In the Silence

 I have always talked a lot. As a child I dreaded getting my elementary report card  because more often than not I received the dreaded "U' for unsatisfactory in self control. I just couldn't stop talking to the people around me.

My family says I talk from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. And sometimes sleep doesn't even stop me.

I talk to my dogs all day when no one else is home. I talk when no one really even seems to be listening. For some reason I like to talk. I like to express my self with words.

Along with talking I have always liked to write as well. I have written poems, letters, lists of ideas and for the past year this blog ( along with some of my sisters in Christ).

Over the course of this blog writing year God has been speaking to me. I wrote a blog entry on February 5th about  cultivating a quieter heart this year. I have learned to spend more and more of my time in silence, just listening to God and listening to the sounds of nature of an ordinary day. I have come to love the silence and even begun to quiet my own mouth a bit these last months.

However,I feel the tug of God to go to a deeper place with HIM in a quieter life. Literally, less of my voice and WAY MORE OF HIS VOICE.

.Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. Zeph 1:7

"In the quiet of my soul, in the stillness, I hear Your voice call." More Than A Friend by Jeremy Riddle

It has been a Beauty Full year my beautiful friends and I thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and inspirations but for now I will say good-bye to blog writing. I will be spending MORE time listening and less speaking or writing my own thoughts.

If HE prompts me I will share what HE is teaching me. Oh, I have a lot to learn and this will be a grand challenge for me. My fellow bloggers  will still be writing  so be encouraged by their journeys in this beauty-full life.

I love you all and am grateful for the time we have shared here and what I have learned about the Greatness of our God through this journey.

Keep on filling your lives with HIS Beauty and DO something beautiful for HIM every day!!

Let your crowns of beauty shine for HIS Glory.
ruthann

God, Be My Pilot

My husband and I just returned from a road trip to and from Virginia to see our newest grandbaby boy. The visit and the baby were delightful! And the trip wasn’t bad either.

We had brought along printed Mapquest directions, because I like to have a hard copy to know where we are going before we get there. We also brought our GPS so we could track our miles, ETA, next step, and for any recalculations that might be needed along the way.

On our trip down we had a couple of glitches that happened when the GPS did not agree with the written directions. Then we had to make a decision which instructions to follow. We ended up off the path twice, but recognized our error quickly, so we recovered by relying on our own knowledge of the error we had made. However in those moments we were frustrated.

At one point on our way home we decided to just stay on a particular northbound route which was clearly marked. We both remember feeling confident we could just stay on it easily for miles without needing to consult the GPS or our written directions.

But suddenly, without ever leaving this major highway, we found ourselves no longer on this major highway. We didn’t know when, how or where it had happened. We weren’t sure where we were. We had to depend on the GPS instructions to get us back on track and we relaxed in that.

The voice of the GPS was our guide. It took us on a brief but scenic circular path through our capital city of Washington, DC. We decided the detour was worth it.

It got me to thinking that sometimes we truly don’t know where we are or how we are going to get to our destination. At times we depend on our own limited knowledge, and find that we are frustrated. We might get back on track but the process isn’t always so peaceful.

The times that we rely on the written Word of God or on the voice of God, those are often the times when in our error, God may take us on what seems like the long way around, but it’s actually a short scenic route that brings us peace. 

Which makes me think of the age-old bumper sticker – “God is my co-pilot”. It really should read … “God, be my pilot”.

Gratefully HIS,

Jan

I am selfish

So, in the past 3 days, I've had a whole bunch of my stupid girl-complexes "activated"... some of them really silly, like Jillian telling me she already bought my Christmas present already and me freaking out about it (I don't like presents... too much pressure).  Others a little bit less silly, but still silly enough, like being 'mysteriously' blocked from my dad's Facebook, leading me to believe that he obviously doesn't love me anymore.  (Don't worry- it wasn't him- I'm still his favorite)

A few other things have happened that have challenged my self-esteem and made me wonder about why I'm still letting other people's actions determine my feelings about myself.

No answers, no insights.  But today is my first night at the soup kitchen, and I spent the day (after a quick meeting at work) shopping for food.  I'm about to start cooking, and then I'll be off to finish cooking, and serve people who can truly be considered 'the least of these'.

