naps...

are my favorite!

especially the kind you don't know you're having until you wake up.

i got the pleasure of enjoying one of those, today!

boy was it needed; so refreshing!

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." [matthew 11:28]

praise Him for His promise!

xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

...a fire that the world cannot explain...

i come to worship You.

the Lord has been teaching me about provision &i was so blessed during my quiet time. &&&of course i would be reading about joseph[&his coat of many colors] &all the ways the Lord provided for &prepared him to do great things in the name of God! the Lord is so creative in all the ways He pours into our lives &ignites our flames to burn for Him. i'm truly stoked to see how God will provide for me &how He is preparing me for His glory!


xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

love. joy. peace. patience. kindness. goodness. gentleness. faithfulness. self-control.

lately, i've been craving fruit 

&thankfully my mother &employer have had the houses stocked with bundles of fresh &delicious snacks! 

praise the Lord; what a creative provider!

i've been enjoying some of the best oranges to date!

this all got me thinking...

i want the fruit of the spirit!

9attributes::1fruit

[galatians 5:22-23]

xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

repentance; submission; forgiveness...ptL!

{there is love that came for us

humbled to a sinner's cross 

You broke my shame &sinfulness 

You rose again, victorious

faithfulness, none can deny 

through the storm &through the fire 

there is truth that sets me free: 

Jesus Christ who lives in me

You are stronger 

You are stronger

sin is broken 

You have saved me 

it is written: Christ is risen!

 Jesus, You are Lord of all

no beginning &no end 

You're my hope &my defense 

You came to seek &save the lost 

You paid it all upon the cross

so let your name be lifted higher

be lifted higher 

be lifted higher}

xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

oooh to be a tree...

&stretch my praises to my King!

{Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

         Let the sea roar, and all it contains; 

    Let the field exult, and all that is in it 

         Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy 

     Before the LORD, for He is coming,

         For He is coming to judge the earth 

         He will judge the world in righteousness

         And the peoples in His faithfulness.}

[psalm96:11-13]

xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

eliza ava-ray

i have the most fortunate job in the whole world; i nanny eliza!

 

because eliza is a child, she is a perfect illustration of child-like faith. the Lord has blessed me with an adorable teacher! she is the silliest little thing! it's been so neat to watch her personality form [even though she's a sassy little stinker sometimes]...today though, was especially great! recently she's gotten a little clingy so when i put her down she'll start whimpering &even burst out into tears, feelings crushed, as if i were leaving her there to fend for herself [&sometimes that is the case]. today, i was putting her down in front of her favorite plasticky[sp] friends, &was on my way to sit down right next to her, &before i had the chance she was already crying, crushed, concerned, &crawling around to get back to me. she then proceeded to climb into my lap, snuggle in tight &calmed herself down. precious soul just needed a snuggle-hug [&secretly i did too; i was thankful for it]


i thought to myself, "if only it stayed this easy..." but then i realized: it is that easy. scripture tells us that the Lord is the "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.[2cor.1:3b-4]" He is always providing us with fellowship, encouragement, companionship, hugs; through His word as well as His children. 


i didn't even realize how much i needed a hug until that little, 11month-old girl, took refuge &found peace &comfort in my arms. He's always clever &always providing. 


praise the Lord &thank You!


xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

"...just pray about it."

for some reason that saying has always gotten under my skin. probably because i'm an impatient person, at best, &the thought of asking, &then waiting for answers has never been my favorite.


though, through His great compassion &His mighty patience, He has been teaching/illustrating to me the awesome power that comes from waiting on Him. 


since peter's been back in washington, my prayer-life has benefited...that is not to say that i wasn't praying before, but rather, i wasn't depending on prayer to be my answer. 


i'm always surprised at a 'quick' answer or even an answer at all...&through His gracious nature, the Lord has revealed to me how much i take prayer for granted. i ask but not really. [i ask with a hardened heart, 'knowing' that minds are already set, etc. &forgetting who my God is.] He is the great I AM! nothing can stand against Him...who am i to doubt His justice? He is justice. therefore, when i pray, i must be intentional about coming forth, palms up, in full surrender &humility. 

[James 4:2-3 (nasb)

You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.]

these words are so powerful! when my motives are of Jesus Christ, then i will receive all i have asked; He must be my motive!


the Lord has encouraged me today through answered prayer: peter got the job! &not only did that prayer get answered but it turns out that his boss is a believer too! he encouraged [&reminded] him to use his[peter's] time at work to be praying for the people &for himself[peter]. what a friend we have in Jesus! always providing, always supplying...it is so great to serve an omniscient God! He knows what we need before we need it &provides us with care for every detail! [best insurance plan ever] having peter working for &with other believers is a huge answer to my prayers. i know that peter will be surrounded by prayer no matter what he's doing, &that knowledge eases my soul; especially since starting up chariot longboarding &ultimately crossing enemy lines. 

