Saturday, May 28, 2011

my grandmother, aka ~ Grandie

 

Aug, 11 1913 - May 27, 2011 ~ beloved daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, grandma, great grandma and soon to be great great grandma to Makayla (September 2011).
My boys belovedly call her Grandie ... she loved her cookies (and most sweets!) It's a homecoming in heaven .. I'll miss your dearly grandma! Forever in our hearts! 241 Memories to hold onto!
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Thursday, May 26, 2011

H O P E

In Loss, There is Hope ... I'm sure many of you are aware of the devastating impact that the tornadoes have had on much of the country these past few days particularly in Joplin, Missouri and parts of Oklahoma and Texas. It aches my heart. Lives are being lost, homes are being ruined. But in all of this loss, there is hope. And that hope is found in Christ. With so much heartache going on around the nation, I ask you this: What are you doing to make a difference? Whether it be prayer, or hands on help, we are called to be there for those who cannot make it on their own.

Across the world, people are crying out for help, but here in our own country, we can soften the burden. As we call on the name of Jesus for the fallen, the sick, the hungry, the hurt and the heartbroken, lives will be changed. Scripture says that as we do for these, we do for Him.
Today, I challenge you to pray. If you are unable to help the areas that have fallen, pray for those who can't find the words to speak, pray for those who are suffering. Our brothers and sisters need us.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

words ... yours ~ can you change them?!!

I'm a bit befuddled today! and I read this ... and thought Lord, come near to me! And He does ... ironically through a local hummingbird (that's another blog for another day). and this ...
“So when we sing, ‘Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,’ we are not thinking of the nearness of place, but of the nearness of relationship. Oh, Father how I long to sit at Your feet, and rest, and learn, and sing, and love, and be with You. It is for increasing degrees of awareness that we pray, for a more perfect consciousness of the divine Presence. We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He's with us! always! for He promises NEVER to leave us! He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts…” Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely among us. As humans we tend to want to make things harder, more difficult ~ but why? In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention —
but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. –A.W. Tozer

PLEASE TURN OFF MY MUSIC TO THE RIGHT OF THE PAGE SO YOU CAN TOTALLY HEAR THIS VIDEO

short amazing video ... change your world by changing your WORDS ... I dare YOU!!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Finding God .... He's never lost!! Seeking ....

From A.W. Tozer’s classic: The Pursuit of God
‘Why do some persons “find” God in a way that others do not? …

Pick at random a score of great saints whose lives and testimonies are widely known… In some vital quality they must have been alike. What was it? I venture to suggest that the one vital quality which they had in common was spiritual receptivity. Something in them was open to heaven, something which urged them Godward. Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which briefly stated means this, that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man… We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit… In practice, however …. man must pursue God….

We have almost forgotten that God is a Person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved in one encounter. It is only after long and loving mental intercourse that the full possibilities of both can be explored.

All social intercourse between human beings is a response of personality to personality, grading upward from the most casual brush between man and man to the fullest, most intimate communion of which the human soul is capable. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of created personalities to the Creating Personality, God. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

God is a Person, and in the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may. In making Himself known to us He stays by the familiar pattern of personality. He communicates with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills and our emotions.

The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion.

This intercourse between God and the soul is known to us in conscious personal awareness.

It is personal – that is, it does not come through the body of believers, as such, but is known to the individual, and to the body through the individuals which compose it… Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God.

They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking… They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God.

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God!

The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing – For he now has it all in One….’


{Related: John Piper’s audio sermon reflecting on this chapter from Tozer

A longer, deeply moving and compelling excerpt from Tozer’s classic, can be read here @ Faith Bible Church}

Monday, May 16, 2011

just a few of the flowers

 
 
 
 
No matter what month you visit Maui ... there will be flowers. FLOWERS everywhere ... here are just a few!
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Monday, May 9, 2011

Jean Ann Reader

 

Jean Ann Reader
September 25, 1937 - May 8, 2011
This is my beloved mother-in-law. I've known her since I was 16 years old (that would be 34 years!) Jean was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher of Tole painting and an excellent artist, friend, Daughter of the King, hospitality queen, Stephen's Minister, choir member, charity organizer, world traveler, doll collector... and she will be greatly missed by ALL who knew her. Love you mom, michelle
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Monday, May 2, 2011

Serve Visalia!

 
 
 
 
Prep work to get the Neighborhood Church Garden up and running. Prepping for Serve Visalia. This is a project where several local churches partner together to serve (assist/help) our community (Visalia, CA). We serve on a Sunday ... go out into the city and do jobs. Schools, senior citizen homes, wiping out graffitti (sp?), laying out mulch, picking up trash, just helping hands!! And this year a on-campus garden! I'll have after photos later!! THANK YOU everyone for everything!!
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