Xanga has been a wonderful thing in my life. I have enjoyed meeting Christians from all over the world. I love the way we are a community that cares and prays for one another.Some of my Xanga friends are also on FB, and again, there is a connection -- a reaching out to one another for help and prayer in times of need.

There is something very interesting about prayer. Almost always we pray for the nicest, easiest solution, don't we? Well, of course we do. Only crazy people love to suffer! Even Jesus prayed at Gethsemane (Mat 26:39 NLT)  "... "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.'"

Jesus knew what was ahead. He had seen people crucified. His flesh did not want that. The key to Jesus' prayer is that in spite of what He wanted, He bowed to the will of His Father. There was a higher purpose to be had through the suffering. What if God had said, "OK Son, forget the cross."? Where would that leave you and me? Choosing what is easiest is not always what is best.

Looking back over my life, I have prayed a lot of prayers asking to be released from hard and painful places I found myself in. Sometimes, God had mercy on me and delivered me. Other times, He knew that if I would go through this hard thing, I would learn and grow.

(Psalm 4:1 AMP)  ...answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness (uprightness, justice, and right standing with You)! You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me and hear my prayer.

Maybe you were told that when you became a Christian, it was all going to be lollypops and butterflies as you skipped down the golden path toward Heaven. Nope.

Usually, (being human) we would rather choose the easy way, but sometimes, the blessing is in the rocky road. (And I don't mean ice cream! ) Sometimes, we need to go THROUGH it, because God wants us to develop faith and character. God wants us to learn to lean on Him. God may even have a purpose we cannot understand. It is easy to pray, "God bless me and deliver me from all my problems." It is much harder to pray"Your will be done in my life. Use me for Your glory."

(Rom 11:33-34 NLT)  Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice?

I guess what it really comes down to is, HOW MUCH DO WE TRUST HIM?  We pray so many fear-based prayers, even though we know it is FAITH that touches the heart of God. He wants us to rest in His love. He wants us to submit to the path He has chosen for us, even if that path sometimes takes us away from the cupcakes and sunshine and leads us through some dark valleys. Oh, but He never asks us to go alone. He promises to be with us through it all.

(Isa 43:1-2 NLT) ... "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you."

I know sometimes it is hard to understand, and we like to understand, don't we? But you know what is even better than understanding? Trusting God.

...... and so the Christmas busyness has begun!

Most of us over commit ourselves, and then fret that there is just isn't enough time to get everything done. We hate it that we are throwing things together at the last minute, and we feel bad that we didn't do our best. Why do we do that?  How does this happen? Sometimes I think it is the evil plan of an enemy who hates everything Christ's birth represents to mankind. Oh, how he loves to make us feel rushed, guilty and in adequate.

Joyful anticipation, the special "magic" of the season, and the whole idea of peace on earth are replaced with stress, worry and regret. That is NOT what God intended at all. It is not what you want, either. Listen. It is not your job to make Christmas perfect! It already IS perfect. What we need to do is stay focused on what this time of year is all about. God gave us the perfect gift of Jesus. Incredible. Selah. (Pause, reflect and think calmly about that.)

Do yourself a favor. Take out your calendar right now and write in some quiet times for yourself. Make it a priority. Find some time each day, even if it is just 15 minutes, when you can just sit quietly and reflect on what Christmas really means. Force your mind away from that crazy list you have in your head. Tell God ten things you are grateful for. Thank Him for the gift of His dear Son. Think of all the good things. Consciously decide to choose joy. Choose peace. Then go hug someone and tell them what they mean to you! Smile. Put on some Christmas music. You will feel so much better, I promise you!

Have a blessed week!

Our mind and  thought life, can be our best friend or our worst enemy. I think sometimes we do not realize just how powerful our thoughts are. Also, sometimes I have to wonder, do my thoughts control me, or do I control my thoughts?

Proverbs 23:7a  "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

Did you know that no matter how intelligent a child may be, if you tell him every day he is stupid and worthless, THAT is what he will believe? Such power our words and thoughts hold! We can create, or we can tear down. We can encourage, or cause dismay. We do it to others with words, and we do it to ourselves with our thoughts.

How about this. You sneeze. Then, right away your mind starts in ---OH NO. I THINK I AM PROBABLY GETTING THAT COLD THAT'S MAKING THE ROUNDS OF THE OFFICE. OH! I DON'T WANT TO BE SICK FOR THE HOLIDAYS. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN NOW? I PROBABLY WILL HAVE A FEVER BY EVENING. COME TO THINK OF IT, MY THROAT IS A LITTLE SCRATCHY.

Come on now. Tell me your mind has never played that game with yourself. I do believe if you convince yourself you are sick, you WILL be sick. It's like you talk yourself into it! Do we need to just open the door and welcome in every thought? Absolutely not! Mark the bad ones RETURN TO SENDER and let them go!