[john 10:10 

the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.]

by being surrounded by other believers, knowing they're praying for you &vice versa, the Lord provides protection from the enemy through prayer &fellowship, &therefore having a more abundant life! amen! the Lord is so good! 

&though i miss my favorite prayer partner, i am elated to see the great works of faith the Lord has in store for us both! [&let's face it, thanks to modern technology {skype!} we are able to pray with &for each other every night, as well as share our daily experiences with the greatness of the Lord! it's not the same; but it is just as good.] i am elated that we both are being drawn closer to our Savior &through that closeness we are equipped to better edify &spur on each other. we are learning how to wear &use the full armor of God properly...hallelujah!

all that to be said, i'm learning to love &desire to "just pray" about things!

xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

crashing waves

[1 Peter 5:1-11. Serve God Willingly.

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.{nasb}]

i am so overwhelmed with encouragement from this passage! 

today was a hard, surreal kind of day for me...i really miss peter. i left church so encouraged by the message on ephesians and then went and spent time at the flying goat coffee with friends, reading &fellowshipping, &yet i still missed my best friend, i can't escape it, i love him.i kept looking up from my reading, in a forgetful [yet still vain] attempt to see this figure[in real-life] looking back at me...alas, washington is much further away than the span of a coffee table :/

i'm elated still! the Lord proves faithful and compassionate [as always]! He is comfort &He is home. every time i feel like the crashing waves are going to finally devour me, the Holy Spirit fills me with hope, bringing scripture to head &heart, &reminding me that He is in control--calming the storm i've wickedly created for &in myself! He cares for me; so i will cast my cares on Him! "...the God of all grace, who called [me] to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish [me]." 

my prayer is that my passion for the Lord is stronger than my passion for any other thing. i want to be confirmed, strengthened, &established in Jesus!

xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]

Come Ye Sinners, Poor And Needy

1. {Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
   Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
   Jesus ready stands to save you,
   Full of pity, love and pow’r.
   • Refrain:
     I will arise and go to Jesus,
     He will embrace me in His arms;
     In the arms of my dear Savior,
     Oh, there are ten thousand charms.
2. Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
   God’s free bounty glorify;
   True belief and true repentance,
   Every grace that brings you nigh.
3. Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
   Lost and ruined by the fall;
   If you tarry till you’re better,
   You will never come at all.
4. View Him prostrate in the garden;
   On the ground your Maker lies;
   On the bloody tree behold Him;
   Sinner, will this not suffice?
5. Lo! th’ incarnate God ascended,
   Pleads the merit of His blood:
   Venture on Him, venture wholly,
   Let no other trust intrude.
6. Let not conscience make you linger,
   Not of fitness fondly dream;
   All the fitness He requireth
   Is to feel your need of Him.
   Joseph Hart, pub.1759}

this song is the inspiration for this blog of mine. as i was standing, worshiping, singing at church one sunday, i began to really hear &read the lyrics. both, beautiful &convicting i realized just how charmed a life in &with JESUS CHRIST is, &similarly how much i take it for granted! it got me really excited; "Jesus ready stands to save [me], Full of pity, love and pow’r....He will embrace me in His arms; In the arms of my dear Savior, Oh, there are ten thousand charms.", i mean how is that for a promise!? i even got distracted, from singing, because i started trying to count 10,000charms...&that is when i realized how ungrateful i can be, or rather, how ungrateful i am. i rarely give praise where praise is due &yet my Savior stands, graciously &patiently, ready to forgive and embrace me!


the sole purpose of this blog is to praise the LORD for the all the blessings He so willingly grants. i plan to record [at least] one charm a day [though i may do a collection of charms at the end of each week so as not to bombard the blogosphere...i'm still not too sure]. the details are not important to me so much as i continue to use this as a facilitator in my quest to bring an acceptable form of praise and worship to my King.


my prayer is that i will be able to better grasp His teachings &nature; articulate my thoughts &praise; edify &encourage others[as well as be encouraged myself]; &ultimately bring glory to Him! i must decrease--HE must increase! i want to "arise and go to Jesus,...[to] Venture on Him, venture wholly, [to] Let no other trust intrude. [to] Let not conscience make [me] linger, Not of fitness fondly dream; [because] All the fitness He requireth Is to feel [my] need of Him."


xoxo. grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[eph. 6:24]