Clothing Me In Garments . . .

My sister, Karen loves to go shopping at The GW Boutique!  (Goodwill)  She delights in clothing me with garments from her favorite store!  She knows my size and my personal taste and always has her eye out for a great bargain!  I can't begin to tell you how much she has blessed me with surprise boxes in the mail just filled with fabulous finds!  I love to look over each garment and marvel over her selections and her sacrifice of money and time. If you took a tour of my closet, you would discover that the majority of my clothes are from "The GW Boutique".  She always makes sure I have everything I need.  When I receive a compliment on a blouse or jacket, I am not at all ashamed to tell them, "This came from my loving sister, Karen who shops at GW."  She has blessed me so much! 

                                                                    Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.


My Lord, Jesus Christ loves to clothe my soul with the garments of salvation that He purchased Himself for me (and you) on the cross.  He loves to deck me all out with His jewels and gems.  I love to visit The WG Boutique (Word of God) and discover all that He has given to me!  If you were able to tour my soul, you would discover that my garments of Praise all came from Him.  He sees that my soul has everything it needs.  When I receive a compliment on the love, joy and peace in my soul, I am not at all ashamed to tell them, "This came from my loving savior, Jesus Christ.  He has blessed me so much! 

                                                                      Isaiah 61:3
To appoint unto those who mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.

                                                                    Morning Prayer
Dear Lord,
   Thank you for making my soul joyful and for clothing me in beautiful garments that come from my salvation that You purchased for me.  I pray I will wear them well today.  Amen~

Shower Of Blessings . . . .

Today I will be preparing the invitations for the "Baby Shoe Shower" we are having for my little granddaughter.  I have been trying to make up my mind which ribbon and buttons will go on the invitations.  My mind is racing and I am flooded with all kinds of creative ideas how we can bless Katie and the baby.  We are asking everyone to come and shower her with a little pair of shoes!  We are preparing little "Shoe Favors" and of course "Shoe cupcakes" will be served.  Ask me. . . .  if you will. . . . . am I blessed?   

                                                                    Matthew 7:7
                                                     Ask, and it shall be given you;
                                                         seek and you shall find;
                                             knock, and it shall be opened unto you;

Today before I begin preparing for my day I will accept God's invitation to come to Him and ask on behalf of others for His blessings upon their lives.  Some truly need a new pair of shoes for their feet, that they may walk closer to God and in His footsteps.  May they hear His knock on the door of their heart and come to His table and feast on the delights He has prepared for them.   Ask Him . . . . if you will . . . . you will be blessed!

                                                                    Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,
    I'm asking that each reader today will receive a new pair of shoes from You.  That they will walk closer to You than ever before and they will open the door and invite You to come in.  Amen ~ 

                                                                   Revelation 3:20
Behold I stand at the door and knock; If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me.

My Inspiration

For the last couple years, I have looked to a website called "Pinterest" for my creative inspiration.  Here, you have people from all over the world pinning pictures, recipes, music, art and everything you can imagine!  I love to just sit and scroll up and down at all the postings and dream and imagine.  If I come across something I can put into my real world, I will pin it onto my own personal board and keep it for reference.  Often, I will pin a picture or idea and I will get a message from another pinterest poster that they "liked" what I pinned and saved it to their board as well.  It's like sharing back and forth with friends that you have never met that share the same interests.  It's totally awesome! 

                                                                     Psalm 119:9-16
Wherewithal shall a young woman cleanse her way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.  With my whole heart have I sought thee; oh , let me not wander from thy commandments.  Thy word have I hidden in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Blessed art thou, O Lord; teach me thy statutes.  With my lips have I declared all the ordinances of my mouth.  I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.  I will delight myself in thy statues.  I will not forget thy word.


For over thirty years, I have looked to God's Word for my heart's inspiration.  I have read books and articles published by Christians all over the world.  I listen intently to the Godly teaching of others, hoping to hear something that will be put into practice in my own life.  Once in awhile I will share a message or word that will inspire someone else and they will receive it and keep it in their own heart.  I take such delight in reading God's Word and to hear His voice encouraging me and inspiring me in a very personal way is so totally awesome!  

                                                                    Morning Prayer
Dear Lord,
   Each day you simply delight my heart with your presence and with your encouraging word.  You also bless me with marvelous ways to be creative with my hands.  May I be an inspiration to others in both ways.  I love you Jesus!  Amen ~

To "Be" together!

Our Women's Retreat is coming up in just two months and I'm so very excited to be a part of the praying, planning and preparation for this glorious week-end!  The great attraction is that we will "Be" together with one another and with our Lord!  The planning committee will be behind closed doors making all kinds of plans to bless and encourage each lady that attends.  We will prepare for some special moments and the retreat time will be so precious!  I am so looking forward to it!

