Is It Really Summer?

Last week,we who live in this part of Oregon,were baking under cloudless skies and triple digit temperatures.This week,angry looking clouds,much like the ones pictured above,have blessed us with their cooling rains.And breezes,normally reserved for our coastline,have graced us with their presence as well.It has been interesting to me how these same clouds and rain,that are often grumbled about in winter,after weeks and weeks of their presence,can now be such a welcomed thing.

Summer's rain,gently,softly falling to earth from pale,leaden skies.

Soaking into parched,sun-baked,hardened ground.Barren ground.Void of life.Void of growth.

A welcomed respite from the searing,blazing sun and heat.

Our hearts and minds,Jesus,like that hardened earth,needing a gentle rain from You.

A gentle grace-rain.To soften us,refresh us,prepare us for new life and new growth.

Thank You Jesus for the rain that waters the earth and Your grace rain that waters our lives.

Written by Sharon L Goemaere

Photo courtesy of www.freestockphotos.com

Summer Ambivalence

Summer is so very fleeting;

Hearts rejoicing;Quickly beating.

Ocean's spray;Sea-salt air.

Blissful days without a care.

Sun filled days.Star filled nights.

Thanking Jesus,our hearts take flight.

Cool mountain streams,

over rocks so gleaming.

Warm sun's rays,

on earth are beaming.

So very hot,but have no fear.

Autumn's chill will soon be here.

Written by Sharon L. Goemaere

Photo courtesy of http://www.freestockphotos.com/

His Amazing Love

The following worship song by Chris Tomlin(www.christomlin.com) has been in my head for days now and I just had to share it with you all.If you know this song then I'm sure it's notes are already playing in your head.Smile.If you don't know it I encourage you to find it and take a listen.It's beautiful and it will bless you.

There is an endless song,Echoes in my soul,I hear the music ring.And though storms may come,I am holding on,To the rock I cling.

How can I keep from singing Your praise?How can I ever say enough?How amazing is Your love?How can I keep from shouting Your name?I know I am loved by the King,And it makes my heart want to sing.

I will lift my eyes,In the darkest night,For I know my Savior lives.And I will walk with You,Knowing You see me through,And sing the songs You give.

How can I keep from singing Your praise?How can I ever say enough?How amazing is Your love?How can I keep from shouting Your name?I know I am loved by the King,And it makes my heart want to sing.

I can sing in the troubled times.Sing when I win.I can sing when I lose my step.And I fall down again.

I can sing 'cause You pick me up.Sing 'cause You're there.I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord,When I call to You in prayer.

.I can sing with my last breath.Sing for I knowThat I'll sing with the angelsAnd the saints around the throne.

How can I keep from singing Your praise?How can I ever say enough?How amazing is Your love?

How can I keep from shouting Your name?I know I am loved by the KingAnd it makes my heart I am loved by the King,And it makes my heart, I am loved by the King,And it makes my heart want to sing,I can sing.

Morning's Glory

Dawn slips silently over the mountain as if creeping on cat's paws.

Earth awakening.Rising from slumber to a new day.

Sunlight, slowly spilling it's amber warmth across our faces.Our shoulders.

All of creation rejoicing.Praising it's Creator.

Awake world!Much to do!

Time to arise!Rejoice!Praise!

Time to sing!Time to dance!

Return to your Creator the praise that is due Him.

Lift up your arms and rejoice!

A new day is begun!

Written by Sharon L.Goemaere

"The heavens declare the glory of God:the skies proclaim the work of His hands."

~Psalm 19:1 NIV ~

Photo courtesy of http://www.freestockphotos.com/

Summer Bliss

It is such a beautiful morning here that I thought I would share some quotes about summertime with you.Enjoy!

