He leads me......

Psalm 23

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters.

 He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

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My dad

dad

Today would have been my dads 88th birthday.  He's been in his heavenly home for almost 4 years now.   Dad was a kind, sweet, gentle prayer warrior.  A simple, loving, humble man.   He was something of a contradiction because he was cheap and generous, but that was our dad.  He gave away more than he kept.   Although he had little wealth on this side of heaven, he was rich.  He was happiest when he had something to give away.  Whether it was vegetables from his garden or a dinner, a cup of coffee or a hearty laugh, his tithe or his time, he simply and lovingly gave it away.   I'm blessed to have been his daughter, and I will always be grateful. I grew to love my dad all the more as I watched him age, he was someone I deeply admired.  I saw a humility in him that I still desire to apply in my own life.  I'm sure  he had no idea that I would allow his last few years to reshape my own life and perspective.  He probably never knew how much he taught his family about prayer and humility, but that left a huge impact on us.  When I reflect on my dad, I see him humbly kneeling beside his chair, deep in prayer.  I  realize now that he was handing me a gift. Thanks for the gift Dad.  I miss our coffee breaks we had together, along with your hearty laugh.  Today I celebrate your life with a cup of coffee because we know that's what you would be asking for. :)  Thank you dad.  You lived well.  

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God

Clumsiness!

As I allow my thoughts to ebb and flow....I wonder how God somehow can bring wisdom out of the clumsiness of my life. I often feel like a toddler because I stumble and fall a lot.  As I stumble and trip into the grace of God, I let the grace flow over me like a cool fresh breeze.  God's grace is an amazing gift...when we allow it to seep into our mind and then into our hearts.  I'm thankful today for my clumsiness, as I stumble into the arms of grace.    I find in grace that God is already there.....waiting to hug me and remind me that He's been waiting.  Grace is amazing especially when we think we're so far from it. That's what I love about my journey of brokenness and blessing.   I was in line at Starbucks earlier and I was behind quite a few cars. I kind of wanted to get out of line, but it was too late.  I was locked in and so I figured I would quickly look at my phone and check my emails etc.  So when I finally arrived at the window, I was not at all anxious, I was just happy it was finally my turn.  The young man at the window asked me how I was, I said I was doing great.  He looked at me and said I feel bad you had to wait so long and as he handed me my coffee, he said "this cup is free."  I was greatly surprised by his generosity and I guess because it was so unexpected that I kind of felt tears welling up in my eyes (for just a minute tho)!  My reaction was just "thank you so much....I really don't deserve it."  As I sat there and let that sink in.....I wondered isn't that exactly what God desires for us all the time.   Isn't it wonderful when we recognize what we don't deserve but still joyfully receive it in sometimes unexpected packages.  Sometimes grace is wrapped in a free cup of starbucks coffee.   So I thank you Lord for the clumsiness of my faith as I stumble and fall into the arms of grace!

2 Timothy 1:9  He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Fall beauty!

Fall is such a wonderful time to celebrate the beauty of the earth.  Here's just a few pictures that I've taken!  The blessings are abundant......if we just take a moment to notice.

  

Isaiah 61:3 - he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.