July 11th, 2014

QUITE SUDDENLY

Quite suddenly- it may be at the turning of a lane,

Where I stand to watch a skylark from out the swelling grain,

That the trump of God shall thrill me, with its call so loud and clear,

And I’m called away to meet Him, whom of all I hold most dear.

Quite suddenly- it may be as I tread the busy street,

Strong to endure life’s stress and strain, its very call to meet,

That through the roar of traffic, a trumpet, silvery clear,

Shall stir my startled senses and proclaim His coming near.

Quite suddenly- it may be in His house I bend my knee,

When the kingly voice, long hoped for, comes at last to summon me;

And the fellowship of earth-life that has seemed so passing sweet,

Proves nothing but the shadow of our meeting round His feet.

Quite suddenly- it may be as I lie in dreamless sleep,

God’s gift to many a sorrowing heart, with no more tears to weep,

That a call shall break my slumber and a Voice sound in my ear;

‘ Rise up, my love, and come away! Behold, the Bridegroom’s here!”

~Authur Unknown~

July 9th, 2014

July 8th, 2014

July 6th, 2014

"Faith TESTED is faith STRENGTHENED; it is to have learned your weakness, but to have learned the faithfulness of God, His tender care even in sending the difficulties, that we may be there with HIM." -Pilgrim Portions

"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." I Peter 4:19

"Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you...the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." 

I Peter 5:7 & 10

-compiled by Joanna Bartlett from the Joyful Mothers

July 5th, 2014

I think sometimes in life it is easy to stay in our comfort zone, to not act because standing still seems safer.  We stay still because we are afraid of the unknown.  We are afraid of making a mistake.  We are afraid of looking stupid.  We are afraid of failure.

We are afraid to trust God.

Because he gives us the choice.  In fact, in any potential leap of faith there are usually three important choices along the way.   All three require trust.

First, we have to make the choice to listen.   We will never hear the call to action if we don’t take the time to be quiet and just listen to what God might be telling us.  In my own prayer time, as in much of life, I generally like to be the one in control.  I have a list of prayer requests I need to address, and agenda for exactly how I’d like my devotion session to go.  But every once in a while I actually manage to Just. Stop. Talking.   And I listen.  And those are the moments where God is waiting to speak.

Second, we have to make the choice to obey.  When that whisper, that nudge, that deep conviction appears, we can’t push it away.  Our temptation is to argue, or to ignore it, or to tell ourselves we are crazy, that the whisper isn’t real.  But we know, deep down, that we have been called to obey.

And so we must say yes.

Yes without knowing what may happen.  Yes without necessarily having any actions steps in place.  Yes to the plans that he has for us.

Finally, we have to make the choice to follow through.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  We can’t just say yes and keep standing there.  There comes a moment where we have to close our eyes and jump and just trust God.  To let go of the notion that we are in control and instead open ourselves up to all the possibility that comes ahead.  We have to keep going, even when we feel like quitting, and trust that he who begins a good work in us will always, always see it through to completion.

Read more at http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/07/25/leap-of-faith/#IrP2fEA8iWrbwpc8.99 - Ruth Soukup

July 4th, 2014

July 2nd, 2014