"Long stormy spring-time,wet contentious April,winter chilling the lap of very May;but at length the season of summer does come."~Thomas Carlyle

"To see the summer sky is poetry,though never in a book it lie,true poems flee."~Emily Dickinson

"Ah,summer,what power you have to make us suffer and like it."~Russell Baker

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."~Albert Camus

"Then followed that beautiful season...Summer...Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood."~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A Glorious Day

Yesterday was a glorious day.I cannot recall when I have enjoyed an Independence Day with as much joy as I did yesterday.My day began early as is my habit.I knew it was going to be hot later on so I did much of my work up early.I was blessed by a late morning call from one of my sisters down in California.I don't get to see all my sisters down in CA often so phone calls are always a real treat for me.We chatted for almost an hour until her husband's rumbling stomach told her it was time to go feed him.Smile.I made lunch for my husband myself and then we took a nap as the heat of the day continued to climb higher.We awoke and left for our town's annual Fourth of July Parade.We met our daughter and granddaughter there.The sun was beating down from clear blue skies.An occasional breeze brought much needed relief to our 90 degree plus temperatures.My husband Steve,bless his heart,volunteered to go buy shaved ice for us all at a nearby stand.While they were in line I sat in the back end of our van enjoying the pre-parade preparations being made.Though many people had arrived very early to get the best seats I saw many were still arriving.Husband and granddaughter arrived with shaved ice in hand.I had chosen grape.As a child I loved grape snowcones with a passion.Turns out there was about 100 flavors of shaved ice. But I was just happy for something frozen.Our granddaughter Hope chose lemon.Brave girl she is at 6.Smile.My husband shared that while he and Hope stood in line she began to rub his arm.She then loudly announced to all within ear shot"Bapa,your arms are hairy,you need to shave them!"Laughter ensued from one end of the line to the other.I just love kids.they can take a miserable situation(standing in 90 degree plus heat in a long line) and turn it around so very quickly.Soon we all settled in to watch the hour long parade.It was incredible.Loads of floats from local businesses.Fire trucks galore.Classic cars.Military vehicles.And thankfully children armed with squirt guns(to douse roasting people with) and loads of candy to toss at waiting children.Our granddaughter really scored in the candy department.Big grin.All too soon it was over.We stopped at a couple of stores for supplies then slowly made our way home where we grilled burgers.Cheeseburgers.And they were much better than any a fast food restaurant could produce.At some point daughter and granddaughter left to go the local high school for contnuing festivities.I took an extra shower.What a blessing that was as we have no AC.Later I settled in to watch a little tv with my husband.It was too hot to cuddle so we each positioned ourselves by a fan and watched some tv.A little before 10 we made our way outside with some chairs.The cooling night air was like a sweet caress on our warm skin.A myriad of stars began to blanket the sky above.And then the fireworks began.And they were incredible.Purples.Oranges.Greens.An amazing array of colors and sizes.And the night air scented with the smells that only summer seems to produce.The smell of cooling plants.And fresh barkdust.And fresh hay and mint in nearby farmer's fields.We watched with the awe and wonder of children though we are middle aged.And we visited briefly with the Mexican neighbors to our left.We all enjoyed the color and the sounds of the night.And then when it was all over we all went to our respective apartments.And some of us slept.And we thanked God for giving us such a glorious day.

A Heart Committed

"My dear Jesus, my Savior, is so deeply written in my heart, that I feel confident, that if my heart were to be cut open and chopped to pieces, the name of Jesus would be found written on every piece."
Author:St.Ignatius of Antioch

