Happy Summer's End Everyone !

WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO !

My granddaughter will be SIX!

Jessica and Justin BFF's

Jordan surveying the damage of the tornado in Oklahoma.

Miami-bound for parent orientation at my son's college!

Terrible damage in Oklahoma.  Thank God we were able to go and help.

Jessica graduated school.  Her gift from daddy!

Jordan working hard on his physique LOL.

One of my favorite photos..my daughter and grandson peering into the Fort Lauderdale ocean!

Beautiful kids!

Just being me LOL.

Husband being husband LOL.

Mercy

God gives us brand new mercies every single morning (Lam. 3:22-23).  Thank God for this because I surely feel like I exhaust every single mercy the day before.  Ha!  Seriously, we need His mercies daily.  Life presents us so many problems..and temptations.  I still come very close to falling into temptation BUT because of HIS mercies (not mine LOL), I am saved from even myself.

Here is a question to ask:  How do we respond to this generous mercy?  Do we hoard it up or do we pass it along.  I will be honest.  When my kids or husband upset me, I do not "feel" like showing them a heart that has been indulged with mercy (and grace).  I struggle with this.  I want to teach them or prove a point and while there is a time for that..it is not ALL the time.

May God help me be a more gracious, merciful person to those I love.

Amen

This kid of mine (in the center LOL) brings me so much joy.  So does my daughter (to the right) but that goes without saying!  My Jordan Anthony has so much laughter and jokes inside of his heart.  He is a true gift from God.  Besides, God literally saved his life...and gave me the happiest kid ever.

When I am down or need a good laugh, I look for Jordan.  Nothing seems to bother him.  And if there is an issue in his life, he goes and plays basketball until his mind is clear.  He harbors no hard feelings against anyone and forgives easily.  Sometimes I want to make him stay mad at someone LOL but it will not work with this one.  He is simply put--HAPPY.

I thank God for my son.  I do not know what my life would be like without him.

Amen!

DIRT

Recently, my kids asked me if I would buy a new vacuum. I asked them why?  They said our vacuum was not "working right."  I do not have the BEST vacuum but it does its job.  I decided to investigate and this is what I found:

My vacuum was FILLED with dirt!  Rather than throw my vacuum away and get a new one, I invested the time to clean it up.  Before long, it was good as new.  With a brand new filter, it worked better than ever.  Sound familiar?

God never throws us away.  He knows exactly what "clogs" us up.  He sometimes allows those things to get so deep-rooted in us until we just do not function anymore.  Not because He is mean.  No way; God is Good.  He does this so we can get that "I never want to feel this way again" feeling.  Often times, hardships and mistakes make us a better person in the end.  So do not be so hard on yourself.  The Lord loves you..and He knows what He is doing.  Be at peace!

It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your Ways.

Psalm 119:71

Shhhhh !!

Sin is unavoidable when there is much talk, but whoever seals his lips is wise.

Proverbs 10:19

It is very hard not to "talk" sometimes.  It is at the heart of what we do when we gather with friends and family.  Some people are not as talkative as others.  And some people never shut up.  I must say over the years, as I have grown closer to God, I have learned that I do not always have to say something.

GASP!  It is true.  I am learning to just simply...shut.up. LOL.

It is amazing what happens when you listen, truly listen to others, without making a comment.  I am able to hear his or her heart more clearly.  Usually, I hear what their words are not saying. For example, "I don't care what anyone thinks", may be laced with a tone of bitterness or pain from a bad experience.  I am able to tune in and truly give the person my time and energy without having to interject my opinion.

I think we owe it to those we love to learn to zip our lips once in awhile.  Some of my closest friends and confidantes are those that truly listen to me.  I can only hope that I do the same for them.  

Lord help me to be quiet sometimes and listen to others with a clean heart and an open, non-judgmental mind.

Amen.

Agape Love

I have heard many sermons about agape love.  It is the love that surpasses the brotherly/affectionate love although that love is very important.  Agape love is selfless, sacrificial love and it is the highest form of love spoken about in the Bible.

This kind of love sees a person's weaknesses and their strengths but loves them all the same.  It does not sum a person up.  It does not hold mistakes to a person.  This love is deep.  It is freeing even in the midst of hardship and disagreement.  Agape love says, "Ah, we had a falling out, but because I love him or her, this too shall pass."  And even if the other person resists, agape love holds onto them in the heart.

I desire this agape love every single day.  I do not always succeed.  But I refuse to give up asking the Lord to help me.  It is His will that I love like His Son, Jesus.

Lord Jesus, will you please teach us how to agape love someone over and over again?  Until the day we come home to Heaven..please teach us that the depths of true love knows zero bounds.  Amen.

Fair Weather Friends

Proverbs 18:24

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,

    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

I would have to say that in my walk with Jesus as a born-again believer my deepest pain has come from "fair-weather friends".  I am reminded of this scripture from King David:

"Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:9).

I can handle people from a distance doing me wrong, but when a close friend, a really close friend hurts me, well, it hurts.  LOL.  In the past several months, I lost a few very, very close friends in my life.  What hurt the most is there was no explanation for it.  Well, one tried telling me that they were going "through some things" in their life.  I believe them.  But they completely cut us off from their lives.  These were people that we vacationed with and I took it VERY, very hard.

Another set of people very close to us seem to be led in a different path right now.  I understand different seasons, however, like the weather, they were one way today and a different way the next.  

I came to realize my issues with people were not the problem.  I was the problem  So tonight I had a talk with the Lord.  Through tears, painful tears, I repented to Him.  I repented for putting all these relationships on a pedestal and esteeming humans higher than I ought to have.  It was not that I was so wrong; it was that I loved too deeply.  My level of loyalty may not be another's.

Glory to God that He heard my prayers!  I feel refreshed, renewed, and ready for battle.  God taught me this tonight, that in ministry I have no family, friends, or feelings.  It is not that I am cold or indifferent.  And it is not that I do not need people in my life. I need the love of my brothers and sisters.  It is that I am on a mission from Heaven.  And if I am going to allow mere people to make me lose the wind in my sails, then how can God use me?  People will ALWAYS make mistakes (as I have made) and I need to understand this.  By getting so upset, it distracts me from my mission.  And this is exactly what satan wants.

My eyes are now fixed on Jesus.  I have released those that I feel drove a stake through my heart and I have moved on.  However, I also realize that I too am infallible and have hurt many people.  Therefore, I CANNOT hold any grudges against anyone for the very things I have done.  I humbly submit myself to the Lord and Him alone.  

AMEN!

Dry and Thirsty

I have been in a very, very, very dry and thirsty season of my life.  However, I am coming out of that into a season of abundance.  I can feel the rain about to pour over my life, my husband's life, and all of my children's lives.  I thank the Lord because He sustained me all this time.  When I had zero strength, He became all that I needed.  What would I do without Him in my life?

I do not like trials, however, the Word of God is so clear.  Trials absolutely make us stronger.  If you find yourself in a rut, dry, thirsty, uncertain, afraid, and lonely…please keep looking up to Jesus.  He is the Source of all that you and I will ever need in our lives.

God bless you,

Anna


That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10

I visited a farm while in Lancaster, Pa several months ago.  Took this photo..reminds me of the beauty of the Lord.  Amen