                                                                    John 17:24
Jesus, prayed, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, "Be" with me where I am that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for You loved me before the foundation of the world."

                                                                   John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so , I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may "Be" also.

                                                                    1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

                                              
I am so excited to know that Jesus, himself prayed, planned and prepared for me to someday "Be" with him and to see his glory!  Jesus is actually preparing a place for me and for you to "Be" with him and our eyes have never seen, nor our ears ever heard, nor entered into our heart the incredible things which God is preparing for us simply because we love him.

                                                                  Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,
    It's so amazing that you have prayed, planned and are now preparing for us our eternal celebration!  Your heart's desire is that we can "Be" together! I cannot fully comprehend what that will be like however, I will spend my life praising you until that glorious day arrives when we will "Be" together.  Amen ~ 

"Heart Keepsakes"

Anything with a "heart" on it will catch my eye every single time!  I was so tickled to find out how to make a heart on my postings on face book.  For those of you who don't know, you just use the < key with a 3 next to it and when you push enter it makes the cutest little heart!  This just makes me so happy!  Call me silly I know!  I have some jewelry that reflects what I hold dear to my heart.  I have a ring with a broken heart on it and I never take it off, as well as my heart bracelet, given to me by my daughter, Kimberly.  On special occasions, I wear a heart pendent necklace with my grand children's names engraved on the outside.  These are my "heart keepsakes" and a reflection of what I hold dear in my heart. 

                                                           Proverbs 4:23
             Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.

My heart is my most treasured possession because it belongs to God and above all else I must guard it.  My heart is a wellspring that flows into every detail of my life and my relationship to the Lord and to others is according to the condition of my heart.  I must keep it diligently for the sake of Jesus Christ and His glory!  God has made a way for us to love Him with all of our hearts!  I believe that I am God's "heart keepsake" and so are you!  We are His treasures possessions.

                                                            1 Peter 3:3-4
Do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

                                                             Morning Prayer
Dear Lord,
   Help me to keep my heart with all diligence, having a full understanding of the treasure I possess in You.  Keep my heart for your sake!  Amen ~ 
   

Living In A Heavenly Place

In our pursuit of possibly purchasing a home, I found a home listed that is the exact model of our current home we are leasing.  I dearly love this house!  How exciting to think we could own it!  As I scanned over the pictures in the listing I took note that the walls were plain white with no molding.  The windows were missing coverings and drapes that I currently have.  The family room did not have a fireplace with a home entertainment center.  Where is the flower box in the front courtyard?  Looks like there is no refrigerator in the kitchen, nor cabinets and sink in the laundry room?  I'm suspicious it doesn't have the intercom system nor the security system.  This house only had the rocks and block fence with no view.  I'm so spoiled with the green grass and beautiful trees and shrubs in our backyard, not to mention the view fence with nothing but natural desert landscaping and mountain views.  Are there lots of bunnies and birds and little creatures running around?   No where did I read that landscaping services and water are free to the owner!  Nor did I find a clause that says, "Any necessary repairs will not be the responsibility of the resident."  Perhaps I should give this some more prayerful thought . . . . ???

                                                                         1 Timothy 6:6

                                         But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I live in "Heavenly Places" in Christ Jesus.  He blesses my heart and gives me such joy and I bask in His wonder.  My real pursuit is in Godliness and He has caused my heart to be content.  I already have everything I need in Christ.  There is no need for me to pursuit anyone or anything else.  All He asks of me is to have a thankful heart and to worship Him and to be content.  I think I can do that . . .

                                                                         Morning Prayer
Dear Lord,
    Thank you that I live in a "Heavenly Place" and my dwelling is in You.  I am so very content in my heart because You give me such joy and peace.  You alone will I pursue with my whole heart!  Amen ~

Accomplishments vs. Influence

The great accomplishment at the Olympic Games is to win the "GOLD"!  The sacrifices and the cost of this goal for each participant is not even measurable.  For many athletes, their performance will become their future "identity". 

In watching the Olympics, I have not been focused on the accomplishments of the athletes, as much as their influence they are making to the world watching.  I study their responses to their wins and losses more than their final scores.  To me, their greatest victory is to respond to their own performance with humility and thankfulness.  I love to watch their behavior and gestures of compassion and encouragement to their competitors.  This can be a much greater victory than winning the "Gold".  

Our true "Identity" comes more from our influence on others than our accomplishments  and the rewards are far more significant. 

                                                                  Hebrews 12:1

Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

                                                                Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,
    Help me today to focus more on the influence that I am making upon others, than to my own record of accomplishments.  Love is always your goal for me and I will be pure "Gold" in Your eyes.  Amen ~