He Leads

The words of this hymn have been meandering through my mind the last 2 days.Consequently they have found their way to my vocal chords.Smile.It's a great song to sing while in the shower first thing in the morning.So,no matter where you are or whatever you're facing be assured that God is indeed leading you and is there for you,His child.It is my hope that you take comfort in this fact.

Verse 1
He leadeth me! O blessed tho't! O words with heav'nly comfort fraught! What-e'er I do, wher-e'er I be, Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me!

Chorus
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, By His own hand He leadeth me: His faithful foll'wer I would be, For by His hand He leadeth me.

Verse 2
Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mind, Nor ever murmur nor repine, Content, whatever lot I see, Since 'tis Thy hand that leadeth me!

Verse 3
And when my task on earth is done, When by Thy grace the vict'ry's won, E'en death's cold wave I will not flee, Since God thro' Jordan leadeth me.

Blessings~Sharon

~Image courtesy of SOJ Graphics~

Love

It's Valentine's Day!A day to celebrate love.Let us remember the greatest love of all.The love of God for His creation.That includes you and me.Just want to let you,my readers,know how much each of you means to me this day and always.I love each of you like family.But then we are family,are'nt we?Smile.The family of God...

Blessings&Love~Sharon

~Image courtesy of SOJ graphics~

Pleasantly Surprised

I've received some pleasant surprises lately.And I'm just thrilled.The first was a"blog of excellence" award from Debbie Whitlock over at"Just My Thoughts"(www.debbiewhitlock.wordpress.com ).What a blessing and an honor.I'm truly grateful and humbled all at the same time.Thank you Debbie for your kindness.

The second surprise is we've had about 4 days of spring like weather here in the Willamette Valley.Partial sun and temperatures in the mid 50's.A real surprise and blessing for those of us who live here.Winter is usually dark,damp, and dreary.This winter has been like this.My husband is even more thrilled than I am as he absolutely hates winters here.He lived 20 years in Southern California before moving up here in 1991 and meeting and marrying me in 1992.So,these winters wear on him.We've also been noticing it's staying light past 5 in the evenings.Another sign of spring's nearness.I know,I know it's more than a month away on the calendar but try telling our temperatures and clearing skies that.Smile.

Blessings~Sharon

Winter's Beauty

But Winter has yet brighter scenes—he boasts;Splendors beyond what gorgeous Summer knows;Or Autumn with his many fruits, and woods;All flushed with many hues. ~ William Cullen Bryant

Image courtesy of www.freestockphotos.com

One of Those Days

It's been one of those days here.The kind I seldom have thankfully.It was stressful and emotional.The tears poured from my eyes freely.Unabashed and unashamedly.Life trials weighed heavy.Misunderstandings and miscommunication happened.Please pray for us if you think to.If you've had one of those days too I hope that you too will take comfort from the following words found in Revelation 21:4(NIV)...

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.

Image courtesy of SOJ graphics

How Great

How great is our God.

Sing with me,how great is our God.

And all will see,how great,how great is our God.

This wonderful worship song by Chris Tomlin was what greeted me as I turned on the stereo prior to cleaning our small kitchen this morning.I never cease to be amazed at how a sense of God's presence can make the most mundane of tasks a simple joy.God's presence changes everything,does'nt it?

Blessings~Sharon

Image from SOJ graphics.

Lyrics to chorus above by Chris Tomlin

Blessed is the Man

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields it's fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

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

His Promise of Joy

You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.I will lie down and sleep in peace for you alone,O Lord,make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:7-8 NIV

...Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5 NKJV

Rest easy and be at peace,O weary one;Dare to live joyfully you who are in the dark night of the soul;For your Heavenly Father is faithfully watching over you.He who never sleeps or slumbers is ever aware of where you are and what you are facing.He is faithful and He will see you through.You can count on this as surely as the sun rises and sets each day.Joy,His joy will come again.

Blessings~Sharon

Image from SOJ graphics

Our Majestic Lord

"O Lord,our Lord,how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens."

"When I consider your heavens,the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars which you have set in place,what is man that you are mindful of him,and the son of man that you care for him?"

Psalm 8:1&3 NIV

Oh Lord,my Lord,how truly and wonderfully majestic is Your name in all the earth and in my heart.That You would care for one such as I is beyond comprehension...a flawed and oh so human woman...I am humbled...

Love~Sharon

Image from www.freestockphotos.com

Books,Wonderful Books

I've been tagged by Jo(http://www.followtheroadlesstraveled.blogspot.com/ ) for a book meme.Before I answer the questions let me say that if you want to read some beautiful writing please visit her blog.You won't be sorry.
And now onto the book meme questions:

1.)One book that changed your life?
Definitely the hands down winner is my Bible!

