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Love/ Spiritual/ Valentine's Day

3 New Loves

I was not going to post tonight, but then I was looking at the different blogs I read on Google Reader, and once again found some great stuff I have to share with you, but I will be quick!

Love has been the theme of the day, as it is February 14.

 Happy Valentines Day!

3 Loves connected for me by my Ultimate Love–Father God.

Here are 3 new loves of mine:

1. Grooveshark
I was reading my friend, Kristin’s blog, the_uncomplication_project, and she wrote a fun little post about a springtime music playlist.  She listed some great songs, (go look!) then suggested groveshark.com.  Here is what she has to say about it:

“For free listens, visit Grooveshark and search for any song. You can create spur-of-the-moment playlists from just about any song. It’s free & they don’t put any ads in the middle of your music!”

I was intrigued and bookmarked the site.

2. Meteor Shower by Owl City
I finished up reading Kristin’s post, and was still on Google reader came upon my sister’s new blog, “Beauty Divine.”  She just moved to Kansas, and boy do I miss her, so to read her blog does my heart much good.  She just oozes beauty, inside and out, so check out her beautiful blog and experience some!

Today she wrote a post about some of her “loves,” and one of them was a song called Meteor Shower by Owl City.  I got excited the minute I saw a music recommendation by her, she is the queen of great music finds.   My sis posted these lyrics which intrigued me…

“I can finally see that you’re right there beside me / I am not my own, for I have been made new / Please don’t let me go, I desperately need you / I am not my own, for I have been made new / Please don’t let me go, I desperately need you.

Those lyrics just hit a chord with me, as they express much of what I have been feeling lately, which I will explain more in my love number 3. I remembered Kristin’s suggestion to go to Grooveshark to listen to any song, so I headed over there to check out Meteor Shower.  Let me tell you, I played the song 3 times and the sound of it brought my girls running, and they all had it memorized by the last play.  I loved it.

3. A book called “Identity”
It is actually a study book, from the Connect series.  I am part of a Women’s Bible Study group that meets once a week.  We just started this book, and I can’t tell you how much I think we are going to grow and learn.  I am so excited!  This is from their website:

What Is CONNECT?

The Connect series invites you to have your whole person changed from the inside.

  • visually engaging and relationally interactive
  • relevant to real-life issues
  • deeply biblical and rooted in Scripture
  • geared for people wherever they are in their spiritual and life journeys

 

If I were to summarize my feelings about starting this study, the lyrics to the song above would just about do it.  The study is about who I am, because of who God is, and what it means to be made ‘new.’ The song above could be our studies theme song!

I love it when God puts things into my life that continue to show me that He is active and present and thoughtful of me- like a song that expresses my heart because of a book I am reading, that I could easily listen to thanks to Kristin’s music site recommendation

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Love/ Spiritual/ Valentine's Day

The Very Best Valentine

For many people, Valentines Day can be a drag.
A reminder of what you don’t feel.
A reminder of a desire that has not been granted.
A reminder that even if you have a love, they will never fulfill the void.
A reminder of a heart that is broken.

 

If you are one of those people, I want you to know that
YOU ARE LOVED
by the very God who created you, exactly how you are, RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW. He is a personal God, who cares about every one of your desires and wants to fulfill them. He is a God who takes broken hearts and makes them whole again. If Creator God were to write you a Valentine, I believe it would go something like this. These words come straight from His Word.

Listen, YOU WHO ARE LOVED, and know.

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you. 
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. 
Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. 
Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. 
Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. 
Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. 
Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. 
Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. 
Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book. 
Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live. 
Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 
Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother’s womb. 
Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. 
Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented
by those who don’t know me.
John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love. 
1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 
1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father. 
1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. 
Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. 
Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. 
James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. 
Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. 
Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. 
Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. 
Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you. 
Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. 
Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul. 
Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. 
Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me. 
Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart. 
Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. 
Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine. 
Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles. 
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you. 
Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart. 
Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes. 
Revelation 21:3-4
And I’ll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. 
John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. 
Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you. 
Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you. 
1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love. 
Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me. 
1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7
I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…
Will you be my child? 
John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. 
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad Almighty God

Father’s Love Letter
© 1999 – 2010 Father Heart Communications
www.FathersLoveLetter.com

Do you want to know more?
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Love/ Spiritual

Yesterday, Today, Forever-He Never Changes

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 
Psalm 46:1-3,7



“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Tim 1:7 (AMP)
I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8 (AMP)
He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved. Psalm 62:6 (AMP)
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7 (AMP)
The Lord is good, a Strength and Stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows (recognizes, has knowledge of, and understands) those who take refuge and trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 (AMP)
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.Isaiah 26:3

Spiritual

Coffee Shops And Merry-Go-Rounds

One of my most favorite things to do is to take my journal and Bible, and sit at my favorite coffee shop, to think, write and spend some time with God.  I had the afternoon free, so that is what I decided to do.

