juxtaposition in a week...

i have been pretty surprised by all the hoopla of the royal wedding...it seemed like no matter where you turned...magazines...tv shows...twitter...fashion posts...all were a buzz about this big day...and of course...it was a big day...but not enough to warrant for me to get up at some ungodly hour to watch a wedding...yes...even i have my limits...or maybe it was just that sleep rated higher in my book...it struck me as odd when i read that the u.s. seemed more intrigued by the royal wedding then the brits...

when i woke up this morning...i checked out a few pics of the bride...and just as i suspected...she looked absolutely beautiful...

along with this beautiful day for the couple...it has been a week of devastation in other parts of the world...even in our own lovely u.s...friends of mine have been tornado watching...hearing warnings...and heeding the call...and some have family in alabama...where it hit hard...

during these times...it is interesting to see good and bad all around us...that is the circle of life...my friend adena said it best...

It is strange to contemplate the juxtaposition of the havoc wreaked by the weather on the MidWest and Southern regions of our country with the pomp beauty and happiness of the Royal nuptials. While many people claim not to care a whit (now there's a good Old English word, yes?) about the Royal wedding, for me, there's something very touching about all the tradition. And when it gets right down to it, it's still a ceremony between two people who are committing themselves to one another. Let's offer them our prayers for a long and happy life, while at the same time we offer our prayers for all those people who have been affected by the destruction of the storms in our country. Happiness and sadness co-exist at all times and we offer up our prayers in all circumstances.

david wilkerson...

...our loss is heaven's gain...

when i first heard the news yesterday of the car crash that killed david wilkerson...memories flooded over me of the countless times his book & daily devotionals touched my life...

he was a true man of God...

one of my earliest memories was reading his book "the cross and the switchblade" i would read that book over and over and over...my favorite line was..."you could cut me up into a thousand pieces and lay them in the street...and every piece will still love you (nicky cruz) - david wilkerson

that book/movie had such an impact on my life...and as i got older i learned more about teen challenge...which he founded...in recent years...his daily devotional and blog was one i often would read...

here is a portion of his post from yesterday...written the day he walked into the arms of Jesus...

"To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights, and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, "I am with you,'" Wilkerson wrote. "Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail-his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world."

he always encouraged...always...if you would like to read the full post...here it is..."when all means fail"

continue to pray for his wife, gwen...who was also in the car...and is currently in the hospital...

i can hear the Father saying..."welcome home son...you've done good!"

lesson from my cat...

i was watching one of my cats today...it was obvious that he was not really liking what was in the food bowl today...he sat in front of the bowl for about 15 minutes...just staring into it...like as if somehow..the contents of it would change...he wasn't meowing to get my attention...he just sat...still...staring...but not eating...

now what do i know? i am assuming all this...but it was a great lesson anyway...it was as if he had two choices...leave without eating...which would probably include walking after me...meowing till i somehow gave him something he really wanted...or eventually eat what was there...which is what he finally did...

but it got me to thinking...how many times do we just sit...wanting something to change...but we do nothing...we don't ask for it...or for help to get there...and we don't change anything that we have been doing...to hopefully change the circumstance...and yet...we still sit and wonder why everything is the same...why our life is at a standstill...why we are at where we are at...

don't get me wrong...i know that bad things happen...and sometimes...circumstances are out of our control...but as much as is humanly possible...we are ultimately responsible for our lives...and where we find ourselves...or don't find ourselves...is a reflection of how much we are doing...or not doing...

so...if you are not liking your current situation...what can you do to change it? or what attitude adjustments do you need to make to deal with your current circumstance...i think that sometimes...we miss the lesson or blessing in our circumstance...because we are too busy wishing for something else...

resurrection story...

ok...if you are a part of the twitter world...you will most likely find this absolutely fascinating...i know i did...when i saw it first played in church on easter sunday...

this is when social media talent is used for good...

how great thou art...

saw the announcement for a nite of music that was to be aired last week...didn't pay much attention to it...because it was country singers...and although i love love love music...country music...well...it just doesn't do it for me...forgot all about the announcement...and then fast forward...to a week later...flipping channels...and get to this awards nite or whatever it was...right as this song is starting...

this song is my all time favorite hymn of all time...i have never gotten through singing it...hearing it...without it making me cry...and there i was...captivated once again...as carrie underwood sang it effortlessly...beautifully...didn't watch the rest of the show...but this song was worth stopping over...may it bless you as it did me...

truly...how great thou art...my Father...my God...my all...

He is risen...

