This morning I watched a skittish young squirrel that was scared to death of a piece of watermelon.Last night I had placed an old slice under the bird feeder.I'm assuming the squirrel was young.As they grow older they sure do get bolder.If they see something they want and it is right next to you they will come and get it.But this squirrel seemed scared to death of a piece of fruit.

He would skitter sideways towards it and run away,he would constantly look at it,look away,run towards it then run away again and again.At first it was amusing ,after 10 minutes of watching I wanted to yell"Its a watermelon,not a bomb,just go get it! But how was he to know? He or she is a squirrel.They live in a world where the unknown is dangerous.One wrong move and you are someones lunch.Or a pancake lying in the road.Life is scary when you are a tiny squirrel.You must always proceed with caution.

Even though we are not squirrels at times we live our lives like them.We become fearful of the unknown.Hesitant to try something new,something that is out of our comfort zone.The what if's take over and we stay right where we are.Staring at the watermelon slice,that we sure would like to have,but something keeps us away from it.We constantly look at it,run towards it,but then we run away.The endless cycle of doubt starts.

We may want to get to know someone but are afraid to invite them over,what if they say no? Why would they want to spend time with me? We want to be involved in a ministry,take a class,or try something new.But as we start to move forward,we become skittish like the squirrel.The whispers start in our ears.You can't do that? Who are you to think you can? ,Why would they want to get to know you?What if you fail,what will people think?

Whispers that start small and are like the hissing of snakes,subtle and quitebut persistant.They are at their loudest when the Lord calls us to do something .The sound is deafening at times.Nothing can drown them out.

Jesus wants us to have an abundant life.He has given each person gifts and talents to use for his kingdom.He wants us to step out of our comfort zones.He promises to be with us.But we forget that most of the time.We continue to stay right where we are.We want to move forward,we have dreams of doing great things.We can see it,but something holds us back.

Think of the little squirrel.If He chose to be a little braver and step up to the watermelon.He would find out it is just fruit,that it tastes good,and all of it would be his.His little belly would be full.But instead He choses to torture himself this morning.He will never know the sweetness of the watermelon.The satisfaction of overcoming his fears.The joy of pushing himself past the fear and completing the mission

.Do you want to be the squirrel and spend your days wishing and hoping but never getting what you want? Will you waste your days running towards what He wants you to do,but when you are almost there,you run away like the little squirrel? Don;t listen to the whispers that try to talk you out of what He wants you to do.All you have to do is take the first step.He will be there every step of the way.Trust him.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Blessings
Dee

A light in the darkness

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

After reading this mornings newspaper I have come to the conclusion that our world is quickly becoming a mess,violence is way up, people have lost their minds.I wonder at times if there is any good news happening in our area.I have always thought that we need a newspaper of just happy,positive things going on.But would there be enough to fill it? I'm sure there would be plenty but most days after reading the press it makes you question.

I love the picture of the mountain above with the moon.It makes you think of how dark the world has become.Some days the darkness and the heaviness hangs over us like a thick dark blanket,we question if there is any light out there?.Where I live it is dark,So dark at times you can't see your hand in front of your face if there is no moon.When we first moved out here,the outdoor spotlights didn't work,So, when it was time to go to your car if you didn't have a flashlight,good luck trying to find where you where going.

You had to take baby steps,like when you are blindfolded playing a game as a child.You take tiny steps with your hands outstretched to protect you in case you trip or run into anything like a tree or a wall.A little hesitant for fear what was ahead.

At first living out here was a little too dark,a little too far from civilization,and there was a little too much nature walking around at night.Things you could hear but couldn't see.The fear of what was out there or who was out there, was there at times.The fear of the unknown in a strange place

.But as we began to work on our house and put up the spotlights and become familiar with our property things began to look differently.We could walk outside with confidence,knowing if anything was near us like the raccoon who happened to be following us hissing as we dragged the bag of trash to the cans.We could find our way,even if there was no moon.We felt safer with the light.

This is how the Lord is ,if he is in our lives.While the world around us continues to become more violent.When some days we think about what our futures will be like ,especially for our children and grandchildren,we shudder.
But the one thing we have is the Lord.He is the light in the darkness.He will show us the way.He will keep us on the path.He will be our protection when at times the darkness seems to be everywhere,closing in and surrounding us until it is hard to see any light.He is there.Like the tiny looking moon over the mountains in the picture above.While we may be deep in the dark valleys at times,or hanging on the side of a mountain too big to climb ,by just our fingertips.All we need to do is look up.And the light of Jesus will shine down upon us,illuminating our way like a lighthouse on the darkened beach that beckons the lost ships in the night."Here I am " It says,"Here I am,I will bring you to safety"",I will bring you out of harms way".A comforting glow that calls us to the shore safe and sound.So, when your world seems its darkest,and you can't find your way,look up and his heavenly light will shine ever so brightly for you to see.
Blessings
Dee

2 Samuel 22:29

You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.

