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1 Samuel 25 & 26; Psalm 63; Matthew 9

You know I go through life praying for Him to make me different and then…well then I don’t particularly care for the different.

Matthew 9: 16"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Oh and go check Brant out today........He is...just go read it!!

As for me I'm done blogging......not sad about it or dramatic....just done. Get into Him...He's just what we need.

1 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 8; Psalm 57&58;Matt 8

The whole of David calling Saul out, after forgoing the opportunity to end it by killing or capturing Saul, David pretty much calls him out and without a doubt lets Saul know he David follows and is obedient to God, while Saul is / has become an 'evildoer' and for some reason this time Saul listens....humility finally over shame? How soon will it turn again to shame? Does it have to?
Psalm 57, David wasn't afraid to Praise.
David counted on good vs. evil and good winning, is it THAT simple and if it was how would it change the way I live? David didn't live trying to save the world, he lived chasing after You. Didn't live trying to change Saul's mind~he in the running away from him found a deeper relationship with You??
Matthew 8: 22 (msg)Follow me. Pursue life.
Matthew 8:22 (niv) Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.
It's not about me changing anyone's mind - being so wrapped up in their growth ...it's not about my giving anything away...it's about being so hotly in pursuit of You that I don't worry about anything but being close to You....Piper's Christian Hedonism....

Here's to all of us living in that pursuit.

1 Samuel 20; 1 Samuel 21; Psalm 34; Matthew 5

Chaos at work…..stitches….tonsillectomy /adenoidectomy /tubes ……medicine sucks…..hospitality….earthquake…anniversary….That’s a one word or close description of the last week. And IF it weren’t for knowing You I would make every bit of it about me and you know what…I still do and in spite of that You take it and make it something different………it’s seeing the pain physical/spiritual /emotional of ‘others’ and taking THAT to You in prayer rather than mucking things up by doing what I might want to do or think is best…..
The chaos at work SUCKS….and yet there are moments of knowing as I sit at my desk that I’m here for a reason (oops about me)….
My husband getting stitches and being this amazing trooper. I mean the man has part of his thumb hanging off (the meaty part of it no bone contact) and he’s laughing and being this amazing guy…I mean seriously he just is freakin amazing!!
Grandson, only an itty bitty 2 years old…ok physically he’s as big as a 4 year old but he’s only 2…….and he HATES his medicine. Poor daughter has an infant (whom at this point Gabe is not too fond of because he wants ALL Mama’s attention) and 3 times a day she has to figure out how ‘this time’ she’s gonna get him to take it!!
Had an event at church and team leader was gone so I had to step in and up to the plate and git’r done…we did. I LOVE the cooking part but really hate every other aspect of it. Hate the does everything look good before we eat part, just want to give someone the food and let them take it to that ‘place’…at that point I kinda wanna just visit with people….I get this TASK streak in me that just gets in the way of EVERYTHING……keep thinking ‘if I’m not doing it’ it won’t get done and I don’t believe that…. but in the moment of a task looming that’s all I can see…..it sucks and is not a good, I’m not good at seeing people I just know I WANT to..weird I know.
And then this morning…an earthquake in Missouri…..seriously seriously…no I’m asking ?? an earthquake in Missouri???
And 31 years with the amazing guy who had stitches…31 years the last 10-12 of which have been THE BEST..figuring out what having Christ at the center of a marriage is supposed to, could, should…heck just wanting to want that, has changed the way we relate to each other and while that was hard to get used to…..dang it’s been amazing..(note to self, using the word amazing too much today) He is not only drop dead handsome but this seeking heart of his is magnetic, seriously magnetic. Not that we both have it every day, not that either one of us ‘gets it’ totally…..not that we don’t get on each others nerves and ….and …and yet…..there is something new after 31 years that makes every morning reading and journaling with him and the evenings alone become absolutely……wait for it.....AMAZING.
Oh and the guy living with us…he got up with us this AM and the time we had was filled with affirming and confirming in all of us THAT yup, this time with YOU is amazing! No matter how it may be a particular morning, the cumulative time is is…..dang got nothing better than AMAZING…….
Oh...I get it now, I'm just blessed........

1 Samuel 17; Psalm 9; Matthew 2

A seeking heart YOU never deny.

Psalm 9:9-10 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name will trust in you,

for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Had a great weekend....AWAY...at the LAKE, which until my daughter pointed out she was going to the BEACH I was totally satisfied with!! Thanks Dara! I was though, totally and completely content no matter it was 30, spitting snow and the water looked muddy from all the rain......

It was a time of rekindling friendship and in that rekindling we talked about God which of course stokes my fire any time. We talked about relationships and where our story fits in how we relate. We talked about how everyone has a story. We talked about what it looks like to become curious about another person's story, trusting You with ours, how maybe that curiousity is born out of selfishness but how You change and use and guide us to new ways and better ways to relate. It was just a great weekend and I am so very grateful for that time with her and that You were right there with us, that we could see and know that.

It was a time of reading, relaxing and red wine and reading, reading, reading.....I started Mark Batterson's book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and it is really good. Alot of it challenging and in the same way affirming and confriming or is that the opposite way. It's just a book that speaks to me and I think alot of us. This quote is simply an example of it's content......take from it what you will and perhaps pick it up yourself, it's a good read.

When you get excited about God, don’t expect everybody to get excited about your excitement. Here’s why. When the Holy Spirit turns up the heat underneath you it disrupts the status quo. Some people will be inspired by what God is doing in your life. Others will be convicted. And they will mask their personal conviction by finding something to criticize. Nine times out of ten, criticism is a defense mechanism. We criticize in others what we don’t like about ourselves. (p159)