With pen in hand, I sat with a heavy heart, thinking about how I long to rescue those around me who are in constant patterns of chaos, for various reasons.  I see such weariness and confusion, hurt and struggle, while life continues to swirl.
So many on a twisted Merry-Go-Round of hurt.
Brought on by refusal to let go and let You
 Lift from the twisting and spinning of life
Oh, if they only knew…
You are stability.  Stillness.
You bring safety. You save.
You are the still spot in a world that doesn’t stop spinning.
You are the Focal point, one we turn our faces to.
We turn our face, we connect with warmth. With Light. With Life.
You are the sweet Life-giver and Sustainer of souls.
Yet, too many confused, hurting souls only turn to Your hope in moments of desperation, then turn away so quickly, your light shadowed by self.
Dimmed by a darkness that lies and whispers solutions that entice. 
Solutions that dance around and appeal to senses, putting the ‘Merry’ in the round.
In time, the twisted merriment brings:
Disorientation
Disillusionment
Destruction.
Death.
Oh God, come.
Our Rescuer.  Rescue us.
Someday your light will shine so bright, there will be shadows no more.
Light will overcome the darkness.
Twisted turning, stilled.
All will be Merry.
*inspired by I John 4:4
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Love/ Spiritual

Clanging Cymbals and Missing Mittens

{From I Corinthians 1}
“If I speak…and do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or clanging cymbal”

To speak without love is like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Harsh.  Off-putting.
With a gong, the initial sound is so harsh that the beauty of the echo or the sound of it fading away is hard to focus on.  I think it is the same with our words.  If they are not wrapped in love, the sound of them are harsh and hard to hear, useless and pointless.
Even if they are words of truth, people will not be able to hear the beauty of the ‘echo’ because they have been so jarred by the initial tone.
So…
My words must be in love to be heard.
My words without love are jarring, disconcerting, irritating, unheard.
I want those around me to associate my words with truth, beauty, love and gentleness.
I DON’T WANT TO BE A GONG!
I want to speak truth in love, gently.
This morning my words were a clanging cymbal, in the car of all places.  My poor girls, stuck in a car with their mommy clangin’!  Hitting my gong over–of all things–missing mittens.
Ok, moms, I know you are with me.  Is there anything more maddening than missing mittens??
The pocket method has been working well for us, until lately.  It seems to work when we have consistent freezing weather, because we use them all the time, but the minute it is a bit less freezing, all of the sudden our mittens disappear!  We even have a very accessible mitten drawer this year, that contained (notice past tense), extra pairs of gloves and mittens.  Now it is a drawer of single mittens with missing matches.  How does that happen?
After dropping my mitten-less girls off at school, I came home and found my youngest girls mittens in her coat pockets, right where they should be; she just chose to wear a different coat. (hanging head)  I will sit them down today after school, share this verse with them, admit I gonged, and ask for forgiveness.  Then we will discuss how to be more responsible with our mittens.  This time they may hear me, since I won’t be using these:

Then I’m going to search amazon for a mini version of the top picture.  Wouldn’t that be a great visual reminder of how irritating loveless words are?  Maybe I could even go beat on it to interrupt the trio of loveless sister words that happen from time to time around here…:)
Love/ Spiritual

Prayer Bench

I have found a spiritual mentor in blogosphere. Her name is Ann Voskamp and her blog is called “Holy Experience.” I have talked about her here, and continue to be a huge fan. The way she writes and experiences God just hits a chord with me. I feel she is able to put on paper emotions, feelings and thoughts I have but can’t express. She expresses her heart beautifully, I just jive with her! I am so thankful to have found her and can learn from her.

I’ve been reading through her series of spiritual practices with an eye out for posts on prayer. She, of course, did not disappoint. She’s written much about prayer, but this post made my heart yearn for what she had. She wrote about creating a space in her home specifically for the act of prayer. I finished reading the post with a longing for one of my own. A day later, I have one.

We have a landing area upstairs that tends to be unused space. I walk through it numerous times a day to get to my bedroom. It is a favorite space of mine, because of the many windows that allow light to stream in. Yesterday it was full of Christmas bins waiting to be put into the attic. Today, it is an intentional meeting place with my God. I had some time there with Him today. It was peaceful and I felt great anticipation of precious time to come. I had just finished that time when I received an email from a friend whose family is experiencing the pain of cancer. I knew where I would go to kneel and ask God to give them peace, and back up the stairs I went. I know I can pray anywhere, anytime, but there is something special about having a place, an intentional place.
For me:
  • It is a place that says “God, I want to meet with you”
  • It is a place that allows me to stop and kneel for sixty seconds in the midst of busy life.
  • It is a place that draws me to sit and stay, to meditate, journal, read and pray.

It is also place where others have been…
John Piper writes…

“…when we bought our first home, I built a prayer bench with a place for my elbows in a kneeling posture, and a place for my bible to lie, and a shelf underneath for the Bible or other books and a notepad… There the prayer bench welcomes me every morning and several times during the day. God alone knows the tears and songs that have mingled there. I urge you to think creatively.

Seriously consider building a place of prayer…”

I considered.

I found:

  • A bench we have had sitting in our sunroom.
  • A basket given to me by my mom for Christmas.
  • A candle and matches.
  • Books, Bible and journal.
  • Pens and highlighter.
  • Rocks that remind me to “remember the works of the Lord.”
  • A pillow given to me from a friend.

And now I have a simple meeting place- A prayer bench.

This post is linked to:
Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things In Life
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic House

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