This morning as I sat on the porch having my morning Coffee,I watched the squirrels surrounding the bird feeders like a little group of boy scouts around a campfire.The birds going back and forth to get their breakfast of sunflower seeds.All was calm,except the hummingbirds.They are about the cutest little birds you have ever seen,if you have had a chance to see them up close.Tiny in size,their wings go so fast they are a blur.All day they zip back and forth from the trees to the feeder.When you see them they look so sweet and adorable,you want to put one in a cage so you can look at it all day and hear their little squeaks.

But if you happen to be another hummingbird,look out,Looks are deceiving.They are the most territorial birds around.All day they fight.Zooming into each other little fighter planes.We have 2 feeders ,there is plenty of nectar to go around,but all day they are like spoiled little children.Defending their territory,smacking into each other,squeaking quite loudly.Always on the defense.They seem to waste precious energy defending their turf,they rarely rest.I would think they would be exhausted by nightfall.

We all have days like this.While we look sweet and nice on the outside.Inside we are not pretty at all.Sometimes we can hide it ,other times out is all comes and those in our path ,get a smack,just like the hummingbirds.We wonder why the birds act the way they do.They can never change,they are a bird,thats how God created them.They will defend their territory until the day they die.

But we have the choice each morning.While the Lord did create us with certain personalities and traits.What is inside does not have to stay put.We can constantly work on changing our hearts,our thoughts and our actions.Each morning we need to go to the Lord and ask that our hearts be overfilled with his Love and His peace.Sure we can skip that and go about our merry old way.And some days our way is far from merry!.But do we want to go through our day with heavy hearts.with aggravation upon us,looking at the world as the hummingbirds do,waiting for people to come near us,invade our territory and take what we think is ours?

No,this only drags us down.It causes up to lose our joy,our peace.If we let it take over we walk around grumbling and complaining,holding onto things like spoiled little children who have a death grip on a toy they don't even want,but they can't let it go for fear someone else will take it.We need to let it go.Let go of the anger ,the guilt,the things that cause us to be defensive.Let it go and let God replace it all with joy and peace.Let go of the fear that grips you and causes you to want to hide under the covers.Let go of the past that still holds on and refuses to let you move forward.Let go and let Him begin to replace it all with Peace,Hope,and strength.Remember the birds,they cannot change but you have a choice.
Blessings Dee

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law

Expectations

Expectations, we all have them.We expect certain things from people in our lives.Our spouses, friends,coworkers,even more from our pastors.We will have a thought stuck in our minds of how this person will react and the sad thing is most of the time,they do not respond how we had hoped.

I think of a friend ,it was her birthday.She had many friends and relatives.All day she waited for them to call her or stop by to wish her a happy birthday.But the phone did not ring,nor did the doorbell.And so by the end of the day she sat crying on her bed,the thoughts running through her mind that no one cared,here were people she had known for years,why even her best friend did not call.She had expected them to remember and they had let her down.

It was not that these people didn't love her.There were many that did.But our lives are so filled to the brim with commitments,stress,and distractions that we do forget the little things like birthdays,or making that phone call when we know friends that are struggling with life and could use some encouragement.We put things on the back burner so to speak and charge forward each day trying to get everything done that is on our to do list.We are running at break neck speed and we disappoint people or forget to make that call or stop in for that visit.

Someone had told me years ago.If they are human they will let you down.But Jesus will not.He is the only one in your life who will always be there.Someone else told me in life we need to lower our expectations when it comes to people.We are all flawed,we may have good intentions but we will always at some point drop the ball in the game of life.This makes us wonder if everyone is going to fail us in some way why bother to have friends,Why set ourselves up for a fall?

Jesus did not put us on this earth to go it alone.Think how boring that would be? We would never be hurt or let down but im sure spending time with just ourselves would get old real quick.I think of the people in my life that will say" I don't need people".How sad is that?The real reason behind that comment is fear.Fear of rejection, fear of being hurt, we are vulnerable,giving a bit of ourselves that yes, might possiblly be hurt at some point.Why they might even let us down and then that would be painful wouldn't it? So they keep to themselves,growing more bitter and more alone each day.Without God and other people the heart can start to wither and become hard and cold.If we start to keep track of the times people have let us down,we will quickly become angry,the bitterness will begin to seep in.One by one we will start to distance ourselves from others.

