Saturday January 23 2016  REMEMBER TO GIVE THANKS

 

Oh my!  What a list of things to do.  I am going from one task to the next slowly and gently.  I have long ago decided that when I retired I was going to quit rushing.  I lived like that for so long that it is a difficult habit to break, but I’m making progress.  I love not rushing.  I do everything, evenly, methodically, with concentration and much enjoyment.  Everything from cleaning vegetables, cutting up huge heads of Broccoli and Cauliflower into clean, bite size pieces.  There is actually an art to it. 

I see food as art.  The beauty of it just amazes me.  I find the creative detail that God designed in food to be absolutely, amazingly beautiful!  Yes, even fresh broccoli and cauliflower.  My broccoli is air drying before I mix it with the cauliflower to create a wonderful salad.  The broccoli and cauliflower salad is probably something most everyone in our society, who attends pot lucks, have made or at least tasted.  It is one of my favorites.  I have the red onion chopped fine and the raw sunflower seeds and craisins in their jars standing at attention waiting to be added to the vegetables in a few moments.  I use Veganaise which is a vegetarian substitute for mayonnaise.  It has healthy oils in it and is delicious.  It is made with grapeseed oil.

Next on my agenda is to prepare my pomegranate by deseeding it so I can make it into a salad tomorrow.  My pomegranate salad recipe was given to me by my friends Lana and Tim.  Tim is one of the most excellent creators of delicious foods. Over the years his recipes (most of them originally his) have become tried and true staples on our table.  Back to the pomegranate.  Just in case you don’t know it, not only are pomegranates a work of art unto themselves, but it is a work of art to deseed them without causing damage to each little seed.  I just went into my kitchen and dug out the instruction pamphlet on how to “do it properly”.  I took a picture that you can enlarge so that you can see how to deseed a pomegranate. Over the years I have revised the instructions on how to deseed a pomegranate to better suit me. For starters I don’t cut into the seeds themselves, but just barely cut off the top.  I also cut a small portion of the bottom off.  I do score it on the ridges of seeds and in the valley of the seeds on the outside of the peel.  I cut a little niche out of the center top that is open so my thumb can grab hold and pull it apart as it breaks into several sections.  I deseed section by section.  Use your thumb to gently push against the direction the seed grows.  It takes 12 to 15 minutes for me to do an entire large pomegranate. 

Okay, here is the recipie for POMEGRANATE SALAD

1 large pomegranate deseeded

1 very large or two normal sized honey crisp apples (my favorite).  It is best to use a firm, tart apple.

Cut the apple into little cubes. Green apples like pippin or granny smith can be peeled or left unpeeled.

4 large stalks of celery diced very small

Gently mix the above three ingredients together in a bowl and douse liberally with a favorite balsamic vinegar.  I use Raspberry Balsimic or Fig Balsamic. 

Refrigerate

It lasts several days in a refrigerated closed container. 

WHEN SERVING, GARNISH WITH WALNUTS.  THE FLAVOR IS WONDERFUL WITH THE NUTS.

I love to eat the salad plain or served on top of a green salad.  It is also a favorite on my morning yogurt.

So, if you’ve ever wondered what people do with those hard, red, beautiful fruits, now you know at least one delicious recipe.  Pomegranates come into season in November and you may be able to buy them through January, if you are lucky.  I buy them by the flat. I wrap them in newspaper and put them in the bottom crisper of the fridge.  They last for weeks that way.  But check the wrapped pomegranates often.  Sometimes a part of them will soften and is not good, but usually there is a portion of it that is still fresh and beautiful.

Well, enough of food.  That is where my mind is today.  As I write Dave is dusting the living room.  He didn’t get it done yesterday, nor the vacuuming.  But, we will have it done by bedtime.  Slowly and deliberately, from one task to the next, in peaceful quiet, we will finish.  What a great place to work!

