Glory to God

It's been quite some time since I've sat down to write on this blog. It's not that there hasn't been plenty to blog about. There has been too much going on. Most has been of a private nature and I don't feel free to go into details, BUT I do want to share that God has been doing great things. Of course, that's His nature~doing great things. He does great things in the small things and great things in the bigger things, and great things in the huge things. We've been experiencing a little of all of it.

Regardless of the circumstances, it is always amazing to stand back a moment and realize all He's been doing not only in the circumstances, but in the people involved, and in myself. I don't believe that God causes all the bad things in our lives, or that they are His ultimate will, but I do believe God will use whatever we're experiencing, wherever we've failed, whatever has been done to us, whatever is painful for our ultimate good and for His glory. There are choices involved though. We must choose to submit to Him, yield to the working of the Holy Spirit and actively choose to allow Him to work all things out for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28) Most of that involves nailing "self" to the cross and choosing to let Him be Lord over us and Lord over ALL. "Self" has a tendency to get in the way of God. One or the other is on the throne and as long as self is on the throne, life will be chaotic. The throne is not a two-seater. It's not a throne built for two. Just One!

During this season God has been teaching me so much about Believing Him and trusting Him no matter what the physical realm circumstances may be screaming around me. He is always at work and there is much activity going on in the spiritual realm that we are not as aware of. Oh, we may get glimpses, but I've never seen with my eyes, even my spiritual eyes, all that is taking place. His Word tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, things yet unseen. (Hebrew 11:1) I have been on a journey to have faith in what God has spoken to me and faith in the God who spoke them, regardless of circumstances. This is an area I've grown in over the years, but God and I are going to an all new and deeper level than ever before. The faith journey can be at times wearisome, but the faith journey is exciting!

I've been praying for God to move some mountains. Last week I prayed for Him to shake the ground. The night I prayed this, one of the situations I was praying over came to a new level of conflict. I cried out to God and ask Him what was going on? He spoke to me in my spirit saying that He was indeed shaking the ground, that things hidden where coming to the surface as preparation and as a part of moving the mountains. My tears dried up immediately and I praised my God for shaking the ground and the movement that was taking place to move the mountains.

I hope I haven't rambled and confused anyone, but there really has been so much going on. The details may be personal, but His workings and manifestations are to be proclaimed from the rooftops. Glory to God in the Highest!!!

YOU MUSTN'T QUIT - UNKNOWN AUTHOR

I'm a listener and intercessor, and so many have been sharing with me of great struggles, discouragement and hard trials they are facing. I came across this poem today and even though I'm not a boxing fan (reference to last paragraph), I felt this poem and the accompaning footnote, had a lot to say. Most times in life when you're tired of the battles, the struggles, the pain, and you're at your weariest is when you need to fight the hardest, pray the hardest, do all it takes because your victory may just be over the horizon. There are things in life worth fighting for especially when it's hard: your marriage, your family, the pregnancy that doesn't happen, the hope of a job that hasn't arrived yet, and so on. Scripture tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, things yet unseen. I like the word "yet", it implies that it hasn't happened "yet", but it will.

YOU MUSTN'T QUIT - Unknown Author

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sign,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest! if you must-but never quit.

Life is queer, with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out;
Stick to your task, though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with one more blow.

Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt-
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

From Poems that Touch the Heart, compiled by A. L. Alexander

It was James J. Corbett, former heavyweight champion of the world who said: "Fight one more round." When your feet are so tired you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round! When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round! When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you're so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep-DON'T QUIT, FIGHT ONE MORE ROUND!

Snippet, Holiness Is What I Long For

Trina's Snippets
Holiness
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

“The message of repentance and holiness needs to be proclaimed, heard, and heeded among God’s people in every generation. It must become more than a theological tenet that we politely nod agreement to; it needs to transform the way we think and the way we live.”

“True holiness is the pathway to fullness of life and joy. To be holy is to be wholly satisfied with Christ. Above all, it is to reflect the beauty and the splendor of our holy Lord in this dark world. In pursuing holiness, you will fulfill and experience all that God had in mind when He created you.”

“A commitment to be holy is a commitment to be clean through and through--to have no unholy part. True holiness starts on the inside—with our thoughts, attitudes, values, and motives—those innermost parts of our hearts that only God can see. It also affects our outward and visible behavior: ‘Be holy in all your conduct.’ 1 Peter 1:15

“This passage for purity [1 Peter 1:15-previous paragraph] is what I saw in my dad’s example that made holiness so compelling to me as a young person. Of course, he often failed (and was willing to admit it when he did); but he sought to live a life that was morally upright and completely above reproach; in the way he ran his business,
used his time,
conducted himself with members of the opposite sex,
treated family members and employees,
talked about other people – [including his life mate and children,]
responded to critics,
spent his money,
and honored the Lord’s Day;
in his work habits,
leisure activities,
and entertainment choices—what he read and listened to and watched.
He so loved God that he wanted holiness to characterize every area of his life.”

“Holiness and joy are inseparable companions.”

*"Snippets"--clips, morsels, fragments from something I've read recently...something that has ministered to me or someone else.
They are meant to encourage, challenge, or cause us to ponder.
They may even cause you to run to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward "Snippets" to anyone, please send it in its entirety, not deleting the original source or author.

If you are on the "Snippet" email list and wish to be removed, please email me. If you would like to be added to the Snippet list, just email me at the below address.
krodgers5@suddenlink.net
Snippets birthed May 10, 2003

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #18 AUTUMN

Isaiah 55:12 NIV

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field with clap their hands."

Okay, this may seem trivial, but I turn 50 this month. One day I'm at peace with this changing season or my life and the next I want to hold it at bay. As the earth season is now changing from summer to fall, I feel in a sense that my life is going from summer to fall. I have never worried about a birthday before this one and I have been determined for the past 350 plus days (since turning 49) that I would not succumb to being blue over this one. I don't fear death or anything like that, I'm just seeing this birthday as a real change of season for me and I've had a few bouts of the blues. Praise God though, He is faithful to lift me out of this place quickly.

I've always loved this scripture, Isaiah 55:12, because it speaks of joy and hope in change. God first laid this Word on my heart when I left my hometown to move with my husband's job promotion. I looked at it as a God adventure.

Even as I'm writing this and thoughts of this becoming the autumn of my life, I am reminded that every day for the past two weeks with cooler weather I've exclaimed that I love the fall and I love the change of season. I think God may be trying to tell me something. (Big smile)

Maybe this autumn season is going to be my most favorite of all since it is my most favorite season in the earth cycle. Today, I go outside and stand in the fall weather and lift up my head to the heavens and exclaim, I will go out, from the spring and summer seasons of my life, with joy and in the presence of my loving Father, I am being led forth in peace. This will be a most joyful season and the mountains and hills will burst into song before me and the trees of the field will clap their hands.