My grandfather used to tell a story about a guy he worked with who was very "suggestable." One day the other guys decided to play a trick on him. All through the day, people would come over to talk to him in the shop and then say something like, "Are you feeling OK? You don't look so good." or "Frank, wow man! You look pale. Is everything OK?" Towards the end of the day, they had poor Frank convinced he was sick, and he went home early.

See how powerful our thoughts are? Kinda makes one understand that verse that talks about taking thoughts captive.

(2Co 10:5 NIV)  "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

We need to be more careful about what we allow ourselves to think about. We can talk ourselves into or out of things so easily. We make excuses. We rationalize. We imagine the worst. Sometimes we are defeated before we start because we let our minds convince us we can't do it.

The Bible mentions a lot about the need to meditate on the word of God. If we fill our minds with faith thoughts, and positive things, they can put us in a much  better place. We have to make choices. We can choose the positive, or we can let ourselves think all kinds of negative junk. I really dislike being around negative people because I have chosen not to let that stuff into my head and heart. I have had to train my mind, because it seems to want to go the wrong way if I don't pay attention.

(Psalm 94:19 NLT)  "When doubts filled my mind, Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer."

(Mat. 22:37 NLT)  "Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' "

Where do you think those bad thoughts come from? Some are probably self generated, but some also come from the enemy. He is constantly tempting us to let our minds go off in the wrong direction. He knows that wrong thoughts often lead to wrong actions, and that makes him happy. I do not like making the devil happy. Do you? Nope. Then we have to make a choice. Every day. Maybe twenty times a day! I will think about God's promises. I will meditate on His truth. I will trust Him and not allow myself to fret. I will cultivate a positive attitude and a spirit of thankfulness.

(Php 4:8 NLT)  "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Good thoughts, people! Good thoughts!

Goodness! It's been ages since I posted! We have been spending time with a special guest. Very early yesterday morning we took her to the airport, and now she is back home in Malaysia. I know she enjoyed her time in Denmark, because she told me so. We enjoyed her, too. I like learning about other cultures, and seeing Denmark through a guest's eyes. Addy had never seen it snow falling, so God obliged and gave us some. We had some sunny days, too. Denmark is very, very different from Malaysia, but Addy adjusted well.

Showing our "muscle."

I had some boots that fit her, but we had to make a trip to the second hand shops so Addy could find a warm jacket. Coming from Malaysia, she had no need for one, but here.... BRRRR! My coat is HUGE because I lost 40 pounds, but I like it big because I can wear lots of layers underneath! It has gotten REALLY cold here! Today it is 25 degrees, but the dampness in the air makes it seem even colder.

Kids are already skating at the park in Borgvold. Brrrrr!

One night we drove downtown to see the sights. I love this shot of the moon over the Domkirke.

We also visited Hjarbæk fjord. One of my favorite places. We got there just before sunset.

I like the way the twilight makes everything look "soft."

I caught a few shots of the rising mist. So eery. So beautiful.

You know how I love old graveyards. We visited this one at twilight. You can just see the moon through the trees.

Twilight makes white objects almost glow. Cemetery angel. So lovely. 

I am not the best at walking very far, so I usually got left on a park bench. I think this photo is funny, because my husband looks like he has been cut off at the waist! Really, he is just standing behind a hedge!

This photo was taken from my kitchen window! Breathtakingly lovely. See how much God loves me? He made this just for me! The old girl has had another birthday, and I think this was such a lovely present from my King!

I hope things have been well with all of you, and that you in America had a lovely Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. I choose to focus on the GOOD, and to be thankful. Don't you? Now that I have more time, I am working on a devotional post, and should have it up some time this week. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and admiring my beautiful Denmark.

Blessings!

One thing I have noticed that many people seem to struggle with is BEING YOURSELF. Most of us are much more aware of our inadequacies and shortcomings than we are our gifts and strong points. But, we all have value. God doesn't make junk, after all!

One of our biggest problems is trying to impress other people. We struggle to meet the expectations of others, even though realistically we know we will never be able to please everyone. I remember as a young teen  being ask by my mother why I couldn't be more like my sister. She was frustrated with what I wanted to do. My older sister was less of a bother, I guess. I understand my mother's feelings, but that remark hurt, because I interpreted it as meaning that ME was not good enough. ME was not pleasing. I loved my sister, but I did not want to be like her. I couldn't be like her. I was ME!

I will spare you a commentary on my years of searching for acceptance. Let it suffice that I did an awful lot of stupid stuff trying to be accepted, and I never felt I was. I never felt like I fit in. I never felt good enough.