 

REMEMBER TO GIVE THANKS

By Kathleen Martens

January 23, 2016

 

Never take for granted

God’s beautiful food.

Just its beauty and its touch

Puts me in a great mood.

 

Pause to take a look

Of the intricacy of its plan,

It is so amazing

It could never be designed by man.

 

Take for instance a raspberry’s

Tiny liquid cells.

Each one full of juice,

Our hunger pains to quell.

 

We can thank God

For bananas, apples and grapes.

The original fast foods,

For both man and apes.

 

And the list is endless

Of foods God has designed.

He gave such bounty to the world,

Because He’s loving and so kind.

 

So never forget to say thank you,

With a prayer of grace.

When you sit down to partake

At your home place.

 

There are many who do not have

What we expect each day.

So if you are one of the blessed

Remember to give thanks today.

 

My kitchen beckons me!

Have a great day today.  God bless you!

 

Part 6:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will For Your Life

6) Listen to God’s Spirit.  I experienced a major turning point in my own prayer life when I learned simply to shut up while I was praying. That may sound odd to you, and it seemed odd to me at first.

You see, I used to do all the talking when I prayed to God. But then, several years ago, I read Bill Hybel’s book, Too Busy Not to Pray. That book completely changed the way I approached God through prayer. Since reading that book, I have added a significant component to my prayer life: listening. I take time to listen to what God might have to say to me.

Practically, the way I go about this is to bring a notepad with me when I sit down to pray. Then I write at the top of several pages things like the following:

• “What is the next step in my career?”
• “What is the next step in my ministry?”
• “What is the next step for my family?”
• “What is the next step for my marriage?”
• “What is the next step in my education?”
• “What is the next step in my finances?”

During my prayer time, I meditate on questions such as the above. Often, God will start flooding my heart with ideas and information regarding one or more of those questions. I write as fast as I can as He speaks to my heart. What a glorious experience that is to sense His Spirit on me, guiding my thoughts and words.

Through experiences like this, He has shown me many times with great clarity what His will is for my life. I long for those experiences when He speaks to me like that. Those times are truly life changing.

John 10:27

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday January 21 2016  WHO NEEDS A PARTY?

Good evening one and all.  This will be just a quick check in time for those of you who read daily.  All is well.  It’s been a long, extremely busy day, and I’m about out of gas.  So a brief rundown of a few things from today.  There was much accomplished today in my Geek Squad session.  I could not have had a better person to help me.  She was efficient and quite an expert at what she did.  She worked on four computers, hooked my laptop to enable it to print on one of my printers, correlated my email addresses to work together between computers so I didn’t have to delete everything four times over, set up my blog administration page to be accessible from another computer, tuned up, cleaned out, fixed, added to and took away from, and made everything work as it should.  She was also patient enough to explain things to me, show me how to work certain steps, and just gave me a boost of self-confidence when working with all these computers.  Each computer has a work of its own to do.  Two computers are used for photography only.  My desk top computer was used for the business office work.  My lap top is for traveling and working on my blog. 

When you deal with computer equipment and camera equipment, technology changes so rapidly that when you buy new cameras you must be certain that the computer will support the new technology of the camera.  Sometimes it will not, thus the reason I bought my first MAC.  Over the years I had several digital cameras and then it happened again, thus another Mac, this time bigger, better and way more costly (not to mention the cost of the cameras).  And now again it has happened.  However, not with my professional equipment.  The personal use camera I purchased last year for my trip is technically beyond my last MAC’s technological capacity.  I still have it.  It still works but only with my professional cameras purchased at the time the computer was purchased.  I love those cameras but they are too big and too heavy for me to handle any more.  So I purchase a small red camera, only to find out I then had to buy a new computer.  I chose an HP.  BAD CHOICE ON MY PART.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the HP for writing and surfing, and emailing.  But because it is a laptop with a movable screen it cannot be used to work on photos because of the variance of distorting the light on the photo.  So now I will need a stationary screen with MAC innards.  There is nothing like a MAC for photo processing.  Everything only works with its own generation.  And unfortunately, the computer lives in dog years.  Each generation is not very long to aid in the sale of more equipment to the gullible public.

