Morning Devotions bring focus to my life. |
...and He shall direct my paths.
proverbs 3:5-6. 5 trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Lily the Christmas Pug
Lily the Christmas Pug
Puppy Number 5 had 3 brothers and 1 sister. And 1 very nice Mother who loved her 5 puppy-kids
more than anything else in the world.
She made sure they had enough food and water and time to
play; something all kids need to do. This
made Puppy Number 5 especially happy as she loved to play, more than anything
else in the world.
She ran and jumped and tumbled head-over-tail all day
long. She never got tired, even though
her 3 brothers and 1 sister and her 1 very nice Mother did. But that didn’t matter to Puppy Number
5. She just continued to run and jump
and tumble head-over-tail all by herself.
One day Puppy Number 5 noticed that one her brothers was
gone. Now there were only 2 brothers and
1 sister to play with. This made her sad
but her very nice Mother, who loved her puppy-kids more than anything else in
the world explained that her brother had gone to live with another very nice
family and that he was playing and jumping and tumbling head-over-tail with
them.
This made Puppy Number 5 very happy and she ran and jumped
and tumbled-head-over-tail some more – knocking over a potted plant. But her very nice Mother just smiled, gave
her a lick and nicely asked her to be more careful. She loved her very nice
Mother.
It wasn’t long before all of Puppy Number 5’s 3 brothers and
1 sister had left to run and jump and tumble-head-over-tails with new families and
she was left all alone. But her very
nice Mother explained that this was the way God had planned it. She told Puppy Number 5 that she was an extra
special puppy with very special running and jumping and tumbling-head-over-tail
skills and that it would take a very special home to properly care for her. It couldn’t be just any family; it had to be
an extra special one.
So Puppy Number 5 continued to run and jump and
tumble-head-over-tail while she waited for that extra special family her very
nice Mother had said God promised.
One day, right before Christmas, a very nice man came to see
Puppy Number 5. He got on the floor and held
her. But she jumped out of his lap and ran and jumped and
tumbled-head-over-tail. The very nice man smiled. He even began to laugh. She made him very happy. And his laughter made her very happy. And she ran and jumped and
tumbled-head-over-tail some more.
Then Puppy Number 5’s very nice Mother gave her an extra
special lick and told her that her extra special family had come to take her
home. And so they had. The very nice man told Puppy Number 5 that
she would be the perfect Christmas gift for his very nice wife.
And she was. His very
nice wife loved that she ran and jumped and tumbled-head-over-tail. And she, just like her very nice husband, smiled
and laughed and ran and jumped and tumbled-head-over-tail with her. And they
both hugged and smiled and said “Merry Christmas!” and then they began to call
Puppy Number 5, "Lily".
Puppy Number 5 loved her new name. The very nice wife explained that Lily meant
graceful, beautiful, loyal, and
smart and that it suited her perfectly.
Lily thought so too and she ran and jumped and tumbled-head-over-tail –
very gracefully.
Lily thought about her very nice Mother, who she loved very
much, and knew that she was right. This
was an extra special family that God had chosen for her and she loved her new
family more than anything else in the world. So she ran and jumped and
tumbled-head-over-tail some more.
Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Morning Coffee ~ Making Plans
In my Advent devotion of today, Max Lucado wrote “Joseph….made
the big decision of discipleship. He
placed God’s plan ahead of his own.”
This is IT!
Discipleship in 8 words or less: place God’s plan ahead of my own. In theory it sounds so easy. Simply rearrange my plans so that God’s are
first on my list. The rest will then
fall into place.
But there’s the rub; what are my plans? Do I even
have a list of plans? That would assume
that I’ve have actually decided where I am headed and have sealed it in ink.
However that is so
not where I am right now – but not for lack of trying. I want plans.
I want big plans. I want my life
to have direction and meaning and purpose.
And this desire consumes my days.
It’s the first thing I think when I awake in the morning and it’s the
last thought on my mind when I finally fall asleep. What should I be doing? And I run from pillar to post seeking an
answer.
But maybe that’s the real problem. I am working too hard at
seeking my own plan. Maybe the answer is
as simple as these words indicate: place
God’s plan ahead - ahead of all things. Simply
place God at the beginning of each day and at the end of each day. Then - and only then - will His
plan for me be made clear.
Time to warm my cup and as I bring my day into better focus.
Merry Christmas!
Time to warm my cup and as I bring my day into better focus.
Merry Christmas!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Morning Coffee - Hey You of Little Faith
Yesterday I made a monumental decision – probably only monumental
for me because I am such a big chicken.
