Baptism

 I was praying one day and asked the Lord to show me anyone I needed to forgive. This is a prayer we should ask the Lord everyday because not forgiving is poison to our souls. But if I'm honest, I don't pray this prayer everyday like I should; sometimes I falsely believe I don't harbor unforgiveness, other times I simply don't want to forgive. But the Lord is always faithful if we ask and we wait on Him to show us. And this particular day I was humble before Him knowing that if I said I had no sin I deceived myself and the truth was not in me and I was ready to confess my sin and let His faithfulness to forgive me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I was surprised by what the Lord revealed to me, I had not forgiven myself for getting divorced. I had stood before the Lord and men and made promises I did not keep. I was divorced 17 years ago, how could I still be harboring unforgiveness towards myself for this? Haven't I been over and over this? I've asked for forgiveness a million times over it seems and I know the Lord has forgiven me, why is this coming up now? I haven't even consciously thought about it in ages. But I suddenly had a vision of myself being baptized, going under a sinner and coming up washed clean by Jesus' death and resurrection. And I started thinking about that, baptism.

  When I was 6 or 7 we were in church in Albert Lea, we met at the YMCA there and the Pastor said anyone that wanted to be baptized could be after church. I told my parents I wanted to be baptized. I remember being in the water with the Pastor with lots of people standing around the pool, their legs. That's what I saw because it wasn't about who was there, who they were, who the pastor was. It was about the water, I remember the water shimmering. It was about a calling I didn't understand but obeyed. I remember coming up out of the water feeling complete. And then my parents took me to my aunts house to dry my clothes and then we were off to the zoo. I don't remember the zoo at all. But I remember that my parents had plans to go to the zoo and they delayed those plans because I wanted to be baptized. They took my request seriously. They didn't for a moment think I was just a child that wanted to get in the pool. 

  But later in life I was just a stupid kid following the crowd and getting in the pool. As a teenager, 18 I believe I was, my parents sent me and my best friend Marcy to Christ for the Nations conference in Texas. They had a night where they called anyone that wanted to be baptized to do so in the pool. By this time in my life I was very casual about my relationship with the Lord. I talked to Him when I was in crisis but pretty much just did whatever I wanted to do. And when everyone else was getting baptized, I was baptized too. I may have been sincere in the moment but when I returned home to the world I had left, I was not concerned about following the Lord. It wasn't long after I was married at age 21 that I began doubting Jesus was the only way and started looking into other religions, cultures and beliefs. I stepped so far off the path the Lord wanted me to walk upon, it would only take His miraculous power and pull to get me back on it. That didn't come until after I was remarried and in my late 30's. 

  So here I am 45 and the Lord is showing me I harbor unforgiveness for myself for things He has forgiven me for. So I forgive myself because this is just dumb, holding things against myself that God has forgiven me for. Agreeing with the enemy who keeps bringing up my dirt to make me feel guilty. No! To hell with you devil and all your demons, I'm not listening to your lies any more. I'm forgiven by the grace of Jesus. Not because I deserve it, because of love. 

For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:17. 

  So I had a vision of myself being baptized and felt this was the Lord showing me it is time to be baptized again. With a pure heart of love for Jesus and what His death and resurrection mean... eternal life for those who believe. This is my public witness. To proclaim Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. That I go to the Father through Jesus. That I am committed to following Jesus, to putting God first and to loving my neighbors as myself. To shine His light in this dark world. 
  Don't think I didn't have my doubts. This vision came to me in early April and my baptism is scheduled for June 23, there's a gap there, not just because it was still snowing in April and I wanted to be baptized in my parents pond. There's this selfishness in me that wants to do its own thing, that doesn't want to commit everything to the Lord. And what if I am baptized again for the 3rd time and I fail to follow Jesus fully. Duh, that's why I need a Savior because I will fail, but Jesus redeems!
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24

Power of our words

Proverbs 18:21 says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Remember when we were kids and we said sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me. Not true. What people say about us can hurt us if we let them, but more importantly the words we speak have power. The power of words does not come from us. The Lord's power is loosed when we speak life words. The devils power is loosed when we speak death words. Our power is in our freedom to choose whose power we will loose with the words we speak. 

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witness today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.

Matthew 18:18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

We are so often careless with our words not paying any mind to their power. My prayer today is that we would get it, that words have power and that we would choose life words today.

#100happydays Part 4 #100plushappydays

Day 370 of 100 Happy Days

When I began the 100 Happy Days Challenge, I had no idea it would turn into a way of life. I knew when I reached 100 days I didn't want to stop so I set a new goal of 200 days. When I reached that I knew I didn't want to stop so I set a new goal, one year. When I reached that I didn't want to stop but I don't need to set another goal because once you're in a routine it's no longer a goal, it's a way of life.

But wait, I do have a goal I haven't reached, to inspire one person to begin and complete the 100 Happy Days Challenge. Who will it be? Who is up for this challenge? I know some of my facebook friends spend ALOT of time on facebook, so...do something with that time that will change your life, fill you with joy and inspire your friends and family. 

