Have you experienced Wordle?

Wordle is a cool site that takes a jumble of words and makes a picture like the one seen here. These are words from my blogs. I love that God and Lord are so prevalent!! Go look at it and give it a whirl. (Click on the picture to see it in all its glory ;).)


“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Are You Prepared?

This time of year causes folks to reflect on what they would like to see happen in the new year or to make resolutions. I found out many years ago that I can't seem to keep any New Year resolution I make, no matter how simple it is. When I fail, I feel guilty and all sorts of other emotions that I have no business feeling. So, I decided many years ago that I would not make anymore New Year Resolutions!

However, this year, I found this post about being prepared for the new year. I wanted to share it and then make it my own. Below is my personalized preparedness...but please go to the original post and read it in its entirety. I believe you'll be blessed by it.

For 2009, these are the areas I intend to focus on:

Me. What adjustments do I need to make in my life in the areas of ministry, Bible study, service, prayer and obedience to what God is calling me to do? As a small group leader, I strive to be the example God would have me be for Him. I want to have His word hidden in my heart.

My husband. Besides my prayers for his salvation, I ask God specifically for ways I can and should be praying for my husband throughout the new year. I pray for God to show me how to be more loving towards him today than I was yesterday. I also pray to be the wife God honoring wife I am designed to be.

My children. My constant prayer is for their protection and a deepening faith, but I also want to be sensitive to what God is doing in their lives. Along with my own concerns, I ask God to show what areas I need to cover in prayer for the upcoming year. How can I be a God honoring mom to them?

Extended family. Who in your family needs special prayers for the coming year? This is a good time to make a list (not too long or you’ll be overwhelmed) of those who don’t believe, are struggling in their lives, or are ill.

Friends. How can I be praying and uplifting the special people in my life? Praying for them keeps me closer to them as well.

Missionary. Do you have a cause or missionary you support? Put it down and make a commitment to pray for them. (Include my pastor here too!)

World. Is there an area God is calling you to pray for on a larger scope? I’m committed to praying for President Elect Obama. (side note: 1/20/09 is the day set aside to cover our President in prayer.)

Finally, write it all down. (#8 & #9 haven't been changed from the original writer's words.) Assign a day of the week to each area (Monday for my immediate family, Tuesdays for extended family, etc.) Give each day a page and list who and what you’re praying for. Then leave space to write in updates during the year. This will help you reassess the following year as well.

Also jot down any promises God gives you in these areas so that you can go back and read them when you find yourself discouraged or off track. You’ll be amazed how much strength you can draw from these reminders that God is personally involved in every aspect of our lives.

I want to give Dineen a big shout out for sharing how she will start the new year. It was exactly what I needed to help me jump start my year!

Share with me your goals and/or dreams and/or commitments for the new year!

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Really?

God is so awesome! I have entered sweepstakes for years now, and I've never won. I never win the door prize or the contests. Usually, I'm sitting next to the person who wins...you get my drift? Lately, I have been amazed with all that I've won! A beautiful necklace, books, CDs, decorative plate and more books! (I need to link up to all the precious people who have given me prizes because I really apprecite everything I've received!)

Allow me to digress briefly (I promise, I'll try to be brief...I know I KNOW). A couple of months ago, I began crying out to God and holding on to His word as my marriage was quickly crumbing. I knew that if I held on to His promises, then no matter what happened would be for His glory. I was believing God - not just in Him but believing Him.

Here are a couple of the promises I held on to and kept repeating over and over:

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) -- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

So, things between James & I are steadily improving. Yippee! And, I've won all these prizes and I have had precious people just give me sweet presents and items to let me know "I love you". So to all of them I saw - THANK YOU!!! I honestly feel the Lord used these people and giveaways to remind me of the delight only He can give. So I PRAISE HIM! Thank you, Abba!

Imagine my surprise when I got home yesterday and I had a box from TitleTrakk.com that said "your prize is inside"! WHAT???? I won a stack of Christmas books from TitleTrakk.com. I went to their site to copy what I'd won for the blog, and there was my name! (The list of books has been taken down already.)

Let's give God a big round of applause and praise Him! Thank you Lord finding favor in me and giving me the desires of my heart. I will worship while I wait on You.

Have a beautiful Saturday. And remember to praise Him through your circumstances. He is worthy!


“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Wow...

I was just looking over my previous posts and except for the precious post about my new grandson (29 is really too young to be a grandmother - work with me here), I have only been a copy/paste blogger of late. Well, I did post the snazzy picture of my husband in his uniform all decked out.

