FOCUSING ON THE LORD!!

         When I was driving out to the NW in October, '12, I had taken many, many photos and this one was special to and for me.  I'll put a couple others, too, with the Word of God.  Then, officially, I put my poem on this about 6 months later when I was home.   Anyhow, since I can't read well, write well, speak well, all I can do is share that right now.  AND I'm singing my song day-by-day, night-by-night with the words re: worshiping, glorifying, praising, honoring, and praying.

                                       
                                            THE WORD...

FOCUSING ON THE LORD RE: EARTH AND HEAVEN!

THAT'S WHAT I COUNT ON!  FOREVER AND EVER!! AMEN!!!!
IN THE PAST 45 YEARS, WHEN DRIVING AND SEEING AND REJOICING AND FILLED WITH UNDERSTANDING OF THE LORD,  I'VE LOVED TO SEE THE SKY, THE CLOUDS, THE TREES, THE ROCKS, THE ANIMALS, THE CHURCHES, AND THE WONDERFUL PORTIONS OF THE LORD ALL AROUND OUR NATION AND OTHER NATIONS WHEN BEING THERE.  I'M A SMILER AND A REJOICER!  

FOCUSING ON THE LORD CONSISTENTLY IS WHAT I MUST DO NOW, SINCE I CAN'T DRIVE ANY MORE,  AND IN THIS PROCESS MY BRAIN AND BODY ARE THINKING AND THINKING MORE AND MORE OF HEAVEN.

BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOURS.

HE'S OUR LOVELY ROCK!!!

YES!  HE'S MY ROCK!!!

I TRUST HIM, MOMENT-BY-MOMENT,

DAY-BY-DAY.

AND I ALWAYS THINK OF THAT ROCK AND,

WHEN IN THE SECTION OF WASHINGTON

HE IS MY ROCK THERE, TOO.

AND HERE, IN OUR OMAHA AREA,

WE HAVE ROCKS IN OUR YARD

 [AND WHEN SEEING PARKS

OR GOING TO THE ZOO].

YES, OUR LORD IS OUR ROCK!!!

GOD IS THE ROCK!!

I'M A ROCK ADDICT!

WHY?  BECAUSE GOD IS THE ROCK!!!

I COUNT ON HIM, MOMENT-BY-MOMENT, FOREVER.

AND EVERY TIME I SEE SOME SPECIAL ROCKS,

EVEN MANY OF THEM IN MY HOUSE AND MY YARD--

MANY FROM VARIOUS PORTIONS OF THE U.S.,

AND SOME FROM UGANDA, MOROCCO, ENGLAND,

AND COSTA RICA--

ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE AND REJOICE

RE: THE PEOPLE WE WERE CONNECTED TO

IN THOSE PLACES AND HOW WE ENDED UP WITH ROCKS...

SMALL OR BIG.

ANYHOW, THE LORD IS MY/OUR ROCK!!!

GOD'S TRUTHFUL ROCK!!

TRUSTING HIM IS ALL THAT COUNTS!

WHEN I SEE THE ROCKS IN MY YARD

OR AROUND THE NATION

OR AROUND THE WORLD...

I ALWAYS THINK OF HIM AND TRUST TIME!

[AND I DEFINITELY HAVE ROCKS FROM WASHINGTON, OREGON, COLORADO, UTAH, MONTANA, MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN, AND MICHIGAN.  THEN, I HAVE A FEW FROM UGANDA, COSTA RICA, MOROCCO, AND ENGLAND.  SOME ARE INSIDE OUR HOUSE...ESPECIALLY SOME OF THE SMALL ONES... AND OUTSIDE OUR HOUSE.  I HAVE A FEW OF THEM IN MY BEDROOM JUST BY MY MIRRORS ON THE DRESSER.  ONE IS FROM A SPECIAL PLACE IN UGANDA... A "GOLD" ONE FROM SEVERAL MILES OUTSIDE OF KAMPALA UP A HILL FROM WHERE OUR HOUSE WAS... AND ONE FROM BAUDETTE, MN, BECAUSE IT REALLY TOUCHED MY HEART AS LOOKING AT IT AND SEEING CANADA RIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER.  SO, YES, I'M A ROCK ADDICT.  WHEN I'M IN HEAVEN, I TRULY HOPE THE LORD WILL LET ME HAVE SOME FROM OUR WORLD, THE UNIVERSES, OR "ROCKS" IN AN ANGEL AREA.  WHO KNOWS?  MAKES ME SMILE.  I'VE BEEN A ROCKY GAL SINCE I WAS BECOMING 5 YEARS OLD IN VANCOUVER, WA,

 AND NOW I'LL BE 70 IN ABOUT A MONTH...HAVE CONTINUED TO LOVE ROCKS... AND PART OF THE REASON IS BECAUSE, WHEN READING THE BIBLE, ROCKS HAVE BEEN PART OF GOD'S SHARING PIECES.

 BTW, ST. JOHN'S WAY EVEN WITH THE REVELATION GROUP.  

CAN'T NOT LOOK FORWARD TO ROCKS.]

FILLED WITH A ROCKY REJOICE!

WHEN I SEE THE ROCKS, SMALL OR LARGE, 

AROUND AND ABOUT THE WORLD, 

I ALWAYS AM SMILING, TOUCHING, 

GRABBING, AND THINKING OF JESUS

 AS OUR/MY "ROCKY SAVIOR".

MOUNT RAINIER, TACOMA, WA.

MONTANA

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

BRYCE CANYON, UTAH

OUR YARD

DEEPEST SECRETS

HE SPLIT OPEN THE ROCKS..

HE IS OUR MIGHTY ROCK

WHAT I TRUST,

WHO I TRUST.