I love autumn!

A Call to Anguish: David Wilkerson via The Bravehearted Gospel

http://braveheartedgospel.com/Home.html

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #17

Psalm 62:5-6 NIV

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Fortress, I will not be shaken."

In a world full of turmoil, in our lives full of turmoil we often try to find solace, direction, counsel, or guidance from those around us and they may or may not be able to give us some comfort, some guidance, some encouragement. Ultimately though, they will not be able to meet the deepest needs within us.

I and my family have had to walk through many journeys over the years that have been trying and at times devastating; probably no more than anyone else has had to endure. Individually and as a family we have been immensely blessed to have the love, support, encouragement, and counsel of godly friends. But when push comes to shove and our back is against the wall, there is no other like the Lord, my Rock, my Salvation, my Fortress.

When I used the word “endure” in a preceding paragraph, it short changes the experiences. Yes, we do endure, but we also have the opportunity to grow in our own faith and trust in God. We go beyond leaning on the faith of our faith-strong friends and family to a place of leaning on our Father in a very personal and intimate way. If we press into Him and His Word, we will find He is faithful, loving, and sovereign. In fact, He is the epitome of faithfulness, love, and sovereignty. I have found Him to be these and in this I have found I can trust Him and His work in and through life’s circumstances. He has never left me nor forsaken me. Through the trials of life, He has taken the situation, the issues, the pain, the brokenness and transformed me to the very core of my person and character. He has comforted me in His love, He has weeded out things that needed weeding out of my life and character, He has grown more of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in me, He has been my guide through the turbulent waters, He is my God and my Friend.

I have found my rest in Him, my hope in Him. He is my Rock, my Salvation, my fortress and in Him I will not be shaken. Glory to God!

If you are traveling in rough waters presently, run to Him as if running into a fortress from your enemy. Lean into Him as John leaned upon His chest at the last supper. Rest in Him as Elijah did after His confrontation with the priests of Baal. You will find His agape love, His endless faithfulness, and His royal sovereignty!

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #16

1 John 3:1 NIV

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

I just love this verse. It has always made me feel so precious when I read it, almost like a princess. I'm honestly not the princess type, but this verse makes me feel that way.

Our Father, Heavenly Father, loves each one of us so much that His desire is to lavish His love on us. Lavish meaning, abundant, profuse, generous, excessive. Synonyms: extravagant, liberal, shower, heap on, unsparing, magnanimous. Are you starting to feel it? He wants to shower His love on us excessively, extravagantly.

I used the phrase above indicating that this was His desire, but in fact this scripture says, "He HAS lavished His love on us." He has already and continues to lavish His love on us. Sometimes we just get so wrapped up in our world, our problems (and granted many of the problems people experience are tragic and heart-breaking), our busyness, and even ourselves, that we tragically miss seeing this lavish love. Our pain has calloused our hearts, our busyness has swept right passed it, ourselves have been all-consuming and didn't allow room for Him.

I'm encouraging you today to stop where you are and focus on His love that He is lavishing on you...His love in the gift of salvation, in the spiritually abundant life He wants to give you, in those relationships of those close to you, in nature, in your needs being met, in the precious gift of the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit. I could go on and on and on...but I hope you get the point.

He has and is lavishly pouring His love on you and on me. Sometimes, we just have to take the time to refocus-stop focusing on the negatives and even legitimate pain, and focus on Him. I speak/write from experience.

I hope you begin to feel like a princess (or prince, if any guys are reading this) today as you recognize the extravagant love that has been lavished on you.

He is our true Treasure

Trina's Snippets

My friend, Lisa Shaw, has prompted me to read a book I’ve long had, but have never read until now. This will be one of my life-time favorites

The Pursuit of God
A. W. Tozer

“The man who has
God for his treasure has all things in One.
Many ordinary treasures may be
denied him,
or if he is allowed to have them,
the enjoyment of them will
be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness.
Or if he
must see them go,
one after one,
he will scarcely feel a sense of loss,
for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction,
all
pleasure,
all delight.
Whatever he may lose he has actually lost
nothing,
For he now has it all in One,
and he has it purely,
legitimately, and forever.”

“…in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.”

*"Snippets"--clips, morsels, fragments from something I've read recently...something that has ministered to me or someone else.
They are meant to encourage, challenge, or cause us to ponder.
They may even cause you to run to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward "Snippets" to anyone, please send it in its entirety, not deleting the original source or author.

If you are on the "Snippet" email list and wish to be removed, please email me.
If you would like to be added to the Snippet list, just email me at the below address.
krodgers5@suddenlink.net
Snippets birthed May 10, 2003

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #15

Psalm 57:2 NIV

“I cry out to God Most High,

to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.”

Just the Word I needed.

I've been going through somewhat of a funk lately.

Hate to admit it, but it's true.

I needed to be reminded, as God does most every day, that He does, indeed, have His purposes for my life and
He will fulfill them.

Speak, Lord, in Your perfect timing for Your servant listens with great anticipation. I surrender All to Jesus, I surrender ALL.

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #14

Psalm 63:3-4 NIV

"Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.
I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift of up hands."

Post coming....

Snippet, Our Conscience

Trina's Snippets
Esther, It’s Tough Being a Woman
Beth Moore

“We’ve each been hurt by someone, but no one on earth has hurt us more than those who seem callous to it.
We’re acquainted with trying to deal with the wrongdoing of another while they go on with life, oblivious to our pain.
We fight an urge to corner them in a public place and scream, ‘Don’t you get it?’ If they won’t judge themselves, the fleshly part of us would gladly enlist a group to help us judge them.

The situation becomes even more complicated when you sense that the very person who helped your life to fall apart wonders why you can’t get it together.
There’s nothing quite like someone who hurt you judging you for being hurt.

Now take the scenario I just described a step further.
Imagine how we’d feel about the person appearing more than unconcerned.
What if the person were smug and insidious enough to celebrate our harm?
One of the hardest facts of life to accept is that some people are not sorry for the anguish they’ve caused.
The most twisted among them might even be glad.

…Let’s learn to be thankful every time we feel sorry for even our smallest offense toward someone.
God designed conviction to be uncomfortable so that we’d hurry to repentance and find relief and restoration. Feeling is a good thing, Beloved.
Nothing is more frightening than a seared conscience.”

*"Snippets"--clips, morsels, fragments from something I've read recently...something that has ministered to me or someone else.
They are meant to encourage, challenge, or cause us to ponder.
They may even cause you to run to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward "Snippets" to anyone, please send it in its entirety, not deleting the original source or author.

If you are on the "Snippet" email list and wish to be removed, please email me.
If you would like to be added to the Snippet list, just email me at the below address.
krodgers5@suddenlink.net
Snippets birthed May 10, 2003

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #13

Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy."