I have so much going on, and yet not much going on. You know what I mean? (A lot of busyness...)

(I love the picture of Santa praying to baby Jesus. I have a beautiful figurine and ornament like this. I think I even have a bell!)

Let me just say that I have done not ONE BIT of Christmas shopping. Do you see that - NO CHRISTMAS shopping has been done at my house! You probably wonder why - well financial is one reason and my girls don't know what they want!!!!!! James said he doesn't want anything (that's what he always says) and I don't know what my mom wants. (We don't buy for extended family anymore. Both of my grandmothers are in their mid-80's and are constantly giving stuff away. Why do they want MORE stuff??) We buy for James' youngest son and his mom (the ex-wife, not James' mom - she died when he was 6). Actually we go to her house for Christmas Eve. She has a big shindig (I typed "sindig" at first - I hope that's not a sign of things to come lol.)

I didn't participate in BooMama's tour of homes because our tree isn't up! The girls were going to decorate it this year (after calling me Scrooge) and yet the half assembled tree has sat since Thanksgiving. Who are the lazy ones now??

I was so happy I got my Secret Santa and my Siesta Fiesta stuff out yesterday. I know I'm late, but I always am...Sorry ladies! Mary, I mailed you a book too! I opted not to send Christmas cards this year. If you're on my facebook friends' list, then I sent you some holiday flair!!

Well, I guess that's all I have for now. I hope all is well with you. Thank you for stopping by!

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Introducing...

...my grandson, Anferny Ian! He was brought into this world on December 8, 2008.

Look at that pure sweetness - can you stand it?

One problem with Anferny is that he lives in Germany with his mommy and daddy! His daddy is my husband's oldest son and he is German! So, I've never met the mommy or the daddy and now I have a precious grandson who I probably won't get to meet anytime soon. But, that doesn't keep me from loving all of them! (Notice the overuse of ! I'm excited!)

Look at all that hair! And I don't know what he's wearing, but it sure is cute!!

So there's my little German angel. Feel free to coo and talk in a funny little voice while looking at the picture. I sure have!

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Come to the Quiet

Soon after my life was turned upside down by God's unfailing love and mercy, I found a book that really helped keep me "calm" about this little thing called "relationship with Christ" when it came to talking to my husband who "didn't share these thoughts" with me. (There have been many times since then when he's wondered, "Where did I leave my wife and who is this woman???") Bless his heart, he just doesn't know what I know!!! (I try not to be a HUGE Jesus freak but it's so hard!!) Oh, anyway, before I get off on that subject, let me try to keep with the reason I am sharing what I'm going to share! Author Nancy Kennedy wrote a book entitled, "When He Doesn't Believe" that I read and thoroughly enjoyed. I gave my copy away and have yet to replace it (anyone notice a theme with my giving books away???). I enjoyed her writing so much that I have followed her blog and other books since then.

I am currently toting around "Lipstick Grace: Glimpses of Life, Love, and the Quest for the Perfect Lip Gloss" by Nancy Kennedy. Not only does Ms. Nancy write books, but she also write a weekly column for her local newspaper and she's a speaker! Lipstick Grace is a collection of various columns she's written through the years. It's quite enjoyable (if you like to laugh and you enjoy finding out that others aren't perfect either and you love Jesus!).

This one article really spoke to me, especially since it's about Christmas and it's Christmas here. I emailed Ms. Nancy to ask if she had this article somewhere in electronic format or would it be okay if I retyped it and sent it to friends and/or posted it on my blog. She emailed me back immediately and said to feel free to post or send or whatever!

So, without further ado, here it is. I hope you enjoy the article like I have. Thank you Nancy Kennedy for allowing me to share!

Come to the Quiet

Shared with permission by author Nancy Kennedy from Lipstick Grace, Multnomah Publishers

