So, I am doing a lot of thinking and praying this evening. There is something that I am waiting for and all systems seem to be a go but the proverbial door is locked somehow. I am not sure why or what is causing it. My mother in law just gave me some real words of wisdom. She pointed out to me that something really and literally seems to be blocking it and I need to pray about what it is and how to get it out of the way.

I am a very spiritual person but in the doldrums of life, sometimes things just are. I was caught up in the worldly thought that things sometimes take more time than we are willing to give because we are impatient. Yet, God is faithful. Sometimes all we can do is praise Him in the hallway until the door opens. I was doing my best to do that because it is all true. At least I was until now.

Now, I am thinking that she is right. Now, I am praying to God to show me what, if anything, that I need to know. Is this a "Be still and know" moment or a moment in which I need to rebuke what is in my way?  It was set forth to be a sure thing. It seemed like it was only going to take maybe a week to work out.  Yet, it is soon turning into a month. I can't keep waiting for nothing. Something has got to give. I am praying over this situation but also trying to have ears to hear and eyes to see what He would show me. 

In the waiting, I have been trying to work on the plans I mentioned yesterday. I have also started germing (my short for germinating) some more seeds. Lord, help me. :D  I am running out of room but I can't help it. They will be so pretty!

I have to get some cleaning done still before I go to bed but couldn't resist the urge to blog. I have so many posts that I have wanted to publish and haven't gotten to. I will try to do a better job of kicking myself in the rear end until they are up. ;)

Blessings to all of you <3  If you are also in the hallway, just know that He's got it. He knew it was coming before it even got to you. He already had it worked out. Just lean into His presence and trust Him. Be prayerful. Do all He asks you to do and what you know you should do. The rest is up to Him. :)  Lay that which you can't control at His feet and just trust Him.

While I'm Waiting - John Waller

I had both songs come to mind and both are great. Sharing. :)

When I'm With You - Citizen Way

New things! Yay! And flowers, too!! :D

So, I haven't forgotten about the blog. Life has been kind of crazy. I have had some down time but in that, sometimes you just feel blah or are trying to figure things out.  So, it hasn't necessarily been a very productive time frame.

However, I am here to tell you that I have been working on some new projects and am rethinking old ones to try to spur them on. I haven't worked on the website lately, either, but have plans to do so very soon. I know that isn't a big issue maybe for you, since I have yet to unveil it, but you should like it. It will go above and beyond the things I do here. I think that God should be first here. Having said that, I will occasionally post other things like life hacks and crafts, etc. They just won't be the main focus. The website would be the place to get my input on all of that. ;)

I am also working on something else very exciting. Well, I'm excited anyway! lol   I have finally been able to say, "Let's get this gar-den started, right...Let's get this gar-den started qui-ckly." If you are a 90's child, you are probably hearing a song right about now. If not, maybe I just can't type a tune in a bucket. lol

Yes. Plants. I love gardens. It is a micro garden so far with not many varieties but I have one growing!! Whee!!  I started with Zinnias because I heard they are super fast to germinate. My son is doing a science project and I find it very cool. I already was going to start my little seedlings but this gave me a great reason to jump into the process faster. :D  He has 3 identical pots with Zinnias but different soils.

Currently, I have Zinnia sprouts (VERY high germination rate!), a few African Daisies (not sure if the seeds didn't like me or the conditions but I do have a few sprouts),  Cottage Wildflowers, Snapdragons (they are so TINY for seeds!!).  I am going to be planting the Forget Me Nots and Cleomes tomorrow.  I have started germinating them with the paper towel method. I love doing them that way!  Before when I tried in just dirt, I was frustrated because they took a bit of time and I was impatient. I didn't see any progress. I also had them in direct sun and shallow starts.  They probably dried out and/ or didn't have enough room to start rooting. This way changes the game completely. I can see the sprouts full well and can let them get a head start before planting.  I don't waste time planting bum seeds either. I was disappointed in the African Daisies. They are beautiful but most didn't germ for me. I am also using an idea that ties into my son's science project.

He is doing a soil study with diaper gel crystals mixed into the dirt to see if the soil holds water any better or in any way helps the plants. He had to have 3 soils. His first was normal soil and the third is sponge soil. Hmm. I had to think about that for a moment. Interesting concept. I thought that the sponge would be similar to the diaper but too bulky and would somehow not work. He thought the sponges inside would take all the water for themselves and the plants wouldn't get any water. On the contrary, his results are showing favorably for both the diaper and sponge soils. The normal soil is growing but not as quickly. The plastic wrap (greenhouse effect) has been taken off of the altered soil but the normal soil has not yet reached the plastic yet.