Maybe you think it would be too hard or you don't like following the rules, so make your own rules. It's your challenge, do it your way. One of the many blessings this challenge gave me was a photo gallery of the good things in life to look back on. Another blessing is hearing my friends and family tell me they enjoy seeing my happy day posts. Actually let me just count the blessings this challenge has brought me.

1- Focusing on the positive
2 - Seeking happiness
3 - Finding happiness
4 - Good memories recorded
5 - Reflecting on the good things the day brought
6 - Multiplied blessings
7 - Inspiring others
8 - Honoring others
9 - Honoring the Lord
10 - Letting go of the negative
11 - Realizing happiness is a choice
12 - Realizing no matter how dark the day, there is always something to be grateful for

Well you get the idea...I've got 369 photos of the blessings this challenge has brought me so far. So what are you waiting for? Take the challenge!!!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Even if you're not ready...check it out at...

100HappyDays.com

Child Like Faith

As a child my home was full of love. My parents loved each other, they loved me and my brother. They loved the Lord and passed that love on to us. There was never any arguing or yelling in our home. I suppose that is why when I was about 8 years old I was shocked to find out my parents were getting a divorce. Still there was no fighting or arguing. Mom moved out and our parents agreed to joint custody, one week with Mom, the next with Dad. They never used us as leverage, they never had a bad word to say about the other. Even so, I was heart broken and confused. I suppose because all I ever saw was love, it made no sense that they would part ways. 

I don't know how long it took for my heart to mend but life went on and I got used to having two homes. But that didn't mean I didn't long for my parents to get back together. Every birthday wish I used to pray they would get back together. Every falling star I saw my wish was for my parents to get back together. Yes I know, every kid from a broken home has this same wish. But how long does one pray the same prayer and get no answer? When do you realize your wish is never coming true so you might as well give up?

Is it after the first year... the second year... the third. Is it when your mom gets engaged? Is it when your dad gets remarried? No, child like faith never gives up. And in my case the Lord answered another prayer, I believe to keep my faith alive. I was probably 12 years old and my beloved cat Kraus went missing for days, maybe even weeks, I don't recall how long but I missed him and I loved him and I wanted him home. I was so desperate one night I was walking home from my friends house and I cried out, "Please God, bring Kraus home!" and I had barely walked another block when Kraus came running up to me. 

This quick answer to my prayer strengthened my faith. At that age I didn't pray often but there was always a knowing in my heart that the Lord would bring my parents back together. Yes my dad was married to another and it looked like my mother would marry another as well. I was ok with those circumstances, I accepted the way things were. But if my parents divorce taught me anything, it was that things are not always as they seem and that circumstances are temporary. 

So when my dad and step-mother announced their divorce, I was elated. I will never forget the conversation I had with my step-sister, Heidi. She asked me if I was upset they were getting divorced and I told her no because now my parents can get back together. Being older and wiser than me, she did the 'right thing' by telling me, that's never going to happen, every kid wants their parents to get back together but it's never going to happen. You know the way people are always saying, don't get your hopes up. I hate that saying. It's the worlds way of saying don't have faith. 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Meditate on that scripture, Lord knows I need to now that I'm no longer a child and the world has tried to beat the child like faith out of me.

But as a 13 year old, Heidi's words had no effect on me, I just shrugged and knew she would be proven wrong. And she was, 29 years ago today. My parents were remarried on December 13, 1986, I was the maid of honor and my brother was the best man. It was the evidence of my unseen faith, my hope in a God who could do what the world said would never happen.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

I may never know if they would have gotten remarried had I not had faith. But I do know, I would not have the faith I have today had I not had faith as a child.

Hebrews 6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

If you are one of those people who say, don't get your hopes up, I do not mean to offend. I understand you've been hurt, probably as a child and it is your way of guarding your heart against more hurt. Here is a prayer for you to pray out loud.

Let Your mercy be upon me Lord and heal the wounds in my heart that have dashed my hope. Teach me how to have childlike faith. Teach me to trust You Lord and fill me with hope. Increase my faith, increase my hope and increase my love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

The Lord thinks about you, He has thoughts of peace and a future and a hope for you. And should you think this verse is about someone else and not you. Let me remind you of what Jesus said...
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matt 6:26

You are more valuable and the Lord wants you to have hope, he wants you to have child like faith and he gives to those who ask. My parents anniversary is a reminder to me that the Lord answers when we ask. What prayers has the Lord answered in your life?

Holy Spirit Cowl

The Lord blessed me with a talent and a passion for knitting. I praise the Lord for the gifts He's given me. One of my favorite Bible verses is 

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Today I'm writing to tell you how this verse manifested itself in my life recently. A while back I knitted myself a hat from a free pattern on Ravelry called Skyping Beanie by Halldora J

I decided I wanted a short cowl to go with it but I didn't have a pattern. I chose not to search for a pattern as I'd seen many before and never felt compelled to make them and so I'd never knitted a small cowl, I was not sure how to begin. I knew the hat was 80 stitches around and that the cowl should be bigger, not much to go on. So I prayed in my heart for Holy Spirit to guide my hands. 