A Cancelled Check

I've been thinking alot about the past lately.I'm not really sure why.Maybe it's a middle age thing.Maybe not.Maybe it's me trying to make sense of some of the things that have gone on in my past.Maybe not.Or maybe,just maybe,it is God trying to show me that the past is just that,the past.And maybe He's trying to gently remind me that we can spend too much time in the past.Trying to figure things out.Trying to re connect with a part of us that, though gone,may still,in some ways affect us today.My former pastor,from my youth,used to say this about the past(and life in general"yesterday is a cancelled check,tomorrow is a promissory note,today is ready cash spend it wisely."I cannot fix my past,either things done to me or by me.It is past.Things that happened then are not to be focused on now.Unless it is to help me make better choices now.To propel me forward.Sadly enough,my focus on the past lately served little purpose that I can see.If anything it robbed me of a sense of a better tomorrow.Will Rogers said"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."That's exactly what I had been doing.I had been letting thoughts of the past rob me of too much of today.It was,in a sense,sucking the life right out of my spirit.It was crushing my creativity.I'm thankful to Jesus for revealing that to me.I want to continue to move forward.To pursue His destiny and calling for my life.But too much time spent mentally in the past was ruining that.Making it null and void like a proverbial cancelled check.And all the while the Lord was whispering"Forget the former things;do not dwell on the past.See,I am doing a new thing!Now it springs up;do you not perceive it?I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."(Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV).So,Lord willing(and He is :-))I am going to make peace with my past completely and continue to move forward in what He is doing.I do not want to live my life like a cancelled check.How about you?

Blessings~Sharon

Friends and Family

We've had a nice time here recently.Our granddaughter Hope,age 6,has graduated from Kindergarten!They had a ceremony and everything.Big grin.Though we were unable to attend, our daughter April had recorded it so we will get to see it soon(we hope).They just left this morning to drive down to southern CA for a family vacation.Pray for traveling mercies and that they can relax and have fun.

Yesterday we had the blessing of seeing long time friends Pat&Brian Swan from Canada as they made their way back home to BC,Canada where they are farmers.They had gone down to central CA where Patricia's family lives for a vacation.Pat and I have been friends since the late 1980's.We both lived in Sacramento then.Were both single.Attended the same church and had many other things in common.We both married within just a few years of each other.She and husband Brian are 2 of our favorite people in the whole world.They both love to laugh.Brian has a charming Canadian accent.They are wonderfully down to earth.And they love God!Their visits are always short but always welcomed and always fun.It is our hope that sometime we may get to travel north to see them and beautiful BC.

A happy father's day to all of you dad's out there.I never knew my dad and my husband does not care too much about holidays so I don't think we will do anything special today.He was happy with a"happy father's day"from me and his daughter.Don't even know if we'll hear from our son in AZ.We hope to but won't hold our breath on that.Smile.He's working at more than one job so time to call even his parents is limited.

There is not much else going on in our lives at present so I think I'll close this post.Hope all of you have a blessed weekend with your Fathers and husbands.

Needs

What do people need?As believers in Jesus Christ the obvious answer would be Jesus Christ Himself.And that is so very true.But people also need a sense of purpose.A sense of destiny.They need a reason to get up in the morning.Something to hope for.To look forward to.This is the stuff that was going through my mind a couple of days ago as I puttered around the apartment.I had a case of cabin fever but high gas prices have kept us home alot.And I do mean ALOT.God has placed my husband and I in a hard place,a rocky place.A barren place at least by American standards.Living on husband's SSI(due to his heart health issues&mild stroke)does not allow for much,if anything, beyond the necessities of life.And we are grateful daily that we have that!So,even though it was not a necessity(or was it?)we went for a drive.In the country.Which,living where we do,will put you there in about 5-10 minutes any direction.That in itself is a blessing.I eagerly anticipated what we might see and I was not disappointed.Plants and trees were in bloom and full leaf.The day,though cloudy, was somewhat bright.As we drove through the countryside I began to pray to the Father.I asked Him for grace.For strength.I had needed these things in abundance.I asked Him to forgive the unbelief that had stealthily crept into my heart.Lies from the enemy that said our God-given dreams would never come to pass.Whispers of discouragement from his little imps whose only job is to do his evil bidding.Essentially a major assault on my spirit.We continued our drive through the verdant countryside.Past babbling brooks and freshly plowed farmland.I continued to pray and discovered that what I most needed beyond the remedy to the cabin faver was to reconnect with my Savior.My Jesus.The One who loves me most.And the only One able to meet all my needs no matter what they are.What is your need today?Jesus can meet them all.