2.)One book you have read more than once?
Too numerous to list but I will say"Windows Of The Soul"by Ken Gire.

3.)One book you would want on a desert island?
Definitely my Bible.

4.)Two books that made you laugh?
Anything by Patsy Clairmont or Luci Swindoll.

5.)One book that made you cry?
I cannot think of one for I tend to read happy,optimistic books.

6.)One book you'd wished you'd written?
Anything by Jane Austen.

7.)One book you wish had never been written?
Anything that is occultic in nature or is just pure smut.

8.)Two books that you're reading?
I tend to try and read one at a time.I am currently reading"A Time of Departing:How Ancient Mystical Practices are Uniting Christians with the World's Religions"by Ray Yungen.He exposes the dangerous practices that have crept into the modern day church under the guise of things such as"Christian Yoga"etc. .Very good book.

9.)One book that you're going to read?
I am hoping to purchase and read LuAnn Budd's"Journal Keeping."I am an avid journaler and am always looking for good writing prompts or anything pertaining to keeping a journal or writing poetry,etc.

Well,there you have it.A little bit more about me.:-)I think I am supposed to tag some friends but I think Jo and I share many of the same blog buddies.So I will decline to do that and wish you,my small band of readers,a wonderful Sunday!

Blessings~Sharon

Image courtesy of Source of Joy Graphics

Whew!

Whew!!What a month it's been here.Busy as can be.In addition to celebrating Christmas and New Year's we made a move.On December 31st.In the middle of a small ice storm.We now live in the same complex as our daughter and granddaughter.Being closer to family is a really good thing.We're still unpacking but settling in quite nicely I think.Though we will always love small town life we are adjusting to big city life very well.Smile.It's nice having our loved ones much closer.

Speaking of family I got an amazing gift for Christmas.More newly found cousins.Since finding my half sister on my dad's side in 2003 I have also discovered a massive amount of cousins.And a couple of aunts as well.Turns out my paternal grandmother had a whopping 19 children!Whew.That's alot of kids.No wonder I have cousins across the entire US and probably Canada as well.It's been an interesting trip.One I am enjoying immensely.Though not all the info I have learned about my dad and his family has been good I am thankful to have a Heavenly Father who never disappoints me.Big grin.

So,it's 2008.A new year has begun.A year of blank pages in life's journal gazes up at me.Beckons me to enter in.Stop and stay awhile.Leave a mark,my own unique mark on it's many pages.I pray that the marks I leave behind will bless many.Both near and far.But most importantly I pray God Himself will be blessed.It's all about Him anyhow,is'nt it?Have a blessed day everyone.

Love~Sharon

Image courtesy of http://www.u-haul.com/

What Can We Give Him?

It's a timeless question.What do you give the man who has everything?And when that man is the Lord Himself it becomes an even deeper conundrum.What do you give the ONE who has everything,owns everything.?What do you give Him who holds all of time and eternity in His very capable hands?The answer is found in the following words penned by Christina Rossetti:

In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain; heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there, cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; but his mother only, in her maiden bliss, worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

We celebrate God's greatest gift at this time of year.Christmas.The birthday of our Saviour Jesus Christ.We gather with family and friends around a table laden with food or a tree laden with packages.Yet,the reason we gather is often lost in the commercialism of the season.We give gifts to each other and that is good.But what about the Guest of honor?The Lord Jesus Himself.Enjoy,even relish time with your loved ones.But don't let the One who loves us with an everlasting love go away empty handed this year.

Blessings~Sharon

Merry Christmas

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.~Isaiah 9:6

Light in the midst of darkness.Love, pure and holy love was born that night in Bethlehem.Hope was born.We celebrate hope,the Light of the world,at this Christmas season.We celebrate Jesus.He is the only reason for the season.May His light,His hope,His love fill each of your hearts this season.And may you rejoice just as they did so long ago in Bethlehem.Merry Christmas to all of you.