Jesus wants us to have a life full of joy.He wants us to surround ourselves with others who can encourage us when we need it.To be there when we are suffering.We cannot go it alone.We are all flawed in some way.We will all eventually let someone down.But the fact is that we are human.The only perfect one is Jesus.He will surround you with people who will love you and be there for you,but we cannot expect them to be perfect.We need to look at others through His eyes.Forgive those who have not done what was expected.Jesus forgives us over and over again.How wonderful is that? Today why not ask him to give you his eyes and his forgiving heart,your day will be one filled with blessings and wonder.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10


Blessings Dee

At this moment my living room resembles a recording studio.I have a drum set in one corner,five guitars leaning against the fireplace,one large piano and an organ all crammed into a house the size of a postage stamp.My children both love music.My oldest son can be seen walking around with a guitar strapped to him at all times,I have actually found him asleep with the guitar still attached,pick in hand.My youngest will go from the piano to the organ,to the drums and this will continue through out the day. They both have amazing talents when it comes to music.

As a parent I realize this and try to encourage them ,but with that comes the noise.Cymbals that cut through your ears like a knife.Try to complete a task while the guitar amp is cranked up as high as it will go.I dare you to try and remember what in the world you are doing and why you walked into the room.The only thing to do in this house is to take a walk,or find some ear plugs.Even though I will most likely need a hearing aid in the future due to blown out ear drums.My children will never be able to say they were not encouraged and that I never let them express themselves.Believe you me,there is some expressing going on in this home daily.

Loud music reminds me of our thoughts.At times we can't block them out.We try to focus on other things,but the thoughts continue on.Did you ever sit in church praying,all is quiet,all of a sudden the strangest thought pops in your head.You open your eyes and look around and think" where in the world did that come from"?You close your eyes,start to pray and here comes another one.I find that while I am driving the strangest things pop into my head.It is usually things from my past that I would like to forget.That long since been forgiven,but there they are.At times they make me cringe.How many times have we had some really rotten things run through our minds?

Each day thoughts run through our minds like the thousands of cars that drive the freeways.Zooming through,some stay and continue to swirl in our brains.They usually are the negative things that have happened to us.Why is the positive ones pop up occasionally but don't stick around like the negative ones? How many of us can recall a mean comment that someone said to us in grade school? Most likely all of us.They embed themselves in our mind like a splinter in our foot.Hard to remove and the pain it can cause here and there hurts.

Jesus wants us to protect our thoughts.Do you know He can do that for us? He can help us guard out minds.He can be the filter that lets the negative go in one ear and out the other ,so to speak.But if we meditate on the positive, after a while it sticks around.We can easily recall positive happy thoughts rather than the debilitating mean or negative ones.If we immerse ourselves in Scripture we can leave no room for the negative.In with the good,out with the bad.

Remembering scripture is not one of my strong areas.I have a better chance of learning how to become a trapeze artist or an Olympic athlete than retaining scripture,But if we take one verse a week and try to remember ,it is like having a shield when we are in a war.The more scripture the bigger the shield.

Each morning we have a choice,one is to go through this day with positive thoughts,being on the lookout for the negative ones that settle down in our brains with the plans of staying for a long time.Like the cousin that comes for a weekend visit and never leaves.Or we can choose to let those untruths swirl in our heads,where they grow and change and then birth new negative thoughts.How many times have we had something pop in our heads,we then dwell on it and in about a minute it is a full blown horror story,we then become fearful and that will stay with us throughout the day,and possible the next ?

We start out the day positive,our self esteem intact but by midday if we listen to the whispers,we are not so positive,our self esteem is starting to plummet.Sound familiar?

So today why not ask Him to protect your mind? He made the heavens and the earth do you think that He can't help you change your thoughts? Read scripture and it will be your shield that will protect you when the whispers of Satan start to settle in your thoughts. Now go and prepare for battle,you have Jesus on your side and there is no way you can lose.

Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”

Blessings
Dee

In the shelter of the almighty one

This evening as I went on my usual nightly walk out on the Marsh.The rain had ended earlier and the dreary sky had turned pink and gold . Always a nice surprise after all the rain we have been having.As I stood by the water.I noticed little circles forming here and there,This is usually the minnows that come near the edge when the tide is low.But as I looked the circles were everywhere in the water.I realized that it was rain.But the interesting thing was I was about a foot from the waters edge and none of it was touching me.It was raining a foot away and I was dry.A few minutes later the skies opened up and I was soaked.

