Facing the new Year!

Last year at this time I felt more focused. By this time last year God had given me Hebrews 10:23-25 as verses he wanted me to concentrate on. This year I do not feel that. I am not starting to panic yet, I need to remember the verses God gave me to memorize through the year about "waiting", and be patient. I do not want to rush into what I "feel" God is directing me too, but to walk confidently in the direction he desires me to go. My natural tendency is to panic though. Isn't that amazing! God has shown me so much about himself and how he controls the future and I still start to panic! Ugh!!!!

I begin this new year with some uncertainty. I can't go into things right now, but I have felt a lack of peace for sometime over a particular situation, and I know that I need to be obedient to God in the acting on that lack of peace. A few weeks ago the word "disquieted" came to my mind. I looked up disquieted in the dictionary and this is the definition:

lack of calm, peace, or ease; anxiety; uneasiness.

God also woke me up at about 3 in the morning with these words going through my head "Peace, peace, where there is no peace". I got up and read the scriptures where these words could be found. They are:

Jeremiah 5:13-15

From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
'Peace, peace,' they say,
when there is no peace.

Jeremiah 8:10-12 says about the same thing.

and

Ezekial 13:9-11

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. " 'Because they lead my people astray, saying, "Peace," when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth.

I feel and yes even fear that changes are coming! Changes that are going to be hard. Changes that are going to require faith, trust, and courage. I desperately want to be obedient, and to grow closer to Christ everyday. To be conformed more and more into His likeness. So like it or not, whatever happens, may He find me faithful.

I haven't posted a lot in the last few months either. That is partly because of the overwhelmed feelings I have been having. I hope to remedy that and be on here more frequently. I just want you all to know how much I have appreciated your visits and how much visiting your blogs has blessed my life this past year.

God Bless you all as we enter 2010! May He find us faithful!!

My Verses for 2009 Part 2

Here are the final verses that I memorized this year. The last few are a bit sketchy but I have next year to continue learning them, so I am not giving up.

Hebrews 13: 5 & 6

Keep you life free from the love and money and be content with what you have, for he has said "I will never leave you nor forsake you". So we can confidently say: "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me?" (Again this verse speaks to not trusting things of this world, but the Lord. He is my helper! I do not need to fear what man can do to the body!)

Psalms 37: 7 & 8

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger, turn from wrath, do not fret it leads only to evil. (I have to be honest with you here. This verse came about because of the election last year, and what I believe this administration is about. It also deals with the hearts of man without God. I am not to let that effect me or my witness though. I need to keep my eyes on Him, knowing this is all part of His plan.)

Isaiah 46: 3 & 4

Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth, even to you old age and gray hairs, I AM he, I am he who will sustain you, I have made you and I will carry you, I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Do not fear the future, do not worry about retirement. God is over all and he will take care of you. That is what these verses say to me. Great comfort!)

I Peter 5: 6 & 7

Humble yourselves, therefore under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (Do you see that he may lift you up? It's not us! It's God! We can cast all our cares on him because he cares for us! What comfort!)

Psalms 5:3

In the morning O LORD, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (This was the beginning of my summer verses. Thought I would go easy on myself and I'm glad I did, because I didn't do such a good job staying on track. This verse means alot to me because in the morning is when I met with God for my quiet time. I can give Him my day and know that he hears me.)

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Do you see a theme here? Do you think I have an issue with waiting? That would be a BIG yes!!!! This verse helps remind me TO WAIT on Him!)

Psalm 40:1

I wait patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry. (Oh don't you just love that! He turns to me and hears my cry!!! Oh how I love that!!)

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (I think that doesn't need alot of explanation for why I picked it, or why God gave it to me. I'll let you form your own idea ; - )

Well there you have them. 28 verses total. That's not bad! Even though I didn't do so good at the end, I still memorized over 24 verses. And God used every one to conform me more this His image! So it's all good!!!!

My Verses for 2009!

Starting with the Acronym RENEW that Beth gave us, I waded into the thing called memorization with not alot of hope that I would do very well. Good way to start right!! One of the things I've learned this year is: God wants us to know him and one of the best ways to know him is to know his word, and he will give you what you need to accomplish this task.

So I began with a small verse that I needed:

Exodus 14:14

The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. (Waiting on God and being still has always been an issue for me, so I thought that this was a good one to start with)

The next one I memorized was the Hebrew 10:23-25 passage that I mentioned in the previous post.

Isaiah 33:6

He will be the sure foundation of your times. A rich store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. (This passage means alot to me because of the uncertainty of our times, and the state of the economy here in the USA and the world. When all around us is falling apart, we can trust in the sure foundation.)

Proverbs 30:7 & 8

Two things I ask of you, Oh Lord, do not refuse me before I die. Keep falsehood and lies from from me, give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. (Again God's provisions were one of the reasons I choose these verses. Also I needed to keep my priorities straight, who is my one priority - Christ, who is my daily bread.)

