Treadmill Dog

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age." (Matthew 28:20b NIV)

We have all been there before, times when we feel so
all alone, almost lost and wondering why we are here.
We question God about it and ask. "Why do you have
me here God?" You feel like there is no hope, or cure for
your hurts or depressions.

I wonder maybe if that is what the disciples felt after Jesus
had died. They felt hopeless, like they were on a lonely
road to nowhere.

Our Lord tells us that he is with us always. No matter where
we go, what we do, he is there living in us and will give
us release and comfort.

We go through things to make us stronger in him. As we
go we need to cling to his love and mercy and go his way
and not be cantankerous and try our way about it.

Are you hurting, feeling lonely, feeling like you are on a long
dusty road. The Emmaus road is a classic example Jesus
walked with them and they did not even know he was there,
because of their discouragement and questions. They were
on a long and dusty road. Are you there, are you on that road?

Believe and know... that God is there and giving you the strength
to do what you can.

Are you there on that long and dusty road? Hang on, Jesus is
there walking with you. Stop and ask him to bless you. Then dwell
with him there until you feel He has finished.

Father, we desire your presence in our lives, a special touch from
you, while we travel this long lonely dusty road. Bless us Lord and
hold us close so we may feel your love. In Jesus Name.....

from a devo I get....from Pastor Dittert

This is just how I have been feeling lately....tired of hurting, feeling overwhelmed with life...anyone else been there or are you there??????????

Count on Grace

Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 40:2-3 NIV)

Friend to Friend

In this world, there are few certainties. God is one. His promises are true and we can wholly trust Him to keep His Word, to do exactly what He promises to do. In the key passage, God promises to free us from the pits of life, to direct us – restore us – give us joy and invites us to join Him in Kingdom work. In other words, he promises grace for every step of our journey.

Ah, there is that word again – grace. I am amazed when I think about the price tag dangling from the gift of grace. Grace cost God his son and Jesus his very life. When Jesus came to earth as man, he came as a living, fleshed-out illustration of grace. Grace allows us to take a “long look” at life, keeping our glance on circumstances and our gaze on the Lord of the circumstances. Grace pursues us and loves us, even when we run and reject God’s love. Grace heals the wounded heart and saves the broken soul. God is drawn to brokenness.

What an amazing truth, that God turns first to the broken. Psalm 40:1 says “He turned to me.” Notice this passage does not say that David, the author, turned to God. I don’t think David could turn to God! Knowing the desire of David’s heart and understanding his weakness, God heard his cry and turned to David just like God will hear your cry and turn to you!

During the darkest hours of my battle with clinical depression, I questioned God continually. I flung my anger at Him like a spear. My heart and soul were filled with fear and confusion instead of faith and trust. Yet, He never turned away from me. He knew every tear that I cried. Out of those tears and brokenness has come the most effective and powerful chapter of my life! I have discovered that the more we are broken, the more we are used – because of grace.

You can count on God. You can credit His grace to your account! We are trophies of God’s grace and we can count on Him!

Let’s Pray

Father, I celebrate the truth that you are a God of grace and that you love me unconditionally. Help me to see your hand of grace at work in my life. I surrender myself to you and ask that you shape and form me into the image of your son, Jesus. I want to be like him, Lord. Amen.

Now it’s Your Turn

Mercy is when we don’t get what we deserve. Justice is when we get what we do deserve but grace is when we get what we do not deserve.

Have there been specific times when you sensed the work of grace in your life? Reflect on those times.

Consider the following:

• I need to recognize the truth that the only source of true forgiveness and complete restoration is God.
• What areas of my life need His restoration power?
• What steps do I need to take in order for God to work in my life?
• List each step in your journal.
• Pray about each step and then take action.

And remember, God is more interested in what you do than what you know. Step out in faith. He will meet you there.

Origin And Birthplace Of Memorial Day

Freedom Is Not Free

GOD BLESS AMERICA.....HOME OF THE BRAVE....LAND OF THE FREE...

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in
the shadow of the Almighty." ( Psalm 91:1 NIV)

You just went out and got your mail and you are reading
it when there is a knock at the door. Who is there you
wonder! You look out and do not see a car so you think it
is a salesman. You go to the door with an attitude ready
to say we are not interested. However as you get to the
door you notice someone with long hair and in a robe, and
you think it is a flower child asking for money and passing
out flowers.