I had already heard about the diaper soil before when I was attempting to start my plants. I was pretty sure it would work. I am using the diaper soil on my plants as a trial as well. To get them to start more quickly, as his assignment is timed and my excitement couldn't wait either, we also used the Jobes fertilizer spikes from Dollar Tree. All 3 pots had them. Equal footing. Per a suggestion by a trusted friend, I broke them into 4 so it wasn't a waste or too shocking for the plants. I put them in mine also. Well, in the Zinnias and Daisies. I think I may have overlooked that step on the Wildflowers and Snapdragons. I will check tomorrow when I pot up the other seeds.

The Snapdragon seeds were so dadgum tiny, like the tip of a ball point pen (or smaller!) that I got lazy putting them in the dirt. This was partly because I put so many onto the paper towel to germ and partly because the size was making it difficult to separate them without damaging. It was a very fine process. So, having heard about the layers that are pre-planted and you just put under the soil, that is what I did with the other Snapdragon seeds. So, half the planter is hand planted and half are done like a planting mat. :p  We shall see how that works! On one of the paper towel videos I watched on YouTube, Lark mentions that if the seedling starts to grow into the paper towel, you can just tear that piece of towel off and plant it too. That way you don't damage the seedling. I have only had to do that with a few of the other seeds.

That's about all for now. I will try to post again tomorrow or the next day. For the meantime, I will post the video I was talking about, just in case anyone is interested. I will post about the diaper soil as well. :)

P.S. Here is the link for my gardening blog, Revelations In Dirt  It's one of the new things I have been working on.

My Hero!

So, I was working through my prayer binder this morning. I was acknowledging God for all that He is. I read over the Biblical Hebrew names I had added recently.  I had highlighted the name in pink and the meaning in yellow.  As I read down through the meanings, it struck me in a new way.

I already new it but in different words.  I knew Him as, "the lifter of my head", "where my help comes from", etc.  Yet, looking at this list, I gained a more blunt perspective...."My Hero."  lol   (Yes, I even heard the sappy scenario play in my head when I thought that.  The characterization of the damsel in distress that acknowledges the one who came to save her. With a sugary voice she says, "My hero!!")

But He is!!  It's so true:



He is :  Lord Almighty, Master, divine Salvation, Sanctifier, Shepherd, "the Lord who is present" (there), Healer, our Righteousness, Provider, our Banner, our Victory, Peace, "the Lord of Hosts", "the most high God", "the strong one who sees (El-Roi), "the Everlasting God", Jealous, Mighty, Powerful.

After reading all of these things, how can we see Him as anything but our hero?

My list of reverence in my prayer binder also listed this:
"--You are
omnipotent (all-powerful),
omnipresent (everywhere),
omniscient (all-knowing),
immutable (unchanging),
eternal (everlasting),
love (hesed OT, agape NT)"


He sees any injustice and is mighty to save.  He puts a hedge of protection around us. He lifts us up when we fall.  He answers us when we cry out to Him. He carries us and gives us strength. He is our "Creator, Provider, Protector, Savior and King." He is our Superman, our Batman, and any other good superhero all rolled into One. He is Lord of ALL. How AWESOME is THAT?!?  :D :D :D

Wow.  Thank you, God, for giving us new revelations when we seek you.  It all added up to the same thing but the light just shown from a different perspective that brought even more realization.
Thank You!!

I hope that you were as blessed as I was by this acknowledgment as I was and I pray that you are inspired to reach into your own prayer time and seek Him even more. <3


I just stumbled upon this list and it has a few that are not mentioned here. I will have to add them to my binder. ;)    This is one of my favorite ones so far on it - CETHER = My hiding Place (Ps. 32:7).  I love to take refuge in the Lord!!  Psalm 27 is one of my favorite passages. Maybe I need to do a post on that chapter alone.

Also, the purple quote is from a song my son sang at VBS last year.  The full song is below.  I highly recommend it. lol It had this mom singing it when the kiddo wasn't even with me. ;)

Gratitude

Today has been a long day and a thoughtful day. It has been blessed in ways I see and I'm sure that has been also in ways I have not seen. I am praying earnestly about some things. For now, the best thing for me to do is keep reaching in the things I need to do but also to be still and know in the things I don't.

God bless you all. <3

Busy :p

I have a lot of things that I want to post but just haven't been able to get in here to do it. I hope to update really soon.  God bless. :)

Thank You...

I watched War Room a few hours ago. It was a really good movie. I was praising the Lord on the way home and this song popped into my head. It got me to thinking about some things. It made me think about how we have a ripple effect in the lives of others and they in ours. 

