2012 is indeed, for me, a year to rejoice.
Yes, devastation came quickly.
And I cursed it.
But God was with us and held us so close.
God loved us in days of desperation
and brought us, broken, to days of delight.
God gave me "Hope of Relief in God's Mercy":
"This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord's lovingkindnesses
indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
'The Lord is my portion,'
says my soul,
'Therefore I have hope in Him.'"
(Lamentations 3:21-24)
Today, dear friend, I encourage you to REJOICE every day!
Let us REJOICE in God's great love!
Let us recall to mind (and record)
the Lord's lovingkindnesses and compassions!
Here are some of mine:
*a boxful of peaches from Victor
*and a basket of blueberries
*cool, clear morning air in June in Georgia
*a "technicolor day" (as Mama would say)
*Emilio the kitten, a gift offered and accepted
*walking and praying as the sun comes up
*dreaming of the little house
*Andrew and Beth meeting Joseph and me for a Retro lunch
*realizing how far I'd driven the Burb
*God calling me to a new thing
With gratitude,
Sally
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Welcome Back!
The new year dawned hopeful.
Thoughts and thanks were recorded here.
Then someone highjacked our email.
Suddenly the wrong message was being sent out in our name all over the place.
We panicked and apologized. Embarrassed.
We hope now we've made the necessary correction.
I think about God.
Does He ever feel hijacked because the wrong message is being sent out in His Name?
Does my message, as a Christian, ever embarrass Him?
Do my actions sometimes cause Him to have to apologize for me?
Might the goings on in my house sometimes betray the cross by my door?
Do I break the heart of the One who bore the shame of the cross for me
when I send out the wrong message in His Name and cause others to block Him from their hearts?
I confess my failures, Lord.
Please forgive me.
Help me to make the necessary corrections,
even if they take time and are complicated and
even if I have to ask someone to help me
and I feel foolish and inadequate.
"Be gracious to me, O God
according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of
Your compassion blot out
My transgressions."
(Psalm 51:1)
Thank You, Lord, for "The Joy Dare: One Thousand Gifts in 2012":
January 19:
*a grace in the kitchen: our fruit stand full of apples and bananas and oranges and grapefruit
*a grace in the weather: a beautiful blue January sky on a cold clear day
*a grace that might never have been: our "AC" children ("after chemotherapy"):
John Victor, Margaret, and Benjamin
With gratitude,
Sally
Thoughts and thanks were recorded here.
Then someone highjacked our email.
Suddenly the wrong message was being sent out in our name all over the place.
We panicked and apologized. Embarrassed.
We hope now we've made the necessary correction.
I think about God.
Does He ever feel hijacked because the wrong message is being sent out in His Name?
Does my message, as a Christian, ever embarrass Him?
Do my actions sometimes cause Him to have to apologize for me?
Might the goings on in my house sometimes betray the cross by my door?
Do I break the heart of the One who bore the shame of the cross for me
when I send out the wrong message in His Name and cause others to block Him from their hearts?
I confess my failures, Lord.
Please forgive me.
Help me to make the necessary corrections,
even if they take time and are complicated and
even if I have to ask someone to help me
and I feel foolish and inadequate.
"Be gracious to me, O God
according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of
Your compassion blot out
My transgressions."
(Psalm 51:1)
Thank You, Lord, for "The Joy Dare: One Thousand Gifts in 2012":
January 19:
*a grace in the kitchen: our fruit stand full of apples and bananas and oranges and grapefruit
*a grace in the weather: a beautiful blue January sky on a cold clear day
*a grace that might never have been: our "AC" children ("after chemotherapy"):
John Victor, Margaret, and Benjamin
With gratitude,
Sally
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Always
"Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, rejoice!"
(Philippians 4:4)
No matter what the days of 2012 hold for us,
whether delight or devastation,
we can rejoice.
Always.
We can rejoice each day
because God is good
and God loves us
and His mercies are new every morning
and because
God is with us!
Every day.
Always.
Thank You, Lord, for:
1801. a brand new year
1802. realizing I have recorded this many gifts from the Lord
1803. a children's sermon question that gave me a way to say what I needed to say
1804. fear subsiding
1805. Ann's encouragement for resolutions
1806. worshiping with Christa and Nicole early on the first morning of the new year
1807. remembering In the Image of the Maker
1808. Blessings and Laura Story's smile that kept coming as she sang
1809. walking into the new year with Little Darlin'
1810. a new Upper Room and the stillness of the sanctuary
Rejoicing,
Sally
again I will say, rejoice!"
(Philippians 4:4)
No matter what the days of 2012 hold for us,
whether delight or devastation,
we can rejoice.
Always.
We can rejoice each day
because God is good
and God loves us
and His mercies are new every morning
and because
God is with us!
Every day.
Always.
Thank You, Lord, for:
1801. a brand new year
1802. realizing I have recorded this many gifts from the Lord
1803. a children's sermon question that gave me a way to say what I needed to say
1804. fear subsiding
1805. Ann's encouragement for resolutions
1806. worshiping with Christa and Nicole early on the first morning of the new year
1807. remembering In the Image of the Maker
1808. Blessings and Laura Story's smile that kept coming as she sang
1809. walking into the new year with Little Darlin'
1810. a new Upper Room and the stillness of the sanctuary
Rejoicing,
Sally
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