PSALM 34... VERY IMPORTANT TO AND FOR ME!!

The Lord laid this very strongly on me this morning.  I couldn't go to churches, b/c I can't drive any more and I usually go to two of them on the same morning.  He told me to read Psalm 34.  I have read it for many years, and a couple of the verses in it have been very important to me.  Not on this picture, but especially back in May, '84, He laid it strongly on me:

Depart from evil and do good;

seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue

(go after) it!

Ps. 34:14

When the Lord dropped Ps. 34:11 on me especially back in Sept. 2, '07, I was driving from the Northwest to my place in Omaha, at least 1800 miles.  This verse was heavily on me since my kids and grandkids were having family situations that were serious.  Well, I've never forgotten, that, while on a phone in my car that one of the family guys had called and was filled with sorrowfulness, I had someone take a picture of me at a special strong river area in Idaho.  So here's a "me", who smiles, even though that verse has never left me when thinking of where and when it grabbed at me.

 

Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you to revere and

worshipfully fear the Lord. 

Ps. 34:11

PRAISE THE LORD!!

      Way back in April, 1984, when I was going to have to deal with divorce, which I had never anticipated since when married Christmas Eve, '68, all I could trust was the Lord re: the situation. Very serious, to say the least.  During that time, living in the Bible one way or another many years, then, during the divorce time, I strongly was placed in that portion of  the Psalms and this verse broke in then. 

 It was a blessing for me.  

      NOW, as my age and body issues have increased with seriousness,  I've truly, day-by-day and night-by-night, been a worshiper and praiser for my Heavenly Father.   I've also been sharing Him around to many when I'm driving or walking.  I'm truly telling people about the Lord.  Sometimes... nearly every day for the past 5 months... He has me walk nearby in my neighborhood area or drive about 20 miles in the Omaha local area or a total of 100 miles around and about towns outside of the Omaha area,  and it is clearly shown that the Lord is the King and the only One to be accepted and worshiped strongly.  

That's what counts with and for me... and for everyone else.

PRAISING THE LORD!

THIS GRABBED MY HEART TODAY!

PRAISING OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS ALL WE CAN DO,

FOREVER AND EVER.

AND, THEN, A PHOTO OF ME FEEDING

ONE SIMILAR TO THIS.  WORTH A SMILE!

 

 

HIS GLORIES AND GRACE!

I'VE SHARED THIS PHOTO WITH THE WORD BEFORE,

 AND DOING IT AGAIN TODAY,

BECAUSE THE TRUTHFULNESS OF IT

HAS GRABBED MY HEART.

PRAISING HIM THANKFULLY IS

ALL I/WE CAN EVER DO

WHEN HERE IN THE WORLD,

OR WHEN IN HEAVEN.

A GOD GIFT TO ME...AND BLESSING OTHERS

DURING MARCH, 2012, IT WAS A REAL GOD-GIFT TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE MY BHUTANESE FRIENDS FROM OMAHA TO ST. LOUIS SO SEVERAL OF THEM COULD VISIT THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO HAD BEEN THERE SINCE THEIR ARRIVAL FROM NEPAL.  IT HAD BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE THEY HAD SEEN EACH OTHER. 

THEY LAUGHED, THEY CRIED.  

THEY ALL GREATLY APPRECIATED THE FACT THAT I WAS ABLE TO CONNECT THEM, GIVE THEM A DAY TO VISIT, 

AND TAKE THE OMAHA FAMILY HOME.

FOR THEM IT WAS A GOD-GIFT.  FOR ME IT WAS A HUGE GOD-GIFT, BECAUSE MY WORLD HAD CHANGED OVER AND OVER AGAIN SINCE I HAD BEEN A TOUGH COOKIE AS A KID AND A YOUNG PERSON.   EVEN AFTER HE BROKE INTO MY LIFE IT TOOK SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO FOCUS ON HIM REGULARLY.

NOW HE HAS BLESSED ME BIG TIME AND HAS LET ME BE A BLESSING.  THAT IS A BLESSING, TOO. 

 I'M A VERY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATIVE LADY.

 

YES, I WILL PRAISE HIM...

APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS AGO, I UNDERLINED AND PUT THE DATE AS MAY, 1984, IN MY BIBLE.  AT THAT TIME, FOR SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE AND AFTER MAY, I WAS IN A VERY SAD-FILLED PORTION OF LIFE.  I AGREED WITH THE WORD THAT I WOULD FOCUS ON HIS GLORIES AND GRACE AND NOT ACCUSE OR REFUSE HIM IN ANY WAY.

HE TRULY IS ALL THAT COUNTS ON ME

 FOREVER AND EVER.