We should be a blessing to others and sometimes we do it without even trying. You just never know what others are seeing in you. Sometimes it can be more than we see in ourselves. 

We get busy living life sometimes and don't really think about our actions and how even something really small to us can be huge to another.  We should ask ourselves more often what we can do to be a blessing and do it on purpose as well as just in living our lives for God.

We should also make it a point to spend time in our War Room.
It's not just something we CAN do. It's something we NEED to do!! 

Lay it down and let it go...

God and I have been spending time together this morning. I have loved all of it. For once, I did more listening than talking. He's really trying to help me with something that I have taken to Him over and over. This morning, part of the song "Just Be Held" by Casting Crowns is in my head.

"And when you're tired of fighting

Chained by your control

There's freedom in surrender

Lay it down and let it go

So when you're on your knees and answers seem so far away

You're not alone, stop holding on and just be held

Your world's not falling apart, it's falling into place

I'm on the throne, stop holding on and just be held

Just be held

Just be held"

Read more: Casting Crowns - Just Be Held Lyrics | MetroLyrics

The whole part above there is in my head but the most repeated and the strongest emphasis is on

"There's freedom in surrender. Lay it down and let it go."

I have a tendency to get frustrated over too many things. I long to be unflappable. I have met people that have really floored me with the peace they have. It's easy to look at some and think, "It's easy for them to have peace because there isn't anything going wrong." Wrong. We all have things going on and sometimes more than we show. 

I was working with someone at a job and the job was crazy at times. The people sometimes reacted to the craziness. One person who didn't was a manager and had young kids with one on the way. I know from experience that work has stress at times and home has stress at times and sometimes at the same time. It can be overwhelming. But, more often than not, she had peace and a smile. Even when she got upset, she didn't seem that ruffled.  I both admired and was baffled by it. I asked her one day how she could be like that?  She said, "I can't do anything about it. So, why get upset?"  Hmm.  I saw her point but I wasn't sure it could be that simple for me.  

That was awhile ago. I still keep trying to catch myself and let it roll off like water on a duck's back. This morning, God is giving me a gentle nudge and some food for thought.

"There's freedom in surrender. Lay it down and let it go."

As I am typing this, my son is across the room chomping cereal with his mouth open. I have told him time and time again to close his mouth. He knows better but just doesn't sometimes think about it. I have also already seen him blow his nose really big and there is a little bit of a chill in the air. Outside it is 53 degrees and high of 74 for the day. I have already switched the a/c to heat. Maybe he's congested and is having difficulty breathing while he eats. I should just be happy he is eating breakfast. I'm gonna lay it down and let it go. <3 

The whole song is beautiful. If you haven't heard it, take a listen. I love it. God bless you all and I hope you all find freedom in surrender today. Lay it down and let it go. :)

 

Not my will but Yours be done...

So, God has been speaking into my heart a lot today.  Maybe it's just that I have been better at listening today.  I have to tell you that He is constantly stretching and growing me. Today is one of those days.  I had decided a long time ago that if I were to blog that I wouldn't make it too personal. I didn't want to be one that journaled, essentially, in public. Nothing against those who do. I just thought, for me, that it was a bit too much. I'm a pretty private person. However, I think God is leading me out of my comfort zone. He has a way of doing that. It's called faith building. Obedience. Maybe it's a hearing test. Did we listen? Did we really hear Him? 

He knows that He can use music and television/movies to speak to me. I will get a revelation or a correlation somehow. Today's reminder is from Aladdin.  God is holding His hand out like Aladdin on the magic carpet and saying, "Do you trust me?"  I don't believe any symbolism about the carpet, etc. For me, the meaning is clear and simple. Do I trust Him with all that is going on right now both in public and in the depths of my heart?  My answer?  A meek yes. Not meek in the sense of uncertainty in trusting Him. Meek in the uncertainty of where we are going to go. lol  YET, I know that I would be nothing without Him and He has always proven Himself in countless ways. Do I trust Him?  Yes. Am I a little shaky and hope not to freak out on the way?  Yes. 

Some might say being timid and freaking out don't go with trust. Sure it does. We have the timidity or fear first but we have to submit to our trust in the Lord. Look at Joshua. One of my favorite scriptures is Joshua 1:9 (this is NET version):

"I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do.”

What strikes me about this is that God tells him the same thing, at least 3 times in short order. He had already told Joshua in verse 3, "I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses."  Handing over. It's his for the taking. God said He would be with Joshua and would not leave. He told him the plan, how far spread the land that He was giving him was,  He gave Joshua vision and promise. That was all up to verse 5. In verse 6, God tells Joshua not to be afraid. Then, in verse 7, while He is still talking to Joshua, He says it again. And, again, He says it in verse 9.  

