How could you say no to this Man?

Pull up a chair.

I'd like to share something with you.

Do you realize what you are worth?

You were bought with the blood of Christ Jesus!

At the moment Adams' lips touched the apple, the shadow of the cross showed on the horizon.

Jesus knew all through history: with Moses, Abraham, David, Daniel, and Ruth.

He saw the shadow getting bigger, and bigger.

God's plan of redemption could have been halted at anytime throughout history. during all the times His people rejected Him.

Instead of aborting the plan, the angel was sent to Mary with the news of Jesus.

As Jesus grew, the shadow of the cross grew toward Him.

The sounds of the spikes being pounded into His flesh echoed in His ears.

But the screams of the imprisoned over-shadowed even the cross.

Jesus suffered and was tortured for YOU! His heart hurt more than the thorns and the nails.

It wasn't the spear that burst His heart, it was YOU!

I have written your name on my hand. Isaiah 49:16

Quite a thought, isn't it? Your name on God's hand. Your name on God's lips. Maybe you've seen your name in some special places. On an award or diploma...But to think that your name is on God's hand and on God's lips...my, could it be?
  Or perhaps you have never seen your name honored. And you can't remember when you heard it spoken with kindness. If so, it may be more difficult for you to believe that God knows your name.
  But He does.  Written on His hand. Spoken by His mouth. Whispered by His lips. Your name. Max Lucado.
 Sometimes we forget our worth. We feel like no one notices. No one really cares. We feel alone.
There is someone that thinks you were worth having a rough, filthy beam pushed into His open flesh, and carrying that beam to a place where he would accept spikes pounded through flesh, and tendons so He could hang on a cross for sins He never committed so you could experience eternity. If you were the only person standing at the foot of that cross, He would have STILL hung there for YOU!! Thorns on His head, spear in His side, yet it was a heart-ache that made Him cry. He gave His life, so you would understand. Is there anyway you could say no to this man?
Debbie
xo

Time Slips By.

There is an urn hanging on a wall in one of the gardens.

A Robin has had a few clutches in a nest she's built inside the urn.

Not all of the eggs have hatched, and not all of the chicks have survived; yet the Robin keeps raising clutches of chicks in the same nest throughout the summer months.

Creation fills the earth with beauty season after season.

We can't wait for the warmth to get here after a long winter.

Our conversation is all about the cold, and how it lasts too long.

Then once the heat of summer is upon us, we whine and complain and cannot wait until we can wear sweaters again, and enjoy the cooler temperatures of fall.

The rush comes up quickly for the holidays, and everyone wants to decorate their homes and get ready for parties and special dinners.

After the holiday season we get back into the slump of the winter blues, and start longing for the warmth of spring, and summer again.

It seems we are always rushing from one season to the next. Never satisfied with what we have while we have it....except for a few short weeks when each season first starts.

Life is fleeting.

I remember being in high school. It seemed that was my whole life back then. Nothing else mattered.  Those few years seemed like the most important years of my life!!

Until I graduated, and I realized that high school was just a stepping stone to the next chapter of things to come.

So many life experiences......things I had never imagined.

God had a plan for my life.

He saw the big picture.

I had no idea.

When you are young, you think you have your whole life ahead of you.

You believe you will live forever.

You dream about getting married, having children, and growing old with your love.

Never in your wildest dreams would you believe that you would lose your husband at age 25, when your babies are only 22 months old, and just shy of 4 years old.

God....I thought we would live forever!!! NOT for just a moment.

The problem with this world is that it doesn't fit. Oh, it will do for now, but it isn't tailor made. We were made to live with God, but on earth we live by faith.  MAX  LUCADO

I had to learn to live moment by moment.

Losing a husband showed me that we DON'T live forever!

We have to slow down, and live each day like it's our last!

Stop rushing for the weekend.

Don't live for that holiday, or vacation time.....you might not reach that goal.

Enjoy the days in the meantime.

We don't get "do-overs".

This is IT.

I understand situations aren't always the best. I've had health issues that have plagued me for years.

I get that!!

Look around, I am sure you can find something to be thankful for. There has to be something that will bring you joy in your day.

If not, open a window and listen for a bird that's singing! or a child that's laughing! smile at a neighbor! bake cookies for a friend! call your parents! kiss your spouse! hug your kids! or ride your bike!

After Michelangelo died, someone found in his studio a piece of paper on which he had written a note to his apprentice. In the handwriting of his old age the great artist wrote: "Draw, Antonio, draw, and do not waste time."
Well-founded urgency, Michelangelo. Time slips. Days pass. years fade. And life ends. And what we came to do must be done while there is time. MAX LUCADO
Live life!
Debbie
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Laughter is a Mini Vacation.

Two weeks ago I had a visit with two of my sisters.

It's been quite a long time since the three of us were together.

We sat around a campfire out by the water's edge....and we laughed.

We weren't laughing "at" anyone...we were just laughing about silliness....you know?

The more we laughed, the funnier everything seemed.

THE BEST LAUGHTER, THE LAUGHTER THAT CAN HEAL, THE LAUGHTER THAT HAS THE TRUEST RING, THE  LAUGHTER THAT FLOWERS OUT OF A LOVE FOR LIFE AND ITS GIVER.

MAXINE HANCOCK

Someone would snort, and that turned into hilarity.

LAUGHING AT OURSELVES AS WELL AS WITH EACH OTHER GIVES A SURPRISING SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS.

HAZEL C. LEE

Our past was forgotten.

The abuse from our childhood was left where it should be....in the past.

The three of us were able to enjoy each other "in the moment".

WHOLE-HEARTED, READY LAUGHTER HEALS, ENCOURAGES, RELAXES ANYONE WITHIN HEARING DISTANCE. THE LAUGHTER THAT SPRINGS FROM LOVE MAKES WIDE THE SPACE AROUND-GIVES ROOM FOR THE LOVED ONE TO ENTER.

EUGENIA PRICE

OUR MOUTHS WERE FILLED WITH LAUGHTER, OUR TONGUES WITH SONGS OF JOY. PSALM 126:2 NIV
By the end of the evening we all had charlie horses in our cheeks, and joy in our hearts. It was the best visit in a very long time....like a mini vacation!
Take time to laugh. It is the music of the soul.
Thank you Dee, and Chrissy.....I had a blast!!! Love you guys!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Debbie
xo