When you open the door you see a man standing at the
door. He has a beard and long hair but he has a gentleness
about him and you begin to speak to him. You ask "Can I
help you? " He answers "How can I help you?" It is then that
you realize who this is. It is not just some ordinary man. This
is Jesus!!

He says he would like to come in and talk with you awhile?
How do you react? Do you stutter and say "Well not right
now as my house is a mess and I would like to clean it
up first." He says he wants to help you. You let him in but
ask him not to go into a certain room because it is your junk
room and there is nothing in there but junk! He says " but I
want to see and live in all of your house", but you insist no
not that room. Being the gentlemen that he is he sits down
in your living room and tells you he has been watching you
for many years and has helped you through many situations.

You see our lives are like that. Jesus wants to come in and
we say but Lord I want to clean up first, or Lord you can
come in but only part ways as I have things you do not need
to see.

My friend no matter what, Jesus knows your life. He knows all
of the dark junk rooms of your life and he does not just want
part of your life but he wants all of it and he will cleanse you.

Too many of us have things we want to hide or hang onto, but
Jesus is there. He has already seen all of the dark rooms in our
lives and if we will let him he will clean them for us.

DON'T WORRY....NOTHING POPS OUT AT YOU....JUST STARE INTO THE SCREEN AND IT REALLY WORKS.....

The Broken Seed

Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth

Psalm 42:11 Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God. I should keep praising

him, my Savior and my God

Friend to Friend

I am famous for my “brown thumb”. Even though we have moved several times over the years, changing climates, states, neighborhoods and soil conditions, nothing has altered the fact that if I touch any living plant, its chances for survival are slim. My husband has fared no better in his numerous attempts to plant trees and flowers. I fear that the “brown thumb” disease is contagious. There is more. I see undeniable evidence that this gardening malady is hereditary. My son, bless his heart, has tried to rescue wilted flower after crispy plant from his mother’s clutches. Like his father, every tree or flower planted by Jered has died. But there is hope! My daughter, Danna, is not only able to keep living plants alive for an impressive amount of time, she can plant seeds and green things will actually grow! It is amazing to me!

When Danna was in kindergarten, she had a very creative science teacher, Miss Kay, who constantly planned fun activities and projects for the children. Danna loved her and was always talking about what she learned in science class. One day, as I waited for Danna in the carpool line, I spotted her standing by Miss Kay, grinning from ear to ear, jumping up and down as if she simply could not wait for me to get there. As I pulled up, Danna hopped into the car, gave a huge sigh of satisfaction and stretched out her tiny hand, proudly displaying the amazing reason for her enthusiasm - a wadded up paper towel.

Now I am normally very good at being excited about the things my kids find important, but for the life of me, I could not fathom why Danna would be so thrilled with a crumpled paper towel. “Honey, what is that?” I asked. She looked up at me with sparkling brown eyes and whispered, “Mom, there are seeds in here. Miss Kay gave them to me and I’m gonna plant them and they are gonna grow. Can you believe it?”

Given my morbid experience with seeds, I declined to answer that question but instead, chose to join my daughter in her excitement – until I saw them. Evidently, Danna had been carrying the seeds around all day because when she carefully unfolded the paper towel all I could see was a big mess of broken, mismatched, crushed and crumbled seeds. Looking into the eager eyes of my daughter I said, “Honey, if these seeds don’t grow for some reason, remember that we can go to the store and buy some new ones.” Clutching the seeds tightly to her heart and out of my reach, Danna said, “Mama, they have to grow ‘cause I prayed and asked God to please make them grow and He said He would!” I began planning our trip to the gardening center.

Danna was silent all the way home but when we pulled into our drive way, she jumped out of the car and darted into the house, leaving her doubting mother behind. Moments later Danna ran back outside with a small paper cup in her hand. I watched as she scooped up dirt from the front flower bed and marched confidently back into the house. I followed her, moaning my silent complaint, “Father, do you realize that your reputation is on the line here? Why did she have to pick that particular flower bed, the one we filled with decorative rocks because nothing, not even weeds, would grow there?” Once again, I tried to reason with Danna. “Honey, why don’t we just buy some new seeds?” Ignoring my faithless question, Danna stuffed the broken seeds down into the cup, marched to the kitchen sink and, placing the cup under the faucet, turned the water on full blast. Just as fast as the seeds and dirt spilled over the edge of the cup into the sink, Danna scooped them up and poked them back in, all the way to the bottom of the cup so they could not escape. “Miss Kay says that they have to have sunshine to grow.” With this announcement, she placed her soggy cup of broken, mismatched seeds on the kitchen window sill that looks out over our screened in porch; a place purposely designed to receive no sunlight at all. By this time, I knew that my words were falling on deaf ears and decided to let God handle this one.

