Deliver me from my fears

Quiet Rest

Perfect Peace

Cast your care

Imagine

Soar

Oxymoron

Come and Drink

Share Your World – 2015 Week #37

Each Monday Cee Neuner of Cee’s Photography asks four questions as a way for us to get to know each other. I hope you enjoy sharing my world.

If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be?

1. I’d like enough money so I could cut back on working and my daughters too. Pay off all our student loans and live comfortably. That would take less money than you’d think. We live simple lives and would be happy with a small home with land and a camper van so we could live on the road
2. I want to be healthy, peaceful and joyful
3. I’d like to see my girls grow old and see my great grand children. Of course Kai is only four-ish so it will be awhile.

What is the most incredible natural venue that you’ve ever seen in person?

Do I have to pick just one? The most spectacular places I’ve been are Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

I’m going to pick the Tetons because of the overwhelming, jaw dropping site of these peaks jetting over 7,000 feet above us, over 14,000 above sea level. It was a spiritual experience for me and changed my geographic and teaching focus.

Wouldn’t that be nice to wake to every morning.

Is your hair short (total neck and ear showing), medium (covering ears and neck), long (below shoulders) or extra long (at least halfway down your back)?

Most of my life it’s been long to extra long. There was one time my mom cut my extra long hair and it ended up short, you could even see my ears. She cried. I wore my hair medium, just above my shoulders, while on my journey. I had to wash it in sinks quite often. Now its back to extra long.

List some of your favorite blogs.

• of course Cee. I do love her challenges, I just wish I had time to participate more.
• Jennifer Nicole Wells (photo challenge)
• Fit to Serve (awesome recipes)

there’s so many I do love, just don’t have time to do all those links

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I don’t remember last week and I hope next week will be simpler

Share Your World – 2015 Week #24

Each Monday Cee Neuner of Cee’s Photography asks four questions as a way for us to get to know each other. I hope you enjoy sharing my world.

What’s your favorite charitable cause and why?  

Muscular Dystrophy, our family curse. Watching my uncles, grandfather and mom suffer horribly creates a sensitivity to this debilitating disease. I commend them for the help they gave my family in equipment, therapy and other medical help at no cost to us. Supposedly, since I don’t have the disease it has ended with me in our family.

What color do you feel most comfortable wearing?  

black and blues, cool blues, navy

If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? (guest can be dead, alive, famous or someone you just know)

Peter, Paul and John – I want to know of their lives with Jesus and what early discipleship was like. I want to hear some funny stories not in the bible

List:  What are at least five places you’ve enjoyed visiting?

1. Yellowstone National Park, WY
2. Grand Teton’s National Park, WY
3. Glacier National Park, MT
4. Crater Lake National Park, OR
5. Death Valley National Park, CA
6. Saguaro National Park, AZ
7. Big Bend National Park, TX
8. White Sands National Monument, NM
9. Cape Cod National Seashore, MA
10. etc, etc, etc

See a theme here…I’m a big supporter of our national parks, the beauty in these wilderness areas is beyond what any photo can show.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for feeling better, and look forward to improved health

Fill me up

Healing

Abundance

Fear Not

To do or to be – that is the question.

Holy Fruit

Got Stress?

Rest

Healing Balm

There is a Peace

There is a peace, through kingdoms fall and crumble,
A peace amid this hurricane of war,
A quiet peace that “passeth understanding”
While chaos rages at our very door.

There is a peace, not brought by worldly honor,
Nor at the price of many millions slain.
But by the blood of One, God’s Son, who suffered,
And even now, he did not die in vain!

There is a peace deep down within the Christian,
A rock on which to lean in time of storm,
A lasting peace that will outlive the ages,
In spite of those who ridicule and scorn.

There is a peace! Let’s cling to it and hold it
In life or death, in days of peace of war,
That quiet peace which “passeth understanding,”
Through chaos rages at our very door.

Alice Hansche Mortenson

 

Christmas magic

Often you hear people talking about Christmas it’s the magic of miracles. It’s a reminder of a time long ago when all was right in the world. The Christmas season is often portrayed as a magical time where anything can happen.  So if Christmas’ magic could change lives what would change? What miracle would we want? What are the deepest desires of our hearts?

 

A few of the most common themes of Christmas magic include:

• Finding a soul mate
• Healing rift between friends
• To have an estranged spouse come home
• Physical and mental healing
• Financial peace
• Peace of mind
• Business success
• A child in the military to come home for Christmas
• For our dreams to come true

This list could go on and on as every person would have a different answer. But what is the thread that connects these themes?

Everyone has an idea of what life should be like and they believe that this is the one time of the year when prayers are answered, lives are restored, families reconciled and fairy tales comes true. There’s sadness in this season because the magic doesn’t hold up, the season passes and we’re left feeling more broken than before. I know this was true for me for many years. I have watched the Hallmark movies, gazed into the twinkle lights and found my nostalgic past in the beautiful reds and greens. I admit I was one of those who sought Christmases magic in this season. My wish was to find my estranged father of 45 years (read about my Hallmark Christmas).

But how many heartbroken souls are still out there, still waiting. Still watching the movies and hoping that happy ending will be theirs. That they too can have the miracle they’ve been secretly hoping for this Christmas season.

There is a magic in the idea of Christmas but it’s not found in the greenery, twinkle lights or holiday movies.  There is a white knight out there that is willing and ready to rescue you and make all your dreams come true. Many celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus. But the season isn’t about a little baby but a grown man who fell to earth so that we may be restored. He came to fill our hearts with the magic of a little child.

The real miracle of the season is the miracle that happens in our hearts, the miracle that only Jesus can do. Christmas is about second chances, Jesus died to give us a second chance. It’s about reconciliation to our true father. It’s about letting go wrongs and love each other as Christ did for us.

This Christmas remember the miracle maker and ask him to make a miracle in your heart and mind by restoring and renewing all of you.

If you could have a Hallmark Christmas what would it be?

 

Next week: Quotes on a peaceful attitude.

Peace in All Things

Faith endures as seeing Him who is invisible (Heb. 11:27); endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of life, by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind. But so long as we are occupied with any other object than God Himself, there will be neither rest for the heart nor peace for the mind. But when we receive all that enters our lives as from His hand, then, no matter what may be our circumstances or surroundings—whether in a hovel or prison-dungeon, or at a martyr’s stake—we shall be enabled to say, ” The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places” (Ps. 16:6). But that is the language of faith, not of sight nor of sense.

—Arthur W. Pink

Cast Your Cares

Peace

The sun went down – a blaze of light
As twilight ushered in the night.
The moon arose – a silvery glow
I’m glad the Savour made it so.

The stars came out across the sky
To speak of other worlds on high,
And in my heart I found sweet peace,
From toil the night would bring release.

Vera Beall Parker

Inward Peace