[YES, I LOVE MANY PEOPLE; YES, I ENJOY THEM IN MY LIFE.  

BUT MY LORD IS THE ONE I WILL LOVE AND ENJOY FOREVER. 

I TRULY LOOK FORWARD TO BEING WITH HIM.]

GRACE AND PEACE

TRUE GRACE AND PEACE ARE ONLY FROM

OUR FATHER AND OUR LORD JESUS.

[WHEN GRACE AND PEACE HAVE TOUCHED OTHER HEARTS, 

AND WE'VE STUCK TOGETHER WITH HIM, 

GRACE AND PEACE HAVE STAYED IN OUR LIVES. 

 THAT IS A BLESSING.]

SPEAK GLORIES AND GRACE

IF EVERYTHING ELSE CREATED DOES,

SHOULDN'T WE? 

ALWAYS... REGULARLY... FOREVER!!

GRACE AND PEACE TO COME

ANOTHER "COUNTING ON IT FOREVER" MOMENT.

HIS KINDNESS AND GRACE

The Lord poured His kindness and grace upon me ...

a "tough cookie" since early childhood ...

and, even as difficult as it was in my family,
 for one reason or another,

 I wanted to be helping and protecting people.  

I wasn't very nice, in general,
but truly did have a heart to protect others.

Then... Uganda touched my heart, opened my heart, has kept my heart filled with desire to share His kindness and grace.  

No matter where, no matter when, no matter how.

[Am I perfect?  Never in sin? Consistent?  NO!!!  
But HE. IS. CONSISTENT!!  And He helps me, taps me, prods me
 to keep moving on as He calls me to serve Him.
No, ain't perfect, but I am a very "grateful cookie" 
instead of a"tough" one.]

TODAY'S JOY...WORSHIP...PRAISE

Physically, I'm struggling today.  Tiredness, dizziness, etc.  Tomorrow I have to hit the road to Portland area... not far from here ... and a couple days after that I truly begin to hit my way home, but won't be there until next Sunday night, at the earliest, because I'll be stopping a couple places in eastern Oregon to teach a couple blog-friends about a particular form of spiritual warfare. 

HOWEVER, I wrote this poem even before I came to the Lord.  I was about 19 years old; wrote it in Seattle.  How can I NOT share it today when I know my struggles are held in the Hand of my Dear Father Who loves me.  Nothing/NOONE else counts.

Oh, and today's Word that struck me is Nehemiah 8:10, The joy of the Lord is my strength.  And this poem has "joy" in it.


HIS HAND... HIS LOVE

He gave me His hand and led me
Across stream,
and River,
and Mountain.

He gave me His Spirit to draw me To the Wonderful
sin-cleansing
fountain.

He gave me His Grace and Compassion
His Joy, His Righteousness, too.

He gave me His Love and Mercy
And created a life wholly new.

He gave -- I received --
........Eternal Peace. He gave -- I received --
.............Love never to cease.

HIS GLORIES AND GRACE -- PS. 34:1

MY TEACHING, PREACHING SHARING THROUGH HIS WORD.

... HIS GLORIES AND GRACE.

PSALM 34:1 ... HIS GLORIES AND GRACE

Our "walls" can break, 

bits and pieces can drop on us,

 may hurt or ruin us ...

BUT our Father is worthy of our praise... 

constantly,

 forever and ever.

DARKNESS TO LIGHT ... JOHN 12:46

If it hadn't been for Him, His Grace, His "Giveness"... I would still be wandering in the dark, not just dusky, but blackness.  Now, I'm blessed with seeing light in the world through the Light of His eyes.
  ================
After picking up people from the airport in Omaha and going back and forth from there to the Jumping Tandem Retreat center, I finally finished about 12:45 this morning.  So many planes were rescheduled, cancelled, etc., because of the weather issues, etc.  Much changed.  I'm a bit of a tired cookie today, but Sandra Heska King, Deidra Riggs, Jennifer Dukes Lee, Dan King, Shelly Miller and on and on, are a real treat to have seen, listened to, hugged, and enjoyed.  Gotta rest for a couple hours this afternoon.  And meeting people from many places in our country.  My roommate is from Canada.  

 

I REJOICE! ... PS. 85:11

Why did I rewrite His Word?  Because this Word today

hit my heart and reminded me of His goodness 

and kindness to and for me.

Hope this will remind you that He does it for you, also,

moment-by-moment,

with His very loving heart for all of His followers.