Shhhh. Hush.
Stop all the fighting and sniping. Cease the quibbling and the squabbling over whether “Merry Christmas” is politically correct or not.
Shhhh. Quiet. It’s okay.
Put away your credit cards. Your kids don’t need another computer-digital-anything. You and I don’t need any more debt. Our debt is crushing us as it is.
We need a debt canceler.
Be still, if only for a moment. It’s Christmas-our Debt Canceler has come.
Off in the distance dawns the light for the nations. The darkness is pierced, and the light will never, can never, be extinguished.
Stop your striving. Take a breath. Breathe deeply the life you’ve only dared to dream of. The life where you lie down and sleep in peace and awake with joy.
Put down the bottle. Put away your grudge.
Lower your fist. Kiss your kid. Forgive your dad. Love your wife.
The One who has borne our sin is born.
Our King forever, our Prince of peace, our Mighty God, has come to us, to live with us, identify with us, bear our sorrows, give us rest.
So rest. Stop.
Hush.
At my church on Christmas Eve it’s our tradition to sing of peace and silence. “Pease, peace, peace on earth and goodwill to all.” “Silent night, holy night.” “Now let us all sing together of peace.”
Shhhh. All is calm. Christ has come.
He hasn’t come to wage war on retailers. He hasn’t come to battle Santa Claus or debate whether or not the fir tree is a pagan symbol. He hasn’t come to argue with local governments over crèches and menorahs in the public square.
The government, after all, is on His shoulders. He is Ruler. He is Lord, and He has come to set His people free. To rescue and redeem. To find the lost, bind the wounds of the broken, heal the hearts of the sad and grieving, the lonely and afraid.
He has come to give rest to the weary, direction to the wandering, purpose to those who think life has no meaning. He has come to still the restless hearts of men and women, to give hope to those who cannot even fathom hope, sight to the spiritually blind.
His law is love and His gospel is peace. His yoke easy, His burden light.
He is salve for tired eyes, a hand for the lonely to hold, a lap for the child at any age to climb upon, a shoulder broad and strong on which to lean and to cry.
So rest. Take your shoes off. Turn down the noise. Switch off the TV.
Pray.
Even if you’ve never prayed before, it’s ok.
Do you hear that? Can you feel it? That soft smile? That’s your God, the One who came as a baby, a lamb, a lion, a Messiah.
He smiles!
Shhhh. Enjoy the silence. Cry if you need to. Laugh if you want to. Stretch out your hands. Touch the splintered cross He was nailed to. Accept the gift.
Embrace the salvation offered by the world’s only Savior.
Forget about the sweater that doesn’t fit, the broken gadget that needs to be returned. Exchange your broken life for one that’s new, your sin for Christ’s sinlessness, your peace for His peace, your sorrow and pain for His joy.
All your disappointments, all your unfulfilled dreams, all your confusion and brain noise and heart achings, set them down.
Be still now. So very, very still.
“The effect of the righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever,” wrote the prophet Isaiah. “My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (32:17-18 ESV).
It’s Christmas and Chris has come to bring us into His quiet, to hush our fury, to still our rage and fear.
Christ is our gift. Jesus is our peace.
So, shhhh. It’s Christmas.

(Any typos or grammatical errors are all Cathy's.)

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." Jer. 29:11

What would your testimony be?

I'm not sure how big my cardboard piece would be - do you think I could carry a billboard?

Sinner, Unbeliever, Addicted/Grateful Believer of Jesus Christ

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." Jer. 29:11

The Patron Saint of Barbara...?

Last night, my husband (without me because, well, he's in KY and I'm in AL, and it's Christmas so funds are a little tight) went to some ball they had. He was awarded the St. Barbara award. What a strange award to receive, but he seemed pleased that he got it and he enjoyed himself at the ball. I was glad because he was really not looking forward to any of it. So, in honor of him getting the St. Barbara award, I'm going to post a picture of him all dressed in his military dress blues. (I think that's what they are called - I'm not a very good military wife, huh?)

Dapper, no? I asked (begged) him send me a picture, so I could see him in his uniform. I have seen him in it before when we went to Jr. ROTC ball right before we got married, but you know, I wanted to see him again!

Anyway, I thought I'd share the picture and something of a story with you too. Plus, now, no matter where I am, I can come to my blog and see a picture of my hubby.

(P.S. - "Things" are going much better right now, and I can only attribute that to God's masterful hands in our marriage. We still have to work on "things" but at least he wants to stay married!! Praise God!)

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." Jer. 29:11

Memory Monday!

I must admit that I have done poorly with Memory Monday BUT I'm not going to get discouraged and give up!!! He will never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 3:5-6) nor shall I leave or forsake Him (or forsake my goal of hiding His word in my heart)!

I still have the goal of memorizing all of Jeremiah 29:11-13. Here's what I know for the first verse (which is below): I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not harm you.

I realize that is not exactly what it says (and I could've looked down there for the exact answer, but that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?) but it's what I know :-).

I was also sent this nifty Scripture Bell but it won't stay a bell if I post it...*booooo*! Ok, wait, I've tried again...I looks like it's ok, but it might not post correctly. Let me know if you'd like it emailed to you by emailing me at cathy.m.davisatgmail.com

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are!?

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." Jer. 29:11