I rarely take risks, preferring instead the safe and less challenging
paths in life. So my big decision is
this: I will drive – by myself – the 600
miles of road between here and Indianapolis to see my friend, Audrey. I know, no big deal to many most people, but to
me this is huge! So many uncertainties;
so many unknowns; my mind reels with them.
In fact they got the better of me during the night and when
I woke up this morning, the trip was off.
What on earth was I thinking to think this was doable for me? Then I began my devotional time. Doesn’t God work in wonderful ways? These are the bible verses that accompanied
my readings for today:
Be not afraid, only believe. Mark 5:366 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life. Luke 12:25O you of little faith. Luke 12:28
Ok – I get the message. Time for one more cup of coffee before I
begin to pack!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Morning Coffee - Refilling my Cup Again
I have not blogged in 9 months. And my life reflects it. I find I have silently slipped away from a
discipline that kept me grounded in God – and it is becoming very evident in my
daily thoughts and moods. I have become
spiritually lazy.
My blogging was something that kept me in tune with His
direction, strong in my faith and at peace in my daily life – no matter the ups
and downs. But things this important don’t
come easily; they take work - intentional and disciplined work.
So for that reason I need shake off my doldrums and return
to the discipline of putting myself right with God at the beginning of each
day. Only then will I be able to follow
His incredible lead.
I believe I will
have a second cup as I work once again to seek direction for the day ahead.
1 Peter 2:1-3
Therefore,
rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of
every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,
so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
Friday, February 3, 2012
Morning Coffee - The Gift Before Me
How ridiculous to grasp for future gifts when today’s is set before you! Receive today’s gift gratefully, unwrapping it tenderly and delving into its depths.Sarah YoungJesus Calling
When we give a gift, we rarely just toss it in a plastic grocery bag and hand it over. No, we most often carefully choose the gift and its wrapping with the intent to create a very special experience between us and our recipient. We want our friend to reach out and excitedly choose to open our gift. We want them to carefully untie the ribbon and gently – without tearing – remove the paper or tissue, fully experiencing every moment with building anticipation. After all, we chose this gift especially for them!
Let me do the same with God’s gift of today. Choose it, savor it, and experience it – from beginning to end. Enjoy the outer wrapping and the inner wrapping and the hand-picked treasure inside. After all, He chose this gift especially for me!
I believe I’ll enjoy a second cup of coffee while I take in the gift He has set before me.
~~~
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
February Focus - Beanie Knitting
February Knitting Challenge
for Kindred Bloggers
Use your crafting talent to help kids deal with their cancer by making fun beanies and totes.
Craft Hope - {spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time}
From the Craft Hope Website:
So are you ready?!? For Project 16 :: The Littlest Warriors, we will be collecting handmade beanies and bags for kids like Pierce who are fighting cancer. Pierce’s mom, Melanie, has graciously volunteered to collect and distribute the items to the kids who need them most.
Here are the details:
We need BEANIES (hats) for babies through teenagers. All noggin sizes. They can be knit, crochet, fabric. You name it. They can be embellished with flowers and bows. But don’t forget about the boys. They need hats too. It’s very difficult to find adorable hats and we think this community is the best place to get them. There are a hundred and one patterns online for beanies/hats. If you have one you’d like to share post it in the comments and I’ll put up a post to share with everyone.
And…
We need BAGS for the kids to take with them to the hospital. They can be simple tote bag style or whatever suits your fancy. And if you are so inclined fill them up with goodies for the kids. Some ideas are books, puzzles, crayons, coloring books. The opportunities are endless.
As with any Craft Hope project, don’t get lost in the details. Make a bag or a beanie. Make twenty. Get a group together and make bags and/or beanies. It’s totally up to you!
Melanie lives up in Minnesota and will be distributing the beanies and bags to the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the Miracles of Mitch Foundation, and the Ronald McDonald House.
Please mail the beanies and bags to:
Melanie Bimson
16026 Temple Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55345
Time to pour another cup of coffee and get started on my beanie knitting!
~~~
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Morning Coffee - Jumbled Pieces
“When My Presence is the focal point of your consciousness, all the pieces of your life fall into place.”
Sarah Young – Jesus Calling
When I read this I thought of a jig-saw puzzle and how we try to make sense of the 1,000 little pieces heaped in a jumble on the table. The first thing we look at is The Box. We need The Box to show us where we are headed; to tell us what the various colors and patterns of the individual pieces mean and where they fit into the whole. The only way to see the result of those jumbled pieces is to keep that Box close and let it be our guide. Without it we are lost.
And so it is with my life.
Time to pour a second cup of coffee and make sure My Box is close by so that I can better see the purpose and direction of the jumbled pieces of my life.
~~~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)