everyday blah

Have you ever got in an everyday rut? A pit? Feeling Blah?
Sometimes I get this way.  Well, I have to say, a lot of times here lately.
I feel like I am just going through the motions of life day in and day out.  I go to work, come home, eat, sleep.  Clean house, yard work, and on and on and on.
I have realized that I have gotten back into the same routines that I have told myself when I got home from Honduras that I was going to change.  I came home in March with my  heart on fire.  I fear my fire has diminished and I struggle to find it again.  I want to do what God has planned for me, but I have gotten back into my negative thinking,
I know God is giving me all these sparks to light my fire and I feel it, then after a few days I go back into my rut. Yesterday at church, that fire was sparked again and I am going to keep the fire going.
I need to feed my spirit,which is to surround me with people that is supportive, delve more into my Bible studies and just trust more.
For example, God has helped me with my will power in spending money.  I was putting all my happiness into things and not him.  This has been an ongoing battle with me and along with my lack of control of my words.  I am still working on this.
So as I am still a work in progress, even at 48 years of age, I know there are others out there that feel like me.  It is never too late to change your direction in life.  You can be 20 or 80 and God will always use you.
"For everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, feely makes us right in his sight.  He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins." Romans 2:23-24 NLT.

Love to all,

my family complete

I will be packing up Erin and Ty and getting them home today for the summer from college!  I am excited to bring them home.  It feels like there is a hole in our home when they are gone.  I understand what my parents felt when I moved out.  It is a hard transition.  My heart is full of love right now, but lets see how many times Erin and I argue today!!
I am truly blessed with my family.  Make the most of your time with your family, and treat each day special.  You only get this one life, don't waste it away.
That is what I try to do.  I want to live my life to the fullest.  But as I feel I need to fill my life with so much, sometimes you need to take a break.  In my study I am in, Pricilla Shirer is teaching me to "keep the sabbath".  This means to take a day to refresh myself.  No work, no activities.  Just time for me and my family and reconnect.
Throw out all the guilt of not working, or cleaning house, and take this time for yourself.  It will only make you stronger.  God rested after he completed his work.  If we do not rest, then we become slaves to our busyness in life.  Gal 5:1 says, "For freedom Christ has set set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

So set up your boundaries and parameters around yourself.  Free from slavery from work, social media, running the kids around all over town, keeping up with the Jones'.  Or whatever has enslaved you in this life.

Love to all,

in a pit

Do you ever feel like you are in a pit and it it just keeps getting deeper?  I think we all have felt this way and some are in the pit now.  I know my pits are not that deep but sometimes I feel like they are deep.  The evil one is putting thoughts in my mind to have me concentrate on these things that are bringing me down to get me even lower.  He causes me to concentrate on the things that are bothering me and they start to consume my thoughts.  This starts to affect my daily life and my witness for God.  This is what satan wants.
So today in my studies, I turned to the wrong scripture but I wonder if that wasn't the hand of God directing me.  I read Psalms 61:1-4, "Hear my cry O God, listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings."

So as I feel the darkness of my pit, I hear God telling me that he hears me and my prayers and that he is my shelter.  What an amazing comfort for me.   You take comfort in this too.

Love to all,

Not so insignificant

I have been pondering on my trip to Honduras since I have been home.  And I am anticipating my return next year! I have been thinking about conversations that we had and the friendships with a new family I have made.  I keep going back to my day that I was assigned the morning devotional.  I feel I need to share it with you.  It is from Ezekiel 37: 1-15 when God asked Ezekiel to prophesy to dead, dry bones in the valley.
My question today- Are you listening?  Sometimes we want a word from God and we just aren't listening.  We are too busy or being to loud to hear God talking and telling us what he wants us to do.  It can be in a song, a sermon, or just through another persons actions or words.  Sometimes God speaks and we just don't listen to what he is saying.  We ask God "please let me hear a word from you" and we just don't slow down enough to listen.  Then there is the times we do hear God and it isn't what we want to hear or want to do. What do you do when this happens?  Do you obey? or do you ignore his command.  Ezekiel was God's messenger.  God spoke to him to prophesy to dry bones and he obeyed no matter how silly he thought it was or how hard it could be.  And Ezekiel not only did it once, but twice.  He didn't say no to God or give excuses.  HE just obeyed.  Do you call out to dry bones to come alive? As we go out to others and speak to Gods greatness and love, you are calling out to those with dead hearts filling them with Gods love.
You may feel insignificant and feel your words or actions don't have meaning.  But you may never know who is listening and what an impact it can have on them.  I didn't feel like my work in Honduras had any significance but it does.  I had an impact on the people there and on our team.  And they made impressions on me.  Their love and support of our work and being a family.
So I ask, are you calling out to dry bones?  Make a difference today and everyday in someone's life no matter how small.
"As we call out to dry bones come alive, come alive.  And we call out to dead hearts come alive, come alive. Come up out of the ashes let us see an army rise, we call out to dry bones come alive." Lauren Daigle- come alive

Love to all,