Easter.

       The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He  has risen, just as He said. Matthew 28:5-6

   As I come to this Easter morning, preparing to travel, I am unfocused and hurried to get "things" taken care of before leaving. I have not allowed my heart to ponder this special day celebrating the Resurrection of my Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus who died for me and my filthy sin, who knew me before the foundations of the earth and prepared a way for me, drawing my heart to Him. Jesus who loved me while I was yet His enemy. Jesus who overcame death to give me life.....eternally with Him. Whether I focus on Him today or not, I am His child and He will never forsake me -promising me and inheritance that is undefiled and reserved for me in heaven.
  How I need to know Him and treasure Him with all my heart and mind and soul. He is the beginning and the end. He is my Savior.
   He has Risen!

Kingdom Character

  

God's ways are such a paradox from mans thinking, from my thinking. Upside down so to speak. As I study the Beatitudes, I have a greater appreciation for the fact that God's ways are not mine. Only when I am empty of myself can I be full of Him. When I am full of Him, I see how depraved and sinful I am in comparison and I mourn. My mourning causes me to turn to Him for His gentle guidance. His meekness, power under control, compared to my selfish ambition. As He guides me in His paths of righteousness, I have a new hunger and thirst for more of Him. An addiction that is good. As I feast at His divine table of Truth...He slowly but surely transforms my heart to into one that shows mercy, is purified, extends peace and rejoices in being persecuted for Him. He is the salt and light of my life, and requires that I become His beacon in my world.  How I desire to have my mind renewed .....
                 

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

   How unsearchable his judgments, 

   and his paths beyond tracing out! 

 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? 

   Or who has been his counselor?”

 “Who has ever given to God, 

   that God should repay them?”

 For from him and through him and for him are all things. 

   To him be the glory forever! Amen.  Rom 11:33-36

In the Beginning....

I love God's creation...from the heavens to the earth. To think He spoke the universe into existence, His own "big bang", and within the first five days the earth's seas were teeming with fish and the sky full of birds! Man hadn't yet made the scene and there was alot going on without him. Perfectly I might add. So much color, complexity, and organization on the micro and macro level. God is the master architect ...and I get to be a part of His plan every day. Hallelujah !   Loving photography and music my slide show celebrates His creation, a dim replica of the "real" thing...but enjoyable.

Beauty of Nature

Beautiful places......

Gone Astray

I was straying when Christ found me

In the night so dark and cold;

Tenderly His arm went around me,

And He bore me to His fold.

With His nail-scarred hand He bro't me

To the shelter of His love;

Of His grace and will He taught me,

And of heav'nly rest above

Tho' the night be dark around me

I am safe, for He is near;

Never shall my foes confound me,

While the Savior's voice I hear

(Hymn-Hiding Place)

In the middle of last night I let Biskit and Cookie out front to potty as I do every night. It is a routine. Every night.  I usually go sit down and try not to wake up too much while they do “their thing”. They ALWAYS come back in when they are done and together we stumble back to bed.

So trustworthy, such good and obedient dogs.

  Last night after a lengthy time they had not come back inside.  I scanned the yard from my front window to see if they were dawdling around as they sometimes do, taking their good old time sniffing and peeing. No doggies in sight. I waited a bit longer and still nothing. Muttering under my breath in frustration, (Mike was asleep), I put on my clothes, wrapped a blanket around me to keep warm and went outside to round them up. Gone. No dogs in sight. I was afraid, worried and angry at the same time. Being in the dead of night, I couldn’t call for them, so I began walking down the street. Fuming. In the distance some five or six houses away I saw two white creatures milling about obviously oblivious that they have wandered far from the allowable boundaries of their home.  I can't believe it. They had NEVER strayed like this. Ever. I quickly approached them. Startled, they saw me coming and began running back, knowing they are BUSTED. We arrived home, me not saying a word until we entered the house. “Bad dogs”, I yell.  They ran to the kitchen for a treat- I was flabbergasted. No more going out front without supervision. No longer trustworthy! I gave them a sermon on how I  provide for them, keep them safe, take them on special walks to the park, feed them wholesome food, keep them healthy, play with them, love them daily. How could they blow me off for some new night smells. I can't believe it!! They have had a taste of disobedient freedom and it has gone to their brains. I feared they will try it again…they have partaken of the forbidden fruit.  I was furious.