Above everything else today, I'm exceedingly glad that I have a reason to get my silly brain off myself, and focused on other people.  People who don't have the luxury of having all the stupid girl-complexes that I do, because they're too busy worrying about when they'll eat next, or where they're going to sleep tonight.

They don't wonder if friends are mad at them, because they don't have any friends. 

They don't wonder if their family is mad at them, because they don't have any family.

They don't wonder if what they just ate is headed straight to their hips, because they haven't eaten since Sunday.

They don't wonder about half the stuff I do, because they don't have the opportunity. 

Today, I'm grateful that I can answer their "how am I going to eat tonight" wonderings, and I'm determined to stop thinking about myself for at least long enough to meet one of their most basic needs.


Maybe it'll carry over to tomorrow too :)

Brooke

More

There was a time in my life when I didn't have much hope. I lived my life on my own strength, by my own wisdom and I often didn't have a clue how I could change my circumstances.

 I repeated cycles of dysfunction over and over with no hope to break the cycle. I faced difficult situations with  fear. I tried and tried to change but all I ended up with was more anxiety.

Then I met Jesus and as I lived in this new relationship with God I found that His strength and wisdom were more than what I could have fathomed. His faithfulness was proved over and over throughout the years. And I gained something very precious-HOPE..

No matter what the reality of the situation is I always have hope in my God.
For HE is faithful and true.

But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. 

Psalm 71:14

God is good and HE is faithful AND I love to praise HIM for HE is worthy.  HE has done so much for me; rescued, restored and redeemed me. There is no way that I can offer HIM enough praise but I want to live my life trying to praise HIM more and more and MORE.

For His Glory,
ruthann

God Knows Our Need

I have the honor and joy of caring for a dear woman who is limited in her speech and motor abilities. She is very independent. Most days I just transport her to desired or required places on her agenda. We chat, laugh, and appreciate things together. Because of her difficulty retrieving the words she wants to she welcomes my attempts at speculating what she is trying to convey. While at times she appears frustrated, most often she laughs at herself and at me as we play the word-guessing game. The longer I have known her the easier it has become for me to quickly discern what she is trying to say, sometimes even anticipating her need or want before she even tries to communicate it.

It got me thinking about how it sometimes feels to us when we don’t know how to make ourselves clearly understood to our loved ones, our peers, our workmates, our boss. Sometimes even to God.

Even with full capacity of speech we can get bothered when we are misunderstood or not understood at all. What a relief it is when the people who know and love us are “in tune” with us before we even speak.

Now that’s not to diminish our need to be good communicators, and to “use our words”, as an earlier blog post described.

But how great are the times when God hears our heart without any need for our words, and knows our needs before we voice them.

The Word of God declares in Matthew 6:8b 

“… your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

He loves you and knows you and wants to chat with you, even if the use of words is minimal. And when words fail, maybe laughter is enough.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 declares “Be joyful always.”

Gratefully HIS,

Jan

Tangible

Matthew 7:11 says, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

I'm a tangible kinda girl.. I like things I can see and touch and understand.

I don't doubt that God is good, and that He loves us, and forgives us, and that, like the verse above says, He wants to give us good gifts.

I don't doubt that He is sovereign, compassionate, and that He knows our beginnings and our ends better than we could ever understand.

I don't doubt Him. But, sometimes I'm stupid. Sometimes I get caught up in all the bad stuff, and I forget to look for the good. Sometimes I get nitpicky about the little things, and I forget about the big things.

But last Friday morning, He reminded me.

After a 2:15am phone call, a middle-of-the-night search for a 24 hour gas station within 6 miles of my house (cause that's all the gas I had), and what felt like a MILLION hours pacing a waiting room, I walked back in to Labor and Delivery Room 7 to see my best friend and her brand new baby girl. I saw smiles and tears and tiny fingers and open searching eyes.  I watched a new daddy hold the first newborn he's ever held, his own. I saw promise, and hope, and laughter. I saw love and joy.

And I was reminded.. God is good. He loves us. He knows our beginnings and our endings. He gives good gifts.

