My Paper Heart Is Yours

"When God is taking us to a place we've never been before, we envision that it's going to be better than where we are. And ultimately, that's true. But often we have to go through a wilderness to get there...

...God has a purpose for the wilderness, but it's hard to see it when we're in it. It can be frightening if we don't know what to expect. The most frightening thing about it is the thought that this may be our final destination...We need to be walking so close to the Lord that we hear His voice in the midst of any upheaval in our lives.....We must walk perfectly within the light God has given us, not running ahead, not lagging behind, not striving to go somewhere else...

*

...When traveling in the wilderness, there is a good possibility that God will not reveal our final destination...it wouldn't be a walk of faith...full magnitude of what's ahead [would be] to much for us to comprehend...we may get in God's way by thinking to small, [or] become doubtful...God takes us through these wilderness times because He wants us to learn a walk of faith whereby we trust Him for every step. We recognize that the wilderness is a place where God calls us to forsake what's comfortable and move into the unknown so He can guide us where we need to go...

*

...Embrace the wilderness and say, "I want to be with You, Lord, even if that means staying in the wilderness until You're ready to bring me out." As Moses said, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here" (Ex. 33:15). Once you are out of the wilderness, don't forget it. Remember and talk about the goodness God showed you there, and how He sustained you and how you trust He will continue to do so. It will strengthen your faith and the faith of those around you...

*
...God wants us to dream. He puts dreams in our heart for His purposes. But in our dreaming, He doesn't want us to exclude Him. God's Word says we will perish if we don't have a vision, but the vision we have must be His...And He wants us to surrender all of them. That way He can tell us which of them are from Him and in line with His will...Even if the dream in your heart is from God, you still won't see it fulfilled until you give it to Him. The dream has to be realized His way...

...When God wants to make changes in our lives, and we're willing to let Him, He starts by cutting away all that is unnecessary. In this process, He strips from us everything that could hinder our future growth, in order to prepare us to bring forth good fruit. Our life may look barren during that time, but God is actually freeing us from anything that does not bring forth life...process of surrendering all to the Lord...God puts dreams in our heart to give us vision and inspiration and to guide us to the right path. That's why we have to make sure the dreams we have are not from our own flesh. The only way to be sure of that is to lay all of our dreams at His feet and let them die. And we must also die to them. The ones that are not from Him will be buried forever. The ones that are from Him will be given new life...
*
...We don't want to be just wishful thinkers, always living in a dreamworld and never seeing anything of significance materialize. We don't want to be continually chasing after something God is not blessing. We want to live with confidence that our hopes, dreams, and expectations are based on God-given certainty that He is behind them. We want the hope that comes from God alone and is built on a foundation of His promises to us...This kind of hope is an anchor to the soul...
*
...Even if you are certain God has given you a vision or dream for your future, He will still ask you to surrender it to Him so thoroughly that you will think it's as good as dead...
*
...God doesn't want any part of you to be unsurrendered, not even the dreams He has put in your heart...dying to your dreams is difficult, but if you reach up and take your Heavenly Father's hand, He will shine His light on the situation and walk you through the process step by step."
~Stormie Omartain
"Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On"

"....if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." Romans 8:25

L.s.R

These Shoes Were Meant For Walking

I always wanted to line up all my shoes in categories.

I did not realize how many I have.
Maybe I should not have done this.

My boot category.

My flat category.

My work category.

My 'special' category. I love them!

My casual category. Yes, only two.

I have noticed I seem to always dress-up more than dress-down.

*******

And isn't this the snazziest thing!

When I got my second diamonds in my ears last weekend, I saw it and thought is was a great idea.

******

I love this time of year!

Neighborhood Starbucks and drinking hot coffee while laughing at the dramatic, college students; wearing scarfs and boots; looking at fall colors; wearing blue jeans (oh, how I love thee!!); my new flannel black and red shirt with my cowboy boots; Colorado; bumming around in sweats and hoodies; my red, belted pea-coat; fall wreaths on doors; long walks with a zing in the air; football in a college town; apple cider.

Thank you, God for making Fall!

L.s.R

Pigeon-Toed

17 years ago, I started my first year in AWANA.
I am now a teacher in the program.

