Tag: Thankfulness

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Let Go of the Nets

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Happy New Years to each and every one who has taken time to explore and read chocolate castles this past year. As our lives go through different seasons, so does our passions, our desires, likes and dislikes. New adventures, new challenges and new goals beckon to us as we enter 2018.
This morning, one of our pastors talked to us about the new year. If we are to enter a new year of accomplishing things which we might have failed to accomplish this past year (or years), one thing we need to do is to just “let it go”. To surrender it to God, allowing Him to come along beside us and to ask Him for strength, power and depend upon Him to see us through whatever our task before us.

The scripture the pastor used today was from Matt 4:18 “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, also called Peter and Andrew, fishing with a net for they were commercial fishermen. Jesus called out to them, “Come be my disciples and I will show you how to fish for people.” And they left their nets at once and went with Him.”

The two fishermen were called away from everything they knew and loved. They walked away from traditions of being fishermen which probably had been passed down from many generations. They left what was known to them to step into the unknown. Because they loved their occupation, Jesus didn’t ask them to give up the occupation, He just ask them to change what they fished for. People!
It gave me so much to think about. What have I been willing to give up to walk, by faith, into an unknown situation? They left their families and their comfort zones to go with Jesus.
As Randy and I prepare to go out for dinner tonight with new friends, I cannot help but think back about different New Years’ Eves and all the memories which have been popping up on my FaceBook page of years of different memories.
There have been NY Eves spent with friends we have known for years,in Texas, as we had dinner and then prayed in the New Year at midnight, years of spending NYE with other friends in Chicago or Florida, years when we had a lot of our kids back home and we played games and ate until we were about to bust. There were a few years that we awoke about 3 am to watch the floats begin to line up in front of our house in Pasadena for the Rose Parade. Last year we spent back in California ringing in the new year with new friends in California in prayer, after enjoying great food and games.
This year, we will be with new precious friends, here in Arizona. We have had to some years “leave our nets” to walk by faith into new surroundings and circumstances. Never, has our Lord ever left us. He has always walked with us, no matter how hard, leaving some of the “nets” were. He continues to bless us and provide for us, every step of the way. As the pastor talked about a painting, which showed a room which was dark, except for the steps which were lit by an open door where the light shone down upon them from the top of the stairs, may God’s love and light shine down upon each of you this coming year.
Do not be afraid to lay down your nets for God’s best for you.

He ended the message by telling us that,
1. We have to let go of where we thought we would end up and move forward into something new.
2. The fear of letting go keeps us from having the best of what God has for us.

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”

May 2018 be a year when we finish stronger than we began! Happy New Years and God Bless you as you “let go of any net that keeps you from His best that He has for you.”

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Shooting Stars

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Last night Randy and I went outside about 10:30 to walk Oliver before calling it a night. As we were walking, I was glancing at my phone to look up something on Google to get information about something we had been talking about. As I finished reading the article, I stopped walking and turned to look at Randy to be sure he had just heard what I had said, when he didn’t respond to me answering his question. As I stood there in the middle of the street (trust me, where we live, you never have to worry about having a car come down the street after 10 as everyone here is tucked away in their little houses as we live in an over 55 community) all of a sudden I was shocked to see a shooting star past right over us. It thrilled me to see this rare sight, as I had not seen one in probably over 30 years. All of a sudden it dawned on me that had I been still looking at my phone, which is a constant habit, I would have missed this beautiful sight. It made me think of how many other “shooting stars” had I missed when I had my eyes glued to my phone or a TV.

A dear BFF of mine had given me a book a few years ago called One Thousand Gifts. This new season of my life has allowed me to sit and begin reading it. It is so easy to sit and read a action packed book, but a book which is full of words which makes you stop and think and sometimes convicts you, well, I tend to not pick those types of books up so fast. But as this new journey of ours has slowed us down a bit, I knew that this was a book which I should be reading and taking to heart. The author made a list of 1000 things she is thankful for. After reading her story, I began to think about how many times a day do I truly stop and thank God for blessings, both large and small. Two weeks ago, Randy and I stopped to talk to a new friend at our church. How we began to talk about saying thanks for blessings, I truly do not know, but Rick ended up telling us that years ago a friend of his told him something that had stayed with him all these years and it was this:

“What if we woke up and only had the things around us which we had remembered to give thanks to God for? What would we have around us?”