~Image courtesy of Source of Joy Graphics~

Anger Management

Once again our Granddaughter Hope has provided fodder for a blog entry.Smile.We were watching her today as we do every weekend.I was in the kitchen cleaning up lunch dishes.We'd had sloppy joe's made with ground turkey on whole wheat buns and pears.I was enjoying the rare winter sun streaming in my kitchen window as well as the simple act of washing dishes by hand(my dishwasher was full).Hope was out in the living room playing a Sony driving game(some game where you race ATV's over various tracks both pro and amateur).As I finished up the dishes Hope came walking into the kitchen and gave me a hug."Is your game over?"I asked.""No"she replied.""I just find that it helps me to get rid of my anger if I hug someone."Hope was living out a biblical principle without even realizing it!I knew I had a blog entry with her statement.Big grin.I probed further.The source of her anger?Running out of time on her racing game.As she left the room I pondered what had just transpired.And I reached some conclusions.Would'nt it be nice if the worst thing we had to be angry over was running out of time on a game?And ,even better than that,would'nt it be wonderful if all the anger issues and results of that anger could be solved by simply hugging another human being?It's quite possible that all the world's ugliness,sin and sadness,caused by anger,could be eradicated in it's entirety.That's something to think about the next time we as humans are tempted to get angry over something.

~In your anger,do not sin.Do net let the sun go down on your wrath.~

Ephesians 4:26 NIV

Blessings~Sharon

Prayin' Grammas

"I am reminded of

your sincere faith,

which lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and,I am persuaded now lives in you also."

Paul speaking to his "son"in the faith,Timothy.

II Timothy 1:5

As I stepped into the shower and was reveling in it's warmth yesterday I was pondering the night before.We were babysitting our granddaughter overnight.Beofre we all went to bed we joined hands by her bed on our soft,comfortable hunter green couch.She and Bapa Steve and I had prayed for good sleep,sweet dreams and a good breakfast the next day.Hope had also thanked God for answering her prayers and healing Bapa's back.I pondered what a gift it was to be able to pray with this child.To have her know us as her grandparents.To know she prays for us and to have her know we pray for her.We were simply enjoying each other and the benefits of being children of the most High God.Access to the throne.This was extra special to me as I never knew any of my grandparents.They all passed before I was born I am told.But I would love to pull back the curtain on my life.To see things from the perspective of a heavenly timeline.To shine a huge floodlight into the now dark and dusty corners of my ancestral past.I would love to see,to know if I had any prayin' grammas.I wonder if as they baked their bread,tended their gardens or reared their own children did they pray.Did they ask the Father to save the future generations to come?Did they ask His blessing upon us?Did they pray for me?One whom they never knew was to exist.Did they pray for me to have faith in Jesus?I wonder if they loved writing and music and nature and did they ask God to bless and gift future generations with that same love?I'm blessed to pray for and with our granddaughter Hope.But I wonder if I had any prayin' grammas?Maybe I'll know someday.Maybe I won't.But I think I'll just enjoy what I've got.A faith in God and family and friends who love me.And I'll continue to be a prayin' gramma.

Blessings~Sharon

Image courtesy of Snapshots of Joy

Snow

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.I hope that you enjoyed a good meal,surrounded by those you love.We did.Though it was small(my husband and myself,daughter and granddaughter)and though it was short-lived(husband had thrown his back out and needed a nap)it was wonderful anyhow.Our daughter is a really good cook so we enjoyed our meal immensely.And we were thankful to have been able to gather with even a small portion of our family.We were even blessed with a crisp,sunny day.That does not often happen this time of year in Oregon and we loved it!So,now it's beginning to look alot like Christmas.I love it!Some of our neighbors have hung large,lovely wreaths on their doors.They look so very festive with their huge red bows.Our town has added it's Christmas decorations to the street lights on First Avenue/Cascade Highway.Christmas ads abound.Okay,I could do without the ads.The only things that's missing is some snow.It's been cold enough here to snow.Or it was anyhow.But there was not enough moisture in the air.Now that we have the moisture,the temperatures have risen to well above freezing.Life is like that sometimes.But I digress.I want to see some snow.I grew up in Sacramento,CA.I always wondered why they played "White Christmas"in a place that never sees snow.Then,in later years I discovered the first part of the song which talks about orange and palm trees swaying..That I could identify with for we had both trees in our yard.Then I moved to Oregon in 1991.It was an El Nino winter that year.Very dry.Cold.No snow.The next winter was completely different.I was newly married and Salem saw 16 inches of snow that winter.16 inches right outside my door!What bliss for this former Californian now married to a former Michigander.Husband took every opportunity he could to do doughnuts in the local grocery store parking lot.I held on for dear life.Big grin.We have not seen a winter like that since then.We have had some snow but nowhere near 16 inches.I love the way snow covers everything with it's pure whiteness.The way sounds are quieted.Muffled under it's blanket of cold powder.I love watching it fall.Hoping to see it stick and rejoicing when it does.It's novelty has still not worn off.It reminds me of Christmas.Of celebrating our Saviour's birth.Rejoicing in His goodness.Being grateful for His many gifts.And like that snow that covers the earth,falling gently from His heaven,we have His grace,to cover our sin.Our flaws.Our moments of humanity.I think that's why I really love snow.It reminds me of Him.