"You will show me the path of life..."
Who doesn't want to know the "path of life" as set out by God? Wouldn't we all love to see the path of our life? Our Father has made that path know to us in part through His Word. In Psalms He reminds us that His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Rarely has He given me long-term details, but He does guide me and show me the way bit by bit as I seek His heart on the matters of my life and as I obey Him in the step I'm on. Of course, there are times when I'd like the light to shine a little farther down the path and show me what's ahead, but there is an element of faith involved in trusting Him, in trusting His love for me in what's ahead and trusting that He's provided all I need for the next steps. He has always proven to be faithful in His love and plan for me and those I love.

"In Your presence is fullness of joy."
My Father's Word tells me that joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit, His Spirit that lives in and through me. He also tells me that my joy in Him is my strength in this life.

So what is joy? My Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus says this of joy, "pleasure; extreme gladness. Delight, elation, ecstacy, rapture, bliss, happiness, enjoyment, glee, treasure."

Let me interject these in the scripture, "In Your presence is fullness of

[pleasure,
extreme gladness,
delight,
elation,
ecstacy,
rapture,
bliss,
happiness,
enjoyment,
glee,
treasure]."

Are these not two incredibly encouraging and stimulating promises from our Father, to show us the path of life and to fill us with the fullness of joy in His presence?

Can I encourage you to get away and spend some time devoted solely for you and Your Father to be alone. That may be in your prayer closet, a garden, the mountains, your car, a park, a room with the door closed, whereever you can find that time to simply sit at His feet as Mary did.

Worship Him,
Love Him,
Enjoy Him.

I pray that as you spend this time in His presence without the distractions of your world that you cling to His promise to receive the fullness of His joy.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust Him and He will do this." Psalm 37:4 - 5

Your True Identity

I read this piece of encouragement today from Joyce Meyer:

"Each one of us is a rare, one-of-a-kind person, with a God-given destiny to fulfill-a unique call that only we can carry out. But in order to reach our full potential and truly succeed in life, we must learn to accept ourselves for who we are.

The foundation for success is knowing who we are in Christ. This is our true identity. This understanding comes through learning what God says about us in his Word and then getting our mind and mouth in agreement with it. As you and I begin to think and speak the things that God says about us instead of focusing on our weaknesses [or the lies the enemy whispers in our ears through our subconscious minds or through the words of others], we will find the freedom to be ourselves and be the best we can be in all areas of our lives."

And They Will Become One Flesh

My facebook post today:

"31 years ago today I married the love of my life~our love only grows sweeter with time. It's worth it to work through and push through those earlier years when two flesh clash and clang together in their efforts to become one. It is soooo worth it! To God be the Glory!"

God tells us in Genesis 2:21-24,

"But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man and he brought her to the man. The man
said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man [and woman] will leave his [her] father and mother and be united to his [her] wife [husband] and they will become one flesh."

I believe that as we marry and are united with our life mate the process of becoming one flesh is begun. It's spiritual. It's physical. It's mental. It's emotional. Becoming one flesh is a lifetime of learning to love your mate more than yourself and living that love out in a vast array of ways. It can be a hard beginning, two distinctly different human beings learning to let go of our own selfish selves in an expression of love for another person. That doesn't mean we lose our individuality, but allow room for the other into our being. In the process we become fuller and richer individuals. It is ultimately a beautiful gift and process designed by the LORD God. It is also a process that is facilitated, enabled, and empower by the LORD God as we submit to Him.

When Kerry and I were married, I was given this poem by one of my grandmothers.

Take a lump of clay.
Wet it, pat it.
Make a statue of you
and make a statue of me.
Then shatter them,
clatter them,
add some water
and break them
and mold them
into a statue of you
and a statue of me.
Then in mine, there are bits of you
And in you there are bits of me.
Nothing ever shall keep us apart.

She added, "If you don't understand it now, keep it and in later years it might mean more to you. I hope you two will be happy. I know you are both wonderful people, both of you will have to work at making a good life together. Married life is not a one sided thing, but as you go through life and as you grow older life should grow better. I have high hopes for you."

She was right =)

From Amanda Jackson (Beth Moore's daughter)

Link to post by Amanda Jackson (Beth Moore's daughter).
http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/2009/06/burning-down-house.html

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #12

Psalm 62:8 NIV
"Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."

There are times in our lives when we are surrounded by a great host of friends and family. Some of those are so precious and allow us the latitude in friendship to pour out our hearts to them. There are times that that's what we need because it's like a relief valve and the stresses, pain, and pressures are released in being able to share our heart with someone who cares.

Other times we are alone or at least it seems that way. In these times, the stresses, pain, and pressures expand within us so much that we think we are going to burst for lack of being able to release them.

As children of God and Christ followers we know that He is there and cherishes His children pouring out our hearts to Him so that He may pour out His heart to us. But often, we forget that because we need or want someone in the flesh to help us through.

When God had me "stumble" onto this Word, I stood back and spiritually shook my head at myself. He invites us to pour out of our hearts to Him. He is the ultimate friend and listener and really He is THE ONE WITH THE ANSWERS; He is our refuge. I'm just now reminded of the old hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". I am a great lover of Contemporary Christian music and also Praise and Worship music, but having grown up in church the lyrics of the foundational hymns seem to always come to mind to remind me of the truths I've know all my life.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Lyrics: Joseph M. Scriven

"What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there."

Excuse me now, I think Jesus and I have an overdue appointment.

Mondays~
New day, new week, new beginnings, new opportunities.
"This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
Psalm 118:24

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #11

Psalm 25:10-11 NIV

"All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great."

"All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant."

Loving and Faithful...what a precious gift we have received in our God. When life is a challenge, when hopes are dashed, when questions go unanswered...Our God remains Loving and Faithful. Hold on to it, cling to it, stand on it. Even when you may not feel it or see it in your circumstances...it remains true. He sees and knows the beginning from the end and He, in His sovereignty and in His love for you, sees the big picture and will work all things out for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).

"For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great."

Because His grace flows so generously, I too often forget how great even my "smaller" sins are against His holiness and purity. I understand that God doesn't see sin in degrees, but in our human minds we see the consequences of our sin in degrees. But my sins, whatever they are, are set against the backdrop of His holiness and purity not against my concept of sin.

Picture this:

In the beginning a canvas covered with these-the holiness and purity of Almighty God; not a flaw or impurity in it. Then...SPLASH across this pristine canvas our sins...anger, envy, coveteousness, bitterness, lies, laziness, neglect of His temple...careless, hateful, or judgmental words, self-focus, prayerlessness, grumbling, idolatry, ungratefulness, waster of God given time...and so much more.Do our sins not stand out in glaring contrast-ugly and painful? Now picture Jesus stepping into the scene and draping the ugliness with a red cloth symbolizing His blood sacrifice covering our sin.

Precious Jesus, THANK YOU!