When I went to college, I became a real and honest Christian. (Not the pretend one who acted all good and holy so people would approve of me!) It was SUCH a relief to me! I had spent to many years trying to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. God accepted me just the way I was! Incredible. And, He forgave me for my rebellion and all my foolish, people pleasing ways. It was in that reality that I finally began to like myself. Amazing. I am really kinda cool. Yes, I am!

It was so freeing to understand that now there was only ONE person I needed to please. God. If I was pleasing Him, it really didn't matter so much what other people thought. Ephesians 1:6 talks about how God has accepted us. It's wonderful to know where I fit.

I see so many young people who are struggling with the same things I struggled with. I wish them to know what I know. I understand it is a truth they must discover for themselves, but I pray for them, and when I feel led to, I talk with them.

God accepts you and loves you just the way you are. Really.

Reflections are cool. Sometimes, you have to look twice to be sure which is the original and which is the reflection.

(Titis 2:7 NLT)  And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.

We need to be careful, because others are watching how we live. They see how we treat others. They see how we handle adversity. They listen to our words to see if they reflect our actions. It is important for those who love Christ to be a reflection to others of His love, grace and forgiveness. The world does not know Jesus. But, they know you. Can they see Him reflected in your life? How you live every day is a reflection of who you are and what you believe.

(2Cor. 3:18 NLT)  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

There's an old song by Keith Green I remember. Here are some of the lyrics.
I want to, I need to, be more like Jesus.
I want to, I need to, be more like him.
Remember, there's no greater love,
Then to lay down your life for a friend.
The end of all my prayers,
Is to care like my Lord cares.
My one and only goal, His image in my soul.
Yes my weakness is revealed,
When by His stripes I'm healed.
He's faithful and He's true,
To complete the work He begins in you.

Am I reflecting what I want to reflect with my life? Am I showing others Jesus?  Are you?

(Psalm19:14 NLT)  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

(3John1:11 NLT)  Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.

What are we reflecting?

Isn’t the power of words incredible? Isn’t it amazing that God created the universe simply by speaking?

(Gen 1:3 NLT) Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

The Bible says that God made man in His image. Our words have a creative force, too. Sometimes we use them for good, and sometimes we don’t. We have all read posts, seen posters and heard sermons about how words can hurt.

I always thought that stupid child’s rhyme: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” is so untrue. I have been hurt many times by words, and I am sure you have, too.

When negative words are spoken to us by a person who has an important place in our lives, (a parent or other relative, teacher, friend, boss, etc.) it DOES hurt. Often, we find it hard to forget it, and if we dwell on it, it might begin to shape who we are, and what we think about ourselves.

I have counseled so many people who have been hurt by words; made to feel inept and worthless and small. I have experienced that same thing happen to me. If we aren’t careful, we can allow the words of others to dictate how we see ourselves. I don’t understand why we give people such power over us. Oh, but we do.

We have a choice. Yes! We can make a decision to believe what GOD says about us, and to let the hurtful words of others just slide off. OK. Sometimes it’s hard, because we CARE what others think of us, but shouldn’t we care even more what GOD thinks? His opinion of us is certainly the one that matters most, right?

I love this passage from Isaiah. God gave this promise to Israel, but I believe as a child of God, I can claim it for myself as well. I am precious in God’s sight! So are you, my friend.

(Isa 43:1,2,4 NLT) “But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.”

God says we are His beloved. He says we have value. He says He will fight for us, protect us and comfort us.

(Rom 9:25 NLT) Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, "Those who were not My people, I will now call My people. And I will love those whom I did not love before."  God is always thinking about us, and His thoughts toward us are precious. He cherishes His children.

(Psalm 139:17 AMP) "How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" 

If you have allowed the negative words of other people to shape how you feel about yourself STOP IT! Let what GOD says about you be the thing that you hold in your heart. He knows you better than anyone else ever could, and He loves you.

Most of us live too much for our feelings. We cater to our emotions. I know my emotions can take me all over the place! Some days are a wild ride!

I have to be honest with you. I have days when I don't even "feel" saved. Suppose you have been throwing up all night, and then, the diarrhea starts. GROAN. Not particularly feeling the victorious Christian life, right? But aren't you glad that our faith is not based on our feelings? It is based on ..... well, FAITH. We KNOW it to be true no matter how it looks or how we feel. Sure, it is harder when the feeling isn't there, but our relationship with Christ is more than a feeling. We have His promise that He will get us through. The Bible even says we are more than conquerors

(Rom 8:37 NIV)  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

I know. I know. You are saying, "It's not that simple You don't understand what I am going through."

No, you're right. I don't. But you know what I DO know? (From my own experience!) As long as we keep focusing on our bad situation, we will never get free of it. I once heard a preacher talk about it being wrong to "rehearse the curse." In other words, we will stay in that bad place until we learn to lift our thoughts higher. We all know people who are pickled in bitterness because they just can't let go of the hurt done to them. We know people who do nothing but complain because all they ever focus on is the negative. Their feelings rule their miserable lives. Do you want to be like that? Yeah, me neither.

