Merry Christmas!!

I am totally excited for another Christmas with my friends and family.  God has truly been good to us for another year!  There have been tons of mountains and valleys to conquer, some of which I thought we would never surpass.  There were days that left me weeping in total desperation to a God I felt had abandoned me and my family.  Of course, each and every time, He proved that He never left our side.  I do not know where you stand in your life right now but I pray you know that the Lord is on your side.  Merry Christmas!!!  Rejoice in the gift of salvation!!

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9

First Day of Fall

Seasons

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Forgiveness

 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Matthew 6:14-15

I am not sure how much clearer these words can be to us.  If we do not forgive others, our sis are NOT forgiven.  Just reading those words make me shudder.  I sin before my feet hit the ground---and before I even see a single person!  My mind races with thoughts of annoying things and people and I begin to grumble.  The thought of not being forgiven of the small things let alone the HUGE things I do is terrifying.  

Today, as I knelt before the Lord, out of nowhere I began weeping.  Weeping so much I was shaking. I heard myself begin to forgive certain people for their gossip against me, others for letting me down, and still others for what I perceive to be their lack of loyalty.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  It was them, them, them.  I paused and then asked God to forgive ME for where I went wrong in those relationships.  Who knows the full truth but God?  

I got up from praying and put on my praise music.  My heart seemed so much lighter and my mind was filled with good thoughts.  Priceless peace came as well.  I can only thank the Holy Spirit who lead me to pray this way.  I feel renewed.

If there is someone you are harboring unforgiveness toward, release them. For you.  And for them.  But mostly so you can completely honor the Lord.

Father, only You know the depths of my pain. Only You know why I feel the way that I do.  I ask you to come and heal me of unforgiveness.  Let me walk a path of righteousness, free from bitterness and upsetment.  In Jesus' Name.

Amen

Seasons

The Season of the Same

This has been a long, tough winter and it is not over YET.  There is HOPE!  LOL!  Seriously, many of us are battle-weary.  And it is not the loud, warfare type battle.  No, this is more of the "mundane" battle or the "Season of the Same".  It requires great tenacity to get up every single day and do the same thing over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again.  There are no fireworks!  No loud cheering to the finish line!  No slaps on the back for a job well-done!  Nope.  There is just the sound of the clock ticking----v-e-r-y-----s-l-o-w-l-y in the background, almost lulling us to sleep.  But springtime is coming...Oh yes.  Our Father is ALWAYS faithful!!

Look around you: Winter is over;
    the winter rains are over, gone!
Spring flowers are in blossom all over.
    The whole world’s a choir—and singing!

Song of Solomon 2

If you find yourself in a rut, do not despair.  The "Light" is not just at the end of the tunnel, it engulfs your spirit now.  Lean into the Lord, moment by moment, and let Him fill you with the hope of a new season, nearer than you think!

Anna :-)

Happy 2014

Hey blog crew!  Happy 2014!  It has been a LONNNG time since I wrote in my blog.  But nevertheless here I am.  I am filled with the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ and am thankful to still be walking with him.  There is no life apart from Jesus Christ.  Period!  I have tried "that life" and it never satisfied me.

Anyways, God bless you and I pray you have found your happiness in the Lord.  Here are a few photos to enjoy!

 yours truly LOL

 My grandkids, Jordan Ray, and Samara Renee!!

 My PRECIOUS daughter: Jessica :-)

Me again, talking to my son, Justin via video LOL!