PSALM 84:11 -- LIGHT, PROTECTION, GRACE, GLORY

MARY MAGDALENE - SCENE 9

"Mary."  It was whispered so quietly she barely heard. She crept silently to the window and spoke to the shadow outside.  "Yes, Naomi, I'm coming."  She wrapped her heavy robe about her, pulled her hair back tightly and bound it, then covered it with a dark shawl.  Her swollen, red-rimmed eyes and streaked, shadowed face revealed the grief ebbing and flowing in her heart.

She and her friends were going to Jesus' grave to complete the burial rites begun, but not completed, after the crucifixion.  She dreaded the chore.  Seeing His bruised, torn body would be heart-wrenching.  But a worse thought, and one that impelled her to this morning's task, was that Jesus might be left untended if she didn't go.

As she stepped into the early morning darkness, Naomi took Mary's arm.  "His mother isn't coming.  She said to tell you she trusts you to see this through.  She can't bear to see him just now.  She'll come later--when we've finished--and say her farewells.

Mary nodded.  She certainly understood.  If this was hard for her, his friend, how much more difficult for his mother.

A few small groups of women followed Mary and Naomi along the road to Joseph's garden carrying cloths, spices, and other burial elements.  As the sun rose over the horizon, the eastern sky showed streaks of rose and pale pink.  The trees bordering the road were a nearly luminous shade of green in the light of dawn..  All creation glowed in its beauty, a striking contrast to the bleak hearts in the little procession.

"What about the soldiers?"  The question surfaced and then hung in the air.  The women paused and looked at each other in consternation.  

"What about the stone? ... How are we to move it?"

No men had come and the Romans couldn't be expected to accommodate the women.

Suddenly the air was full of questions.  Admittedly they should have been asked and resolved earlier.  But, in their grief, they simply hadn't thought of these details.

Mary felt an irritation growing.  Her old bravado surfaced.  With an edge of rebelliousness to her words she said, I don't know how it will work, but I promise you, they won't stop us. Now, let's go.  And spurred on by Mary's determination, the women walked resolutely toward the garden.

   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After the Resurrection of her Lord Jesus, she told this story so many times.  She was a garden care-giver where he had been buried and had risen, and when people came through, she shared her story so they would be filled with encouragement.

“I still smile when I remember that Resurrection day.  Of course, at the time, when first seeing him, I was terrified, but I truly can't believe I didn't know who he was.  At the very least I should have recognized the love and acceptance in his eyes ... that had drawn me to him when he had touched my life... and since then it has never changed.

“So I come here.  To rest and to remember.  To share my story, my life with him.

“In our world, pain and suffering surround us.  People are dying – often on the INside.  Not because they want to, but, just as I was, before the Lord Jesus came into my life, they simply don't know how to live.

“I still hurt, for myself and for others.  I still question.  But I can never doubt.  No matter how black the night in my soul or looming the problems, or large the ghosts that confront me, I know that I know that I know that God loves ME.  And that one shaft of light will always cut through the darkness that occasionally surrounds me – and comfort me and bring me out on the other side of my pain, of my sorrow – to wholeness, to joy and to life.”

And, sharing, she always ended with a smile and her arms lifted up to the Lord, and saying,

“Thank you for your crucifixion for our sins .. and for your resurrection.  Oh, my Lord Jesus, thank you.”

II TIMOTHY 3:16 ... CLOUDS...

While driving to a mall, turning onto another main street, I saw so many clouds just like this, I immediately pulled off the road into a Catholic parking lot.  Cold as it was outside, and windy, I could not just sit in the car and look out the window.  I popped out, ran around the lot and took several photos.  Always thought of just this... God was breathing, it was being shown to us.   We can count on Him to breathe through, for, over, us with His Word, His Spirit, His Protection, His Grace, His Power, His LOVE.

Who else ... what else ... can count??

PSALM 112:4

LIGHT ARISES IN THE DARKNESS

FOR THE 

UPRIGHT, GRACIOUS, COMPASSIONATE

AND JUST --

   WHO ARE IN RIGHT STANDING

WITH GOD.

=============

When we are overwhelmed by the "darkness" of our problems and life's challenges, He will provide the "light" and "dawn".

==============

In my Bible, I wrote this next to the Psalm nearly 6 years ago when life had become overwhelmingly stressful

 and filled with sorrow and sadness. 

 And, through His care, He poured healing on my spirit

and returned me

to both light and the joy of dawn. 
=====================
 

HIS HAND... HIS LOVE

He gave me His hand and led me

Across stream,
and River,
and Mountain.


He gave me His Spirit to draw me
To the Wonderful
sin-cleansing
fountain.


He gave me His Grace and Compassion
His Joy, His Righteousness, too.


He gave me His Love and Mercy
And created a life wholly new.


He gave -- I received --
........Eternal Peace.
He gave -- I received --
.............Love never to cease.