Thank The Lord

Each morning I wake and thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.  Each evening I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.

He is unfailing in His love for each and every one of us.

Last weekend I had the privilege of watching my 28 year old daughter be baptized.  Before she was baptized, she was asked if she wanted to share anything.  Lo and behold ~ she gave her life to Christ a couple of weeks before.

As a parent, I wonder where I failed through the years of her upbringing.

As a Christian, I know that to have Christ as my Lord is a choice I have to make on my own.

Each morning I wake and thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.  Each evening I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.

I cry for joy that my daughter and I will have eternity together.

I cry for despair that many of my loved ones (family and friends) haven't yet bowed down at the foot of our Lord.

I pray for the lost and unreached.  I pray for all of us as we go through trials and tribulations.  Knowing the Lord is always by my side encourages me as nothing else!

Each morning I wake and thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.  Each evening I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.

Start of Remodel

It has begun.  I had to move a lot of boxes and furniture out of the ‘big room’ to get ready for the ceiling removal.  Here are a few ‘before’ pictures:

We got the ceiling down on Saturday and pulled up the carpet where the kitchenette/dining area will be.  Here are the ‘after’ pictures:

I’m getting super excited as this is becoming reality!  Praising the Lord for His faithfulness.

Changes Abound in 2018

2018 is going to be a year of changes for my family.

With a beloved member diagnosed with Dementia last year, we are looking to make things more manageable until long-term care is needed.  This will include some minor fixes to a home that has been lived in for 40 years, sorting through items collected over 40+ years and purchasing a residence with minimal stairs; quite possible a duplex or a single family dwelling with a ‘mother-in-law’ set-up.  A younger family member will be selling their current home to be the other duplex dweller or living in the mother-in-law set-up.  There was no coercion or guilt applied to the younger member – it was a love-decision.

There have been many family meetings and the conversations have been open and loving.  This is a huge change for all involved; however, everyone is on board to make the transitions happen as smoothly as possible.

I am praying for the entire family – the three members in the middle and those supporting them.  I know my daughter is praying, as well.

Of course, life continues to move forward and I know that there will be many life-moments this year that have nothing to do with the above noted change.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Reboot

The snow is melting and life is waking up and beginning again.  This has been a winter of snow and ice. Illness has run rampant throughout the community.

I am so thankful for the Lord. He is merciful and gracious. He carries us through the rough times and celebrates the good times with us. He is everlasting!

Reboot with me this spring - praise the Lord tenfold ;)

June

I can not believe it is June already!  This year has flown by.  There have been busy days, slow days, joyful days, sad days; however, the Lord has been with me through all of the days.

Summer is looming in the distance, creeping ever closer.  I am not a fan of the heat but I enjoy the flora and fauna of summer!

Each weekend this month is brimming with activity ~ from Bible Studies to Graduations to Birthdays...

Evidence of Spring

Everywhere I look, there is evidence of Spring.  New growth, yard cleanup, street washing...All this evidence points back to the Lord God!  Praises to the Creator of heaven and earth - Hallelujah.

Lent

This Wednesday begins the forty days of Lent ~ our preparation for the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  My goal is to focus intentionally on my Lord moment by moment each day.  So often He gets pushed aside in the daily grind of life.  He is my redeemer.  All glory belongs to the Lord!

How are you living through Lent this year?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

2015 seemed to fly by -- why is it that time seems to move more quickly the older we get?

I pray for continued growth and maturity in my faith and walk with the Lord during this new year.

I will turn 49 this year.  I am blessed to know this is just a number and a very small one at that considering life includes eternity with my Heavenly Father.

I'm excited to see what 2016 brings!

Jesus is King

Merry Christmas, everyone!  May the Lord bless you and yours throughout the years.

My daughter is turning 25 on Sunday.  Thinking of my baby girl turning a quarter of a century old makes me realize my age as well – lol!  She is such a blessing to me and has married a wonderful man.  I am honored to have them in my life.  I thank the Lord each day for them both.

I just finished the first half of a great class taught by our Teaching Pastor.  The knowledge he has shared has been amazing and will be beneficial in the future as I make this Christian journey of life.

Windstorm 2015

We had a massive windstorm yesterday afternoon/evening with gusts over 70 mph.  Most of Spokane is out of power (yep, I'm included in that group).  Lifting up prayers of safety for all during this time of power outage and cleanup.

The Lord is with us!

New Job

I am so thrilled with my new position.  I applied for an Administrative Specialist 2 position in early May.  I started on May 22nd - working mornings at my Customer Accounting Specialist 2 job and afternoons at my new position.  I will continue along those lines until I have trained someone for my CAS2 job.  The posting closes this afternoon so hopefully someone will be hired next week.

