Lately I have been working on a song which shares a bit about my struggles. I am so often humbled by how forgiving my God is! I hate it when I make the same mistakes over and over again. I want to be so "tuned in" and sure of the Holy Spirit's voice that my words are always right, timely and true. I know words are powerful. I guess know I can be really impatient! I am working on it -- which is why I am so grateful for the patience and forgiveness of my wonderful Lord!

In the past, I have ruined so many things by being impatient. I know I have also hurt the feelings of others. So, I am often asking God to be Lord of my MOUTH! I do not want to be negative, and I do not want to impulsively just blab without thinking. Lord, teach me to be wise, too, please! My mom used to have a sign over the phone that said something like, "MAKE SURE BRAIN IS ENGAGED BEFORE OPENING MOUTH." Yeah... good advice!

Anyway... here is the song. As yet, it has no title. Any ideas?

I don't want to speak
When I should be still.
You know I like to talk,
And I will

Lord, You know what is best,
So put me to the test.
I don't want to talk when I should be still.

I don't want to run
Ahead of you.
They say I am impatient,
And it's true.

But my life is in Your hands,
And I trust Your Master Plan,
So, I don't want to run ahead of You.

And I will not be still
When I should speak
Sometimes I do get scared,
And I am weak

But Your message is so true,
There is lots for me to do,
So, I will not be still when I should speak.

Blessings on your week, folks!

Are you as tired of gray Winter days as I am? If you aren't, you don't live in Denmark! We have had very little snow, but lots and lots of rain and fog. I miss colors and sunshine! When I feel like that, my husband takes me to Plantorama! I bring my camera and enjoy just walking around in the greenhouse taking photos. I love to soak up the glorious riot of colors and remind myself that Spring will come.

(Psalm 104:19 NLT) You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set.

(Psalm 3:3-4 NLT) But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the One who holds my head high. I cried out to the LORD, and He answered me from His holy mountain.

(Psalm 16:7-8) I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.

(Luke 12:28 NLT) And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

(Psalm 18:2-3 NLT) The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies.

(Song of Solomon 2:12 NLT) The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.

(Psalm 13:5-6 NLT) But I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because He is good to me.

(Psalm 68:19 KJV) Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

I like this verse best from the King James. I do feel that God "loads my life" with so many blessings! I will never stop claiming His wonderful faithfulness! He is a God who can be trusted. He is a God who keeps His word. He knows how to care for what belongs to Him ---- and I do!

Winter does give me more time to work on projects. Lately I have been making wreaths using old books. I like the way they look. I especially like to use old books, because the pages are yellowed, and I like that.

This wreath was made from rolling the pages. Thank you, Pinterest for good ideas!

I made this button wreath several years ago. It took me a long time to collect the buttons! I hang it on my front door during the Christmas season. Sorry the picture is not so great. My camera does much better in natural light.

I like "re-purposing" things. I look for things in second hand shops that I can breathe new life into. I am currently working on an afghan which will me made of yarn leftovers and the bits and bobs of yarn I pick up from second hand shops. I am thankful that God "re-purposed" my life! I am so glad that He saw something in me He could make good and useful.

Hubby rescued this oak bench from a second hand shop. It was broken and dull. He fixed it up and I just love it! I have loaded it with some of my plants and second hand shop odds and ends. I like the look. Do you? I know... it is a bit blurry. Can I blame the camera?

I love this sign my daughter gave me. It makes me cry and smile at the same time! I also like this sign that says STAY POSITIVE. Good advice, for sure! It is in the bathroom where our washing machine is located.

So --- whatever you are doing during these cold Winter days, remember that Spring is coming. Stay positive. Remember you are cherished by the King. Let Him make something beautiful of your life!

Blessings!

Is there some secret to having a better life? Are there things we need to be doing (or NOT doing!) that will make things go better for us? Remember in Sunday School when the teacher talked about the way to have joy?

J -- Jesus
O -- Others
Y -- You

The idea is that if you really want a good and joyful life, you should put Jesus first. Next, care about others, and last, think of yourself. I am not sure you can really make joy such a simple formula, but I do know that things go better in my life when I put Jesus first. I also think caring about others is important. (Although for me that means a lot of time spent on my knees in prayer.) I have learned I can't change anybody, but it has not stopped me trying! Our old pastor used to say, "There is only one Savior, Mae, and it's not you." Good to remember, don't you think? It is hard to see people you care about doing dumb things, though. But, we just have to be the best influence we can, and PRAY!