  Then, as I lay in my bed steaming, wide awake from the midnight excursion, the Lord brought  to mind images of MY straying everyday. Getting sidetracked with the "smells" of  my hobbies, phone calls, TV, books, little “life deserts”. Even asking for a special blessing.  Oblivious. He finds me straying just a house away , sometimes the other side of town or another time zone!   Dawdling in other people's yards…just enjoying myself with my freedom of choice. I am not doing anything bad, but I am not focused on my Lord and what He has for me that is always SO much better than what I choose for myself. Believe it or not. Oh how He loves me, protects me, provides for me, cares for me, desires the best for me, is gracious to me. He died for me that I may partake of  His love, His Kingdom living, right here, right now.

  Why do I stray? What night smells distract me that I end up in a foreign land…far from the true source of the goodness and love Jesus lavishes on me? What makes disobedience (SIN) feel so good, so normal?  Why? Why?

   Before falling asleep, I thanked Him for using my life stuff, including my precious doggies, to remind me of my tendency, like a sheep, to go astray. 

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wand’ring from the fold of God;

He to rescue me from danger

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness like a fetter

Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee;

Never let me wander from Thee,

Never leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

(Hymn-Fount of Blessing) 

The Cross

The Cross. Where I must come to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus who sets me free from death, the penalty for my sin. I find my inheritance and identity in Him. Such an amazing fact, yet so difficult to grasp. So contrary to my earthly thinking. The Gospel...that God in His loving kindness took hold of me for His own before the foundations of the world. The Cross, where sin meets love, where love covers a multitude of sin, where I die to self that I may be born again. A new creation reconciled to God. The Cross. 

Worship

The beauty of nature never fails to inspire me to worship the Lord. His handiwork is found in the details of everything I observe, touch, taste, hear and feel. Amazing. I gaze at landscapes and feel peace seep into the cracks of my being, take root there, and grow silently. My busy mind becomes quiet as my senses feast on His creation. I feel His holiness surround me, His Spirit move within me and I bow down and give thanks.

My desire..

The Unborn Child.

A story that reveals the TRUTH about the unborn CHILD

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:

'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.'

So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you want me to do?'

She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.'

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!'

'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.'

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.
He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb.                              

  

Another year to be grateful !






    As 2011 winds down and I look back over this year, I realize, once again, how much

I have to be thankful for. There will always be mountain tops as well as valleys in

life and I want to share a couple of my “High” points from 2011.

**Our jobs. Mike and I have BOTH been working part time this year by choice. He is

completing his 26th year at Cook Children's Hospital and I just finished my 15th year

with what is now Express Scripts. Working fewer hours has been WAY better for us-

now being able to spend more time with each other as well as friends and family. Not the

same as total retirement, but maybe the next best thing. We took a trip this November to

Sedona, AZ, one of our FAVORITE travel destinations. While there, taking in all the

beauty of the red rocks, and surrounding area including the Grand Canyon, we both

decided that this could be the place of our future retirement. So, we’ll see. We still aren’t

ready (or should I say able) to quit our jobs, but maybe in 2013?

**Our home and neighborhood a seemingly a small thing that I take for granted. I love

being able to walk Biskit and Cookie (they are now both seniors ) down the tree shaded

streets to the lake each day (even though the drought has made the lake a giant field this

year with grass growing under the boat docks !) and enjoy the safety and quiet nature of

our neighborhood in the midst of the big, busy, madhouse of the metroplex. Sedona has

no freeways!

**Our travels and families. Always on the top of my list. This year I was able to go

home to Ohio 4 times to visit my family including my Moms birthday in April, my

nephew Tim’s wedding to Gena in June, a surprise visit for my Dad’s 84th birthday and

back again in October with a special visit to my old friend Inez who is now in a nursing

home. PLUS my sister Debbie and her husband Mark went to Lake Tahoe with us for a

week in September where we enjoyed the beauty of the pristine lake against the

backdrop of the mountains. Breathtaking ! I have been busy working on the dozens of

photos I took (still a favorite hobby) so I can post a few on our website for friends and

family to view.  ( http://www.mikeandkathie.com )

** The Lord Jesus - without Him in my life I would be truly lost. So as I celebrate

this Christmas season I am reminded that

“ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17