Just a quick note to say I am taking a much needed blogging/social media break this week. I’m working on home projects over here and I’m having way too much fun. Organizing. Rearranging. Remodeling. Spring cleaning. De-cluttering. Decorating on a dime. The fun part is I carry my laptop from room to room, listening to sermons or music as I work.

If you need prayer or to contact me this week, I plan to check my email daily. Not sure how fast I will reply but I will try to respond as needed. Thank you for your understanding and grace.

Peace out!

It’s time to stop, look and listen.

Might God want to use a message in a bottle to speak to you today?  He did me. I saw this message while I was in my car waiting at a stoplight.

I saw and still see the words “let go” and “waiting for us.”

We know God’s plan is best, right? So tell me, why on earth do we cling to the same ole, same ole?

It’s time to let go of our dreams and plans, and grab hold of what God has waiting for us.

Even though I am gentle at heart, I am best ministered to by strong truth. I love powerful, passionate truth. And not just any truth, the truth from God’s Word.

Father God, bring more of Your transforming truth into my life. Don’t water down Your good Word. Give it to me straight. Send out Your prophets, not the fortune tellers, but instead the truth speakers of our generation. Convict my heart where I am passive towards You. Change me where You see fit.. I submit my life into your mighty hand. Take me and make me more like Your Son, Jesus. I love You, Lord. What a gift Your love is.

Thank You, thank You.

For me, it’s looking through my photos and seeing recent memories with my family. Times that only happen once or two a year these days. If only we could have more time together. . .But that isn’t always possible living a couple states apart.

(a special gift for me from my mom)

(A giggly, wiggly frog. Turn it on for sounds and action. Mom remembered I used to collect frogs many years ago. haha)

(a first… an impromptu daddy/daughter dance. Yes, I felt the sting of sweet tears.)

Memories are precious, aren’t they?

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God’s gifts continued. . .

301. Another fresh blanket of snow – love seeing the girl statue worship regardless of the weather

302. Pizza on Friday night

303. My daughter going to both youth group and a Bible study last week. Win-win!

304. My friends’ birthdays – always a reason to thank God

305. Watching snowflakes swirl in the wind

306. Having fun taking pictures – always looking for something interesting to capture my eye

307. The passionate messages of David Wilkerson who is now in heaven

308. The book I’m reading on prayer, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

309. Tears, happy tears, sad tears and more tears

310. Help from my kids when I was sick last week

311. Listening to passionate people speak

312. Memories

313. A sound mind

314. My high school yearbooks

315. Bins of old family photos

316. An amazing dessert at the Broadmoor Hotel (during a luncheon)

(please excuse the grainy look)

317. Fingerprints on my laptop, our microwave and our slider glass door – evidence of life

318. Breath – yes, every breath is a gift

319. Watching our 10 year old lab and our 3 month old Golden/Lab puppy play in the snow

320. Getting organized little by little, which feels big to me :0)

321. Andy Stanley’s online sermon on Sunday – The Comparison Trap – loved it

322. Tangerines

323. Our juicer

324. JESUS, knowing He loves all and gave all.

325. Remembering the gift of music Whitney Houston gave the world. And even though her death was ugly, I found comfort in reading this paragraph. (See screenshot below. The LINK included is to the full article)

To start counting your gifts, please join Ann and friends at A Holy Experience

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After a brief inspection and some sniffing, Teddy tests out his comfort level.

Not too hard, not too soft.

Just right.

See, messes aren’t that bad, are they?

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Father God, here I am to seek Your face. I need You. You are the only One who knows the way. You are all knowing and wise beyond words. Your ways are higher than mine, thank goodness. Your thoughts, greater. Yes!  Thank You for the gift of being able to talk to You about anything, anytime. Thank You for speaking to my heart is the sweet ways You do day after day. Thank You for listening to me. I can’t imagine how You do that among 7 billion people, but You do. You are the only true God. You are the same yesterday, today and forever.

Today I pray for all the dreamers out there. So many hearts dreaming big, and yet so many are insecure and unsure. Please encourage us to go where You send us no matter what excuses we may have. Help us be like Abraham and go without knowing where. Teach us to be strong and courageous in the face of our enemies like Joshua.