There is this one little, Spanish boy who is learning English. He doesn't know much, but his favorite thing to say to me in English is, "Hey, Baby!" It's so stinkin' cute! :)

I was terribly shy when I was little. In big groups, like when I was in AWANA, I wanted myself over-looked. Yes, I can remember being the four-year old Cubby. The one who had the wrong buttons buttoned on her little, blue Cubby vest, who was the least popular with the 'big' girls because she didn't know what to say to them. So with the shy kids in my group, I find myself spending the most time with them because I remember how they felt.

*******************

Going to the Tea Party:

I was able to wear a sweatshirt and jeans...it was that cool! Made me want Colorado...can't wait for Thanksgiving!

This sign sums up why I participated in the Tea Party, and will continue to. I want my children and grandchildren's future protected. I want to do my part.

Best sign!

"Evil is powerless IF the good are unafraid." Ronald Reagan

***************

• I like coffee-house singers; I like their voices and style.
• I enjoy planning trips; almost as much as the execution.
• I like taking naps; just wish my couch was 3 inches wider.
• I am glad love is stronger than hate; God's grace covers a multitude of sins.
• I am happy I got my ears pierced again; two diamonds on each ear is a plus.
• I like Matt Maher's new song, Alive Again; "Late have I loved you, you waited for me, I searched for you....what took me so long.
• I like Mark Driscoll; he preachs some hard, truthful sermons.
• I love taking walks in really nice neighborhoods; I like to oh-and-ahh and criticize people's houses.
• I am thankful for prayer; God always hears.
• I want to take dance lessons; so I can dance to Sinatra and Fitzgerald....in public and not look stupid.
• I am hopeful; hesitantly, anxiously, excitedly hopeful.
• I am grateful that I am not pigeon-toed.

L.s.R

*sigh*

The Cry of My Heart

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
*
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
*
Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
*
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
*
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out

L.s.R

New Take

Well, my bedroom is finally finished.......

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I decided I wanted to go with something light and airy since the walls in my room are white, and nothing really can be done about that. It always seems I lean towards darker colors, so I forced myself to go lighter and brighter. I went with a sea green, light khaki and white palette with a few black details.

The reed blind hanging on the wall was in my previous room and I love it. My dad got it for $5 dollars when we lived in Italy years ago and he gave it to me when we moved. I decided to tie the curtains back, because their stiff material was not allowing them to hang right. I had 2 black ribbons from a pair of espadrilles (ha!) that I like to wear as wedges and not espadrilles and decided to put the ribbon to good use. I liked how it turned out. You can't see it in the picture, but there is a sheer, cream-colored panel in between the green curtains that I brought from my old room.

My desk was my great-grandparents and my mom refinished it. Instead of a chair I decided to get this cushion...it can be used as storage and takes up less room than a chair. Since I don't sit at my desk that much I thought it would be perfect.

It took me awhile to arrange my bookcase, but I like it now.

***

Details:

****

A lot of things have been on my mind this weekend. God is so good to help me work through them. I am so thankful that God is my best friend and lets me talk to Him throughout the day....and at 3am. He helps me to guard my heart against the doubts from Satan. He encourages my soul. He quiets my spirit.

****

"Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way."

Psalms 119.37

L.s.R

Mish-Mosh

* I have always wanted to own a bright Adirondack chair that over-looks a lake....I don't have to own the lake...just the chair that over-looks it. Oh, and preferably a Maine lake, thank you very much.
* I drive into the sunrise on the mornings I go into work. My state has the most beautiful sunrises....I took a picture of one with my phone...every time I look at it I feel hopeful.
*There is a house that I pass going to work that is wonderful. It's a big, white farmhouse with a big porch surrounded by a cornfield. It just needs a red front door for it to be my dream house.
*Scary how feelings can be so real....but you can't trust them.
*I love 'How He Loves' by DCB...the song is like poetry...we sang it at River last Sunday night and it was so great.
*Thankful that I don't feel nervous going into work anymore, that my days of being the 'new' girl at work are behind me, that I get to go help out at my old job for a weekend, that I am excited about my future, that I am praying for a miracle, that I am over my annual cold, that fall is in the air and I can drive with my windows down and sunroof open once again, that Jesus is the Lover of my soul, that I get to babysit a fish this week, that I feel content.

L.s.R