UPDATES!

Hi, everyone! It's been forever since I have been on here blogging, but today is the day!  I have missed my blog, and my audience! Hope you have missed me too!

I wanted to let you know what's been going on with me.  I am happy to announce to you that I am now writing regularly for a Christian site called The Bottom Line.  I have added links to the main site, and to the sister and brother sites, The Bottom Line Ministries, and Bible About.  Both of the later sites are linked to www.thebottomline.co.  Since I am writing for them at least 3 times a week, I wanted to make it easy for you to hop over there to take a look at my writing, as well as the other very talented sisters and brothers of mine.  We are a family of Christian writers, and I so enjoy them! Our leader is very talented and creative, and has given me so much opportunity.  I just feel blessed to my toes!

So when you get a chance, go ahead and hop, and tell your friends about those sites as well. We are currently being read all over the world, and we are so very happy that not only are we reaching Christians with encouragement and love, but we are also sharing in ways that non-believers are able to understand and seek out more information.

I will be posting more regularly on this site as well, so watch for me. Please! I will not disappear again, if I can help it!  I have been very busy this past year, and have also had a few health issues, which I am happy to say God has nearly eradicated.  He is my blessing, and I wish to be a blessing to Him as well, which is why I continue to write.

My mission trip to Ecuador was a great success, and I will be putting some of those pictures up for you to see.  My heart was won by the orphans we ministered to, and I wished I could bring them all back home with me, but 40 kids and 3 dogs...no!

We will be going back next year, as our church has committed to a long term relationship with Word of Life Ministries in Ecuador.  Another blessing!

So hop on board with me here, and with my Facebook page, and don't forget to do some more hopping over to The Bottom Line sites.  I think you will be glad you hopped!

                                   My sweet friend Brinkley with me at the Remar Orphanage

Blessings!

God Made Mondays Too!

Today is Monday. It has been Monday all day long. Go figure.

It's not that I have a problem with Mondays. It's not that I don't like them. I certainly don't dread them. Mondays can be very good things.

Mondays can signify a new beginning. You show up at work, and look at it with refreshed, more imaginative eyes. Or if you are working at home, you may look at that pile of weekend laundry as something to dispose of quickly, immediately, right now, which is a very good thing indeed!

Mondays can also be getting back together with your co-workers and friends, or with your coffee clatches, or with people at your child's school. Whatever you may do during your week, which you do not do on the weekend, is new again come Monday. New chances, new adventures, new escapes.

OK, there's a brief synopsis of the good things about Mondays. Now let's look at the other side of that coin.

Monday can signal having to go back into the politics, stress, busyness that we appreciate escaping from on the weekend. Again, if you are home, it may mean that you have an empty nest (great reason to get a dog!). Or it may signify meetings, appointments, commitments we make to others to do what needs to be done in any situation, for anybody important to us, or not. We may worry about paying the bills, making dinner, making sure the hubby and the kids have clean clothes for the week. We may also worry about phone calls from bill collectors, or mail that brings bad news. We may just wish it was Friday. The latter part of Friday.

Now, today was not a 'terrible' Monday for me. We were to get an ice storm, again, last night, which would mean fighting the steps just to get out of my house. That didn't happen. And work was great, lots of smiles and a good feeling in the office. My only issue was that there is construction going on one floor below my office, and it sounded like a jackhammer right in my face! A bit of a headache, but I made it through...somehow! Of course, I have to also think about the positive outcome the construction will make for our company. OK, so a jackhammer can be a good thing!

When I reflect on these differing things about Mondays, I also must reflect on the one thing that may make a difference in how we feel about them. Monday is one day, and it is still the day the Lord has made. It may be Wednesday, but it still feels like Monday, good or bad. He has made it all the same. And if it is something the Lord has made, then it just has to be a good thing.

So stop, think about what the day means to you, to your family, your friends. Think about how fortunate we are to have this day. And every day. We get a chance to start over, to be refreshed, to have that second chance we all need every once in a while (some more than most!), and to make a difference for the Kingdom. See Monday through new eyes, eyes that have seen the glory of the LORD!

Blessings!

'This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.'
Psalm 118:24

it's a Lovely Day

God makes us a lot of promises all throughout His written Word. And because He cannot lie, He takes every promise very seriously.

Because He is God, and we are His people, it is His wish to bless. And today I am giving Him praise, because I am alive, I can see, walk, talk, feel, and love.

The birds are programmed to bring me beautiful music. The flowers give me the most precious scents in the universe. The sun brings a warmth to my skin that also warms my heart. The rest my soul enjoys is eternal, and brings comfort and peace. All these things are blessings, the ones I have received this day.

Have you received any blessings today? At least one? I pray so. Because the God of the Ages loves you completely, totally, no matter what you may think. He loves YOU! Right there is the blessing, my friend!

It is indeed a lovely day. 'This is the day the LORD has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.'(Psalm 118:24)

Blessings!

Rosebuds of Faith Series: New Year, God, and Our Futures

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness
and peace kiss each other."
Psalm 85:10

Some things just go hand in hand. You can't have one
without the other. God has fashioned some of His own
qualities in that manner, and of course, that means
blessings for us.

As we face a brand new year, let's take time to
appreciate all that our LORD has done for us, and
for all the wisdom and grace He extends to us on a
daily basis.

God always keeps His word. He is the solid rock, and
He cannot be moved. He will remain faithful, dependable,
true, loving, just, and holy. He will always be who He has
shown us He is. He will not make a detour; He will not
change His path; He will always be on the right road.

As we go forward into the new year, let's do what God
does; stay straight and true. Follow His lead, and never
leave what you have been taught. If you give your word,
keep it to your best ability. If you make a promise to
do something, then do it. If you pledge in any way, then
honor it. Be dependable. Be a friend. Be a real sister or
brother in Christ.

New years can be exciting. We always make resolutions
to lose weight, to gain money, to reach certain goals. But
this year, let's just resolve within ourselves to be the
best Christians we can possibly be. Let's join together
and ask God to touch us in ways that will improve our
outlook, our wisdom, our faith, and those things that
will bring out the special gifts and talents that He has
given to each of us.

And let's vow to be loving, faithful, righteous and full
of peace. Let's 'pay it forward', and watch what God
has in store for our futures. He is awesome! The kisses
of God are in the very breath of our lives. Allow Him
to let them fall on you today.

Blessings!