Trekking with Me

"take these truths, day by day... preach to yourself... may you sing with confidence that you are made NEW and CARED for..." I have been in Job recently... and this video is perfect as I think about the deep, unimaginable suffering Job went through... and my own response when I have a bad day. Hope you are blessed through this video.

Good Morning! I am revving up with excitement this morning. Less than 2 hours until the Willowcreek Leadership Summit commences!  And, the cutest outfit has come together this morning - gals you know that gets you in a fun mood when just the right earrings matches up with the perfect top  and shoes... it is just positively joyful! :-) 3 days until teachers officially ascend back down into classrooms.... 6 days until I officially begin a new decade :-) Mountains of thoughts to share! This is just to whet your appetite: is your cup empty?  God directly answered the cry of my heart this past week, thus pouring shameless Joy all over me!  As one of my favorite preachers commonly says, when you get to the root, you rid of the fruit of worry, anxiety, and fear. I just Love Him for being so faithful! Just this morning... I was so blessed in Psalm 84 (one of my favorite psalms - the subtitle of this blog comes from this!): O God, behold our shield, And ...

Summer is approaching.  I have two weeks of teaching left.  FYI - God blessed me with a long term assignment working in a middle school classroom.  He takes care of me like that! These past few weeks have been pretty good, then this most previous week HIT.  It was about the longest week of my life, or it seemed like it.  My students seemed to forget the normal procedures; chaos broke out in my classroom like a bad case of teenage acne.  By Wednesday I arrived home in quite a tizzy. As I tried to see through my flustered emotions, it was fuzzy as to the actual root of my frustration.  It was more than a crazy classroom of pre-adolescence!  Realistically I had been trying to hold a rising issue under water with one hand. Then I realized... It's MAY: May is NOT my favorite month as stated in previous  posts.    I am facing some major shifting in my relationships.   Friends and acquaintances that I had not the time...

I enjoy substituting more than I thought I would.  I like the variety, the flexibility and of course, the multitude of people I meet every single day.  I feel like a sponge at times too, because when you walk into a good teacher's classroom, it is the best education you can get as a teacher.  I pick up all sorts of ideas, insights, and more often than not, inspiration to be that good!   For example, after visiting elementary classes, I am inspired to get more organized, use lots of bright color and add simple structure to my life.  Elementary classrooms are full of these things!  I love the bright colors, the simple lessons, the little chairs and tables and the "town hall meeting" areas: specific areas of the room to gather together, designated by a cool rug, usually a rocking chair is off one corner and the rug has fantastic themes and colors all over it.  Personally, I envision creating a room or place in my home for the little people in my wor...

After spending a few minutes reviewing past January posts from the few years I have been blogging, January does not seem to be the brightest time of the year! And as I was musing over the post i wanted to write, it was not the brightest topic as I am in a season of testing. I know my heart, mind, and faith are being refined in the fires of life. I rejoice in the Work He is doing as it is very good, even if it is very HOT and uncomfortable. Instead of a "life is hard" post, I was blessed to hear this song this morning after hopping onto Facebook to see what was happening. A friend had posted this song. Wow. MY GOD IS MY HELP! HE WILL NOT DELAY! I WILL STAND MY GROUND! HE IS ALWAYS WITH ME. Maybe you are not a fan of January's winter gray either or facing your own varied and sundry trials. BE ENCOURAGED! Look Up to the Lord, He will not delay, He is Your Very Present Help in Times of Trouble. He is our provider, our sustainer, our redeemer, our com...

I know Aaron... he and his family would visit over the summers of my growing up years. He is so gifted, his heart is true blue. I love his whole family... God Bless You Aaron!! I love this song; Hope has always been a "favorite" word of mine... something me and the Lord know... like, He would put the word in front of me and wink in His heavenly presence me... so this song... sings what my heart has been singing for years and years and it is more alive today than ever!!! I love Him... He is My confidence and My Joy and LIFE. Enjoy, and May your Hope be in Him, the unshakeable ROCK!

