Psalm 139

Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in-  behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!  How vasr is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.  When I awake, I am still with you.
If only you would slay the wicked, O God!  Away from me you bloodthirsty men!
They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

He Only Takes The Best...

God saw he was getting tired,
and a cure was not to be;
So he put His arms around him,
and whispered, "Come with me."
With tearful eyes
we watched him suffer,
and saw him fade away.
Although we loved him dearly,
we could not make him stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
hard-working hands to rest;
God broke our hearts
to prove to us,
HE ONLY TAKES THE BEST!

Today we went to a funeral for an old friend who was a father and husband of 55 years... and this was a poem that was on the front of the memory book.  It brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me of all those last moments we had with my dad before he was called home. 
Battling cancer is such a physical and emotional drain on the victim and those around him.  It was such a heavy weight on my dad's shoulders and the rest of my family. 
I'm so blessed that my relationship with him grew those last few years:)  So now I can say He truly only takes the best!!

To "live like you're dying"........

You hear the phrase "live like you're dying" quite often.  There is even a country song based off that line!  So why is it that we put so much importance in the things that mean nothing in the end?  Why is it only when we're losing ourselves that we realize what the valuable things in life really are?
When people receive the news of their time left to live, it is only then that they know what to go and make right.  They feel the urge to not put off til tomorrow what could be done today.  I know that if some of us knew the number of days we were to live, we would hurry to rush and finish the things we want to do.... we would stop procrastinating to do good and share the Truth!
Everyday we should be saying, "Just one more!  Lord, I just want to bring one more to Christ before you take me back home!"  Yet we shy away from opportunities and put it off til tomorrow...
Is there something that you feel God has asked you to do but you keep putting it off?  Pray about it.  Ask God to reveal to you what it is you're doing and make a change right now!! 
Live like you're dying!!! 
Live like Jesus is coming for you today!!!

{Count your Blessings}

Our Gracie girl... *love*


Each child is a blessing from heaven... and I have 5!! My nieces and nephews are my weakness:) Hallel (9), Hosanna (8), Victoria (7), Peter (4), Grace (2)!!!

"It's okay bear... I still love you!" *Grace kissing bear* You can't get much sweeter than that...

When the music fades...

After finishing my 40 day journey through Rick Warren's book (Purpose Driven Life), which I do encourage you to read, there were some messages that really stood out to me that I would like to share from time to time.
You may have heard it before that your act of worship is not only singing praise songs in a building with fellow believers every Sunday, but it is how you live your life every moment of each day. I know that I had been told that many times but I didn't quite grasp it for the longest time, not until Warren shared the story about the man who wrote the song "Heart of Worship". This man challenged his church to look for different ways they could worship God besides singing songs. He had the worship team take a break for a while and there ended up being no praise and worship time for a few Sundays. In the meantime, while his congregation found the meaning of an act of true worship, he was writing a song. When the people came back again filled with joy, he played this song before anything else began. That song was the "Heart of Worship"... now if you remember the words to that song, you should now gain a better understanding of what it meant.
"... I'll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself is not what you have required. You search much deeper within, throught the way things appear. You're looking into my heart. I'm coming back to the heart of worship, where its all about You. Its all about you, Jesus. I'm sorry Lord for the things I've made it..."

Be encouraged by this and I pray that you'll bring Him more than a song and worship Him in everything you do today!!

<3

"Home Address"

My home address?
Christ.
In Him I dwell,
wherever else I be.

As Bird in the air,
as branch in the vine,
as tree in the soil,
as fish in the sea.
He is my home.

My business address?
Here.

Little piney cove,
or London,
Corinth,
Calcutta,
or Rome,
Shanghai,
or Paris.

My business address?
Wherever He puts me,
but He is my home.

-Ruth Bell Graham