BAM! It made me really stop and think about what had I been remembering to give thanks for? After remembering the story in the Bible about the 10 lepers which Jesus healed and only one of them coming back to thank Jesus, I began to pray that I would be like the one leper which came back. That I wouldn’t get caught up in the routine of each day, just going through the motions but would recognize that each day God gives me is an opportunity for Him to use me. The shooting star last night made me also think about how much I must miss having my eyes glued to a phone or a TV.

In this season when we are constantly being reminded that we are entering a season of “giving thanks”, it is my prayer that my eyes will be open to other “shooting stars” that pass by me and then to remember to give God thanks for all the times and ways He has blessed me. That this will not just be another year of bowing my head on Thanksgiving day to thank Him for “all the great things He hath done”!

Heavenly Father, thank you for all the “shooting stars” which you allow to pass over my life. May I ever be mindful of your faithfulness and your mercy. Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me, bless Your Holy Name.

Psa 57:9-11″I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your stedfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth.”

Daily Thoughts

A Spoonful of Sugar & Thankfulness

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My last posting was on a Spoonful of Sugar Teacakes! And truly we have learned in our many (and I do mean many) years of life, that sugar seems to always make the “medicine go down” so much easier. Sugar is that special little ingredient that makes even the worst of medicines or some vegetables, easier to swallow.

In this new Season of retirement, Randy and I are seeking what would the Lord have us do. Sometimes, we (ok, I admit, mostly me) try to get ahead of the Lord trying to figure out where the next path will lead and what will be our place in serving. After all, we tend to think that sometimes we might “deserve” this time Just because we are retired, doesn’t mean that life should be all about us, or that all our time is our own. God leaves us all here for a reason. It is up to us to use our time for His glory and to remain faithful, even when we might not feel like it. Sometimes we might  be focusing on excuse; that we try to say are “reason’s” keeping us from serving others. If we had more time, or money or talents, or friends, we could be more useful. But what if the real reason that we aren’t being used  is that we are lazy, or self absorbed? What if our focus is wrong? Am I being thankful for what God has given me? Am I thankful for the life that He is allowing me to live?

After attending a Women’s Retreat, the speaker, Debbie Stuart, who is so special to our family, told us that sometimes, we can be in the middle of God’s will, even though we feel like we are in the wilderness, just like when God left Moses in the wilderness for 40 years. This past year, I felt many times like we were in a wilderness. There have been days when we felt that maybe we heard God wrong and He didn’t really lead us back to Texas. That maybe we were suppose to be someplace else. But even though there have been days that seemed to feel like wilderness to us, there has been an underlying peace that we know we are suppose to be here. That His plans might not unravel as quickly as we would like, seems to tell us that maybe it’s our faith that He is trying to grow. Maybe He leaves us in the wilderness to teach us that we need to lean on Him more than ourselves; or our motives need to change, maybe our character. Whatever the reason, and there always is one, may we learn whatever He is trying to teach us and then grow into the person that reflects Jesus Christ to others.

This morning, I turned the page to a devotion in Jesus Calling and this is today’s reading.

April 6th:

“Bring Me the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Take nothing for granted, not even the rising of the sun. Before Satan tempted Eve in the garden of Eden, thankfulness was as natural as breathing. Satan’s temptation involved pointing Eve to the one thing that was forbidden her. The garden was filled with luscious, desirable fruits, but Eve focused on the one fruit she couldn’t have rather than being thankful for the many good things freely available. This negative focus darkened her mind, and she succumbed to temptation.

When you focus on what you don’t have or on situations that displease you, your mind, also becomes darkened. You take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, flowers, and countless other gifts from Me. You look for what is wrong and refuse to enjoy life until that is “fixed. ”

When you approach Me with thanksgiving, the Light of My Presence pours into you, transforming you through and through. Walk in the Light with Me by practicing the discipline of thanksgiving.”

My prayer  is that I will become more thankful each day, even when life takes us in paths that lead to the wilderness for a season. May I use the wilderness days to grow my faith and service to God. That I won’t focus on what I don’t have but on what we do have and serve out of thankfulness and love for God’s love, mercies and  His gift of salvation.

Psa 116:17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord.

A spoonful of sugar and thankfulness, a great recipe for wilderness days!