I have been praying about my work environment for quite some time and I believe this was God's answer for me.  Thank you, Lord!

This isn't a pay increase, not even a lateral move; however, the slight (very) decrease in pay is worth it's weight in gold for the change in environment and co-workers' attitudes.  That is not to say that I won't miss working closely with some of the people that will be left behind; however, they know who they are and that I will still be nearby.

Bible Study Group

I have been in my Bible study group for about 3 ½ years now.  It is such a blessing to forge relationships with other Christian women.  We are from different backgrounds and run the gamut of ages from early 30s to 70s.

I have just embarked on co-leading (facilitating) a new Bible study for ladies on Sundays during one of our church services.  This will enable women to use the child care that is available, if needed.  We have prayed over the room, resources and our willingness to be used by the Lord.  We have been informed that we are a total of 8 commencing this weekend.  The Lord is good!

Learning and drinking in the Word, being accountable to sisters-in-Christ and being a servant for the Lord are all things I am praying come of this group.

Winter Continues ~ Grace Abounds

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday…which predicts another 6 weeks of winter.

I have to laugh at that since the official First Day of Spring is March 20^th – 7 weeks away.

The poor creature – who wouldn’t be scared after being ripped out of a cozy bed and thrust into the ‘limelight’!

I am sure the East Coast is dreading another six weeks of winter.  However, over here in the Pacific Northwest, we have had an extremely mild winter.  I’m not sure what that will mean for the spring/summer months…drought?

As a Christian, I put my faith in the Lord.  This is for all aspects of my life, not just weather J  As a human, I fall short of that goal.  However, God’s grace and mercy are in abundance and cover my failings.  Thank you Lord!

A Mentor is a Blessing

A big shout out to my small group leader, Louise.  She is a mature Christian lady that has been leading this Bible study group for over 7 years.  I have been blessed to be a part of this group for the past four years.  Louise holds us accountable in a loving and kind manner.  She models Christian love, discipline and wisdom.  Her life reflects Christ to all who come in contact with her.  I thank the Lord for such a mentor as Louise.

Happy Thanksgiving

Blessings this day the Lord has given us!

Autumn

My favorite season has arrived (according to the calendar).  The quote below sums up some of my thoughts as well.  I thank the Lord for the diversity He gives.

 Don't you love them?  

More and more I am beginning to appreciate the seasons and the unique purpose of each one.  Fall is definitely in the air...some rain, some cool nights and mornings, orange pumpkins, and falling leaves.

Summer is such an incredibly busy time, with wonderful harvests, preserving, family gatherings, visitors, events, and so much more.  Although the cold wet rainy season has it's challenges, I think we are all looking a bit forward to having a somewhat slower paced autumn and winter!  -- This is from Joyful Keeper at Home blog

Life continues on in the Pacific Northwest.  Cooler nights and sunny days.  Praises to the Lord for the beauty He surrounds us with!

Freedom

As Americans, we are privileged to have more freedom than many other countries.  I give thanks to God for the military and the everyday people that have worked hard for our liberties.

As children of the Living God, we have freedom – even more than living in America gives us.  We are free of the constrictions of this world!  How awesome is that  :~)

I thank the Lord daily for His holy love which is shown in His mercy and grace for all of His children.

Car-Less

So long, farewell, au wiedersehen, goodbye
(heehee - love that movie!) 

I am officially ‘car-less’.  I haven't driven my vehicle since May 5th.  On Friday, (yep, the 13th) I had a fabulous experience with CarMax.  They do an appraisal on your car and give you a written offer that is valid for 7 days.  This offer is for a sale or trade-in.  Both the appraisal day and the sale day (yesterday) went quickly and smoothly.  I would recommend CarMax to any and all.

My biggest thanks to the Lord as He is good!  I left the outcome in His hands without a worry and it turned out fantastic.  After the car loan was paid, I received a check for the balance.  Thank you to everyone who kept an ear open for buyers and to those who prayed about the sale of my vehicle.

Downsizing

I have been praying for a few months about selling my car.  I decided to sell it and have such peace about it that I know the Lord has spoken to me.  I have put in on the ‘marketplace’ where I work and also where my sister’s.  I have parked the vehicle and am using public transportation (bus) and walking.  I have faith that the right person will come along and purchase this vehicle.

It is one less material item that I won’t have to worry about the monthly payments, gas and maintenance on.  It is rather freeing  :~)

I humbly request prayers for the sale of the vehicle.  I am hoping to receive what I still owe the bank and if I get extra it will go to savings and other debt.  Although I haven’t done a Dave Ramsey class, I know those who have and have chatted with them about the ‘extra proceeds’ I may receive and the steps Mr. Ramsey suggests.