BECAUSE I CONSTANTLY NEED THAT REFRESHMENT.

[AND, I LOVE ROCKS!]

QUARRY AND ROCK AND ME

FANCY?  NO!!!

TRUTHFUL?  YES!!!

 AND YOU AND I PURSUING RIGHTEOUSNESS,

SEEKING THE LORD?  

ANOTHER "YES!!!"

MY ROCKY DAY THEN... AND HEART-ROCKY DAY NOW

I wrote this after the 9/11 episode.  When a few weeks later I was filled with depression, Dave sent me to he North Shore of Superior so I could seek heart-healing.  I wrote a lot while there, some serious, some historical, some humorous.  Two of the poems were funny.  This is one of them.  And this is truly "me". 

 

I have many-hundred rocks in my not-large yard.  From everyplace in the country or around the world where I've visited or lived.   And I never stop smiling at, or grabbing, rocks.  In fact, I have a few in my car this time from Wyoming on the way here to the NW.  Expect to grab some more here, especially from the Oregon coast, because I don't anticipate ever returning.  

 

 Go home without rocks?  I don't think it's possible to NOT

add beauty to my house and yard and heart.

 

Today I feel very serious about a lot that has happened. Family and social issues.  Rejoicing and heartbroken.  Extremely back and forth. 

Decided to share this with you, because it's filled

with truth and joy and shows my funny side. 

Most people don't see that side of me often enough!

 

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



THE ROCKS

Tettagouche State Park, Minnesota

Scripture says, “the rocks ... cry out” --

(My out-of-context translation)

And they did.

[They really did!]

 

I planned to not take some home.

(That is what I planned!)

 

But they would have none of it.

 

They shouted to me

to rescue them -- take them away --

away from battering waves and

freezing blasts of wind --

 

Shouted with colors

and sparkles

and barnacle-patterned mouths.

 

And I !!stopped!! --

 just for a moment --just for a short glance.

 

And they grabbed me --

my heart, my soul, my arm --

and forced me to pick them up --

until they over-flowed,

first hand-- and then pocket,

and finally made a temporary lodging

pouched in my over-sized sweatshirt.

 

[Taking me to the shore and saying “no rocks” --is akin to taking a

three-year-old

to a penny-candy store and saying,“We’re only looking.”]

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

For some reason the spaces, colors, division, isn't occurring in reality.  Sorry.

 

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.

JODY AND I

I'm choosing this color, because both Jody and I like it.

Saturday, the 27th, we met in a parking lot northeast of Tacoma.  I climbed in her car and she took me to lunch and we went to a thrift shop [YEA!  Both of us found neat items we needed and practically free].  Then we went to a garden nursery center.  During those hours we talked and talked and yammered and yammered.  What a treat!  And at the nursery beautiful flowers and trees.

Then life occurred in huge blessings.  She took me to her home, introduced me to her husband, and their kindness became overwhelming.  A lovely dinner, hours of sharing about the Lord's grace and mercy and healing power.  I was filled with "HALLELUJAH!" again. 

On Sunday, we went to church. I loved it. The members have a real strong heart for missions.  They are focusing on giving to local and distant needs for food and spiritual gifts.

Worship???  Oh, it was amazing.  The men have been on a retreat, so the team needed to adjust a bit, I guess.  But the music, worshiping and praising filled my heart to overflowing.

And then the pastor, Jody's brother, said there was a guest speaker.  He was introduced clearly and my heart immediately exploded.  Jim Hayford, the brother of Jack Hayford, was a friend of the church.

He had been a pastor in Seattle for 25 years and had retired.  If I'm remembering correctly, he hadn't been speaking at this church for a year.  And I had the gift of being there that very moment.  It was a very straight and very mind-and-heart-filling message.

Before we left for her house to have lunch, we had our photo taken.  I had fallen in love with Jody and Bill.  We'll be friends and family forever.

 After lunch, talking more and more, it was time to leave.  Bill said we needed to pray -- mostly for me and my safety and health -- and it was wonderful.  Jody had prayed for me very intensely a couple other times.  This "retreat" at their house was filled with praise, prayer, and godly promotion.

Now a couple funny bits:  Jody's name was the same as mine.  I was Joanne Lee [maiden name] and she was Joanna Lee [middle name].  I've never experienced that in my whole life.  Just had to to chuckle more and more.  AND we are both rock addicts.  I was overwhelmingly blessed to see what was in her yard.  OOO-OOO-OOO!!!  [And one small one:  Bill is one day older than I am.  Never run into someone like that, either.  What a laugh.]

Before I left, I took more photos of and from their yard.

 

This was one of the most "loverly" days I've ever spent.  Being drawn to the Lord, over and over, and prayed for over and over.  And resting.  Absolutely necessary, because of the stress I'd felt for several days.  How kind of our Lord and His servants' hearts.
 

THE ORPHAN ROCK

   

 It looked forlorn
    at road’s edge –
Cut off from its
    fellowship at the cliff.

My heart reached out –
    wanted to shelter it –
        to take it home--

    to make new friends...

   However,
    We have a car –
   not a van
       nor a truck.

There’s no room in the inn.

The dear one
 -- heavy sigh -- 
must remain an orphan.

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

I wrote this while Dave and I were enjoying a trip in 2002 along the North Shore of Lake Superior.  So many lovely rocks, so many colorful flowery and tree locations.  YES, we have brought lots of rocks home in our trunk, but sometimes the lovely, glorious ones were too big, too heavy.  I'm just blessed over and over that the Lord allows us to travel and see such beauty.  With all of life's intense times of serving the Lord and pouring His love into others, we sometimes need a break.  That area is a true filler-upper of peace and joy and rest.  [And, for me, rocks.]