My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation, A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken. Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me, I’ll fix my heart on righteousness, I’ll look to Him who hears me. O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. Find rest, my soul, in God alone Amid the world’s temptations; When evil seeks to take a hold I’ll cling to my salvation. Though riches come and riches go, Don’t set your heart upon them; The fields of hope in which I sow Are harvested in heaven. O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. I’ll set my gaze on God alone, And trust in Him completely; With every day pour out my soul, And He will prove His mercy. Though life is but a fleeting breath, A sigh too brief to measure, My King has crushed the curse of death And I am His forever. O praise Him, hallelujah, M...

I had a really great day today. It started with a chilly walk on my favorite trail this morning; it's been a while since I have done that ... my mind meandered as I walked along, drinking in the beauty of the morning. Leaves floated down like a scene made in Heaven... sometimes I wish I could capture such beauty in a photo, but I am not that good plus I left my camera at home. I am thankful my heart is in a restful place these days. He is the Keeper of my heart and He knows the way in which it has traveled. He has poured His loving balm over it when it has not been so peaceful or restful. I am so thankful He works in ALL things good. Many things we will not understand until we have heaven's soil on our shoes. I can trust His Heart when I can't trace His Hand. Yet, I am SO thankful when He gives us glimpses of understanding to the twists and turns of our hearts and the journey we walk. This Song is precious... this particular day could have been hard for some good reasons...

I have loved this song for a long time ago - I first heard it while working at Brother John's in Toccoa, GA; it would play on the radio and it just made me smile every time I heard it!!! Now... what's one of your favorite Christmas songs??  I dedicate this post to all my nieces and nephews... love you all!! 

....did she read my journal?...

This is about as clear as it gets. God understands............ I love Him. How precious and tender.... may our hearts be so soft to receive... and see and understand His love for us.

My goal this summer is to be Still... so that I can Know Him more, to go deeper... this song is something I sing to Him and to myself to remind myself... that HE is GOOD; I want to know Him better; I want Him to write upon my heart.... His Love, Grace, Truth... Himself. The more I study, the More I walk through this journey of Life - a precious gift from Him - the more I realize... it really is about knowing Him... Jesus, Only Jesus... and the more I know Him, the more I know myself... as His creation... the MORE I will experience love, freedom, and abundant life. Of course, in all seasons of life, He beacons to us to be still.... and I believe it can be done, I know too, that some seasons are much more challenging... yet, I love how gracious He is to us... more gracious than we are to ourselves. He is for us... even in our weakness... actually, that is where I see Him the most... He is so very good, and so very for me. Thank You Lord!

Flipped on Pandora as I was getting ready for work and this song played... God So gently meets me... this song so powerful says... what my heart longs for... as God transforms and meets me each day... it is not all about me.... He is turning my world around... so that the obvious touches of God and purposes in the day, in my Life.... can be visible to all... "Lord, Make me Aware of YOU!"

Is your city hosting a gathering??

I have been thinking a lot about intimacy lately: a deep desire to be known and loved for who I am. I saw this video last Spring and it profoundly expresses the desires of a woman's heart; not only women, but all mankind - a desire to be truly known, for to be known is to be loved. There is only one person who can do this perfectly, One who DOES know me and loves me,... who knows you and loves you. He is not about do's and don't;s or a list of requirements; He is about what we were created and designed for - to be in a living relationship with our Maker. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

I just discovered this guy this week... LOVE HIM!! Oh my, i love this style of music and i LOVE THIS SONG!!! :-O Can it ever be more perfect.... seriously my romantic side here!!! How fun....i want to go to THIS grocery store!! I love dancing... i think it is one of those undiscovered.... loves and joys....

He wants to USE ME....HERE AM I!

Song for the day... for the seaon ... from my heart. .... i need to listen to this.... hear this.... everyday.