I Corinthians 6: 12 & 13

Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial, Everything is permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything. Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy them both. The body was not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. (This passage was one I used and continue to need in my ever present struggle with weight. Along with realizing that I made a covenant with God to be healthier.)

2 Corinthians 10: 3-5

For though we live in this world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (This passage was to remind me that I have power that does not come from me. That we have weapons that the world does not have! We can have victory over our foes!!)

John 6:27

Do not work for food that spoils but food that endures unto eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him the father has placed his seal of approval. (This again was a verse to help me in my struggle with weight. I need to focus of spiritual food, not physical food.)

Jeremiah 9: 23 & 24

This is what the Lord says:

Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boast boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight. ( these verses encouraged me to KNOW God. To recognize who he is and that he wants me to know him, and will answer that quest with a resounding YES!)

1 Chronicles 28:9

And you my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father and serve him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, He will reject you forever. (God knows my heart and my motives. I cannot hide anything from him. I need to seek him, not out of obligation or routine, but out of devotion and with a willing mind.)

I will post the rest tomorrow. Counting down to 2010! I hope and pray that I can continue to add to the list of verses that God is using to transform my heart and mind into a better reflection of his son!

Looking back, looking forward!

What a year huh! I can't believe that it is almost over! I have been trying to think of how to word my last post of the year. God has taught me so much about who he is, what he requires of me, and what I, out of the love in my heart for him desire to do for Him. Late last year God gave me the passage Hebrew 10: 23-25

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as we see the day approaching.

as an instruction passage for my life. So many times throughout the year I was brought back to this passage. It helped me to keep things in perspective, and calmed my fears and worries, when they popped up. I also studied the book of Hebrews and saw a clearer picture of Christ and what he did for me, and you.

I also began to memorize scripture with a couple of thousand other women through the LPM Blog, and Beth Moore. I did really great until the summer, and then in September when I thought I would pick it up again, I really didn't do well. I hope to continue through this year as well. Getting back on track and memorizing the verses God gives me. At the beginning of the year Beth gave us an acronym to help us in our memorization. It is RENEW:

Read it.....

Examine it.....

Need it.....

Echo it.....

Wield it.....

This helped me in choosing the verses or passages I memorized. I will be posting the verses over the next couple of posts (otherwise they would be way to long) and explain a little about why I choose them and how they helped me.

Some of the things God has taught me this year are:

• About His Sovereignty. Reading from the book of Ezekiel gave me a picture of who he is, and the control He has over ALL things.
• He is a Covenant keeper! This is so important to all of us. God has never broken any of the promises he as made to us. If we are going to make a covenant before God we need to remember his covenants, and not make it unless we determine with God's help to keep it.
• Marriage is a covenant that God witnesses. So because he puts great importance on covenants, he puts great importance on marriage.

There have been struggles, but through it all God has shown me things that needed to be pruned off, so that I can be more effective for His kingdom.

I have grown in my knowledge and love of Christ. I look forward to the coming year, and all it will entail, good and bad (even though of course I don't really look forward to the bad, but know God will work it for good!)

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year, and enjoy these last few days of 2009 with your family and friends!

Merry Christmas From our house to Yours!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Isaiah 9:6 & 7

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

May you all have a very blessed Christmas!!

A Proud Mother Sharing Memories

Jeremiah has been writing poems off and on since he was 6. Not very many, only 2 before this school assignment, but each one has touch my heart, and I just needed to share them here. This first one he just got done writing for an assignment in school:

Who I Am…

By Jeremiah VanderHelm

Who am I, you may ask?

What's in this bag that is me?

What have I done?

I have stared up at huge structures

Hewn from rock as old as time itself.

I have climbed mountains

That tell me stories of ages past.

I have swam with fish,

The cheetahs of the clear blue water.

Where have I been?

I have been to Pensacola Beach,

Where the water is as clear as glass.

I have been to Yosemite,

Surrounded by incomparable beauty.

I have been to the Sierra Mountains,

Staring down into a valley full of mist.

Who am I, you may ask?

I am who my memories have made me.

December 4, 2009

This next one he wrote when he was 6:

THE DAY HAS COME

By Jeremiah 7/24/02

The day has come to be happy come my friends.

I have a new home in peace.

I can live with Jesus in my heart.

I can love one another because I have Jesus in my heart.

I can pray for one another because I have Jesus in my heart.

I can forgive because I have Jesus in my heart.

I can trust someone because I have Jesus in my heart.

Oh God oh Mighty you can love, pray, forgive, and trust.

You are God the Mighty.

You are the king

You are the greatest man of all.

I can trust you.

Amen

I can't remember the date he wrote this last one. I think it was before the one above, so he must have been 4 or 5:

Once there was a weed, so I planted a seed.
The seed grew to a flower, good thing it wasn't sour smelled.
The flower had power.
It was to blow weeds away. Can you guess what it did?
It turned that weed into hay by blowing it away.
Jesus = Flower
Satan=Weed

My sweet young man has had some struggles in his young life, but by reading these poems I remember that God has his hand upon him, and in that I have peace.