Who They Are...

John 4:24 MSG

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

Kidlet One and Baby C enjoy worshipping God together. 

Simply.  Honestly.  In their own way.

It is who they are.

I'm so thankful and So Amazed!

Which Bus?

City buses in a line

Notice which one is first

Every time I see the bus going to the Holy Spirit

I want to run, run, run to take that bus

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Many people are comfortable knowing

God as a Father and Jesus as the Son

But what about the Holy Spirit

or as I was growing up we said Holy Ghost

The Ghost part makes the name sound spooky

The Holy Spirit was sent to us

to be an Advocate

(see John 14:26 in the Bible)

Not a spooky entity at all

I wish we could all hop on that bus

and learn more about the Holy Spirit

When my parents were here recently

my mom saw this bus and said 

Oh!  That is the bus I want to take!

I agree.

Having the Holy Spirit in my life is

what makes me So Amazed

Which bus would you want to take in

this lineup of buses?

Warmth

It is cold outside.
I believe the temperature is -11.
The wind chill brings that number down and I just cannot say it....
My toes and fingers are cold even in the house.

The backside of my house faces north.
As I pulled a spoon out of the silverware drawer (along the north-facing wall) even the SPOONS feel cold.

I'm not complaining.  Does it sound like I am?
Guess I just want to state a fact.

It is cold.

Which makes it the perfect time for me to dig through my photos for pictures from last summer.
The perky orange flowers at the top were from a pot on my deck last summer.
Don't they just make you smile?

The color makes me feel warmer....

Just off the deck we have a bird feeder on a gardening hook.

We feed the birds year round.

Last summer one of the feeds had sunflowers in them.

Lo and behold the birds dropped seeds and we had a sunflower bloom.

What an added bonus of color for us.

It was so fun to watch the birds peck the actual seeds from the flower.

Color brings warmth.

Today is the perfect day to dig through photos looking for color.

And warmth.

If it is cold where you live, I hope these pops of color bring you some warmth.

For those of you not living in The Frozen Tundra, enjoy the heat!

Warmth...it is So Amazing.

Choose It

Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16

From the file entitled "It Ain't Gonna Happen," I...[suggest] a federal law that says everyone has to make God's love his or her home.  Let it herewith be stated and hereby declared:  No person may walk out into the world to begin the day until he or she has stood beneath the cross to receive God's love....

Don't you ache for the change we'd see?  Less honking and locking horns, more hugging and helping kids.  We'd pass fewer judgments and more compliments.  Forgiveness would skyrocket.  Wild idea?  I agree.  God's love can't be legislated, but it can be chosen....  For Christ's sake, and yours, choose it.

********

The above is from Max Lucado's daily devotional Grace For the Moment.

It is crazy that we can't force a free gift on those around us.  This free gift being unconditional, unending, life-changing love.  Such an easy thing yet such a hard gift to receive because we have to choose giving up ourselves.  

So what if we don't force this love on others but choose it for ourselves.  We can change the world.  Let God's love work and shine through you.  Choose it and live it.  Amazing love...how big the change!

Triple C's

Driving into work this morning I had the radio on in the car.  A one-minute "How to Parent Your Teen" meditation played with the commentator saying that Change - Conflict - Chaos can be a part of raising a teenager.  The facts in raising a teenager remain that they are changing and oftentimes that brings conflict with themselves and then with those around them.   The commentator encouraged us to work at resolving the conflicts so they didn't lead to chaos.

So many of you, my dear friends, have confided in me your change - conflict - chaos situations.  What I am calling The Triple C's are in my life as well.  None of us is immune.

However, with our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, do we not have hope?  Do we not have peace available?  How about the truth that He will never leave us nor forsake us?  He is a High Tower that we can run to.  He is the living water, the very air we breath.

Friends, don't let the Triple C's become a Fourth C:  consumption.  Don't let your problems consume you.

Keep.Your.Eyes.Focused.On.Him.