I am keeping the 2^nd generation MAC I purchased because all the photos that have done the last few years for my own family were done on the cameras that work with it.  I still need to process my own photos.  Remember the cliché “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”?  Well, the photographer’s children have no photos.  Oh they were taken but have not yet processed.  I always had to put my personal work on the back burner due to the deadlines I had for professional work.  Oh, I am so glad that is now over!

Just in case I haven’t told you, I AM TRULY RETIRED NOW!  I finished the final wedding work.  It is packaged ready to be delivered.  NOW I AM READY FOR A PARTY!  When you work from your home no one really believes you worked at all.  You never had to go to work and you already “stayed at home”.  There is a saying I heard once that pertained to me quite nicely: “If you own your own business you only have to work half a day.  And you even get to decide which half.  You can choose to work from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight, or from 12:00  midnight to 12:00 noon.”  It wasn’t quite true for me.  I often worked 16 hours a day during wedding season.  But I am FINISHED, DONE, CAPOOT!  AND I AM GLAD!  SO BRING ON THE PARTY!!!  But alas, no one really knows that I am now truly retired.  I take that back.  One dear friend sent me a retirement card a while back.  It made my heart smile.  I didn’t yet feel retired then, but I do now.

 

WHO NEEDS A PARTY?

By Kathleen Martens

January 21, 2016

 

To work so hard and never go to work

Perhaps because my job I shirked?

Not so. Not so at all

Because I was really always on call.

 

I worked from morning until evening dark.

Only then did I come in from the park.

Photos taken in the earliest of light,

And in the studio when it was night.

 

And then consultations for weddings next year

With unending couples that constantly appeared.

Finally when others were tucked in bed,

Post production accomplished after I was fed.

 

Until 2:00 a.m. I labored for hours,

Correcting faces and bouquets of flowers.

Designing albums with precision care,

So with family they could be shared.

 

Senior portraits and babies, done all in one day

What mattered was, who wanted to pay.

I pulled and pushed props all around

And even drove clients all over town.

 

Exciting and interesting rolled all into one,

Because to me, it was exceedingly fun.

To capture moments of ecstasy, full of joy

For future generations of girls and boys.

 

The stress was high, the hours were long,

But I knew, I was where I belonged.

Behind the camera I always hid

Simply because I loved what I did!

 

Now it is over, and put on the shelf

And I have discovered a very new self.

What once was my heart’s desire

Has now kindled an even greater fire.

 

The clock no longer ticks demanding of me

The ticking now says “HEY, YOU ARE FREE”.

And that’s how I feel deep in my heart

That each and every morning a new life I start!

 

And besides, who needs a party?

 

Guess what?  I’m going to be able to get to bed on time.  Since I woke up at 5:00 a.m. this morning I think I am ready.

 

Good night and God bless you!

 

 

 

Wednesday January 20 2016  A QUIET DAY

Well, if you read yesterday’s blog you will know I wrote about talking too much.  I have been accused of that.  Well, today I was quiet all day…well mostly that is.  Probably because I was alone.  It was a wonderful day.  No gym time, and that is my favorite day of the week.  Spent time with the Lord this morning and wrote my poem for today, made lunch for Dave when he returned home from his work out, and then he left again, and the house was full of quiet.  Mostly because I wasn’t talking.

