the waiting room



This is my gardenia plant.

I have had it for two years now.

Last year, only one beautiful, fragrant, white bloom survived.

The rest of the buds, turned brown, died and fell off!

I was so disappointed.

I found out recently though, from a good friend of mine,

 that it is not easy to get a gardenia to bloom.

It seems they are very temperamental.

This year, as you can see above,

I have several flower buds.

AND....

After waiting a full year to see what would happen--

I have two flowers and many more to follow!

Waiting is never an easy or fun thing to do.

No one wants to find themselves in the waiting room;

hands in pockets, pacing back and forth, eyes on the clock

 and wanting to have a peek at "the bigger picture".

But our God knows, and unfortunately waiting is a part of

our Christian lives, as He teaches us patience.

God answers our prayers in His timing and according to His purpose.

Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Your GARDENIA is getting ready to BLOOM

and it WILL be beautiful and fragrant.

BE. PATIENT.

my risen savior

I love subway art--

 for the simple reason that it puts all of

our thoughts on to one page.

Just one page can say so much.

I found two on Pinterest and wanted to share them with you.



At this Easter Season,

May we remember all that Christ did for us.

From the Garden,

to the cross,

to the grave,

 and to the sky!

It is wonderful to serve a Risen Savior--

HE LIVES!!

the powerful prayer

Isn't it comforting to know that there is power in praying?

I rest in knowing that God hears my prayers.

In some life instances, that is all we can do; is pray.

That brings me to the book I have actually been reading

slowly, over the past year and a half.

It is called...

This book has been so helpful to me in praying for my
three adult children.

Two of my children are married and have little children,
and I have a 23 yr. old son, still here, living in our nest.

All of their growing up years, I prayed for them, 
that they would come to Christ and live their lives,
wholly unto Him.  

 Our prayer was that they would always walk with Him, 
until they departed from this world, 
to their new home,
 heaven.  

Two of them have chosen to veer off of the path, so
this book has been such a blessing to me, to not lose hope,
and to remember there is POWER in prayer!


And now, we have been blessed with three little granddaughter's...

my knees will never be the same.

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!



(Image from Facebook)



Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. -Clarence W. Hall

Mark 16:6

 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

How wonderful it is to

serve a RISEN SAVIOR.

Wishing you all a Blessed Easter.

Reverse

I hope that you will watch this 2 minute video... It is truly AWESOME!

When God Ran

I really love listening to Christian music.  I would have to say though, that my favorite Christian artists were from back in the 1980's.  There were many talented artists, but one of my favorites was, Benny Hester.  He wrote and recorded a song called, "When God Ran".  When I first heard this song, I wept.  And it does not matter how many times I listen to "When God Ran", I still get emotional and cry. It is based on the return of any prodigal son/daughter.  We usually think of how we Run to God when we are facing a hardship or trial in our lives.  But to picture God running to us when we give our lives to Him, opening His arms with love and forgiveness, there is no Greater Love we will ever experience.  

 The chorus to "When God Ran"
 (By Benny Hester & John Parenti)

And, then He ran to me

Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest

Said "My son's come home again"

Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes

With forgiveness in His voice

He said Son, He said Son, My Son

Do you know I still love you

Oh... He ran to me...

When God Ran

"When God Ran"
Performed by Phillips, Craig & Dean
(this video is 5 minutes long but worth the watch)

A Time to Retreat

This past weekend I went to a Ladies Retreat for the church that I work for.  The location was back in the mountains of a town called, Montecito. The retreat venue was at  La Casa de Maria.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful and very peaceful. Nature surrounded us everywhere we went. 
The theme of the retreat was, "The Gifts We Give" from 1 Peter 4:10.  

Three ladies spoke on the spiritual gifts that God has given to them and they were - the gift of gardening, the gift of quilting and crafting and the last one was the "Gift" that we can be to others as an encouragement in one another's lives. 

Each speaker gave each lady a little "gift" as a reminder of what they spoke on... a gardening shovel and packet of flower seeds, a homemade pin cushion and a refrigerator magnet that says,

 "Let It Begin With Me".

I also got to share this wonderful retreat weekend with one of my favorite people.... my sister. 

 

 

When we arrived, some of us came empty. But when we departed, we took with us.... much.

1 Peter 4:10
As each one has recived a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.