I've Got Sunshine...

This pic I found very accurately reflects our weather here lately.I just wish I could recall where I found this pic so I could give credit for it!Here in Oregon we thoroughly appreciate sun-filled days.Even our springtimes can be filled with much rain and skies the color of a#2 pencil lead.So we have been basking in the days and days of sun and unseasonably warm weather.I love this time of year for many reasons.The smell of mint and hay and fresh cut lawns.The fragrance of flowers in bloom and backyard BBQ's.Especially the smell of BBQ's!The riots of color that seem to erupt from even the most humble of homes due to the beauty of plants in bloom.Pink roses and purple Rhododendrons vie for one's attention.Where to look and at what?So much to look at.To observe.To take in.To drink in.Petunias and peonies.Gorgeous hanging baskets of fuschias.So much to see.To smell.To rejoice in and thank God for.Longer days.Warmer nights.The brighter moods of everyone around you due to all that lovely warm sun.Thank you Jesus for eyes to see.Ears to hear Your lovely birds each morning as they praise You in song.Thank You Jesus for noses that can smell all the wonders of late spring.For hands that can feel the softness of a rose petal or a neighbor's dog out enjoying the day with his owner.Thank You Jesus for all the joys that are late spring/early summer in the northwest.

Blessings~Sharon

Happy Memorial Day

I just want to wish each of you,whether military or not,a blessed and happy Memorial Day!But I especially want to wish those who serve our country in any capacity and their families a most blessed Memorial Day.I do not come from a military family but I truly do appreciate those who fight for our freedoms here and abroad.Whether on the front lines or behind a desk somewhere I appreciate you and I salute you.Thank you.And I thank each of your families too for surrendering their hold on you.For allowing or even encouraging you,whether male or female to wage war for our freedoms and so that others around the world may one day enjoy the same freedoms we so often take for granted.Thank you.May God bless each of you this day and beyond and may God continue to bless America.
With Much Love~Sharon

Jars of Clay

A new week has begun.7 more days.Full of the unknown at this point.As I read my Bible this morning it felt dry to me.Like a dry,barren desert.Void of water.Void of life.As I prayed for friends and family needing healing I prayed that healing would come so that they may better reflect His glory;better serve Him.God spoke"My glory is best reflected in those who still serve Me,love Me in spite of their affliction.Wow!Sometimes He is glorified better through obviously flawed people?He is better praised through the less than beautiful vessels(world's standards of beauty anyhow)?Yes!This makes me think of pottery that is unglazed.Pottery that is not quite symmetrical.Imperfect physically.But somehow still beautiful.Still able to be used.Still reflecting His glory.And still able to carry the treasure that is His presence within these earthen vessels.What a blessing that is.What hope that offers all of us really.That He can still use us in spite of our flaws,imperfections and failures as humans.Glory to His name!

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us."II Corinthians 4:7(NIV)

Photo courtesy of www.freestockphotos.com

Light

There are two ways of spreading light:to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

~Edith Wharton~

Here's another way to put it:You're here to be light,bringing out the God-colors in the world.God is not a secret to be kept.We're going public with this,as public as a city on a hill.If I make you light-bearers,you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket,do you?I'm putting you on a light stand.Now that I've put you there on a hilltop,on a light stand-shine!Keep open house;be generous with your lives.By opening up to others,you'll prompt people to open up with God,this generous Father in heaven.

~Matthew 5:14-16(TM)~

Father,make us shine brightly for you in this very dark world.Amen.

