Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret. And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with Thee."Ps.139:13-18

I praise Thee Lord for life, for days spent with those I love and I thank you for your Living Word.

Seasons and Shedding

This morning I took our two dogs outside to brush them as I've noticed they are shedding quite a bit. Reggie, our springer/terrier mix looses his hair in clumps while Sadie sheds year round. As I plucked the hair tufts from Reggie before using the curry comb on him, a task he resists, I pondered my life as how often the Lord needs to pluck/prune the dead and old from me, my habits, my thoughts and my focus. It is easy to hold onto things past but there comes a time when we must make room for the new, whether it be growth or fruit so that it can flourish. Throughout the seasons of life some things are better left behind to make room for the new...often times I need to stand before the prescence of the Lord and have Him weed out those things not pleasing to Him, even though it may hurt. Only as we yield ourselves to Him can He prune, pluck, weed and then cause us to grow more like Him. Therefore I would gladly undergo His handy work that I might reflect Jesus even more. "More of Him, less of me"-John 3:30

One of my favorite quotes from Prairie Chick is: " I strive to live efficiently in the flesh, fruitfully in the Spirit and joyfully in the soul." I want to live a transformed life in Christ, being made like Him no matter what the cost.
Because He first loved me, Noreen

The Sweet Fragrance of Fellowship

Our Sunday service is in the evening and although this has been an adjustment to what I was used to, it seems fitting to end my day focused on the Lord. Since moving to our area, I joined a new and relatively small community of believers made up of lots of young families and many singles. At the beginning of service our Pastor's wife takes all the little children up front and begins by singing songs of praise with them. Tonight as I watched there were 12 children, from 8yrs to 2yrs all lined up singing to the King. As they sang "Oh the blood of Jesus, oh the blood of Jesus, oh the blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow." Some of the young ones probably didn't grasp the holiness of their song but the older children had holy hands lifted high and eyes closed. Our Father must truly smile on this. The rest of the body echoed in repeating verses time and again until it really sank into our souls.
We were then led in "Through it all" a powerful song that says:
"For it reaches the highest mountain, flows to the lowest valley,
The blood gives me strength from day to day
And it will never loose its power".

Praise God the blood of the lamb never looses its power. God didn't give us what we deserve, He gave us what we needed when He extended love to us. Praise God that the Life giving blood gives us strength from day to day.

Be blessed as you focus on The Lamb of God.
In Him, Noreen

Happy 4th of July

May God bless our country with His glory

and smile upon her people with His Love.

To all the families of men and women fighting to preserve our freedom here in the United States, I say thank you, thank you, thank you. May the Lord richly bless you today and make His face to shine upon you.

Happy 4th of July!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for our two grandsons, their friendship and how interesting life is when seen through their eyes.

I am grateful for our camping trip last weekend, the beauty of the area and fun family times.

As I fell asleep to the sound of a powerful river nearby I was thankful to our God for creating such wonders for us to enjoy.

I am thankful for sons-in-laws that have a wonderful sense of humor and the crazy antics they think up. I am thankful that we all get along so well and love to travel together. I am thankful for the ability to get up off on an air-mattress after sleeping on it all night.

I am so thankful for a brother and sister of my heart that encourage, teach and love me for who I am.

I am so grateful for a visit with a new friend and being able to see a fox drink from a lake behind her house.

I am thankful for all the laughter that fills my life.

I am so grateful for God's word and how He loves to speak to His children daily.

I am thankful for those who read the humble ramblings of my heart.

May you see His Love in your life today.

Simple Pleasures

One of the greatest joys of moving to Colorado has been that my dedicated, hard-working husband was able to retire after working for the same manufacturing company for 35+ years. He faithfully worked day in and day out to provide a wonderful lifestyle for his family. We loved living in the beautiful area of California but found it increasingly difficult in the current economic market. Moving out of state allowed us to both quit work and slow down. Many thought we were giving up so much but in the end we have gained so much more than we could have imagined. Having grandchildren across the street has allowed John to teach the boys woodworking and has given us blessings of developing deep relationships with each child. Our daughter, Kim, is 6 mos pregnant and has always had a difficult time, with both daughters she was put on bed rest. Because I am home now, three to four mornings a week I am able to go over and help her with her two very active daughters. Today as we played in the yard and in the wading pool I found myself getting soaked by dear Shannon, now 3. Of course turn about is fair play and so a small water fight occured. I actually got the worse of it and laughed the entire time. If I were out working I would have missed these times helping Kim and growing close to her two as well. When I visit homes of friends and see how elegantly decorated they are, I admire them but wouldn't trade all the material riches for time with my husband, daughters and grandchildren. Our lives pass much to quickly and relationships are much too important, too valuable to trade for "things".

"For where your treasure is, there will you heart be also." Matt.6:21

Where is your heart this day?

Memories of Family

Families are such a interesting combination of personalities and traits. I was born to parents that were first generation Americans and all my grandparents were from Ireland. For those born in Irish Catholic families there is much laughter and joy and a lot of strong willed individuals. I was blessed by having one older sister and one slightly older brother(lol) and I truly was the baby, born 10+ after my siblings. My sister was like a second mom to me when I was growing up and throughout my life I leaned on her for support and friendship but like most siblings Dee could drive me crazy. When my family decided we needed to move to northern Ca. a few years later Dee decided to move to be closer to me, or so she said. I was thankful for that decision because later on it would prove to be the easiest for all of us. Ten years ago my sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She would prove to be the most courageous fighter I've ever known and battled this horrendous disease for seven years with more dignity and grace than I ever thought possible. Three years ago today she went home to be with the Lord, as she described it she was taking a long train ride and would be in heaven to greet us. I had the privledge of helping to hospice her during her last seven months and that too proved to be the greatest gift she could give me. Today as I see roses or hear birds sing I think of you my sister.
Today when I enjoy a dessert I will think of you Dee. Today when I walk your beloved dog I will think of you and try not to cry because I miss you so much. I'll smile when I think of you being in heaven with our parents and other family members and also mostly be so grateful that you are with Jesus.
I have one brother and sister-in-law(the sister of my heart) and I cherish them beyond words. Yes, my brother and I have so many family traits and Irish characteristics , I love you both so much and wish you joy today.