"See the World in Color"

Wonderful Talent

I MUST LEARN TO SEW! It is truly one of my lifelong dreams! I would make my daughters and grandaughters beautiful clothes to dress up in...like this pretty piece of work

Halloween Party 08

Thought I would include a couple pics from a Halloween party we went to last nite...we had such a blast. All three kids were pirates. I came as the scariest thing I could think of...me in 1992 (me as a band nerd...i mean band GENIUS! HA!) I wore my mom jeans, tucked in my polo and brought out my old band jacket. i added tape to the nose piece of my glasses just for effect. hahaha!

Mercy

"I cry out to the LORD; I plead for the LORD's mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn." Psalms 142:1-3 (NLT)

TODAY'S THOUGHT Have you ever felt overwhelmed? I talk to people everyday that feel that way. Divorce, hunger, disease, addictions, homelessness, debt, trauma, everyday people come to our church for help. And it should be that way. The church is God's representative on earth. We should be telling everyone that God deeply cares about their personal affairs. David knew this. He was overwhelmed with life and all the challenges it had for him, yet he knew he could turn to the Lord. He cried out to God and plead for mercy. And God listened. Jeremiah attests to this. In Lamentations 3:22-24 Jeremiah writes, "The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." What an overwhelming truth. God's faithful love NEVER ends and His mercies NEVER cease. I can't even begin to get my brain around that. And the beauty is, every morning I wake up, God is there, with all His love and mercy waiting for me. Today, when you need to, cry out to God. Pour out your complaints to Him. Tell Him all about your troubles. He has a brand new day's worth of mercy and love waiting for you.

TODAY'S PRAYER Father, I am so glad I can come before You and share all my burdens. I am so grateful for Your mercy and faithfulness. Thank You that they never cease but are new every morning. Praise You Lord. AMEN

Sweet Forgiveness

No one likes to talk about sin....I don't know about you, but I would much rather think on forgiveness. Sin is dirty and messy. It anxiety, confusion, pride, lust,greed and a multitude of other life sapping things. And yet, as nasty as it is...we still fall into it. It's being a human. Romans 7:15 says "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." If we do not acknowledge our sin....and let the Holy Spirit reveal these burdens...we can't fully comprehend grace, or the extent of God's love for us. It is when we come before Our Father, acknowledge our sin, ask and receive God's forgiveness that we are fullfilling the whole purpose of His sacrifice. Honestly it is hard for me to come before Him with this slimy stuff...and sometimes even harder to swallow that He's forgiven me again. But if I think on that, and let the Holy Spirit really reveal the reality of it. My soul is awakened to Him...I feel His blood washing over me....my heart begins to burst out of my chest in praise....it's magnificent. Ronald Ovitt's devotional was about it.

"When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. - Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." Psalms 32:3, 5 (NLT)

TODAY'S THOUGHT What hope is found when we decide to stop doing something that is wrong. What peace is ours when we set out to make right those wrongs that we have committed. What joy we experience when we unburden our self of things that have held us prisoner in the dungeon of guilt. David paints the picture of inner turmoil and anguish we bring upon ourselves when we store the toxic emotions of a guilty conscience. He writes, "When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long." But later David writes, "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!" Where there was pain, there can be joy. Where there was guilt, there can be forgiveness. Today, come to God with anything that is bothering your conscience. Don't go another day without experiencing the joy from a heart forgiven.

TODAY'S PRAYER Father, thank You for the substitute death of Christ for my sins. I know I can bring any of my wrongdoings to You for Your complete forgiveness. Lord, hear my prayers of repentance and restore joy deep into my soul. AMEN