The Power of Your Words

Trina's Snippets
The Power of Your Words
Robert Morris

“Psalm 100 gives us clear instructions for coming into the presence of God. We’re told to come into His presence with singing, to enter His gates with thanksgiving, to come into His courts with praise. Singing, thanksgiving, and praise---all these actions are expressed through words.
The reason satan doesn’t want you to be vocal in your praise to God is because he knows that those kinds of words connect you to God in awesome ways. The simple truth is that the only people who experience the full glory and joy of God’s presence are thankful people.
Satan will do everything he can to discourage you from expressing gratitude and praise. Frankly, he wants you to be a grumbler. Why? Because grumbling is an expression of unbelief and ingratitude (two big ways to short-circuit God’s power in your life.) Praise on the other hand, is an expression of faith and gratitude

“Snippets”—clips, morsels, fragments from something I’ve read
recently…something that has ministered to me or someone else. They are meant to encourage, challenge, or cause us to ponder. They may even cause you to run to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward “Snippets” to anyone, please send it in its entirety, not deleting the ‘original source of author’”.

Scripture for Memory and Mediation #10

Matthew 12: 34-35
"For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

Our words reveal much about us.

I heard a lady say that our words and actions come from the premeditations of our heart and mind. I like that phrase. What are we allowing our minds to think? We have the power to control our thoughts and, therefore, we can control our words. I believe this because Jesus continues as He tells us in Matthew 12:36 "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." We would not be accountable if we did not have the ability to choose and take control of our thoughts and words.

If our words are not revealing the good of God stored in us, what are we thinking about? I have been trying very hard to monitor my thoughts. When I realize a string of thoughts are marinating in my mind that are not inspired by God, but inspired by the enemy or inspired by my flesh, I am trying to intentionally take them captive, putting a halt to them. I'm finding that it's not nearly as hard as you would think.

When Jesus said that our words reveal the overflow of our heart, He is speaking of all our words. Words spoken to someone, about someone, to ourselves, or about ourselves. There's enough in that last line to bleed into another post, but it will have to wait.

Again, Lord, May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be pleasing [exceedingly pleasing] in your sight O Lord, my ROCK and my REDEEMER. Psalm 19:14

Father, I thank You for Your correction and direction in my life. I thank You that You love me enough to send Your Spirit to reveal to me anything, everything in my life that is not pleasing to You-"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way, everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #9

Psalm 26: 3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the ROCK eternal.”

Sometimes there are just seasons of pain, worry, turmoil, fear, or unrest in our lives. I am going through one of those presently. Some issues have been brought to me that have unsettled my spirit.

In my past, I would have prayed, fretted, prayed and fretted. As I've journey along with my LORD, I have hopefully matured in my faith and over the many years I've walked with Him, I pray more than fret. PRAISE GOD. I am crying out to God in faith, hope, and trust...IN HIM.

Last night when another situation was brought to my watchman spirit, I rushed to the Father and have been standing in my trust of Him every moment. When the enemy tries to come in and shake me, I am running to the LORD, the LORD, who is the ROCK eternal.

Snippet: True Brokenness

Trina's Snippets
Brokenness, The Heart God Revives
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

“TRUE BROKENNESS:
Brokenness is not a feeling or an emotion. Rather, it requires a choice, an act of the will. Further, this choice is not primarily a onetime experience, though there may be profound and life-changing spiritual turning points in our lives. True brokenness is an ongoing, constant way of life. True brokenness is a lifestyle--a moment-by-moment lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of my heart and life-not as everyone else thinks it is but as He knows it to be.

“Brokenness is the shattering of my self-will—the absolute surrender of my will to the will of God. It is saying, ‘Yes, Lord!’—no resistance—no chafing, no stubbornness—simply submitting myself to His direction and will in my life.

“Contrite is one word that is used in the Old Testament to speak of brokenness. That word suggests something that is crushed into small particles or ground into powder, as a rock is pulverized. What is it that God wants to pulverize in us? It is not our spirit He wants to break, nor is it our essential personhood. He wants to break our self-will.

“When we speak of a horse being ‘broken’, we don’t mean that someone physically breaks its legs; we mean that the horse’s will has been broken—that it is now compliant and submissive to the wishes of its rider. In the same sense, true brokenness is the breaking of my self-will, so that the life and spirit of the Lord Jesus may be released through me. It is my humble and obedient response to the conviction of God’s Word and His Holy Spirit.

“Brokenness is the stripping of self-reliance and independence from God. The broken person has no confidence in his own righteousness or his own works, but he is cast in total dependence upon the grace of God working in and through him.

“Brokenness is the softening of the soil of my heart—it is the breaking up of any clods of resistance that could keep the seed from penetrating and taking root. I believe one of the reasons many pastors faithfully preach the Word week after week and see so little fruit in the lives of their listeners is that the soil in many of our hearts has become so hard and fallow that the seed cannot penetrate. Believers with broken, contrite hearts are receptive and responsive to the Word.

“As wax or clay must be soft and pliable in order to be molded by the artist’s hand, so the broken, contrite heart is easily molded by the hand of God and does not harden itself against the circumstances God chooses to mold it in.”

“You and I will never meet God in revival until we first meet Him in brokenness. Our families will never be whole until husbands and wives, moms and dads, and young people have been broken. Our churches will never be the vibrant witness God intended them to be in the world until their members-pastors and laypeople alike-have experienced true brokenness.”

“Snippets”—clips, morsels, fragments from something

I’ve read recently…something that has ministered to

me or someone else. They are meant to encourage,

challenge, or cause us to ponder. They may even
cause you to run to the nearest bookstore and

pick up a copy of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward “Snippets” to anyone,

please send it in its entirety, not
deleting the ‘original source of author’”.

I Choose, He Enables and Empowers

God has been teaching me this big lesson lately.

I MUST CHOOSE AND
THEN HE ENABLES AND EMPOWERS ME.

So many times I feel defeated in my walk with Christ and wonder why the power of the Holy Spirit is not evident. Recently He spoke to me that I must make the choices (freewill) and then He will empower and enable me through the Holy Spirit to walk it out.

Sounds simple. =)

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #8

2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Just a brief moment to post concerning scripture number 8.

I do believe that satan, my enemy, uses my thoughts to cause more havoc, defeat, and destruction in my life. First the thought then the actions follow. Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinketh (KJV) in his heart, so is he."

To take our thoughts captive requires a conscious, deliberate, purposed action. I want my thoughts to be pleasing to my Father (Psalms 19:14), I want my thoughts to be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), and I want my thoughts to be of victory and life through Jesus not defeat (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Father, help me to recognize and be aware of the weak places in my armor where satan attacks my thoughts and in that awareness and in my choice to be obedient to you, help me to take every thought captive. All to Your glory and my freedom and victory!

