Oh Happy Day!

OH!! Good Morning!! God's word and teachings and knowledge is coming at me fast and furious today! And I am loving every second of it! I love it when I am able to be still... and listen to what He is telling me! So many times I have 4011 things swirling around in  my head. God cannot be heard over my chatter! I am so swollen with happiness I feel as if I could pop. I want so much to have you feel it too! I am happy for Stella... but Patty's got her groove on too! Let's praise God!!

(Some of the...) Verses I am studying today:

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

My Humble View~

Search (to look through or explore by inspecting possible places of concealment or investigating suspicious circumstances) me, O God (the perfect and all-powerful spirit or being that is worshiped especially by Christians, Jews, and Muslims as the one who created and rules the universe), and know my heart; test (examination, observation, or evaluation) and know of my anxious (afraid or nervous especially about what may happen) thoughts (an idea, plan, opinion, picture, etc., that is formed in your mind). See if there is any offensive (causing someone to feel hurt, angry, or upset) way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (lasting or enduring through all time ~ eternal ~ having no beginning and no end in time : lasting forever).

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand.

My Humble View~

Humble (showing that you do not think of yourself as better than other people) yourselves, therefore (for that reason : because of that), under God's (the perfect and all-powerful spirit or being that is worshiped) mighty (having or showing great strength or power) hand.

Job 1:21

And he said: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

My Humble View~

And he said: "The Lord (used as a name for God or Jesus) gave (allowed someone to have), and the Lord has taken (removed what was given) away; blessed (having a sacred nature ~ holy ~ morally good) be the name of the Lord.

Me: :-)

The Past: I am a stuffer. When something is wrong? I stuff it inside, I try to 'fix' it (isn't that laughable?) and I am ashamed of it, if the truth be known. If I was better it would not have happened. Right! I did not want God to see it even though, I knew in my heart, he knew.

The Last Few Decades: So.... I pray about it. Over and over and over. I bet that drove God nuts but thankfully he knows me and knows I was trying. 

The Recently: Then he taught me that asking for the same thing over and over was a sign of non belief. Uh-oh! Just the opposite of what I was trying to PROVE to God. That I was turning my troubles over to him. BUT God is not deaf. You do not have to repeat yourself. 

Now what do I do?? How do I break the habit of asking for help and for forgiveness for the same things day after day? I have issues controlling my thoughts. Bet you do too. My mind takes off, I stumble across something disagreeable.... and start to pray. Alarms go off! Warning Warning!! OH MAN!!

Today: God points my nose in this direction... He knows my nose is usually in my monitor so He just puts it in front of me there!

1. (in)courage email ~ about today's blog post:

On being impatient for healing by Arianne Segerman

and I hear God through her that it is okay to discuss it with him! Ask Him and then thank Him instead of asking him again! Isn't that what we are taught when we are little??

For instance if you ask some one for homemade cookies they just don't pop into their hands to give to you. They have to gather the ingredients,  measure out the right amount of everything, mix it all up and then you wait while they bake. God is making cookies in me and I am going to be patient and thankful. Oh so thankful!

2. Then I popped into my (in)courage Fall group and discovered that we are today's devotional from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

That is what the Bible verses are above. Her message (to me) was about being with Jesus, have him in your life, be WITH him. Then when something comes up that you would normally stuff? Don't! Talk to him instead. Do not be rebellious, do not be resentful and do not be petty. Praise Him! Remember he gives us gifts and takes things away. When they go? Thank him for the time that you were allowed to have them and then go on (with Him by your side!)

3. I know as I go about my day He will show this message to me again. Because, unlike Him, I do need repetition!

 

I added a page this weekend. My Wanderings :-) I will note when it has been updated. It has been updated and noted :-)

I can then just pop my blog open and add it to the page and be quick as a wink about it. Because I love to share and  I love you!

Have a great Monday!!

Love,

Patty

PS! The bloom Book Club starts today! It is NOT too late :-)

After Further Review...

God has been really busy, working over time actually, in my heart. I was not really paying attention at first... if you knew me you would understand. I am a computer nut and spend a lot of time here and do  not notice when things happen around me. Or even when they happen to me!

It started when I was on my 'hobby blog'. I don't know what else to call it. Business blog doesn't work as I seldom earn any money from it. This is okay as I DO notice that God is taking very good care of me and I have no money worries! My hobby blog is to keep me from going crazy. I live alone and my Chihuahua, Peanut, won't talk to me no matter how much we work on it :-)

I was on a web site to snag some DaySpring banners and a banner for bloom caught my eye! That reminded me of (in) courage, so I followed the URL. OH MY GOSH!! I found both of them! I had followed the (in) courage site a few years ago and dearly loved it! (I had searched for  it but I was looking for .com I guess and it is .me) 

When I had a son leave the family, instead of turning to (in) courage for comfort and love I turned away from it and everything else. Basically I just sat and stared at a wall for 3 months before I started to function again. By that time I had made myself ill and it took well over a year to nurse myself back to health..... excuses... excuses...

Sorry I got off track there but I did want you to know some of the background. I am back with (in) courage newsletter and read it faithfully. I signed up for it the first day. The next day I got my newsletter and it lead me back. I found out they were forming groups of 30 to help us really connect with each other and encourage each other :-) Love It! I think.... pretty sure.... I found it the first day you could sign up!

I joined (in)life after 50! How awesome to find my own age group. I mean I adore young mothers with  new babies and toddlers but we don't have much in common. I can't even pretend to be wise because even though I have been there, done that it was a different world! At least I am wise enough to know that! :-)

So! Back with (in) courage. In a group with 'my' kind of ladies! They introduced me to a book Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, and I bought it for my Kindle and my head is spinning. I wake up with something on my mind and it is mentioned in group or on (in) courage that day. I read a devotion out of Jesus Calling and the message is repeated again and again through the day. THIS ROCK!!

God is talking to me from so very many directions! 

BUT

There is always a but... I live in fear that after further review they will discover I am a fraud... I know it is silly and I know it is not true but I fight with it. Every time it pops into my mind I fight. But it persists. 

I know many people feel this way. I think that they are so wrong. Why can't I 'get it' that I am wrong. 

You see... I did not grow up in a church. I do not go to church now. I am unable to quote most of the bible as it seems like other people can. I have not memorized the books of the Bible.... I am a fraud!

My mom studied the Bible. For hours on end. She taught me about God and the word. Some times for hours on end. I learned about God and how to wiggle and squirm at the same time. I knew she did not mean to carry on. She was just wanting to share her joy with me. But try telling that to a 6 year old.... or 10.... or a teen. 

We did go to church for awhile... I am thinking around 6 or 7 months (that is about how long my dad could stay sober if he really really tried). I loved that church. It was a tiny Baptist church that was like family. When it needed a new roof the men put it on. When it needed cleaning, mom took her vacuum up the hill and cleaned it. (Your could see that little white building from our home). My  brothers were in the teen group and I was so proud of their acting abilities LOL! They sang my type of Christian music. In The Garden was my favorite...

And then life must have happened and we quit. We traveled in the Summer. Mom and Dad would separate and get back together like regular clock work... we moved.

I have always believed in God. Bible verses and gospel songs run through my head and my heart. Even at  the worst times of my life, and there was some more often that not... I never forgot God or stopped talking to him. 

I know I really am not a fraud. I know my group will keep me and not cast me out. But I sure feel better after confessing :-)

Love to you all

Patty & Peanut

PS: See what I mean?? I just went to proof this and this is the verse of the day!

Verse of The Day: “Accept one another,
then, just as Christ accepted you, in order
to bring praise to God.”