Photo courtesy of www.freestockfotos.com

Valley of Shadows

I recieved some news today that has left me stunned.Shocked and saddened.A Christian friend of mine has just been informed by her doctors that she has only a few months left to live.Colon cancer is slowly attempting to take her life.It appears she may have had it for awhile now.Unaware except for some occasional stomach cramps.She and her husband had recently gone with his mother on a trip to Alabama from New Jersey where they live.When they returned my friend(also named Sharon)was extremely fatigued.Not feeling well at all.Doctors found a rather large tumor on the left side of her transverse colon.That would explain so much of what she's been feeling.She's stunned and afraid.She does'nt want to leave her husband behind.I understand that feeling.So please keep my friend Sharon and her husband in your prayers.I still believe God can heal her.I will continue to pray for that.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil,for you are with me,your rod and your staff,they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4(NIV)

A Gorgeous Day

When I awoke this morning I knew it was going to be a beautiful day!This picture reflects almost perfectly the kind of sky I saw as dawn slowly crept into town on silent cat paws.Just a few miles from here are lakes and mountains that very much resemble this.As I write this it is many hours later.And still lovely out.Sunny.Warm.Breezy.The kind of weather I have been eagerly anticipating for awhile now.This spring has been very gray.Damp.It gets like that in Oregon.But eventually the leaden skies give way to sunshine and blue.We hung a windchime from our apartment building today.It is a mosaic of glass pieces that form a bluebird in flight.I found it ages ago at a garage sale.It is lovely.I cannot wait for the sun to slowly wind it's way around the building to cast it's lovely glow on my chimes.It's beauty will be complete then.We have also planted some flowers in pots by our front door.Lavender pansies in one and mixed Dianthus in another.They are simply lovely.I jst love spring.We also hung bird feeders yesterday.Two of them.From a shepherd's hook.I asked my Heavenly Father to bring some birds to the feeders.He graciously answered my request.I was beckoned to my living room this morning by my husband Steve."Birds"he quietly said.I peered out the window to see house finches and sparrows eagerly eating the seed we had provided.They were so lovely I just kept saying"thank you Jesus."That is until our cat Shadow ran into the living room on lightning quick legs and scared them off by jumping into the window!They know there is provision here now and I think they'll be back.As I type this a neighbor is out mowing their lawn.It may be his first mowing since last summer.The scent of freshly mowed grass is intoxicating.Yep,it's a gorgeous day.God is good!

Blessings,Sharon

Guilty By Association

Steve and I watched a movie this afternoon that he had recorded at about 2 am this morning.It was called"Guilty By Association."I don't actually recall who starred in it or how old the movie was but it was a really good movie.It was about a woman sentenced to 20 years in prison simply for knowing a man who used and sold pot.It was wholly or partially based on actual events.I have never done drugs of any kind or been to prison(or jail even for that matter).But as I watched this movie I saw it as more than just a movie about the need for laws regarding this kind of stuff to be changed.I saw it as something that glaringly showed the importance of choosing your friends and associates wisely.This woman(a mother of two) did prison time for someone else's crime simply because she knew and associated with this guy and his druggie friends.When it came down to it his "friends" basically implicated her in order for them to get reduced sentences.She ended up getting the longest sentence out of all of them(though I think she only did time for about 8 years due to a law former President Clenton passed as I recall)simply because her boyfriend's"friends"essentially turned on her.These were not true friends on any level.True friends,in my opinion enecourage you to live godly lives.They pray for you.They are"there"for you come what may.True friends point you to Jesus.They urge you to live for Him.I have been blessed in my 45 years on this earth to have such friends from my youth to the present.I can recall many godly friends in my teen years whom I still remember today.Their godly influence has helped shape the person I have become.Not perfect.But not on drugs or in prison either.:-)These types of friends have prayed for me.Talked with me when I had questions.Reminded me that living for Jesus is what matters.That following His example of friendship is of the utmost importance.That godly friends are rare gifts to be treasured.They also reminded me of Jesus"example in John 15:13"Greater love has no man than this,that he lay down his life for his friends."Friends,they can be a blessing,or a curse.Choose your friends wisely.

