Contemplating Life

 Yesterday was Thanksgiving, but in honesty every day is thanksgiving for me. I have so much that I am thankful for. I took a break from cooking at one point yesterday morning and went for a walk alone. It is sometimes good that we live in the country, because I was in the mood to sing, and well....I don't sing all that well. I was walking down our road, belting out an old song from years ago "We've Got So Much To Be Thankful For.". My heart was overflowing with thanksgiving, and at some points I was laughing as I walked at how horribly out of key I was. Anyone watching might have thought I was holiday drunk. :) I could write a book about what I am thankful for, but I think that what rose to the top yesterday was Jesus. I am so thankful for Him, and I am doubly grateful for where He has brought me this past year. A lot of lifetime brokenness in me has been healed and transformed. He really has renewed my heart and mind so fully in certain areas. I see life differently

 I have been reading through 1 Peter for a while. To be honest, I am still only on chapter 2. I have been reading it over and over, mining all the gold that is there: who I am in Christ, Who Christ is to me, how I need to live in accordance with who I am in Christ.....so much there for my spirit to embrace and feed on. I read Chapter 2 out loud to my husband this morning and I could feel my spirit dancing within as I read. (Maybe that sounds corny, but the joy rises up - as does the conviction!) This morning's poem came out of the joy of reading what Peter has to say. ******************************** Anchored I look around at the chaos And my heart senses the despair, But in the midst of it all my anchor holds Because I know that You are there. I live with great expectation Knowing this life is just a start To who I am and what I will be As part of Jesus’ heart. So though sorrow is sometimes a blanket And I grieve over hearts grown cold I stand my ground and pr

  Fire In The Belly There’s a fire in my belly That I cannot contain. There’s a fire in my belly With the constant refrain That “Jesus Christ is Lord!” No matter the chaos No matter the lies My heart holds fast There can be no compromise Because “Jesus Christ is Lord!” There’s a fire in my belly That has set loose my tongue Declaring His praises - My songs just begun That “Jesus Christ is Lord!” I’m finding peace in this chaos Hope in the confusion Joy in the sorrow Since my one true conviction Is that “Jesus Christ is Lord!” This life in the flesh Is just a blip on the horizon And on that glorious day All creation will bow in prostration Declaring “JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!” ©

  I have always loved to write. When I was in junior high and high school I thought I wanted to go into journalism. I remember going to a journalism camp in the eighth grade, and I especially remember how they reiterated loudly that “good journalism is never based on opinion – it must be verified by a number of factual sources.” Wow…..I am not sure that they teach that any more. Watching and listening carefully to what is going on in the world these past few years, I have been shocked by how often opinion is reported as fact. So many times what has been reported as certainty has later been disproved – it was either one person’s opinion or even a totally made up story. However, another thing that has shocked me is how quickly people have believed the media so fully that, later when something is disproved, they still hold fast to the initial lie. Sometimes I really do not understand the things people do. Maybe we are such a stubborn creation that once we have made up our minds, we do

   [I wish I could have gotten a photo to use instead of clipart, but the encounter I had this morning was too intense and too quick for a photo opportunity.] My husband and I live in the country, and in the early hours this morning I was on my way to town for groceries. Heading down one of our dirt roads, my space was suddenly invaded by the most gorgeous buck imaginable. He was HUGE! The muscles in his shoulders as he ran, the sun shining off the rack on his head – this guy was an Adonis! He came out of nowhere, running full tilt, and for some reason he was thinking that we needed to share the same space. Fortunately, I was paying attention. I wasn't going fast; I was able to break and swerve; he swerved a little also; and both of us left the scene without a scratch. Thank you, Jesus! Living in the country, my husband and I know to watch carefully for deer at dawn and dusk. We pass numerous water sources and tree rows in our trips to town, so an encounter is always pending. This