Holy Spirit, fill us with Your fire
Give us Your desires
Hold us close to You
Holy Spirit, give us revelation
Your healing visitation
Nothing else will do
We want more and more
And more and more of You

Oh, the love that covers us
Oh, the Saviour's mercy.
Oh, the blood that makes us spotless white

Oh, the love that covers us
Oh, the Saviour's mercy.
Oh, the blood that makes us spotless white

Holy Spirit, fill us with Your fire
Give us Your desires
Hold us close to You
Holy Spirit, give us revelation
Your healing visitation
Nothing else will do
We want more and more
And more and more of You

Holy Spirit, fill us with Your fire
Give us Your desires
Hold us close to You
Holy Spirit, give us revelation
Your healing visitation
Nothing else will do
We want more and more 

And more and more of You.

Trust Me

Well, I have one wedding down, one more to go.

May 16th, the date of our son's wedding, flew by faster than you can say "I Do!"  And there I was sitting in that pew, holding my husband's hand, watching my son take hold of his bride's hand and say those words and put that ring on her finger and thinking "this can't be happening."

How did 22 years go by so quickly?  I want those 22 years back.  

But God made time to move forward, and He wants us to move forward with it.

But sometimes we don't want to move forward.

Cause forward is tough.

 Because this next wedding is even harder.  This next wedding, four weeks from this Saturday, is my baby girl.  And that baby girl is going to walk down that aisle and say those words and smile and be so very happy, and move 1,050 miles away.

And my heart screams "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And yet when I cry out to God and ask "why does my daughter have to live so far away?" He whispers "trust Me." 

When I stomp my feet and say "this isn't my plan for her life, I want her living here" He whispers "trust Me."

Sometimes God has to drag me forward kicking and screaming when all He wants is for me to Trust Him.

Matthew 11:28 says "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

And so I grasp for His peace and His rest.  And I'm not gonna lie, it's still hard.

But thank the Lord He is still working on my heart, teaching me to trust Him.  Teaching me to let go and let Him be God.  Teaching me to be able to say God, not my will, but Your will be done.  And oh my is it tough.  But it is necessary.

"Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him, How I've proved Him o'er and o'er.  

Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus, oh for grace to Trust Him more."