Blessings,Sharon

A Puritan's Prayer

I ran across the following prayer in a book I began to read recently("Brokenness:The Heart God Revives by Nancy Leigh DeMoss).It really made me stop,slow down and think about things in my own life and heart.I wanted to share it here in the hopes that it will cause you to stop and reflect too.

Lord,High and Holy,meek and lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox

that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord,in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;

Let me find Thy light in my darkness,

Thy life in my death,

Thy joy in my sorrow,

Thy grace in my sin,

Thy riches in my poverty,

Thy glory in my valley.

~from The Valley of Vision:A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions~

Blessings,Sharon

An Update on My Life

How thrilled I am to be back at my blog and able to post something.Anything.There have been several things going on here that have kept me away from this part of my life.Health issues again.I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.I was totally unaware I had it.No wonder I had not been feeling rested for a few months now.I was'nt getting restorative sleep at night.But I see the hand of God in even this.He placed just the right male nurse at my cardioversion back in Janruary.This man named Mike suffers with sleep apnea as well.He saw I was breathing oddly while under anesthesia.Said I should have a sleep study done.I listened.And did.Test results revealed sleep apnea.I will have another sleep study done this month.This time while wearing a c-pap mask.It will help me to breathe better while asleep.The apnea could even be to blame for some strange dreams I'd been having at night.Who knew?So pray for me as I,with God's help attempt to get my health much improved.I know the mask will be the first step.
We have a new addition here at home.My husband Steve and I are huge animal lovers.Dogs.Cats.Birds.We love them all.After much debate we have gotten a cat.A rescued cat.I guess at 6 months old he is still considered a kitten.He is completely black with lovely green eyes.He has just the right amount of spunk.He has been named"Shadow."He would not respond to"Nigel"which means"black haired one.""Dempsey"was a creative name but"Shadow"suits his personality as well as his color.He loves to follow us around the apartment hence the name we gave him.He brings a little bit of sunshine to our lives.God is good that way.He gives just the right gifts at the right time.
Speaking of sunshine and gifts we had 3 wonderful spring-like days here last week in our part of Oregon.Just enough warmth to make all the daffodils and crocus bloom.And the pink cherry trees.Oh my goodness.A bit of heaven on earth here in town right now.Their color is amazing but their fragrance is simply divine!We had to be in Salem during this warm spell one day.Instead of the smell of exhaust from the car in front of us last Friday we were blessed with the scent of cherry trees in bloom.What an amazing God we serve.I never cease to be amazed by His creativity and beauty that is evidenced each spring.New life.New color.New season.Life after the season of death.Though today is gray and rainy I know more lovely days are just ahead.I can see the evidence!And my heart rejoices.Happy Spring everyone(know I'm a couple days early) and may His beauty and creativity give you cause to reflect as well as rejoice.

Blessings,Sharon

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!It's day number 2 of the year 2007.A brand new year stretches before us like a huge blank canvas just waiting to be filled with color.An empty journal longing to be filled with words yet unspoken.Sorrows and joys.Tragedies and triumphs.The stuff our lives are made of.Flesh and blood.Experiences that will leave our senses reeling with pain.Or fill us with such joy that we are unable to contain it all.And through the year to come it is my prayer,my desire that God would be honored and glorified through it all.That all of us would come through whatever the year brings better people.Better children of God,more brightly reflecting His love and His glory.More trusting of Him and His ways which are often beyond comprehension,at least to me.May we all have a nearer sense of His presence in our lives.May we run harder after Him and His will for our lives.May we love God more and and our friends and families as well.Father,may these things come to pass in the year to come.May our joys be abundant and our sorrows few.But whatever may come I ask that You be glorified in all of it.That those still walking in darkness would be drawn to the Light,Your light,reflected in Your children.I ask this in the name of Jesus.Amen.
Blessings,Sharon