While Dave was absent I worked hard and long all afternoon and finished just in time to make dinner.  I will tell you briefly about my project.  I am trying to be quick with this blog because I must be in bed in 45 minutes in order to get up very early in the morning and be out of here to exercise so I can be back before 9:00 a.m.  The gym time takes about two and a half hours round trip.  I want to try to get there a little after 6:00 a.m.  But back to my project.  I have a craft room dedicated to the artistic side of me.  That artistic side is also very cluttery, especially when I am too busy to do art projects.  That’s when the room becomes piled with things that shouldn’t be piled there as well as all the scraps and tools left out because of doing everything in a hurry and not putting everything back.  So, today was organize and clean day.  Piece by piece I touched everything on my three tables which I have laid out into a “U” shape.  My walls are covered with supplies and I even have things on the windowsills.   I took some pictures AFTER I organized.  I wish I had taken some before shots but I didn’t think about it.  Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t.  It certainly looks a lot better in there.  I didn’t go through the shelves or closet.  That will be in a future project.  Right now it is usable.

Sunday we have a family coming over for the afternoon and they have two children who will probably want to do some art projects.  I couldn’t let them walk into my mess.  This family is a very artistic family and I think they will enjoy the space.

The reason I must be back by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning is that I have the Geek squad lady coming.  Originally it was for 8:00 a.m. but it changed to 9:00 a.m.  I also must correct a statement I wrote yesterday that the person on the phone told me in regards to time.  He told me the $50.00 covered up to 4 hours.  Well I was informed on the phone by the lady that it only covers 90 minutes.  I think I did a bit more than talk after I found that out.  She rearranged her schedule so she could give me more time and it will be for the $50.00 amount.  If that was what I was quoted then she said she would honor it. 

After she leaves, Dave and I must leave to do the shopping for Sunday’s food.  I plan to make my food on Friday and clean on Saturday.  Cleaning is something that must be done.  Especially dusting and putting a few things away. 

So, as you can see, I have been busy, I will be busy, and I’m looking forward to every moment of it.  After all, I get to cook.  I haven’t been doing much of that because we are trying to eat up all our soup.  That will take us a long time.  We just finished the soup from 2013 and 2014.  Now we have started on 2015 and we still have two freezers full.  And guess what I am making for Sunday?  SOUP OF COURSE!  That is why I am making it on Friday so it can steep in the fridge and meld its flavors.  I am making Barley Chili with sour dough bread (and maybe some cornbread) and a couple of kinds of salads.  Salads are my favorite.  I haven’t thought about dessert yet.  We don’t usually eat dessert.  I may just serve a pomegranate salad over yogurt.  It is delicious!  Especially with walnuts.

I will transcribe my poem from my journal and then sign off.  Wish I had more time to talk about God but my time is ticking.  I think it actually takes more time for me to transcribe a poem to the blog than it does to write it on the computer as I type my blog.  Today’s poem is relevant to what happened during my time with the Lord.

 

TO THE QUIET PRESENCE

By Kathleen Martens

January 20, 2016

 

To be ensconced in the sound of silence

Creates an interlude of peace,

Comforting the tired heart

So new vitality will be released.

 

Such a sweet and gentle place to go,

But so often it’s impossible to wait.

There is always so much we must do

As we hurry, so as not to be late.

 

But we must learn to stop and listen

To the needs of our soul.

To be replenished in God’s presence

Should be our greatest goal.

 

Beside still water our shepherd leads

As we lie down in green pastures to rest.

He leads us in paths of righteousness,

For He is the one who loves us best.

 

Listen, and take time to hear His voice

That your Spirit will be restored.

He calls your name, and beckons “Come,

To the quiet presence of your Lord.”

 

And that is what I did this morning and we had a grand time. 

Good night and God bless you.

 

BELOW PLEASE READ PART FOUR OF:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will For Your Life

4) Seek godly input.

One key component to finding God’s will is to seek the input of godly advisors in your life. If you don’t currently have 3-4 godly mentors, then I would highly recommend that you seek them out right away.

Think of it this way: you should understand that you are basically a composite of the five people you spend the most time with. So, then, it is vital that you choose those five people well. If you choose to surround yourself with godly advisors, they will be instrumental in helping you discern God’s plan for your life. But if you surround yourself with people who are far from God, your hope of finding His best for your life will be greatly diminished.

