Taking Vacation Time

This blog will be closed until June 1.

See you then!

Family Love

My husband's sister and her husband drove from Michigan to visit us this weekend. We had such a wonderful time. Our home filled with laughter and warm conversation from Friday evening through Monday morning. Saturday we visited with out of town family and Sunday afternoon we had a cookout with several other family members. Nothing lifts my spirits more than having family together.

Studying the Relationship Principles of Jesus has helped me to focus on the most important relationships in my life, which are those with family. I've been blessed with a large family and too many times they are taken for granted. My hubby and I tend to be alone and wait for our family to reach out to us. We use the excuse that lead busy lives, and we understand how that is...after all we raised eight children. But, I realize it is up to us to keep the family ties together.

This summer I plan to focus more on bring our family closer through planned functions. It doesn't matter that we don't have a lot of room in our house, what matters is that our hearts have all the room in the world.

God gives us all opportunities to build relationships, but we tend to overlook them, focusing on what we think are important things in our lives. But, without relationships, we are nothing. God created us to have relationships. Nurture them and cherish them.

Words Can Kill

I've always believed that the pen is mightier than the sword. But I've always thought of this in terms of the written word.

However, the words we speak can be more wounding than a physical blow. With words we can tear down self-esteem and inflict lifelong damage to others. Our tongues are weapons.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 13:1-1 NIV)says that if we speak without love, we are nothing more than a clanging cymbal. To speak with love, we need to have unconditional love for another person. The words must come from our heart, and have no ulterior motive.

Do you remember hearing this? "If you loved me, you would...." or "After all I've done for you, this is how you..." That, dear friends, is manipulative speech. I've been guilty. How about you?

We need to think before we speak. And, before we are quick to ridicule or judge, remember that God loves us unconditionally. Through His grace we are saved.

Belated Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers reading this. You are blessed by God to be placed in a nurturing role. Do so with love.

How Do You Love Like Jesus Loved?

How do you love as Jesus loved? This is a question that sticks with me every day. Remember when the big rage was wearing jewelry with WWJD? That was to remind us to think before acting..."What Would Jesus Do?"

Sometimes we get mixed up on loving unconditionally. We are afraid to show our emotions, whether anger, frustration, fear, or pain. Do you picture Jesus as being a man who walked the earth without showing his emotions? If so, you are wrong. Jesus showed his emotions. He wasn't afraid to be angry, or even to grieve? He shared his soul when he asked God to take his cup if it be his will when he prayed in Gethsemane. What about when he raised Lazarus from the grave? When he arrived at his friends' home, do you remember what he did? He wept.

Building relationships with others, and especially with God, means you must learn to trust, to ask, and to believe. Ask God to help you channel your emotions into the right action. Ask before you act.

Have a blessed day.

Laughter is Good for the Soul

Do you remember when you were a small child gathered together with your friends for a sleepover? Remember how you made each other laugh and the laughter became contagious and you couldn't stop? I do. We'd hide our heads under the covers trying to keep the noise from carrying and that just made us laugh harder. I still smile at those memories.

I believe laughter is good for our souls. It revives the spirit. But, there are many who don't know how to laugh and they don't understand those who do. These are the people who press oppression on the souls who lift their hearts with laughter.

Today, I pray for all those who do not know the joy of laughter.

Gaining Patience with Forty Days of Love

Amazing how the Forty Days of Love helps to put the things that matter into perspective. It's much easier now for me to focus on relationships first. I'm finding more patience and in doing so peace replaces irritation. Not all the time, but I'm working on it!

Talked to Mom last night. She had another really bad day. I could hear in her voice that she felt bad. She was having trouble moving even a few feet without feeling totally out of breath and exhausted. She explains that she has a "tingly" feeling all over her body on these "bad" days.

I'm trying to put this into God's hands, but it's hard. If you read my blog, please say a prayer for my Mom.

Thanks for stopping by!

Not My Will, But Yours Be Done

These words Jesus spoke in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42)"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

This is probably the hardest thing so far in my Forty Days of Love. It's easy to say these words and mean them when it comes to my spiritual life. But what about the other aspects of my life? My work, my writing, my family? Very hard. I try to say a prayer at my desk each morning before I begin to work. I sometimes remember to pray for His will before I begin to write. But when it comes to family, it's been more difficult to remember that I can't "fix" anything. I must turn to God in prayer and ask for Him to be the healer.

I do love God with all my heart, but do I love Him with all my soul? In order to do so, I must be able to say, "Not my will, but yours be done, Lord."

Today, I send you blessings that you might in turn bless another.