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #7

Colossians 3:12 NIV
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

Every morning we get up, wash our face, shower, "put on our makeup", "put on our clothes" and begin our day. Have you ever considered how much time we spend doing our makeup, hair, clothes, jewelry etc. so that we look good? For various reasons we sometimes have to go through this routine more than once a day. We put a lot of effort into clothing ourselves and there's nothing wrong with wanting to look your best.

However, God wants us to also clothe ourselves with the things that are of lasting value, things of true worth-

compassion
kindness
humility
gentleness
and patience

When these things drape our lives, we are moving outside ourselves and touching the lives that cross our paths each day. We are bringing God pleasure. Can you imagine for a minute what it means to bring God pleasure?

At the end of our lives, or even at the end of the day, will people remember the outfit we were wearing or will they remember that we had compassion for others, were kind to those around us, that we were sacrificially humble instead of selfish, arrogant and proud, or that we were gentle and patient when it was hard? Will they wonder were we bought our stylish clothes or will they wonder about the God that makes this difference in our lives? I hope the latter.

Each morning as we "put our outer trappings on to look our best" why don't we start a new habit of praying through our morning routine...

Brush my teeth and and pray for God to give me a spirit of compassion and to
notice those in need.

Comb my hair and pray for God to comb
kindness into the way I treat others.

Wash my face and ask God to wash away every trace of selfishness or arrogance from my life and instead fill me with a humble heart.

While gently putting on my jewelry, ask God to help me to be gentle rather than harsh or demanding.

As I put my clothes on pray for God to weave patience into the testings and
irritations that come into my day.

And why do we do all of this? Because we are God's CHOSEN people and we are holy and dearly loved by Almighty God, Creator of all things, The King of Kings.

Vacations

Kerry and I were so blessed to be able to go on an Alaskan cruise in 2006 and then in 2008 we spent over a week in Yellowstone and the Tetons in Wyoming. When our boys were young and at home vacations usually consisted of Six Flags over Texas, Texas Ranger baseball games (we all love baseball!) and various other amusement parks, sports events, and zoos. We'd go camping on the Guadalupe River in Central Texas or Lake LBJ in the Hill Country region of Texas. (Texas is a big state with a lot of different regions). Living in West Texas always made trips to the mountains at Ruidoso, New Mexico convenient.

We were overwhelmed with God's handiwork in Alaska and Yellowstone. Both trips were incredibly special times for us to share together and just be a couple again. One of our great desires is that we not wait until we retire to travel. Too many people wait and then they never get to do these things.

So here's the pupose of this post:

Where have you been that you'd recommend our going in the next year or so? Is the area of the country you live in a place we might like to visit? Would you please give me some details about where to go and what to do so I can start planning another trip. We absolutely love nature. I can take a bazillon =) photographs of God's beauty on earth. (Thank God, literally, for digital photography. My film bill was outrageous.) Kerry loves history so we've really thought about a trip back East . Maybe Virginia or Pennsylvania. But you may suggest a place we've never even thought of.

So please, give me some input. I'd be most appreciative!

Tuesdays Together in the Word

More information concerning Tuesdays Together in the Word can be found at this link.

Yes, I know this is Friday and not Tuesday, but I'm a little behind in getting this post done. =) Don't let it throw you...the weekend still begins tomorrow. Yea!

2 Timothy 2:16 "Avoid goddless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly."

I am a "people person". I love to talk and I love to listen to others talk. I love the sharing of lives together with others through conversation and laughter.

Just a side note, I'm also a morning person and a night person too. I drag a little around mid-afternoon though. All of my life I have woken up talking. My mom says my brother and sister would ask her at breakfast to please make me shut up. I was probably talking too much to hear them complain. After getting married I found that my husband was not a morning person either and would sit with his eyes glazed over while I rattled on about my plans for the day or something I was thinking about. Poor guy! But alas, God blessed me with one son, my youngest, who woke up happy, with a smile on his face before his eyes even opened, and was ready to greet the day. My oldest...was more like his dad, taking a little longer to get going in the mornings. They're both young adults now, so my precious husband, is blessed with my morning chatter all to himself again. =)

That was a side trip, but it loosely ties into where I'm going with this scripture. Because I do enjoy conversation so much, I have, more times than I'd like to count, regretted something that I said. No, it wasn't necessarily anything mean, unkind, or even gossip, but chatter. I would worry that something I said might be misconstrued of taken wrongly. I would worry that I'd said something that might have hinted of something I shouldn't have shared or might not have been sensative to the person's need.

Part of the definition of "chatter" from the Oxford Dictionary is, "talk quickly, incessantly, trivially, or indiscreetly" with synonyms of "rattle, and jabber". I am guilty. (All Texans don't talk slooowly)

The Word in 2 Timothy also says that this kind of talk can lead us to ungodliness. Over the years, I have learned to slow down and consider my words more carefully, MOST OF THE TIME. The more we chatter, the more easily we might say something that is harmful, with no intent of it being harmful. Chatter is careless.

All conversation is not chatter. Thank God because I love conversation. Psalm 19:14 has been a prayer that I've prayed over my life for many years,

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." I want my words to be pleasing to my LORD and a blessing to those I have conversations with.

Psalm 19:14 references the meditation of my heart being pleasing in God's sight also, but that ventures into another subject...did I tell you I can get off on bunny trails sometimes too. =)

Have a great weekend. Enjoy God's creation. Enjoy your family. Enjoy your time in worship. Relax and have some pleasing conversations.

His Appointed Time Ministries

MEET OUR FRIENDS, PAT AND CHARLIE REYNOLDS

Kerry and I have been blessed to know Pat and Charlie Reynolds for many, many years. God led Pat and Charlie to leave the comfort and security of their West Texas life and go to Guatemala to serve Him as independent missionaries. They literally sold most of their possessions, loaded up an SUV and left Snyder, Texas and drove to Guatemala for an unknown future. Much like Abraham. Our youngest son, Adam, spent some time with them the summer after he graduated from High School and they will forever be precious to our entire family.

If you drop by to visit my blog, please click the link to their new blog. You can go to His Appointed Time Ministry Blog or to their photo in my sidebar. When get to their blog, you can also click the photo of them on their right sidebar where you will then be able to go to their ministry website and there you can read more about their fascinating story, how God has led them to minister His love to the people of Guatemala, and how you might be a part of this outstanding work for God.



Just ONE of the things God has led them to do is to open a Christian school for the Guatemalan children up to 4th grade. God led Kerry and I to sponsor one of the children several years ago. Melisa's photo is above. Please take the time to drop by and see their blog. God is doing a mighty work in Guatemala.

Tuesday Together in the Word

I've just joined the group, Tuesdays Together in the Word. This week we were reading in 1 Timothy. Today, as I read 1 Timothy 6:17-19, it was as if he was writing for this time in history; God's Word is timely and timeless.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 NIV
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to
do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

We are a nation, a people who have been richly blessed in this present world. In comparison to the rest of the world even our average income families are far wealthier than most people around the world.