This made me think of the storms in life.We can at times be surrounded by them,but if we are under the shelter of the almighty one,at times we can sail through them seemingly untouched.When they are over we scratch our heads and think" how in the world did I get through that? Was I sleeping? At times after a particular storm in my life,i have wondered if perhaps i was in LA LA land during the whole thing.You replay it over in your mind and some how you have come through something that has the capability to level us,but we have come out untouched.We have made it through the rough times with nary a scratch.Hard to believe but it is possible.

There are other times that we feel like the cowboy in the old westerns ,the one who has been tied to the back of the horse and dragged through the desert for days.We have been slapped around so much we feel as though we have been thrown into the boxing ring and hey we never signed up for it.We grow weary,we are beaten up and just plain tired of it all.

I have a saying that I say at times when something is going on in my life that I did not ask for.I say" Hey Lord,why don't you go see so and so down the street,I think they need some work in that area,but me,no Im good,thank you very much.I don't need any work in that area.I'm sure He thinks Im hilarious.I know He is using this circumstance to grow and change me.To perfect me where I am in need of perfecting.But some days I want to shout at the top of my Lungs.Go Pick on someone else.

But then I think of the times that I have had complete peace,and have emerged from a trial completely unscathed and I am so thankful.I am always amazed at what He can do.And I am always amazed at the work that He has done in me during certain hard times in my life.Will I still whine when things don't go my way? I will try not to,but I can guarantee I will. Will I be in awe when I am carried through a storm and emerge unharmed,covered in total peace? Yes.

I urge you to read Psalm 91.This says it all.How can we be fearful after reading this? We need to read it and believe it and we need to receive it.

¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
⁸ Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
¹¹ For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
¹² They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

Blessings
Dee

Never forget that everything is significant and is working together for the good that God has planned for you.

This statement is true,but how many times do we not believe it? There are times in our lives we cannot see God working and we sure can't hear him.So we begin to wonder.

This morning I had called a friend.I said to her" What are you doing'? She said "actually I was praying,praying that someone would call me or stop by and give me some encouragement."
Well after she said that I thought " Well i guess im the one".

Funny, how we go about our days thinking where is He? Did he go on vacation? Is he busy with someone else,maybe He is on the other side of the world? My friend was not seeing him today,but there he was,

I picture him sitting there saying" ok lets see,she needs some encouragement down there,hmmm i will tell Dee to call her,right after she is done praying for that.Some people call that coincidence,but what it is ,its God.Listening to our prayers,hearing whats on our hearts,and knowing what we need at that precise time.Nothing is a coincidence in this life.

There are times in our lives we have things going on that we can't even fathom why they are happening and how in the world is God going to work this one out for good.We feel that we have been dropped off on the side of the road somewhere in no mans land.Hello... is there anyone out there???

Some times distractions keep us from hearing Him.I know the past few weeks,I have walked into a room that was 2 feet away and couldn't remember why i was in there.My friend prayed with me and i was thinking of my grocery list,all a million other things.I barely heard half of what she said.I try to focus,but it is a struggle.With too many things to think about,and decisions to make sometimes we can't think straight.

At this time in my life,God is yanking out of my comfort zone.Everything that is familiar,and comfortable I am being moved out of.What is the reason? At this time I don't have a clue.Is He doing a work in me? That is a big yes.Am i happy about it? Yes and No. No that i am uncomfortable and feel slightly lost.But yes, because its happening for a reason,and i know the outcome is going to be good.

See how if we believe that all things work for the good,we can get through anything?.It may be a rough and bumpy ride,but it will all be worth it when its over.Hopefully this ride will be a short one for me.maybe just a ride around the block.But it could turn out to be a long road trip that entails lots of stopping and going,some sights that are breathtaking to see,some hairpin turns in the road ,but after this trip comes to an end.I will be a little wiser,a little stronger,and will be ready for the next one to begin. I will also be able to help someone else,who has just begin their journey down the same road.All I have to do is remember that He is doing the driving and its going to be ok no matter what.

What we need to do on our road trips is sit back,take in the scenery,enjoy the ride,even if He is taking us somewhere we don't think we want to visit.How about a nice trip to disneyland,or how about to the Grand canyon Lord! I'd rather not go in this direction,it doesn't look fun and the scenery isnt' that pretty right now.But what we do not know is what is further down the road.What may be right around the next bend might be something that is so beautiful or more wonderful than we can ever imagine.We wouldn't want to miss it.But if we don't allow him to drive and if we allow him to take the roads He wants to,instead of us causing him to swerve off the road and head in the direction we have chosen to go.In the end it will be a road trip that we were glad we took.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
blessings
Dee