...He is risen indeed!

although there are bunnies & candy & easter eggs all around us...may we take some time to ponder upon the most awesome gift anyone could ever receive...God send His son to earth...to die for our sins...and on the third day...He arose...

thank you God for this incredible gift...because of You...i am free...

may You feel His love this easter season in a special way...

two wishes...

if you could have two wishes granted for your life...what would they be? world peace? no...against the rules...feed the hungry? nope...again...they have to be about YOU...and not material possessions...eliminate money from the equation...if you could grant any two wishes for yourself...what would they be? think about it...ponder it...

the concept that in order to live the life you have imagined...you must be able to dream it first...many of us are scared to even dream...scared to let our minds wander into the ultimate fantasy of what could be...and if you can’t even dream it...there is no way you can live it...i have found that as soon as i begin to day dream about all the things in life that I want...my negative self begins to sneak in and tell me why it won’t work...fear creeps in...and starts to shout louder than your dreams...telling you all the reasons they can’t happen...

that’s why you have to dream louder...

so...what are your top two wishes that you are dreaming about?

true story...

this is a very touching story about two brothers who were separated at birth...it's a story of life, death...and the cruel twist of fate...

pete...is that you?

welcome back to california...

ok...so how funny is it...that i just had a conversation with a couple that i met in houston...about...what else...earthquakes...we got on the subject when they asked me how long i'd lived in california...and when i answered that i hadn't lived anywhere else...tracy says..."i would be petrified of the earthquakes..."

so she wanted to know how the earthquakes felt...i tried to explain as best i could...but really...as dangerous as they are...i have never been truly afraid of them...

so as i am sitting now...on my couch...checking emails...a day after this loonngg conversation about earthquakes...i hear a loud noise...almost like an explosion...my one cat goes running...i turn on the tv...and yep...it was an earthquake...the sound kind of threw me...as it sounded more like something fell from the 2nd floor to the first...but alas...it was an earthquake...

i feel i need to call my new friend tracy and tell her about the experience...but i don't want to freak her out... =)

welcome back to california...

gone fishin...

ok...not really...but i am heading out of town...still working...but i need one less thing to worry about...so...i'm taking a lil break from the blog...

enjoy the rest of your week...and weekend...and i'll be back on monday!

returning to Him...

i've been spending some time reading the story of moses...somehow...i am relating to his story as of late...when you know that what you are doing is the will of the Lord...but things are still somehow...not falling into place...or i should say...falling into the place that I think they should be...which we all know...is the problem...the minute we start thinking or analyzing what WE think God should be doing... =)

so i read in exodus this morning about moses in the midst of a very discouraging situation...after years of mistakes...lessons in the desert and insecurity in his speaking skills...he had finally done exactly what the Lord said...he had gone to pharaoh and said..."let my people go..." surely now all the pieces would fall into place...he was at the right time and place...and he had obeyed what the Lord had told him...moses was about to learn a lesson that many of us are facing...the blessings that follow doing God's will are not always the ones we expect...

he may have expected pharaoh to get a thoughtful look and say..."of course you can go, moses...i know that God is leading you...and we just need to do what He says..." but we know that's not what happened...not only did pharaoh mock God...but he doled out even harsher treatment to the israelites by forcing them to continue to make bricks without the provision of straw...the people were outraged...and they turned on moses...how discouraging...right? things weren't going at all the way moses had imagined...now that he was on track with God and walking in obedience...life was supposed to get easier...or so we expect..

all the lessons moses had learned in the desert shepherding for 40 years served him well now...we see that despite his disappointment...he turned to God in prayer...it was a distressed prayer...but it was real and heart-felt...when he faced an indignant pharaoh and his angry people...moses returned to God and poured out his heart...

exodus 5:22-23 tells us..."moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘o Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? is this why you sent me? ever since i went to pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.'"

when moses returned to the Lord with the pain that he was feeling...the disappointment in his circumstances...and the confusion about his calling...God met him there...God didn't respond to moses with anger or rebuke...He answered with a glimpse into future freedom and a rousing message for His people straight from the very heart of God...moses' struggles didn't end there...but God had given him the encouragement that he needed to forge on toward the calling...

fast forward to later on in the day...tears stung my eyes and my heart ached as i climbed into my car...my emotions swung wildly from assurance that i had said the right things...to doubt in the stance that i had taken...i felt spiritually responsible to verbalize my own convictions...my first response was to pull out my cell phone to call a friend for some consolation and advice...it was then that the lesson i had learned from the bible earlier that day pushed its way to the front of my anxious mind...

in the car...i set my cell phone down...closed my eyes and bowed my head....i poured out my confusion and disappointment to God...and He met me there...my emotions settled...my mind found rest and God's peace poured over me...you see...He is good...doing God's will is rarely easy...and the blessings of growth may come wrapped in pain...however...we will find Him to be faithful and His word sufficient when we return to Him...

what i believe...is that doing His will and following Him is its own reward...even though the way may get bumpy as we obey...He is always with us...He is faithful to reassure us and encourage us when we come from the places that our own thoughts take us and return to Him...

the power of words...

wow...this brought tears to my eyes...it is all about perspective...and the power of words...

opening day...