In the current economic situation many of us have placed too much hope in our financial savings. Every day we hear how people are losing money rapidly in the stock market. For a great number of people that money was for retirement. I know we had been looking at our different retirement funds, feeling fairly confident in a reasonably comfortable retirement. Thank God that is quite a few years off and we are still hoping for financial recovery.

Paul's words to Timothy in verses 17-19 are such a powerful reminder that we are to put our hope in God, who richly provides for us, not in our financial standings. Because we are blessed by God, not matter what our current financial status, we are to be generous with whatever we have. In this way we not only honor God and the privilege of being a Christ follower but we "lay up treasure for ourselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that we may take hold of the life THAT IS TRULY LIFE."

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #6

Isaiah 50:4 NIV
"The Sovereign LORD has given me an
instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught."

My husband says I've been blessed by God to be "a listener." He says people have always come out of the woodwork to talk to me about life issues and
sometimes just to talk. I rarely go to the grocery store without a stranger
stopping to talk to me about something from "what isle is the olive oil on?
And then continues with "my wife sent me to the grocery store and I'd better come home with the right stuff. We've been married for 53 years and she is the love of my life. We met..." I've been sitting at the doctors office when someone starts telling me about their painful memories of serving in WW II or Vietnam. Often people come to me to share their struggles and
want a word from me from the heart of God.

I don't say this in arrogance as I have too often carried the many burdens brought to me until I learned to release them to God. It just seems to be an area where God has me serve Him and I'm thankful to serve Him this way. I used to worry that I might have directed someone wrongly or that I didn't fully understand the issue, and then God gave me this Word from Isaiah 50:4. I now pray to have an instructed tongue, to know the Word from God to sustain the weary.

All to His Glory!

Predictably Unpredictable

I've been sitting here this afternoon having a cup of hot tea and reflecting on this past week. Living in the part of Texas that we live in, we are blessed with diverse weather. Last weekend was absolutely spring-like beautiful! Kerry built me a couple of new flower boxes to edge the yard. I started planting flowers in patio pots, but not in the flower boxes. Knowing how quickly the weather changes, I didn't dare plant anything I couldn't move out of the weather into the shelter of the patio. And as predictable as our unpredictable weather is, a cold front came in and we've had cold rain and some ice all week. I won't complain though, because we don't get enough rain through the year as it is. So Tuesday night found us running out on the patio lifting heavy pots getting them out of the freezing rain.

We've had a couple of difficult weeks in an extended family matter, but God, as is His nature, has been faithful to hold us up and faithful to show us the way through with victory on the horizon. The thing about trials and struggles that always lifts me up and even empowers me is this truth: there is a greater purpose and when we have come through them, we are stronger, our faith is rooted more firmly and we have grown more in His likeness. We may not see the purpose and we may not see the growth, but it's there if we've sought God.

I am reminded of a very precious word God gave me from His Word after a very long and difficult battle several years ago. Luke 22:31-32 where Jesus is speaking to Peter just prior to the betrayal in the Garden and before Peter denies Him. He said to Peter, "Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I [Jesus] have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Our enemy, satan, is predicatably unpredictable. He will predictably attack us and try to pull us away or tear us down. His timing though is unpredictable. That's why Peter who knew not only the enemies tactics, but also the faithfulness of his God, could say in 1 Peter 5:8-11, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, stand firm in your faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To Him be the power and glory for ever and ever. Amen." I pray God will be glorified in the way we fight the battles before us and that we will honor the sacrifice He gave for us by fighting the good fight in the strength and power of Holy Spirit.

Matthew West, "The Motions"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHmiFaX_pk

To See Sin From God's Heart

Trina's Snippets
Sparkling Gems from the Greek
January 30
Rick Renner

“Prayer for Today…
Lord, help me to see sin the way You see it so that I have no stomach for it in my life. I know that as long as I view sin [my sin] only as a mistake or a weakness, I will be tempted to tolerate it. So I ask You to teach me to see sin exactly the way You do so my desire for change will grow. Holy Spirit, help me see the truth and know the proper steps I need to take in order to make those needed changes.
I pray this in Jesus’ name!”

*"Snippets"--clips, morsels, fragments from something I've read recently...something that has ministered to me or someone else. They are meant to encourage, challenge, and cause us to ponder. They may even cause you to run to the nearest Christian bookstore and pick up a copy of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward "Snippets" to anyone, please send it in its entirety, not deleting the original source or author.

Legacy of Prayer

A couple of years ago I was in a Bible study by Jennifer Kennedy Dean, "Live a Praying Life". I was so blessed by the study, that I went online, and being the book junkie that I am, I ordered several of her books, all of which were wonderful. But I wanted to share with you about one particular book today, "Legacy of Prayer, A Spiritual Trust Fund for the Generations". After being blessed with another grandbaby, I thought I'd pull this one out again. My prayers for my sons, their wives, and the babies were fueled with fresh passion and mighty purpose again. Let me share with you just a few nuggets from the Introduction and First Chapter.

"Prayer has no limits, no time limits, no geographical limits. Just as surely as we can provide for our children's present and daily needs through prayer, we can also reach into their futures, laying a foundation of blessings for our children, our grandchildren, and all of our descendants."

"Our prayers are more powerful even than our presence."

"We can leave behind for our descendants a spiritual trust that can never be stolen, squandered or lost. We can leave riches that will only increase in value. We can lay up a store of imperishable wealth."

"It is beyond our imaginations what prayer can effect in the earth. When God's name and His renown are the desire of our hearts (Isaiah 26:8), our prayers for our children, grandchildren, and descendants can be the catalyst that will cause His fame to spread to all corners of the earth."

She quotes E. M. Bounds, "God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed in death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God's heart is set on them, and prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world."

Continuing with Jennifer's writings, "The answers to the prayers you pray today will be answered in the lives of our descendants at the right time. Those answers will be working in their lives as if you had just prayed them. Your prayers will put spiritual riches on deposit for them. They will have spiritual abundance from which they can make withdrawals as need arises. "

"The spiritual inheritance I will leave behind for future generations begins with my own walk with the Lord. As God is my fortress and my stronghold, part of the inheritance I leave-part of my estate-is my dwelling place."

I lost one of my sweet friends and prayer partners to cancer in 2006. She had two small grandchildren and as her heart broke over not being there for those little ones, she told me, "Trina, I've come to understand that even though I will not be here for these babies, my prayers for them are eternal." A year and a half later, I read Jennifer Kennedy Dean's "Legacy of Prayer" and I was once again sad at the loss of my friend but rejoiced that those babies lives had been saturated in the prayers of a grandmother they would never know. Of course, this brings tears to my eyes once more, but we all as parents and grandparents have the charge and privilege to go before the Father faithfully for every generation that follows us. Let's get on our faces before Almighty God for these precious ones coming behind us.

