Trekking with Me

I can't breathe; ugh, I went to bed about four hours ago, after taking sinus medicine. It hasn't helped. So, I decided to get up so I could at least breath normal. Breathing is pretty important. :-) It is cold, I sit here tangled up in two blankets - trying to cover myself and type at the same time... whoever designed those "snuggies" was brilliant; I could use one about now. Anyhow, a wintery blast covered us the last 24 hours. I looked out over my back yard this afternoon; it is all brown, and dead looking. I seriously wonder if it will ever be green again. I am such a wimp; give me hot sunshine and green grass!! Kitty has decided to join me on the couch; her purring is loud in the dark quiet of the night... she is asking if she can crawl on my lap as she is cold too. It is hard to type with a fur-ball between me and the keyboard, but she does help warm me up. Ah, this is random; I do have some thoughts.... I think the Lord has me up to pray. Yes, ...

"How do we abide? "Of God are ye in Christ Jesus." It was the work of God to put you there and he has done it. Now STAY there! Do not be moved back to your own ground. Never look at yourself as though you were not in Christ. Look at Christ, and see yourself in Him. Abide in Him. Rest in the fact that God has put you in His Son, and live in the expectation that He will complete his work in you. It is for Him to make good the glorious promise that "sin shall not have dominion over you." (Romans 6:14)" But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, I Corinthians 1:30 I am greatly enjoying Nee's book; a beautiful stroll through the doctrine of Romans. It is like sitting down to a rich banquet with several courses to enjoy slowly. A banquet can only be enjoyed when it is experienced slowly, savoring each moment and bite. I think our western buffets miss the mark o...

Good Morning Blog World, It's the beginning of a new semester for me; Lord Willing, it is my second to last to finish my program! I am so excited I can hardly contain it. This semester will be another walk through some rich learning as well as further transforming! What a privilege to study under such wise professors and participate in a Christ-centered, grace-filled community. I thank the Lord everyday for this experience! This semester I am taking three very significant courses: sexuality counseling, addictions counseling and systematic theology. The latter will definitely keep me grounded as I walk through the emotional challenge of the first two! As of this morning, I have attended one of those courses, addictions; the class has put up this challenge -- to give up something that would be difficult to give up, for the length of the course. If we will be counseling clients to give up addictions to something for the rest of their life, it may be beneficial for us to experienc...

It's been cold and dreary the last 5 weeks. Peeps I love are moving away, changing location, preparing to leave, disconnecting from my immediate circle, and I am feeling the loss. Thoughts of "what's next" and "where am I going" assail my mind and being...; fear of being alone is knocking at my door and trying to enter my heart. I have let that fear in before; it is an unwelcome and a rude guest. So, I am holding my hand on the lock. I am feeling the desire for someone to just hold me; to wrap me up in their strong arms to assure me that I am not alone, I am secure, and loved. These are real emotions and thoughts; I am just putting it down here. I am a real person. BUT I have a REAL God who is my rock. I am clinging to that Rock, and hiding in the shadow of His wings, knowing that the storm of these feelings will blow over, the sun will shine and His love will hold me and guide me. This journey of Life is hard sometimes. I know this season ...

Blogging is very therapeutic for me, so I am making an effort to blog more this year. Last year was great, I just didn't make it a priority but I missed it. This Morning I read a little devotional that took me to Philippians 3 where Paul speaks about pressing forward to gain the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ..."I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me.... I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it." But He presses forward, forgetting what is behind... content in Jesus yet not satisfied - he presses on for excellence. I found this a comfort this morning. I like excellence. Though I am not a perfectionist in housekeeping or time management; I am a bit of an "over achiever" in doing things well and with excellence in such things as exercise, nutrition, performance on the job and understanding myself and others. I DO strive to handle my time and my belongings well as I see all these things as belonging to God...

Okay, here it goes.... I need some COMMENTS! I have not been receiving any comments and we all know in blogging world that comments mean everything to us bloggers. So... i humbly ask you, if you are reading my blog.... leave a comment. :-) At least on this post, and it will make me very happy! Thanks!

Today has been a battle. You ever read "Alexander's Terrible horrible very bad day"? I thought about that book today especially the line at the end of his entourage, as he says, "I want to move to Australia" - as if in Australia, there are NEVER bad days. My line today was, "I want to move back to Jacksonville..." where i envisioned warm sunny beaches... beautiful sunrises and lovely sailboats adrift on the many waterways of that city. Though my day was NOT really terrible, horrible, or even very bad, I was definitely heavy-laden this morning. So, I went to battle. I went through the armor God provides; His Truth, His Righteousness, His Salvation, His Peace, Faith and the Sword of His Word. I thanked Him for His promises that He will never leave me nor forsake me; and thanked Him that He is my Shepherd and I am safe under His Wings. I also called on a friend to pray for me. What precious tools He provides us to STAND and be Strong in His Might...

Happy New Year!! Can you believe 2009 is finished? It was barely a breeze... but it was a very good year. As the days, weeks and months passed this past year, I experienced "green pastures and still waters" - as spoken of in Psalm 23. Not that all was a bed of roses, but it was definitely a peaceful year in which I felt tenderly cared for, fed and washed by His Truth and Love. Last January we were blessed with the birth of Kayden, my niece. Her middle name is Joy; she has lived up to her name in bringing us sweet joy with her happy personality. I was thrilled this Christmas holiday when she toddled her way across my brothers kitchen and lifted her little hands up to me, bright eyes and a smile told me she KNEW me and wanted to give me some cuddles! I have enjoyed being close to Jimbo and Timbrel and my nieces; this was one of the reasons I moved up here to SC - so I could be close to them and my nieces would know their auntie! I don't anticipate their departure....