He was preparing Joshua for a road and a plan that maybe Joshua wasn't sure of. Moses had been the leader. Now, Moses had passed away. Someone had to lead. God chose Joshua and gave him every assurance and encouragement He could, including, "I...am with you in all you do."  He basically said to Joshua, "I've got your back."  

Some may also bring up 2 Timothy 1:7 -

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."

True, He didn't. But we started believing the lies of the serpent in Genesis 1. 

So, as always, I am leaning on Him (Proverbs 3: 5-6) and also on Jeremiah 29:11-14,

"11 For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. 12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. 13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, 14 I will make myself available to you,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’

I don't know where this blog will lead but I know the One who is in control. That is enough for me. I trust Him and I might buckle up for the ride. :p  Another song reference. Ginny Owens "Get In, I'm Driving."  God bless you all. <3 

Dedication

So, today I am sorting through some things that I have been talking to God about. I don't know all of the answers yet but I know some of them. I'm sorry to be so vague but you know how it is when you think you know but want to be sure. Or, even if you know what He is telling you, it's for you and not everyone else. I'm trying to discern all of that but for now what I know is this:

This blog is His. It's the only place that I know that I can put my heart and thoughts of Him and things He wants me to share out there and be completely real. It's simple. Whomever comes here is here because they want to see or know more. That's the only reason to be here. In too many situations, I feel like either someone wants to filter me out or that I need to filter myself to not be too "preachy" or "fanatical" in the eyes of others. That is not something I can keep doing all the time. I know there are others out there, somewhere, that share my heart and views. Maybe some will stumble upon this blog as a happy accident. I pray God will use it to enlighten and touch us all. God bless and I hope you enjoy it. :)

This is one of my current favorite songs.  I used to be all about the music when I was younger. Now, I'm all about those lyrics, 'bout those lyrics, no kidding. lol  Sometimes you can have both. This is one of those songs. :)

:D Very nice.

My website is on its way. The bones are getting pretty strong. Now, I need to polish it a bit and start fleshing it out. I think I've accomplished quite a bit for one evening though. ;)  Thank you, God, for helping me get the background graphics to straighten out. :p  I'm whooped. It's time to crash. God bless you all, even though you aren't able to see this right now. lol

Please pardon my dust. :)

I had originally started this blog with a different template and a different address. I have decided to keep this one and will be moving everything over a bit at a time. I will also be working on a website in conjunction with this blog but that covers more stuff.  I am sure that the finished result will be worth it. The dates on the converted posts may be off but at least they will be here. lol  I will make note of the original post dates. :)

Shoulders

I'm feeling like I need to just take a breather and just focus on God. This song helps. :)

Looking ahead

"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it." 
So, here I sat recently.  I was writing out my goals for the year. Mind you, I won't call them resolutions because I know full well that there are so many, and some are big, that I won't finish them all. So, I am sticking to the quote,

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." 

I will tackle as much on my master list as possible and, hopefully, hit quite a bit of it. The rest will be further along, closer to accomplishment, for the next time. That is, unless it is something that falls away as unimportant. I was reflecting on and looking at that list last night.  I got re-energized again about all the things that I can achieve this year.

Today, however, on the way home from Bible study, I had another thought. We had each said a prayer to God for ourselves, whatever was on our hearts. One of the things that I asked of Him was to help keep me on track with His goals and to help me accomplish, not just this week or this month, but this year, what He would want me to do. Wow. That flashed me back to the church billboard I passed on my way to taking my son to school,

"What would Jesus have you do in 2016?"  

It's humbling to take it out of your own perspective. Here I had created this big long list of "Do's" and, now, I wondered what His list actually looked like. I'm sure that some of the things are the same. Some of my items, I'm sure, are not a priority for His list. How many would not even be there? Hmm. Food for thought. Tonight, I will reflect on the list but also with this question:

"Lord, what would You have me to do in 2016?"

;) This blog is definitely one of them. I keep flitting back and forth on the why or how. However, I know now that He has plans for it and for me, too.  I don't know how many will actually read it or how many will keep coming back but whomever you are, I look forward to meeting you.

It's off to blog I go...

I have often felt like I should speak less and write more. I have told myself this many, many times. Do I ever listen??  Not really. Well, enough is enough. I keep feeling like I should redirect my thoughts and comments on certain things and I'm finally going to commit to it (again).  My first thing to tackle is which blog interface to use. I like them both for different reasons. We will see. I need a creative outlet and, while there are many ways to do that, I intend to forge ahead. :)  More posts to come very soon.

Peanut