You can find "Legacy of Prayer" and other works of Jennifer's at http://www.prayinglife.org/catalog/books/index.htm

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #5

Today's Scripture:
Psalm 16:7 (NASB)
"I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;
indeed, my mind instructs me in the night."

As someone who has bouts of not being able to sleep at night this scripture has meant a lot to me. For anyone who has struggled through a sleepless night, you know how the mind is assaulted. Sometimes it's assaulted with worry or fear, fretting or even planning out the next day; sometimes it's just a mangle of thoughts hitting you from all sides with no rhyme or reason. It is encouraging that I can hold to this promise that my LORD will counsel me and instruct my thoughts in the night. I don't have to succumb to the assault. Thank you Jesus!

Marriage Enrichment

This past weekend my husband and I participated in the Focus on Marriage Simulcast presented by Focus on the Family. I have always pursued teaching and encouragement to enrich my marriage. After my relationship with God, my relationship with my life-mate is the most important relationship I have. I have to confess, second to the Bible, that I am a book junkie. I find no shame in seeking Godly wisdom through the wisdom of others, Biblically based wisdom, whether that be in deepening my walk with Jesus, expanding my prayer experience, enriching my marriage, parenting my children, enhancing my friendships, etc. etc. I enjoy retreats, group Bible studies, and the now popular simulcasts. I just love growing.

Back to the marriage simulcast. In attending the Focus on Marriage event, I was reminded of an older couple at what was our home church of many years. Gary Chapman's book, "The Five Languages of Love", had recently been released and our church had a couples night planned focusing on this book. Each couple, individually, were asked to complete a questionnaire based on this book that would help us determine our love languages, what most spoke love to us. After we completed the questionnaire we were to join with our spouse and compare and discuss our "love language". In attendance were couples who'd been married less than a year all the way to a few couples who'd been married 60 or more years. Awesome! I looked over and one of the couples, a small almost frail couple, who'd been married 64 years were all cuddled beside each other with their sweet heads nearly touching as they discussed their "love language". My heart was so deeply touched and it has always remained a visual reminder to me that we should never, ever stop working to have the most fulfilling, glorious marriage possible. You'd think that after 64 years many couples would think they knew all there was to know about one another and having a good marriage, but this sweet couple felt their marriage, that had stood the test of time, was worth their efforts to keep it alive and fresh. This little couple have since gone home to be with their Jesus, but they left a mark on this lady before doing so.

A couple of quick thoughts from the simulcast, without much elaboration.

What I am writing will most likely not be a direct quote. I can't write fast enough during a meeting to claim it was an exact quote. =) I am going to share a few of my perceptions from what a couple of the speakers said.

Gary Thomas, who wrote, "Sacred Marriage", brought to us the premise that God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy. That could stop you dead in your romantic tracks. I don't believe he was saying God doesn't want us to be happy, but that marriage has a far more profound purpose. It is in marriage and the challenges we face within that context, that our truest flesh natures can be exposed. We are confronted with our attitudes, selfishness, weaknesses, insecurities, impatience and the list could go on forever. As we recognize these in the light of day, being our marriage, if given the "go ahead", God can begin to, as my friends Rob and Tina would say, sandpaper off those rough edges .

Another powerful thing from Mr. Thomas, was this idea...I got married "to be loved". God put me in marriage "to learn how to love".

Beth Moore also spoke at the conference. One of the things that stood out to me from her talk was that in our desire for a "great marriage" we often miss the "good in our marriage". She said we have an infatuation with idealism, causing us to overlook and miss the blessings of the "good". She also reminded us not to be passive about our marriage, fight for it when necessary.

Del Tackett spoke on creation and God's divine mark on marriage. But one thought he left with wives was that our husbands need our respect like we need their love. He pointed out, too, that we wives should not "mother" our husbands saying that it wasn't honoring or respectful to do so. My husband is not one that I could presume to "mother", but it's always a good reminder. He already had a mother and she and his dad blessed me with a wonderful man to be my love and covering.

One last thought for us wives from "Enhancing Your Marriage", a women's Bible study by Judy Rossi. A wife is essential to her husband and to all he was meant to become. Again, not as his mother, but as his help-meet and his balcony person (the person standing in the balcony of your life cheering you on-Joyce Landorf Heatherley, "Balcony People").

Children

"God sent children...

to enlarge our hearts

and to make us unselfish...

and give our souls higher aims...

and to bring round our fireside

bright faces, happy smiles,

and loving, tender hearts."

Mary Botham Howitt

In The Secret Place With God

Trina's Snippets
Daily in His Presence
Andrew Murray

Matthew 6:6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

“Christ longed for His disciples to know God as their Father and have fellowship with Him within the secret place. In His own life, Jesus considered such communion with His Father to be indispensable and found in it great happiness. Thus he longs that we should understand that we cannot be dedicated disciples without daily communion with the Father who eagerly waits for us in secret.

God desires to draw us away from the world and our self-absorption. He offers us the wonder of an intimate relationship with Him. If only God’s children would take the privilege to heart!

Believers of the Old Testament enjoyed this experience. David often wrote poetry and sang of the Lord being a secret place of refuge for him. How much more should Christians in the New Covenant value this intimate relationship with their Father. We need to commune with our heavenly Father regularly, day by day, that our spiritual life might be restored and renewed.

We have died with Christ and are made one with Him in His resurrection-one plant, one tree. As the roots of a tree are hidden underground, so the roots of our daily lives are hidden deep in God. Take time, therefore, to ponder these words of David: ‘How great is your goodness…in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You’ (Psalm 31:19).”

“Thank you, Lord, for those times I spend with You in the secret place of prayer, where I can recover, be renewed, and be encouraged.”

"Snippets"--clips, morsels, fragments from something I've

read recently...something that has ministered to me or

someone else. They may simply be something God has

impressed upon my heart to send. They are meant to

encourage, challenge, and cause us to ponder. They may

even cause you to run to the nearest Christian bookstore

and pick up a copy of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward "Snippets" to anyone,

please send it in its entirety,
not deleting the original source or author.

Il Divo Amazing Grace

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtrnB4FZ-yc

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #4

Today's Scripture:
"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I Am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up;
do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland."

This little daffodil in my yard today was a first sign of the coming spring.
It brings to mind His "new thing springing up" in our lives. Seeing the first bulbs peeking up through the soil each year makes me all excited to get to work in my flowerbeds. I start dreaming about what I'll plant and how beautiful they will look with all the colors and smells of the different flowers. This is only a hint of the feelings I should have when I think about God doing a new thing in my life, something that will be unlike what's He's done in my past. I love the way He says, "Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?" It's almost as if He's so excited about what He's doing that He wants us to perceive it, get excited about it, anticipate it.