Proverbs 11:14

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

The church is designed to help you greatly with this. I would encourage you to be in church every single time the doors are opened. The more you involve yourself with a community of believers, the greater your chances will be of finding godly men and women who can help you discern God’s will.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html

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Tuesday January 19 2016  THE SCRIPTURES AND THE MOUTH

Computers!  You either love them or you detest them!  I really don’t think it’s the computer’s fault but more my fault for not being tech savvy.   I know enough about them to use them TO MY CAPACITY, but not enough to be master over them.  I have been working with computer problems most of this afternoon and evening with a Geek squad representative.  I only wanted tune ups by the Geek Squad but both PC’s have problems that need the big guns.  That means I must take them in to be serviced (for no charge).  OR… I can have the Geek squad (one person) come to the house for 4 hours and work on any and all computers that I own for $50 for the four hours.  That is worth it to me.  I have a big heavy tower for my professional work and it is a bear to haul back and forth.  This poor laptop that I am currently using is having its one year birthday soon and has not been tuned up all year which has resulted in overload.  It is so full that it will not support an online computer to take control online.  Mr. Geek Squad suggested I get a tune up once a month.  Which I will do from this point on.  I’ll just schedule it on my calendar, call and have my over-the-phone service call (for three computer) via the phone.  That way they will not get overloaded with all the excess that the computer holds on to.  My Geek Squad subscription cost $99.00 for one year.  There is absolutely no charge with over-the-phone repair or if I take it in to Best Buy.  However, there are some things that need to be done, which must be done from home base because of all the connections and contraptions and WiFi that is involved with having all this paraphernalia.  It will be best for me to have someone come out.

Our Quandary regarding the house is still not totally settled, but it should be by tomorrow.  I am beginning to wonder if I have too much on my plate.  That is a hard thing for me to admit.  I have always just done what must be done, regardless how much was expected.  Now, I am rethinking life a bit.  I have pared down my obligations.   I no longer do any type of consultations or counseling such as Stephen Ministry, or Theophostic Ministry.  I am finished with my professional photography.  I am not involved with any organized ministry at church.  I am not on the prophetic prayer team this year, nor do I have any involvement leading or attending Connect Groups through our church.  I have curbed all organized activities that meet on a regular basis and I still don’t seem to have time to accomplish what I desire to accomplish. 

So…I have figured out it must be my age!  If I don’t have anything else to blame something on I can always just blame it on getting older.  But that doesn’t work for long either because I don’t feel old yet.  I just had a light bulb moments!  I think I know why I am not accomplishing my goals.  It must be because I talk too much.  I can talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime, even when realistically I don’t have the time.  I saw that happen today and realized how much time it takes to talk and listen.  Well, perhaps it was Dave that actually helped me to figure that out because he was patiently (or maybe I should say IMPATIENTLY) waiting for me all those times I was waylaid by all those interesting people.  And he wasn’t a happy camper.  And I don’t blame him.  I shall try hard not to talk too much in the future (at least when he is waiting with me).  I tried that once when we first married and it didn’t really work too well for me.  Well, I’m older and hopefully wiser now so maybe there is hope.  I suppose I’ll just have to write longer blogs to use up all my words.  JUST KIDDING! JUST KIDDING!   

To show you how mature I am becoming, I’ll just stop this blog right here, write a poem (MAYBE a short one) and get ready to make dinner.  We usually have a light supper and so it is quite simple to prepare.

 

THE SCRIPTURES AND THE MOUTH

By Kathleen Martens

January 19, 2016

 

Oh the scripture is full of caution

Of what a mouth should say.

The wise heart accepts commands

But chattering fools, ruin, demands.

 

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain

Of life, that flows from deep within.

Violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked

And their words cause them to sin.

 

Knowledge is stored up by the wise,

But ruin is invited by fools.

For the words they choose to speak

Seem to break all God’s rules.