...means

...my first baseball game of the year...

...my first hotdog of the year...

happy friday!

be the louder voice inside of me...

“Heavenly Father...help us remember that the “jerk” who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner...help with homework...do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children...

help us to remember that the pierced...tattooed...disinterested young man who can’t make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student...balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester...

remind us...Lord...that the scary looking bum...begging for money in the same spot every day (“who really ought to get a job”) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares...

help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment...knowing that based on the biopsy report she got back last week...this will be the last year that they go shopping together...

Heavenly Father...remind us each day that of all the gifts you give us Lord...the greatest gift is love...it is not enough to share that love only with those we hold dear...open our hearts not to just those who are close to us or those who are like us...but to all humanity...let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive...help us to show meekness...patience...empathy and love...”

this prayer is a great reminder that our selfishness and busyness can keep us from seeing life from someone else’s perspective...

i want to walk in more meekness & patience...Holy Spirit...be the louder voice inside of me...

my prayer for you...

"pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord...” lamentations 2:19

it’s a new day...what is on your heart? what would you like to accomplish? what would you like to change?

today...i would like to pray for you...below is the prayer that the Lord put on my heart...as you read it...i invite you to use it as a model...sit with the Lord and ask Him to help you personalize this prayer for you...

Father in heaven...thank you that You are sovereign...thank you that You know each precious man/woman reading this post...You planned for them to meet You here today...You created their heart...You know their every need...their deepest desires...and the open wounds...Lord...i ask that today...You would fall afresh on them...

Father...You are holy and call us to be holy...yet...we confess that so often our hearts wander from You...our speech does not glorify You...and our actions do not honor You...soften our hearts to receive the words Your sweet Spirit has to speak to us...clothe us with humility...take away our desire to always be right and have our own way...help us to seek Your word in all that we say and do...help us to submit to Your word...allow it to penetrate those deep places in our hearts that resist change...if necessary...put us through the refiner’s fire to burn off those things that keep us from walking in step with Your character...

give us hearts that love and seek after truth above all else...give us wisdom and discernment to reject the lies of this world and the evil one...guide us into all truth...guard our hearts and keep our eyes fixed on You...grow in us those things that will make us more like You...as we study Your word...fill us and saturate us with You...

today...Father...we surrender our thoughts...our speech...and our hearts...thank you that You are faithful and true...we trust You will do a mighty work in us and through us today and carry it on to completion until the day we step into eternity with You...help us to trust in You with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding...help us to acknowledge You in all our ways so that we can hear Your voice as You say...“this is the way...walk in it...”

Lord...we love You and thank you that You love us...may our lives be a living testimony of You...we ask this in the powerful and mighty name of Your Son...Jesus Christ our Lord who will do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine...in Jesus’ name...amen...

a day at the beach...

...that was my day yesterday...friend was visiting from washington...we decided to head out to half moon bay...the thing with half moon bay...you just never know how the weather will be...but it was...in a word...glorious...simply glorious...

what is it about lazy days with friends? how can one not be happy? girl talk...laughter...window shopping...great lunch...the ocean...the beautiful ocean...

it is on days like this...that i am so overcome with emotion...truly truly the Lord has blessed me with such incredible friends in my life...and whether we see each other every day...once a month...once a year...it just doesn't matter...

isn't that what true frindship is? when distance and time doesn't make any difference...it takes work...but isn't anything worth keeping worth fighting for?

be mindful of what you throw away, be careful of what you push away, and think hard before you walk away...

i don't want to gain the whole world...

my brother asked me to find a song for him...i wasn't sure who sang it...but i had heard it before...and after finding it for him...i thought i would share...strong words...

"i don't want to gain the whole world...and lose my soul"
tobymac

nothing short of glorious...

...is my description of this week...les sigh...

after two weeks of torrential rains...wind...and cold...enough that the news declared that we were no longer in a drought...can you imagine how much rain had to fall to get to that level? but i degress...

all i knew...was that i was longing for the sun...any sun...for longer then an hour...not to much to ask for...right?

well...this week...wow! talk about glorious...and the best part? i didn't have very much going on...so i was able to partake of all my favorite things...

...gardening...although i did more clean-up than actually gardening...it.just.felt.so.good.to.be.in.the.sun...did a few hikes...the one today was a whopper...we even got a little lost...more chatting then paying attention to the markers...but alas...we made it out alive...and with no sightings of mountain lions...phew...

today...as i write this...it is a gorgeous 86 degrees outside...can you say perfection? my body is getting it's much needed vitamin d...and that makes me...well...just happy...

it's calling for rain tomorrow...with temperatures dipping down 20 degrees...i'm in denial about that...but whether it happens or not...i'm thankful for a week of sunny bliss...

may your weekend be blissful!