I need you Jesus

Deven is talking about marrying Danny.....  lord I am so sad.  I dont even know what to do..... please help me....

Psalm 70:1-5 NIV

Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, Lord , to help me. May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!” But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; Lord , do not delay.

Mercy

1 a :  compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power ; also :  lenient or compassionate treatmen

The Lord put this on my heart as I drove to church alone.... I need to have mercy on others, as God has really had so much mercy on me.

How does one do these things?

As I read this, I continally have the question run through my mind.... HoW? 
Romans 12:1-21 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

  (This is most likely HOW) 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.   For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

(There are body parts we naturally cover up.  You could probably write a parody on the charateristics we give out body parts and how they relate to us as believers.)

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying

( not sure I would want this gift.... but I would like to speak in tongues....or experience the baptism of the holy spirit, if it is different than how I experience Him now. )

then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

 ( * i do not know what showing mercy means....*)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

(I do know that being devoted to one another in love is only possible by the Holy Spirit.  )

This is where things get tough! 

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

It is so easy to lose our spiritual fervor.  I get so caught up in the things of the world....in pleasing others....  
But this is what I need to do to keep my spiritual fervor...to be able to...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Be joyful in hope, ( joy comes from setting your mind on things above... I HAVE to SET IT..... (Phil 4:8) )

patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. ( giving, I have to give to the Lord’s people in need....)

Practice hospitality. ( I can do this here.  It doesnt say when you have a nice house.... ha...or even running water.  I have something people are interested in.  Horses. ..I need to practice hospitality with them!  )

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ( there seem to be a few people who persecute me.  How can I bless them?  By forgiveness.  Never saying unkind sarcastic words about them.  Even in my own home.  OK...THIS I KNOW REQUIRES THE HOLY SPIRIT....I DREAM IN SARCASM....  father, i would like an opportunity to put this is practice. )

Wow.... so I am here thinking about Heather...and maybe I ought to pray for her....and God just spoke to my heart.... what about blessing Craig? He hasnt persecuted me per se....but...there are times like now....when I feel so far away from him.  When I feel he is disappointed or upset or whatever it is im feeling...for things out of my control...I didnt ask to let Deven borrow the tractor and I didnt catch it on fire... so I dont understand why I feel as though I am the one being punished?  But it is times lime this I should bless my husband and not curse him. 
---------------- will need to revisit the below part-------

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.   Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”    Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Respect dare..

Its been a while

How...

ISA 61:7 NIV

Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.

How can this be Father?  How can I have everlasting joy if my kids dont know you?

Too needed

Do You Ever Feel Too Needed?

Philippians 2:3 says to regard others more than yourself. The Holy Spirit wants to develop in us a desire to prefer others and meet their needs. However, living this way can sometimes be tiring. Let's face it - we all have days when we don't want to go out of our way to help someone else.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed trying to help others the way I think I should. At times it seems all of my family members need me, my employees need me, my friends need me, and they all need me in different ways.

Do I ever feel too needed? Yes! And it's OK if you do too. We all feel overwhelmed from time to time. But we must remember that God gives us grace to do whatever He's asking us to do.

When you feel weary trying to meet the needs of others, go back to Philippians 2:3 and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Humble yourself before God and He will strengthen you to be there for the people in your life that He's asking you to help.

Prayer Starter: God, I want to obey Your Word and regard others more than myself. When I'm struggling, lacking a desire to help others and feel overwhelmed, give me Your grace and strength to love and help the people You've placed in my life.

Thank you Jesus for blessing me.   Thank you for speaking to me the last couole of days.  For the confirmation that YOU created me to be me....and that I am an approval junkie..... but that I need to continue to be more and more like you.  Thank you for providing the way to go to Brandman. 

Missing God

I realized a couple of days ago I have been missing a real quiet time with the Lord.  Wi5h the start of summer vacation , I am wanting to get my life in order again.  More time with God, training for a triathlon(because that keeps me moving and interested), being more available to people, mainly Craig) AND BEING kinder.

I've been worrying lately.  That always tends to draw me back to quiet time.   Stayed awake much of the night worrying about having another "district principal" on our board.   Well, that, and realizing I still have the Lcap to complete. 

Finally prayed myself to sleep.  

This was very timely:

Developing an Attitude of Prayer in the Midst of Worry

When you're under pressure, it's always best to pray about it instead of talk about it. Prayer is the blueprint for a successful life.

During His time on earth, Jesus prayed. He entrusted everything to God through prayer, even His reputation and life. We can do the same. We don't have to explain all the problems to Him; we can just give them to Him and ask Him to take care of everything.

You don't have to complicate prayer. I think a lot of times people wait until they get to their quiet time or church before they really pray, without realizing that they can pray at any time. Just have confidence in simple, believing prayer. Look at Paul's instructions in Philippians 4:6-7. Instead of worrying, simply pray and ask God for help when you find yourself in a difficult situation.

The Bible tells us that God is faithful, that's one of His major characteristics. He can be counted on to come through for us when we pray to Him for help, so we should trust Him totally and completely. When we do, we'll be ready for anything that may come our way.

Prayer Starter: God, I don't want to live my life worrying. Instead, I decide today to get in the habit of praying to You at all times.

Scripture to go with it:
Philippians 4:4-9 NIV

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

And another one I am meditating on...

Colossians 4:2, 5-6 NIV

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.