 

When words are many

Sin is not absent

But he who speaks little

Allow sin no consent.

 

A righteous tongue is choice silver

As words come from their heart.

But the words of the wicked

Have little value to depart.

 

Lips of the righteous

Many will nourish.

But the simple fool will die,

For they do not flourish.

 

Through the mouth of the righteous

Wisdom speaks with voice.

Their words are fitting

Because of their choice.

 

And he who answers without listening,

It is his folly and shame.

And a liar who is perverse

Tarnishes his very own name.

 

With his mouth

The godless destroys,

But through righteous knowledge

Escape is employed.

 

A man of understanding

Will hold his tongue

But a gossip,

By himself is hung.

 

Reckless words pierce

The heart like a sword.

But the tongue of the wise

Give a healing word.

 

Truthful lips endure forever,

God delights in what is spoken.

Kind words will cheer a man,

When he’s down and broken

 

He who guards his lips

Also guards his soul.

But he who speaks rashly,

For him, no such goal.

 

Knowledge is not upon the lips

When a foolish man doth speak.

It is the truthful who save lives,

A false witnesses voices deceit.

 

Folly and evil gush

From the mouth of a fool,

Kind words of the righteous,

Are a healing tool.

 

A man finds joy

When giving an apt reply.

And oh how wonderful

A timely word applies.

 

The righteous prayers

Of a man are heard,

Because God in heaven

Hears every word.

 

Good news gives health

To a man’s bones.

And to the man who listens,

His wisdom is honed.

 

He who speaks truth

Is an honored man.

Even among kings

He uprightly stands.

 

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

And to the soul so sweet.

A Wiseman’s heart guides his mouth,

His words to others a treat.

 

Whew!  That poem started short and just grew.  I have looked up a lot of verses from Proverbs about the mouth.  And this isn’t half of them!

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU.  I WILL KEEP THE REST OF MY WORDS TO MYSELF.  (You see, I am learning.)

BELOW PLEASE READ PART THREE OF:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will For Your Life

 3) Obey what you already know to be God’s Will.

Many people seem to want to know what God’s plan is for their lives, but they overlook the fact that 98% of His will is already delineated carefully through His Word. God is very clear about many, many aspects of His will. For instance, it is clearly His plan that we abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

If we do not obey the things that God has shown us clearly to be His will, why would we think He would reveal any further information regarding His plan for our lives? Obedience is an important first step.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html

Monday January 18 2016  OUR QUANDARY 

This morning it was minus 7 degrees outside when our post toasty bodies emerged from beneath our pile of quilts.  It almost felt that cold inside too.  News from the weather channel quoted the wind-chill made it feel as if it was minus 20 degrees.  I have the heat up to 72 degrees in the living area, and 62 degrees in the bedroom wing.  Downstairs is also set at 62 degrees.  We cannot leave the heat off during this kind of cold for fear of pipes freezing.  We have a large shop off our family room downstairs and lots of pipes, for our baseboard water heating system, that go through that area.  That area is not heated.  Because of the pipes being warm the shop does not freeze.  The space is 40 feet by 20 feet.  To show you how you must dress to go out in this kind of weather, I will include a picture of me still bundled up when we arrived home from the gym earlier today.  It takes about 30 minutes for the car heaters to be able to start pumping out heat so we must really be bundled when we get into the below freezing car.  We have wool blankets in the car that I snuggle in. 