I grabbed my favorite circular needles, size 9, and then pulled a good length of yarn off the skein and began "casting on", putting the yarn on the needle to begin knitting. After some time I stopped to look at the length of the yarn tail and felt I should cast on more stitches. The second time I stopped I felt like I had enough to begin knitting so I counted the number of stitches, it was 100. I counted again to be sure, yes 100. I thought, "That sounds like a nice round number Holy Spirit."  and I knew that the Holy Spirit had prompted me to stop there.

I won't bore you with the details but I can tell you Holy Spirit guided me through the whole project or rather, "directed my path" because I acknowledged Him in what I was doing. This project took 2 or 3 hours and I admit there was a moment I thought I should do a pattern that was more like the hat pattern but I stopped myself and said in my heart, "No, I trust You Lord." And I'm glad I did, because I love what the Holy Spirit directed...

Printable Pattern Here: Holy Spirit Cowl pdf

#100happydays Part 3

Day 78 of 100 Happy Days

  Seeking the sweet things in life. That is what this challenge truly is about. In my last post I wrote that I expected this would become more challenging as the days go by, well I was wrong. If anything, it has become more enjoyable and now I wonder whatever will I do when it is over. I don't want it to end. I'm not alone in this, I realized as I searched #100plushappydays. 

It has become part of my daily routine. Look for something that makes me happy. Happy. I know this word seems like some grand destination once everything in life is perfect we will arrive at. But that is not reality because there will always be stuff that can bring us down if we let it. No, happiness is a series of small and occasionally big things that give us pleasure or make us thankful that we focus on continually that brings joy. 

In fact I have found that gratitude and happiness go hand in hand. Everything I've photographed over the past 78 days are things I am thankful to have in my life. This does not mean I have had no sad moments, no frustration, no anger, no chaos or challenges in my life. I have. I have cried, I have yelled, I have been grouchy and irritable. But I have chosen to brush those things off and re-focus on what I am thankful for. The sweet things in life. It's really hard to be both angry and grateful at the same time, so I keep seeking the sweet things. And this 100 happy days challenge is one of those sweet things. 

This practice is training me to expect happy moments. I have had days where I posted my picture for the day early and then something else later in the day makes me more happy and I wished I would have waited. So I put it off till the end of the day. One evening, an hour before bed I started to post my photo thinking nothing more would happen that day but right  before  I hit save my best friend showed up at my door; I quickly hit delete to post her photo instead because that became the best part of my day. I have days where I take multiple photos and have to chose which one gave me more pleasure that day. 

It has taught me to focus on the positive in life. Sure I've had days when I've gotten towards the end of the day and I haven't photographed anything and I wonder what to post. But that's not a bad thing either because it makes me pause and reflect on what was good about the day. This can be a challenge to photograph but I have gotten creative, well some might call it cheating, taking a photograph of a photograph I've found online. But hey, it's my challenge, it makes me happy to do it my way.

If you've thought about taking this challenge, stop thinking about it and do it, you will not regret it. I'm here to tell you, it's the small things that add up to a life of gratitude that brings joy. My prayer seed today is that one person who is near and dear to me, whose feet are set on a path of destruction, I pray that person would read this and take this challenge, because changing paths starts with one step. 

To sign up for the challenge go to: 100 Happy Days Challenge

P.S. Local honey makes me happy, I bought this honey at the Clear Lake Farmers Market, it's delicious!

#100happydays Part 2

Day 50 of 100 Happy Days

Half way through this challenge to be happy for 100 days in a row. Looking back, this challenge has definitely been a positive one, more on that at the end. Looking ahead, I imagine it will be more challenging as the days go on. I have given myself a rule to not use the same thing twice. This has already been a challenge when I'm going about my day looking for things that make me happy.

So far my biggest challenge has been the fact that I have to photograph what made me happy that day. Some things are so fleeting. The big dog in the back seat of the mini-cooper that whizzed by on the highway. The sunset as it peeked out behind the clouds. Chad's face as he described how awful chocolate covered ginger tasted to him. The eagle that soared by. Sometimes I just forget to take a picture. I had lunch with my beloved cousin Tiffany who I rarely see any more.I guess I was too busy enjoying her company to think to take a picture.

Other things are hard to capture on film. How do I photograph the dedication of the dispatchers I work with; agreeing to work over-time so someone else can have a day off. Coming to work no matter how they feel. Filling in shifts when we are short staffed, and it seems we're always short staffed. Pushing through from one crisis to the next.

How do I capture a feeling on film. Like feeling the presence of the Lord during worship. The feeling of satisfaction knowing dispatching emergency services makes a difference in our community. The feeling of refreshment after a good nights sleep. The feeling of peace during prayer. And love, the love that comes from God, I feel His love everyday.

Maybe I just need to get more creative with my photos so you can see some of these things.

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Tell me what made you happy today?