be still my soul and know..

It Is Well With My Soul By Darlene Zschech

A Psalm 31 Prayer

I have become like broken pottery.

My eyes grow weak with sorrow,

my soul and body with grief.

My life is consumed by anguish,

my strength fails, my bones grow weak.

I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;

I am a dread to my friends-

those who see me on the street flee from me.

I am forgotten by them as though I were dead.

But I trust in You, My God and Savior.

Free me from the trap that is set before me,

for You are my refuge.

Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue;

be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.

I will be glad & rejoice in Your love,

for you saw me and know the anguish of my soul.

Let Your face shine on me,

save me in Your unfailing love.

Praise be to the Lord,

for I know He will show His wonderful love to me..

close your eyes, open your heart & listen.

Your grace is sufficient by Shane & Shane

sufficient for me

I acknowledge that I am very, very weak.

I can break like a shattered glass.

Fragile yet strong, firm yet unstable.

Remain humble about my achievements,

and confident in God who overrides anything I've done or ever can do.

I acknowledge that I am so very weak to go about this alone.

I need God who is stronger than I to carry me along through this desert.

No food, no water,

just a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Blazing sun scorching away, withering up anything that's not worth flourishing

and cracking open unstable grounds to shed in new light.

Burning away the dross, not worth withstanding.

Taking away my weaknesses and blooming forth within me newness of life.

But he said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2nd Corinthians 12:9

-Live Productively

When God says, "No"

I asked God to take away my pride. And God said "No".

He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. And God said "No".

He said her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience. And God said "No".

He said patience is a by-product of tribulations. It isn't to be granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness. And God said "No".

He said He gives me blessings, happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain. And God said "No".

He said suffering draws me apart from worldly cares and brings me closer to Him.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. And God said "No".

He said I must grow on my own. But he will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. And God said "No".

He said He will give me life, that I may enjoy all things.

I asked God to make me love others, as much as He loves me.

And God said, "Ah, finally you have the right idea!"

-Live Productively

A La La la la Life is Wonderful

Providence

The only survivor of a shipwreck came upon a small, uninhabited island. He prayed repeatedly for God to save him and everyday scanned the horizon for his answer. Even though he was exhausted and in despair, he eventually managed to build a little hut to keep him out of the weather and to store his provisions.

Then one day, after searching for food, he came home to find his little hut on fire. The worst thing that could have happened had happened. Everything he had was consumed. In his grief he cried out, "God, how could you do this to me!" Early the next morning, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. They had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the castaway. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

-Live Productively

"I believe in Christianity

as I believe that the sun has risen:

not only because I see it,

but because by it

I see everything else."

-C.S. Lewis

Live Long & Prosper

Today we had a lunch in with a Pharmaceutical company who provided an awesome lunch for our office. It's always a good time when we get to sit down and enjoy each other's company apart from the work environment in the hustlin' of work. During our lunch today though, my Doctor mentioned a Doctor friend of his who taught at the University of Arkansas for many years who recently started needing other Doctor's help such as an Ophthalmologist due to his deteriorating eye sight. And I think this got to my Doctor, the fact that life is really short and the fact that his continual maintenance of a healthy balance between positive thinking, sending out loving atmosphere and possessing a healthy life style he works at living long and prospering. This added on to my inspiration for the day because this morning I listened to a sermon about Ezra, a man with the Right Heart, with a heart that has been clarified.

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel
(Ezra 7:10)

When you look at the life of Ezra you can just see the hand of God upon his life. A question that the pastor had posed was, "When you look at the life of some people, do you see the evidence that God's hand is graciously upon their lives?" This doesn't pertain to just a material possessions that God's blessing is upon their lives. But in everything that the hands of those touches it leads to an abundance of success, provision, protection and deliverance. He then went on to mention how some people's lives will never have the hand of God upon their lives because of the state of the heart. But went on to encourage the emphasis with hope that God's hand is indeed, mobile! God sees devotion, determination and the will of those people, to know His word that reflects our own flaws, leading to making the necessary changes for transformation to take place. In the same way, as my Doctor started to see the ways that he could lose his health, he maintains the appropriate means of keeping a balanced life style of exercise, thinking positively and continuing His growth- emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally, I was inspired to do the same. Live long & Prosper!

-Live Productively

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
-Colossians 3:16

the fragrance of Christ

I've always been the type, or have grown up just being used to being happy for other people. Living vicariously through the joys and sorrows of others that when it comes time for me to be happy for myself, it just doesn't seem to flow as naturally as I'd like it to. I see the joy reflecting off of others for the celebratory events taking place or the great things blooming forth for them in their lives that I radiate along with them. In like, these days the joy and radiant beauty that reflects off of me must be evidently seen by those who are happy for me. But am I in a state to actually be able to be happy for myself? To celebrate the victories among the defeats. To have faith among the confusion. To hold strong when I am weak. To hold on when everything is feasibly blowing away. It's the inner man reflecting the outer man. The message that Pastor Kim spoke on this past Sunday left me with a sense of clarity that I am going in the right direction. That the importance of the inner man (spirit/ the soul) highly outweighs the importance of feeding only the outer man, for just as we feed our bodies with food when we hunger or clothe ourselves with layers upon layers of clothing when we're cold, in the same way we feed our spirits with the word of God when we feel weak and clothe ourselves with patience and love when we feel most vulnerable. The work of character comes in a moment by moment, following through in the process that we learn the real outcome of what kind of character we have. Pastor Kim posed a question that left me chewing for days now, "When you read the bible or sit down to spend quality time with the Lord, does time go by real slowly compared to when you're doing things like watching movies or browsing the internet that speeds up time?" And if so, then the strength of the outer man highly outweighs the strength of your inner man. When the inner man's strength is strong then time with the Lord will be a joyous, can't wait to meet with God kind of thing. It's a regardless of what's going on around me in the outside world, I'm not discouraged or defeated by the remarks of what others strike at me. It's the kind of strength within that holds fast regardless of evidence or results being shown or not. It's the kind that believes when no one else seems to, sees when no one sees and loves when it's easier to hate. It's the Christ-like character that reflects from within that radiates to the outer man by actions and deeds.

-Live Productively

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
- 2nd Corinthians 4:16

God appeared to me and it was so real!

God remembers, he envelops me with his presence and ministers to me.

God appeared to me today, he reminded me of a time in my life when I was very lonely and felt discarded by the world, used and very abused. But he reminded me today as he visited me in the form of this word spoken that he remembers me, his presence ministers to me and ushers in His love. It was so real!

Hope this message gives comfort, peace and hope for those who feel victimized, abandoned and used. This message is for you.

-Live Productively