As far as putting yourself last, well --- I don't know. I know we should not be whining, obnoxious, selfish and all that, but taking care of yourself is important. As I get older and my body defies my will in many ways, I see the importance of taking care of myself. I like to work hard. I used to be able to push myself, but these days, it doesn't work so well. If I am in pain because I have not used wisdom and have overdone, I am not very nice or very useful to anyone, so in this regard, I need to think of myself.

I guess I am wandering a bit here, but what I really want to say is that living a balanced life -- a life of moderation -- is a good thing. Eating cookies is not wrong. Eating a dozen cookies is excessive and out of balance. Buying yourself something you like or need is not wrong. Being a "shop-aholic" is out of balance. Putting on a few pounds over the holidays is not terrible. Keeping those pounds, and adding more is unhealthy and out of balance! Your home does not always have to look like the cover of Home Beautiful, but don't take too long to clean and tidy. It's all about finding the balance. I believe that is what makes me feel right.

Sure, it is good to have things in your life you are passionate about, but usually, if these things consume all your time, money and energy, you are out of balance. Well, having said that, I also want to say that I don't think you can EVER have too much of God. I don't think you can ever have too much of spending time with Him! In fact, He is the one who teaches me what real balance is. He is the one who helps my life find the right rhythm. His wisdom guides me.

(Proverbs 16:32 NLT) Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

If I were the type to make resolutions in the new year, I think living a Christ-centered, well balanced life would be the best one I could think of!

What is truth? It seems like an easy enough question to answer, but when you observe the lives of different people you start to wonder. It seems to me that there are some people who base truth simply on whether or not they have decided to believe something. But, does that make it true? Is something true because you heard it on the news? Read it on Facebook? A friend or acquaintance shared it? What constitutes truth? So much of the media is hype. So often declarations and "evidence" can be slanted in whatever direction is felt right to the individual writing/reporting. Most radio and TV broadcasts have an agenda, and they decide what, and how to report what they put out there. I must admit that over the years I have gotten very suspicious of a lot of what is reported as "truth." Often, there are conflicting reports. Then what do you believe? The one you like best? Crazy.

There is a source of absolute truth. I believe it can only come from God and His Spirit. The Bible says He cannot lie, so it seems to me, He would be the best resource for truth. Oh sure, I know there are those who say the Bible is a book of myths, or just nice stories. They say it is "outdated" and not relevant for today. Baloney.

All I know is that when I read the Bible, it speaks to something deep within me. It gives me hope. It points me in the right direction. It helps me understand life. I also sense that as I read, God is revealed to me more and more. I see His faithfulness to mankind. I read of of His incredible wisdom and love. I choose to trust in the Bible as absolute truth, and I have to say it has never let me down. When I choose to live by the principles revealed there, life is just.....GOOD. When I choose to treat people the way God asks me to, I am blessed. When I make decisions based on what the Bible says is right, I have peace. I haven't found these things anywhere else.

(Psalm 25:5 NLT) Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.

(Psalm 86:11 NLT) Teach me Your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You.

It is interesting that all through the Gospels, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth....." But, maybe that isn't so surprising, considering Jesus IS THE TRUTH! (John 14:6 NLT) Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.

I guess in this day and age, you can believe any crazy thing you want to. If you want zombies or vampires to be real. Sha-zam! For you, they're real. If you want to believe the earth is drifting out of orbit and will crash into the sun.... uh... OK. But I know there is something deeper --- something better--- than just making it up as you go along. I choose to go to the source of all truth. Almighty God. It's undoubtedly the best choice I have ever made.

Before my husband was a pastor, he was an electrical engineer. (Talk about a career change, right?) He told me once about when he was working on a job where everything seemed to be going wrong. His co-worker was getting more and more frustrated, and his language was getting worse and worse. My husband finally stopped him and said, "Correct me if I am wrong, but this job is going pretty wrong, isn't it?"

The guy agreed, It sure is!

My husband asked, "Then, why do you keep asking God to damn it? It seems to me, what we really need is God's BLESSING!"

Well, the man sputtered and blinked and finally came up with, "It's just an expression!"

Is it? Is it really? Because God is real, and He comes when we call His name. He is listening to everything we say. Everything.

(Matthew 12:36 NLT) And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

Maybe we need to be more careful about what comes out of our mouths. Maybe we should think about using our words to bless and not to curse. Maybe we could work at making our speech more encouraging. Words are powerful things. They can build up or tear down.

(Prov. 18:20-21 NLT) Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

Do your words inspire? Do they create a sense of goodness? Are they wise? Do your words express that you care? Let's think about it.