Lord God, You are bigger than our biggest fears. We can trust You with our lives and our dreams. You will see us through the looming obstacles and our objectives.  Nothing can stop Your plan of redemption on earth. Your plans will prevail. No weapon formed against us will prosper. We are more than conquerors through Christ that gives us strength.

Please God, give us steadfast hearts. Give us pure and courageous hearts, hearts that are moved by what moves You. Hearts that love without expectations. Hearts that give freely. Jesus, come and fill our hearts with big dreams, dreams that reach beyond ourselves and out into the world around us.

There are so many in need and we can be an answer to someone’s prayer. We have what it takes. We can be the one who weeps with those who weep and rejoices with those who rejoice. Help us see others as You see them as beloved sons and daughters. Precious in Your sight.

I pray for the dreamers today to take one more step in the direction You are leading them into. Lead us, Lord. Hold our hand. Encourage our weary hearts to dream on.

We want to live for You. And not only for You, but in You and through You.

Jesus, we want Your name to be made great in our days. We believe You will be faithful to our generation and to all the generations after us.

We want to live a legacy that spells L-O-V-E.

Come and wake us up. We can’t keep sleepwalking through each day. We want to be ALL eyes and ears to see and hear YOU in our today. We don’t want to miss what matters most. YOU.

We are Your bride, waiting in expectation today. Come, Lord Jesus.

We trust You will answer us and give us strength to keep walking by faith. Lord, we love You. You are our hope and we live to let the whole world know in our own unique way.

In Your powerful, healing, beautiful name I pray,

Amen.

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God’s gifts continued. . .

271. Sleep

272. Creativity

273. Passion – it’s great to be alive

274. Barnes and Noble – so many books to capture my attention

275. Young people – I love and need them

276. Babies – so small, needy and cute

277. A blanket of new snow – our first big snow of the season

278. The day after, watching the snow melt away

279. My George Foreman grill

280. Playful Teddy

281. Online videos so I can keep learning – I love, love learning. I try to learn something new every day.

282. A friendly conversation with my new neighbor- (and no more vicious dogs, yahoo)

283. Speaking with other writers last week – shared my talk “Capture Your Reader from Start to Finish”

284. Laughing until tears fall – feeling giddy

285. Moments when my family is together in one room – Super Bowl Sunday

286. Our dishwasher – love not having to wash dishes by hand

287. Our washer and dryer

288. My hair brush – I’m not into dreads, thank you. They be cool, but they aren’t me.

289. My blow dryer

290. Lotion so I don’t itch all winter long

291. Thankful, positive people

292. My relationship with God

293. Authors who write from their heart

294. Our broom and mop. Think dogs, dirt and loose hair. Ugh!

295. Avocados

296. Buffalo wing sauce

297. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans

298. Skype and Facetime

299. Friends who “get me”

300. Remembering God’s mercies are new every morning.

(To start counting your gifts or to add yours for this week, please visit Ann at A Holy Experience)

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I still cannot believe no two snowflakes are alike. When it snows in Colorado I sometimes get close to inspect each flake. It’s fascinating. To think our Creator cares about every little detail of His creation amazes me.

And then there is YOU.

Your uniqueness.

Like your eyes for example. No one else has the same iris design.

Or your smile. Special to your face.

Your voice. Your accent, the way you say certain words. Only yours.

Your skin. What about that special mole? Don’t you love it?

Or what about the time you fell off your bike and skinned your knee? Or the time you cut yourself shaving. Or that tough surgery. No one else has your scars.

Your fingerprints. Eight fingers and two thumbs, each uniquely swirled.

Your weaknesses and strengths. Do you know yours?

Your secrets.

Your fears.

Your dreams.

Your tears.

Or that crazy laugh of yours.

Your special talents and gifts. I can’t do exactly what you do the way you do it, nor can you do what I do. Aren’t you glad?

Your life story thus far, all by design. For God’s glory.

You matter.

YOU are unique.

Today I thank God for YOU.

Repeat with me: I will NOT be self critical today. Instead I will thank God and marvel at my uniqueness.

(Read Psalm 139 for a deeper look at the wonder of YOU.)