Blessings~Sharon

~Image courtesy of Snapshots of Joy~

Happy Thanksgiving

Bountiful Harvest

We praise Thee, O Lord, for the bountiful harvest,That now has been gathered and garnered with care;Rewarding the toil of the sower and reaper,While all in its blessings may share.

For the bountiful harvest,We praise Thee, we thank Thee and bless Thee, O Lord:For the bountiful harvest,We praise Thee and bless Thee, O Lord.

We praise Thee, O Lord, for the bountiful harvest,We praise Thee for sunshine, the dew and the rain;For soft summer breezes so gracefully bending,The bright golden billows of grain.

We praise Thee, O Lord, for the wonderful tokenThat shines as it shone on Thy servants of old,The pledge and assurance that seedtime and harvest,From earth Thou wilt never withhold.

We praise Thee, O Lord, for Thy wonderful mercies,And while to Thy glory our voices we raise,O Thou that regardest the prayers of Thy people,Accept our thanksgiving and praise.

~Fanny Crosby~

My Funny Family

I've been blessed.I was born into a family that values humor and laughter.And I married a man who is extremely funny.People who have run into one of my younger sisters have said the thing they remember about me from High School was my sense of humor.Funny thing is I don't recall being all that funny in High School.I remember being shy.But I digress.As I said I married an incredibly funny man.Our granddaughter has inherited the funny gene too.Recently I overheard the following conversation between my husband(also known as Bapa)and our granddaughter Hope."Bapa,will you get me a glass of water?I can't reach that high.""Okay Hope,but do you have 27 cents?"Hope then replied"No Bapa,I don't have any cents,only dollars."Laughter from the adults ensued.I've known some adults who had more dollars than cents(sense).Huge grin.That's one for the journals I think.I hope this little story from my life has brought a smile to your face today.Or even a full belly laugh.It's so healthy on so many levels.No wonder the writer of Proverbs said that a merry heart was good like medicine.Have a blessed day.

Sharon

~Image courtesy of Snapshots of Joy~

Stand In The Gap

Dear Readers,

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church around the world.I encourage you to take some time to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are living under persecution of all kinds.They face things daily that the church in America cannot fathom.

Blessings~Sharon

Beauty,Blessings,Bliss

I was blessed in many ways this week.It all came as a surprise which made it that much nicer.Early in the week I received my copy of the newly republished Victoria magazine!If you are not familiar with this magazine I urge you to check it out(www.victoriamag.com) .If,like me you are a lover of beauty in it's many forms,you will love this magazine.They had ceased publication a few years back.I was saddened by this.I'd enjoyed many years of reading pleasure and beauty each month as my dear husband had bought me a subscription.I am glad they have returned.

Then I received a CD in the mail from Ruth Wood(and friends)over at Comfort Cafe(www.comfortcafe.net) simply by telling them what Comfort Cafe meant to me.That,for me,was a simple task.They are a ministry dedicated to encouraging women who are hurting in any way.I have been so very blessed by their ministry in the last few years.It has been a source of comfort as we have walked through some really tough times since 2002.And,as I am sure you are well aware,women and men handle stress very differently at times.The CD I received is incredible(Eyes On You).I urge you,my readers to check out the ministry and the CD both.

Lastly,I was blessed in a way that could have had quite a different outcome.We had gone to get groceries on Thursday.On the way home we had noticed the temperature gauge on our van was getting up into the hot zone.So we drove into Lyons from Mill City and stopped at the ponds we had fished at years back.We got out of the van to check the radiator and add water and anti-freeze.I was stunned by the beauty that surrounded me.Apparently we had never been to these ponds in the fall.The trees around the ponds were golden and rust.The sky above cloudless and cerulean(my new word...hee hee hee).The wind was brisk and out of the north/northeast.The sun was warm.And I,while husband filled the radiator,was in sheer bliss.I sat on a sun warmed,flat rock.Soaking up it's toasty,golden rays.I joyfylly turned my face to the wind and let it blow on me full force(I've loved the wind since I was small).I wondered why we did'nt just get out like this more often.Some leaves skittered across the gravel parking lot.Like children rushing to get home from school to begin afternoon play.Steve thought it was an animal running up behind him.Huge grin.The van was fine.We drove home.And I pondered the beauty,blessings and bliss I had received this week.All gifts from God.Thank You Lord.