Change is going to happen.  In fact everything seems to be changing faster and faster.  As change brings conflict, work hard and diligently to resolve the issues.  Don't let your situation get to chaos.

My solution for the Triple C's is to change up what it stands for.  How about this:

Choose Christ Completely

With Christ, change, conflict and chaos can be controlled (am I overdoing the c-words in this paragraph)!!!

Seriously, may the Triple C's in your life bring hope, comfort, and joy as you Choose Christ Completely.

Parsley Chicken with Lime Rice

This summer I have had almost every type of fast food because of baseball games every single night. Don't get me wrong, I am not proud of this.

When I finally had a night at home it was with great joy that I made a homemade meal.  We almost licked our plates the food was so good.  I marinated chicken in a parsley concoction then grilled it.  Along with this was lime rice and a cucumber/tomato salad.  If you are looking for a delicious meal, give this recipe a try.

Parsley Chicken

3 pounds trimmed boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

1 large lemon, washed thoroughly

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced and pressed

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Halve lemons and juice well.  Combine all ingredients, except chicken, in a bowl.  Add chicken and coat evenly.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.  Honestly, I mix mine together before going to work so it marinates at least six to eight hours.  

Preheat grill.  I grill my chicken off direct heat (on the shelf) 10 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove from the grill and let set about 10 minutes before serving.

Lime Rice

1 tsp. vegetable oil or butter

2 tsp. fresh cilantro

2/3 cup white basmati rice

1 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring until melted.  Add rice and lime juice, stir 1 minute.

Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil.  At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes.  Add in cilantro and fluff with a fork.

I wish you could have been here to enjoy this amazing meal with us!  Let me know if you make this and how you like it.

Wisdom Hope Thankful - Update on My Dad

Wisdom Hope Thankful.

My Dad and My Mom live in Little City USA.  Their options of medical care are at least a one-hour drive from their home.  The Next Big City where My Dad received his chemo couldn't perform the liver biopsy that was determined to be next steps so My Parents drove two hours to The Bigger City.

The doctor/surgeon that met with us was so kind, compassionate, and explained things very clearly. He called My Dad's cancer very interesting.  We could tell he had spent time reading and looking at the radiology films.  How thankful we were for God hand picking this man to review Dad's records and meet with us.  

And how thankful we were the suggested liver biopsy was scheduled within that same week!

The pathology report from the liver biopsy did show metastasis of colon cancer to the liver.  

And a strong possibility of spread to the bone.

The doctor had prepared us for this possibility and had also used the words:  slow-growing and make long-term plans.

Hope is a very powerful word.

We heard hope in that doctor's words.

Merriam Webster defines wisdom as:  

wis·dom

 noun \ˈwiz-dəm\

: knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life

The next steps were to return to The Next Big City to see the oncologist in charge of My Dad's care.  I wanted to be at that appointment so headed north for The Long Drive.  As I drove, two dear friends telephoned me separately to chat and both prayed with me.  Both of them prayed for the doctor to have wisdom and that My Parents and I would have wisdom during the appointment.

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

God totally answered the prayers of my friends (and the host of others that were praying for us). Doctor P started explaining the possible next steps, another round of chemo, but then he said:

I think a another opinion is warranted here

He went on to say:  If you were my dad I would want another opinion. This is a very interesting case.

Wisdom 

Hope 

Thankful

I have worked in the medical field for 35 years and there are just a handful of doctors that I have met that would admit they would like a patient to get another opinion.  How thankful we are for the humility and compassion of this man!

With thankful, hopeful hearts, we await the appointment that will be scheduled for My Dad in the medical facility in My City.  We continue to ask God for wisdom as we venture forth.  

Friends, God keeps His promises. He promised that if any of you lacks wisdom, ask Him for it. Irregardless of who you are and your relationship with Him.  He will give it to you.

Daily I am So Amazed at the God of this Universe and His loving care for us.