A Letter and a Prayer ~

Stopping by blog land before January is completely behind me!

I was listening to a Podcast while trying to forget I was at a gym, it's just something that works for me :-)

The speaker made several excellent points but two stood out in my mind.

The first was if you were to receive a written letter from Jesus what do you suppose it would say?

Would he be pleased with how your living your life?

Would he feel he is your 1st priority?

Would he be pleased with the amount of time you spend with him?

How would he feel about the fact you put your children before your spouse?

Speaking of, how are you treating your spouse? Is it respectful?  You do know our children generally follow the example that you set for them..... (sit with that a minute).

Do you speak to your parents with respect (deserved or not)?

Are you in a regular habit of attending church, small group, any type of fellowship with other believers?

Are you growing in your knowledge of His Word, the Bible?

How much time do you actually spend with him daily? Turns out we can make time....forfeit some of that time on our cell phones, Facebook or television....just a few ideas.... 

Are you trusting Him in every situation, or are you trusting Him only when you need something?  

You know, in a medical emergency or to get you out of a problem you created? Are you consistent in your need of him? Or is it the only time you're really willing to spend with him?

Are you accountable to others when you are wrong? Do you freely ask for forgiveness, or wait and hope they forget your wrong doing?

Are we caring for our bodies, our physical health?

Are you loving others, are you kind to strangers, the clerk in the store, the waitress etc.....

Are you judging others rather than focusing on bettering yourself??

These questions I found can go on and on.....

So, upon hearing the question, "what would He say," I had to think, yes, what might he say to me?

 I have work to do.....

The other stand out point was regarding prayer.

How do you pray? Is it simple Dear God, thank you for this day,  help me get rest tonight, keep my kids safe and healthy....Amen

Now think of it this way..Would your simple prayer remain the same?..If, he were sitting beside you how would you speak with him? Would you be in total awe of his presence, of all he's done for you? Would that prayer be more involved and intimate? Wouldn't you just be pouring out thanks??

So, yep I have work to do...

Ask yourself questions that come to your mind....

Just popped in to share yet more of what I've been pondering :-)

Wishing you God's best!!

It's what echos from my heart today.....

What do you Ponder?

So for grins I love to use the word, ponder.

It just sounds like less effort than, think about.

 ~

There are certain things that occur that make me stop for a moment and

Ponder.

There is the laundry ponder...

Almost weekly as I'm folding sheets, "where is that fourth pillowcase?"

I have two sets of white sheets for my bed with a total of 4 pillow cases.

Months ago I came up short a pillow case....drat!

I've looked high and low, it's no where to be found.

It's more annoying than the occasional missing sock, 

I have more than enough socks....

I'm trying to shake the memory of the missing pillowcase,

I don't understand why it continues to puzzle me to the extreme.

It's like trying to shake gum off the bottom of a shoe, it won't budge.

Then there's the Pinterest Ponder........

I will go on pinterest about once a month to see whats new.

I end up pinning almost every post on, how to have thin thighs, how 

to get rid of back fat, how to shed the spare tire on what used to resemble a 

stomach, how to loose whatever all that is that hangs off my arms.!

All with good intentions of doing something about "it."

Once I've claimed 15 or so of the fat facts....

in an instant I find myself pinning dessert recipes, meals with cheese and/or butter

as main ingredients.....with an occasional "low cal" dish for good measure,really?

Just today my cousin Dona Dee shared a "Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake" 

on Facebook. I responded with my usual response to a photo of future fat on my body, 

CRUD!

Just as I finished typing the last paragraph, my Facebook alerted me to a new post.

My daughter in law Katie just posted a photo of said Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake!

 

http://cntry.lv/6183Bn6J3

 

It must be a sign!

Raspberry's will be added to the shopping list...

After it's made and I've enjoyed every bite,

I  will move on to,

 What in the Heck were you thinking, form of pondering.....

~

It's what echos from my heart today.....

good intentions gone astray, again.

....and your welcome for including the recipe.

Renewal ~

First, a few remnants of Christmas...

Gift the girls made for Mommy and Daddy

Proud of the Happy Birthday Jesus cake they made.

Such fun watching the kids and spending the day with extended family!

~

Happy New Year!

Just can't believe we are in 2016 already, it seems not that long ago

we were waiting to see what 2000 would bring!

It's that time of year many set or reset goals, make resolutions, and a very popular

one, join a gym!

Do you all find your days become very routine?

After many days of  life with routine, we sometimes stop noticing all that

 God has put before us that will bring us joy. 

 Be it a  beautiful sunset, vibrant landscapes or

for me, the peace the beautiful Pacific ocean provides.

We get caught up in life sometimes and we begin to miss all the gifts provided us.

Some routines are healthy, such as exercise, healthy diets etc... 

Time spent with God for example will always remain part of my routine.

Without it, life is so void of true contentment.

For me that desire for contentment is something I know only God can truly satisfy in me.

Bottom line, I am limiting the "routine" stuff as much as possible...

Though it once was,

 it's not the money to be made, the bigger house, its not possessions period.

I guess because I've tried living both ways I can say, living a life that is God centered,

 fulfills my hearts true desires and it's where I find myself content.

We all find ourselves in tough circumstances,

but in the midst of those circumstances we don't need to lose sight

 of all the good God has for us.

If we lose sight of that, we likely lose sight of joy.

There is always something we can find joy in.

For me it's a grandchild's sweet face, or one of our kids stopping by...

For me it's being surrounded by a blue sky and lots of trees.

They all remain, regardless of my circumstance.

My hope is to shake up this new year and purpose to make each
day different than the last. Challenging myself to do so!

Looking forward to what the new year holds.

I plan to enter into it refreshed, and ready for renewal to take place!

Every year I have a word for the year....it hasn't come to me just yet, 

and like every year, I anxiously wait for it to become clear.

May you each enter in to the New Year with a sense of renewal and refreshment!

Look for the joy, it's there!

It's what echos from my heart today.....