Have you ever had the joy of buying the most wonderful, absolutely perfect gift for someone you love at Christmas. You're so excited you don't think you can wait until Christmas Day for them to open it. You can't wait to see their pleasure. You're about to burst with anticipation. That's how I see God when He says, "Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?"

Father, give us Your vision and Your dreams for our lives. We want to get onboard with You and feel Your anticipation and pleasure over what You are about to do in our lives. Where there has been desert, You are making a way. Where they have seemed to be wasteland, You are making a stream.

They will soar on wings like eagles

(Photo taken at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada)

Isaiah 40: 28-31

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everylasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and His understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

"Even the strongest people get tired at times,

but God's power and strength never diminish.

He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen.

His strength is our source of strength.

When you feel all of life crushing you and cannot go another step, remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength."

Life Application Study Bible footnote

Grandma Clara

Trina's Snippets

Crazy Love
Francis Chan

“Have you ever met someone who was utterly and desperately in love with Jesus? I have. My wife’s grandma Clara.

“Every morning Clara would kneel by her bed and spend precious hours with her Savior and Lover; later in the day, just the sight of that corner of her bed would bring joy-filled tears and a deep anticipation of the next morning spent kneeling in His presence.”

“In his book, God Is the Gospel, John Piper essentially asks whether we are in love with God:
‘The critical question for our generation-and for every generation-is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disaster, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?’”

From Trina: When I read the above from Francis Chan’s book, my first thought when reading about Grandma Clara, was “Oh, to have that kind of passion and intimacy with my Lord." And I wrote, “I can’t imagine the depth of that joy. Father, for this to describe my life would be my greatest joy. I do cherish my time in prayer and meditation and study with You and when I’m not in my prayer room, I am filled with emptiness and longing.” As I read the second paragraph, the quote from John Piper’s book, I wrote in my journal. “Lord, as I read this a hole swelled up from inside me as an appalled unfiltered, “NO” jumped from my lips. It was a shocking question. Heaven would not be heaven without Jesus.”

And even to feel as I do, it is still so much less than He deserves. I pray where ever each of us are in our walk with God, that we will never be completely satisfied, but pursue a greater intimacy with Him every single day of our lives.

*"Snippets"--clips, morsels, fragments from something

I've read recently...something that has ministered to me

or someone else. They may simply be something God has

impressed upon my heart to send. They are meant

to encourage, challenge, and cause us to ponder.

They may even cause you to run to the nearest

Christian bookstore and pick up a copy

of the book they are snipped from.
If you forward "Snippets" to anyone,

please send it in its entirety,

not deleting the original source or author.

How Great Thou Art

A Few Photo's from Yellowstone ~ June 2008
HOW GREAT THOU ART

(Sing along with me as you scroll down)

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!

When through the woods,
and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.


Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!


And when I think,
that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross,
my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.



Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!


When Christ shall come,
with shout of acclamation,
And take me home,
what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow,
in humble adoration,
And then proclaim:
"My God, how great Thou art!"


Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #3 (#1 and #2)

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #3
Song of Solomon 2:14 NIV
"Show me Your face,
Let me hear Your voice;
for Your voice is sweet,
and Your face is lovely."

I don't know how many of you have been blessed to be in a Beth Moore study, but I know I have been over and over! Beth has a blog that she and her two young married/mom daughters write on. I found it last week. I've been blessed, challenged, and entertained already. I'm sending you the link that begins in January, 2009. They are even doing a scripture memory "thingy". I think she posts those on the 1st and 15th. I'm starting with January 1 and trying to catch up to date on the blog so I can follow what's going on. It may take me a couple of weeks to get up-to-date, but it's been fun. Thought some of you might enjoy their short blogs during spare minutes of your day. http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

I'm playing catch-up so here are my first two scriptures to memorize so I can memorize 24 scriptures from God's Word by the end of the year.


Scripture for Memory and Meditation #1
"Isaiah 33:6 NET
"He is your constant source of stability;
He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom;
He gives all this to those who fear Him."

Scripture for Memory and Meditation #2
Psalm 63:6 NIV
"On my bed I remember You. I think of You through the watches of the night."

ABOUT SNIPPETS

I send out an email about once a week (no regular schedule) called "Trina's Snippets". It began in 2003 when I was reading and thought of all the insights I've received from reading Christian writers. I've always highlighted and underlined things that stood out to me so I decided to send a short quote to friends every so often. That list of recipients has grown and many, if not most, of the people I've never met. Some of those have since emailed me and we've become friends through email. It's been a real blessing to me. I'm inserting into this post one of the recent Snippets. It is a prayer by A.W. Tozer from "The Pursuit of God". I think it is a beautiful expression from a hungry heart.

Trina's Snippets
The Pursuit of God
A. W. Tozer

“O God, I have tasted Your goodness,

and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God, I want to want You;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Your glory, I pray, that so I may know You indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.
Say to my soul, `Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.'
Then give me grace to rise and follow You up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.
In Jesus' name, Amen.”

*"Snippets"--clips, morsels, fragments from something
I've read recently...something that has ministered to me
or someone else. They may simply be something God has
impressed upon my heart to send. They are meant
to encourage, challenge, and cause us to ponder.
They may even cause you to run to the nearest
Christian bookstore and pick up a copy
of the book they are snipped from.

If you forward "Snippets" to anyone,
please send it in its entirety,
not deleting the original source or author.

Learning about blogging and so much more...

Today's Scripture: Isaiah 33:6 NET

"He is your constant source of stability; He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom;He gives all this to those who fear Him."

I've been sitting at my computer off and on trying to get this page set up and discover what I can do as far as settings and layout. I've found from the past couple of months that I can spend a lot of time reading blogs and today I learned that I can spend a lot of time working on a blog. All that to say, I will have to find a place of balance and discipline in the blog world. =)

I did have an amazing time with my Lord today. After 30 something years of stresses and demands from a career, I have semi-retired and am loving being home and having time to do and be things I've wanted for so long. I have the most amazing times with God is prayer, study, and meditation each day. I'm also trying very hard to get better physically fit through lifestyle changes and exercise. I finally did some of my Holy Yoga DVD today. It felt good. http://www.holyyoga.net/home

Two things God has been trying to teach me this year have been 1) To stop trying to do everything on my own and instead reach in and tap the source of the Holy Spirit that is within me. It's all my choice. He's available and just waiting for me to submit to Him and seek His help. 2) To be more thankful. Actually to overflow with gratitude and thanksgiving. In reading R. T. Kendall's book, "Just Say Thanks", I am remind of how I've neglected a gushing heart of thanks and am embarassed before God for my lack of awareness and then the expression of great thanksgiving. He deserves better. And speaking of things to be thankful for...The photograph on this post is one I took last summer when we visited The Tetons and Yellowstone. Now isn't God amazing!