Yes, we struggle with bad things in this world. Yes, we are all fighting about women's rights, and baby's rights, and voter's rights, and every other right there is to fight about.  Yes, we are fighting for freedoms in other countries that most of us enjoy every day. Yes, we are wondering what happen to our country in the next 4 years. Yes, people are hungry, and homeless, and sick, and disabled, and lonely.  Yes, there is crime in our cities, and overcrowding in our jails. Yes, we can't pay our bills, and yes the economy doesn't seem to be getting any better.

But God is good. He loves us. He knows our beginnings and our endings.  He gives good gifts.

Be Blessed and Hopeful,

Brooke

Held Fast

Last week at church I was talking to two young parents and admiring their beautiful baby daughter when she reached out and grabbed my finger. Even at a few months old her grip on me was strong, she was not letting go.  She stared at me with a big smile  and held on fast.

It made me start to think about when my kids were young and we would hold hands. We held hands so I could guide them to our destination. We held hands so that I could protect them as they crossed the street or from getting lost in a crowd. 

We held hands because they had to face a scary situation, like a shot at the doctors. We held hands so we couldd twirl around  in circles and laugh together.

There were times  I held on so tight that they could not slip or pry themselves from my grip. 

I held on so tight because I love them.

Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10 NIV (emphasis mine)

Our Father in Heaven  is holding us with HIS holy, all powerful right hand. And HE will never let us go. No matter how close or far you are from HIM, HE has you in HIS grip.

Be encouraged dear sisters, there is nowhere you can go that HE is not still holding on to you. HE loves you and will never leave you. "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged . for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9c

Held Fast,

ruthann

Refreshments

Ever noticed how simple it can be when at the last minute you’re asked or maybe decide on your own to bring refreshments somewhere. If your cupboard is stock-up you probably have a ready-to-eat or simple-to-prepare item right there. 

 

Then when you arrive you find that others have brought something too and so there is more-than-enough for everyone present. Everyone gets blessed, both those who brought something and those who didn’t.

For each of us who have accepted Jesus as Savior and have made Him the Lord of our lives, we have a portion of His Holy Spirit within our personal ‘spirit’ cupboard . . .  all the time. So everywhere we go we bring our portion of the Holy Spirit with us. It is meant to bless others.

1 Corinthians 12: 1-13 says it this way:

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, (Christian sisters, too) I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray… Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit . . .

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

As you head out the door today, to wherever you are going, remember to bring some refreshments to share. It’s simple if the Holy Spirit has stocked your cupboard.

Gratefully HIS,

Jan

Becoming Beautiful

Most of you know about my love for home decorating (I've written about it before) and pouring through magazines, websites and "picking" at old country consignment shops. This summer I picked up a book called "Undecorate" by  Christine Lemieux which highlights a simple, no-rules,movement to decorating.

I love the idea of decorating a home not by rules but rather with items that have personal meaning, items that have been handed down, treasures found on trips and just various things that you are passionate about. I believe that creating a special living environment  evolves as you live. It becomes more beautiful as you add expressions of your life to it. The beauty comes from the life lived.

And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it. 

1 Timothy 2:9-10 The Message

God's Word says that HE wants women to be in there praying with the men ! HE says that the way that women become truly  beautiful is by doing something beautiful for God. That means praying and worshipping God.

When Mary of Bethany broke the alabaster jar of perfume and anointed Jesus HE said "She has done a beautiful thing to me." Mark 14:6b NIV And HE went on to say that "Truly I tell you,wherever the gospel is preached throughout he world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." Mark 14:9

Do you see that it's a big deal to God when we do something beautiful for HIM.  It pleases HIM and HE think we are beautiful!!!

I want to be beautiful for God and to God. How about you?

Live beautifully,
ruthann

Tell Your Story

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Psalm 107:1-2a

It's Monday, the start of a new week. What if we start this week by giving thanks for what the Lord has done for us.

 If you are redeemed you have good reason to give thanks and tell your story of redemption. Give God the glory that HE deserves and tell your story.

Who can you tell this week? A neighbor, the person at the coffee shop? 

Go on tell your story and Bless the Lord!!!!!

Joyfully,

ruthann