Several days later, I was standing at the kitchen sink preparing dinner when I glanced out on the porch to see my daughter’s faith on spectacular display. A small paper cup filled with green sprouts confronted my doubting heart. I could not believe my eyes. Dropping the potatoes in the sink, I literally ran to Danna’s room shouting, “Danna! Danna! Your seeds are growing!” I found her calmly playing “Chutes and Ladders” with Danielle, her best friend. “Danna, did you hear me? Your seeds are growing!” A brief glance and knowing smile from Danna said it all. “That is neat, Mom. I knew they would.” She and Danielle resumed their game, leaving me to gaze in awe and wonder at the faith of my child who dared to believe in a broken dream.

You may be hopeless, clinging to the broken and mismatched remnants of your life, wondering how you can go on. Whispers of the enemy creep into your heart, soul and mind, taunting you with the lie that you are just too dirty and broken for God to love or use. Nothing you do can change that reality so you might as well give up, throwing your life away.

Nothing could be further from the truth, my friend. Never underestimate the power of one, tiny broken seed. Placed in the right hands, it will surely grow into an expression of His beauty for all to see.

Let’s Pray

Lord, I confess that when life is hard, I tend to lose hope. I want my hope to be in you, Father. I want to walk in faith and in your will for my life. I am so tired of being defeated. Please show me how to walk in obedience, and by doing so, walk in hope. Amen.

Now it’s Your Turn

In order to live a life filled with hope, we must make several choices:

• Choose faith over doubt.
• Choose to believe God’s word over man’s wisdom.
• Choose to stand firm when the “storms” come.
• Choose to count on God’s holiness instead of my effort.

In our day and age, home life is – sadly - devalued, unappreciated, and sneered at; good home life, with its orderliness, cheerfulness, peace, contentment and simplicity is so very rare, that some people of my generation grew up without knowing it at all. In too many households, there are no orderly routines, no lovingly arranged decorations, no home-cooked meals, no family dinners, no welcoming neighbors into your home and showing hospitality – none of the warmth and lovingness that transform a house, a dwelling, into a home.

The incredibly important work of a woman as a keeper of her home, the woman who is present at her home, being the center and spirit of it, caring and nurturing, loving and creating, tending to the needs of her loved ones – is also tossed aside, aprons and home-baked cookies sound almost offensive in the light of the feminist agenda.

By the more tolerant, a mother of young children who stays home to care for her little ones is still seen as somehow 'justified', making a noble – even if unfortunate and unrewarding – sacrifice; but mothers of grown-up children, or married and childless women, or grown-up daughters – how dare they remain at home? How dare they to focus on the home? How can they say they are doing something important and worthwhile?

Yet I think no woman – mother, wife, daughter, sister or grandmother – should feel guilty for loving her home, for cherishing her home and making it the focus of her life, love, work, energy and creativity. No woman should feel she is squandering her talents because the role she chose isn't glorious or well-paid. No woman should feel unimportant, useless, or unproductive, because she chooses to make home her first priority.

Think of a childhood spent without ever smelling a delicious cake or pie, fresh for the oven; without ever tugging at the strings of Mother's apron (because she doesn't own one); without long, peaceful afternoons spent side by side, learning, laughing and playing alongside each other. Think of a husband coming home, each and every evening, to an empty, silent, cold, unorganized and basically uninhabited home, full of appliances and objects, but devoid of love and dedication. Imagine a tired old man who is walking down the street, thirsty for a glass of water to drink or for a few warm words of friendly conversation – but there is no one behind those closed unwelcoming doors during the entire day, and way too much pressure and rush during the evenings and weekends; think of all the loneliness, detachment, stress, unhappiness and emptiness that have been our share ever since we dismissed the home as the woman's realm, as a center of love, joy, peace, warmth and hospitality, and not just a place to eat and sleep.

What cause can be more noble and rewarding than setting our goal to re-conquering that realm? We can do that, bit by bit, with our daily work at home; each sweet-smelling, sparkling clean clothesline, each home-baked pie and hand-knitted scarf, each neighborly smile and welcoming gesture lead us on our way to become, again, queens of our households.

Jotted down by Mrs. Anna T ....I just was surfing the web and came across her blog....good stuff here....be blessed