We’ve had quite a cold spell these past weeks and I keep forgetting to mention it in the blog.  It is just a normal part of our life in Wisconsin during this time of year.   I thought some of you living in the warmer climates might enjoy hearing about what it’s like for us in this part of the country.  Dave looked outside the other day and asked me in all seriousness, “What do you see when you look outside?”   I thought he was referring to the beauty of the snow and landscape and such, but he wasn’t.  He simply replied, “I see death”.  He went on to explain that the walls of our house and our heat coming into it, are all that stands between life and death for us.  That was an eye opening statement.  As I walked from the car into the gym, which probably takes less than 30 seconds, I could barely keep my eyes open because the surface of my eyes would start freezing and drying out.  Fortunately I had on warm clothing, and for a short period of time, could be exposed to the bitter cold without permanent damage to my skin and eyes.  Being in this kind of cold is brutal, even for a short period of time.  Being INSIDE in this kind of cold can sometimes feel very uncomfortable if the house isn’t warm enough.  I usually stay busy and active enough that I am not too bothered with it.  But I do look forward to climbing into bed at night.  As much as we enjoy all our windows in the spring, summer, and fall, even with dual panes and high rated glass, there is not quite so much enjoyment of being close to a window in the winter months.  Most of our windows are not covered due to the fact we live in the country, have no street lights to come in, and we would probably never keep the window treatments closed due to the beautiful views we have from all directions.  Another reason we keep our windows exposed inside is because of the humidifier that runs on automatic during the winter. Even the bedroom windows that do have blinds, we keep open.  Too much moisture builds up between the glass and blinds and then drips on the hardwood floors.  So you see, the cold can create dilemmas that you may never think about when you live in a warmer climate.   FLORIDA, HERE WE COME!  We just don’t know when.

There is a lot on our agenda at present and we have some tough decision to make regarding the rebuild from our water loss on Christmas day.  This blog will be short due to time I need to make some phone calls before it is too late in the day.  Please join us in prayer that God will give us wisdom to do what is best for all involved. 

 

OUR QUANDARY

By Kathleen Martens

January 18 2016

 

No matter what confronts us

God is by our side.

He helps us make decisions,

Because in us He abides.

 

Thank you God for being

Our true and constant friend,

Directing mine and Dave’s choices

With answers that You send.

 

We ask for help in this matter

That what we do is  best.

Direct us to do Your will.

Teach us through this test.

 

Such a comfort it is to know

That You guide us on our way.

Calm us that we are quiet

So we hear Your voice each day.

 

Your voice that so tenderly speaks

To the deep within our souls.

For it is our desire,

That You direct our goals.

 

So our quandary we lay at your feet

And ask You would intervene.

Give us courage to face what’s ahead

And show us the unseen.

 

Thank you Lord for Your strength,

That You are a tower in which to hide

Where we find solace and love

Because in You we do abide.

 

Thank you that you are in control

When we don’t know which way to go.

All we must do is faithfully follow

And Your way, to us You’ll show.

 

PROVERBS 18:15

“THE NAME OF THE LORD IS A STRONG TOWER; THE RIGHTEOUS RUN INTO IT AND THEY ARE SAFE.”

 

I believe this poem just came as a confirmation to me that I be reminded that God is in control and He knows the beginning from the end.  We are to lay our concerns at His feet and then wait for Him to give us direction.  This all has to do with the situation regarding the damage to our home, and how we are going to handle the entire situation, as to what must be done to rebuild.  A lot more involved than that, but that is the gist of it.

Thanks for listening to the concerns we have.  Remember, this is also my journal at present, so my raw feelings sometimes get put on the table for the world to see.  Mostly, we just ask for your prayers tonight that God would lead us in the right direction for all matters involved.

Good night and God bless you!

BELOW PLEASE READ PART TWO OF:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will For Your Life

2) Surrender your will to God’s.

Many times when we say we are seeking God’s will, what we are really wanting to say to God is this: “OK, God, here’s what I’m planning to do. Now I need you to rubber stamp this, all right?” I must tell you that this is not really effective in finding His true will.

Before God will begin to reveal His will to you, you must be committed to doing whatever it is that He desires for you to do. God will likely be slow to show you His plan if He knows you will likely not do that plan anyway.

Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Jesus was willing to die for us, so shouldn’t we be willing to live for Him? When we surrender to Him, that is when He really begins to direct our steps.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html