So, what we have to do is focus our thoughts not on our problems, but on the PROBLEM SOLVER. Remember the promises of God. In my Bible, I write a little "P" next to every promise I find, so that when I am having a bad day, I can flip through my Bible and read the promises. Worrying and focusing on the problem only wears you down. Focusing on Lord will encourage you and lift you up!

When I was much younger, I remember so clearly one night when I was praying. It was dark in my room, and I was laying in bed saying, “God, why is it so hard to me to obey You? Why do I so often find myself doing the things I know You don’t want me to do?” It was still and my eyes were closed.

Suddenly I was aware of a light! Just a soft light, and then it was gone! I quickly opened my eyes. It scared me a little! I thought maybe an angel had shown up or something! But, a firefly had somehow got through the screen and was blinking it’s tiny light on and off.

But I was open to hear, and I was ready when Jesus spoke into my heart. “Mae, you need to love Me more.” I knew it was true. I knew if I passionately loved Him like He wanted me to, that it would be a lot easier to say no to wrong things. When you love someone, you want to please them. When you love someone, you put them first.

That really is the key to everything. LOVING HIM MORE. Maybe you love Him a whole lot already, but you can love Him more. He deserves to be loved. He has earned that by giving up His life for us. There is no greater love than that.

There are some great benefits that come to us when we love Him more.
1. Trusting Him is easier.               
2. Telling others about Him is easier.
3. Understanding His word is easier.
4. Hearing Him speak is easier.
5. Obeying Him is easier.
6. Prayer is more intimate, more powerful, more sweet.
7. Worship is a joy.

The other day I was talking to my 94 year old mom on the phone. We were talking about God. I realized with a sad heart that my mom, although a Christian, doesn’t really love God passionately. She has been a Christian for years, but she never seems to have developed that awesome factor in her relationship with Him. I know my mom respects God. She is grateful for Him. She reads her Bible and prays. She has always tried to live according to God’s rules. But, crazy in love with God? I don’t think so. It made me sad.

I have been praying for her a lot since then. I know when she gets to Heaven she will experience that love, and she will be amazed, but she could be amazed right now, and she would have a lot more joy and peace if she loved God more.

We need first to respond to God's love for us. We need to open up our hearts and let Him in to every part. We cannot hold Him at arm's length or treat Him like a guest. He wants to LIVE with us. He promises He will love us even when we mess up, and we need to promise to love Him back, even when things may not seem to be going very well. Love is more than just a feeling. It is a choice. We must CHOOSE to love and serve God. I have chosen to give my whole being to Him. I have chosen to give Him permission to do whatever He wants with me. I don't want to hold anything back from Him. I belong to Him. Doing this has been the best decision I ever made. I love my life!

I believe when we are willing to make this choice, we will experience intimacy with God. We will come so close to His heart! We will truly have a relationship with Him which is like nothing else. It's incredible!

Ask God to show you how to love Him more. Ask Him to help you. He will. The Bible says if we come near to God, He will come close to us. If you want to experience the greatest love of your life, open up your heart to Him!

Hello, dear folks!

I am back from my trip to N. Ireland. It seems like I have been gone a LONG time, but it was only a month. I did pre-post some devotionals so you would have something to read while I was away. I got home to Denmark late last Thursday, but it is taking me a bit of time to get back to things. I had a wonderful time being with my kids, Sianna and the new grandchild. She is a keeper!   Oh yes, you KNOW I have pictures!

It was lovely to see many of the friends I have made in N. Ireland, too, although I was pretty busy with taking care of Sianna (22 months) and helping with the house so my daughter could rest a bit and take care of little Aliza. You tend to forget how much WORK a toddler is! Whew! Sianna is a gem, though. I enjoyed making memories with her.

I'm not really sure how much of grandma Aliza will remember! She was born early October 3. She weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces. She looks an awful lot like her big sister did at that stage.

Here is the happy family at Cafe Maude in Belfast. WOW! The ice cream there is AMAZING!

I think this is my favorite picture of Aliza Joy. She is a very alert little person. I just loved snuggling her and soaking in that new baby experience. Whew! Saying that just made my eyes fill up with tears. Sometimes I miss them so much it HURTS. I have to say being the absent grandma is not the best. But, God gives grace! I am so thankful for the times I have been able to spend time with the grandchildren.

Sianna LOVES her little sister! She wants to hold her all the time, and she is always giving her kisses. Of course, she is so little herself, that we have to watch her, because she would LOVE to pick Aliza up! That would be a great, big YIKES!

Here's my sweet Sianna with her pumpkin, Bob. If you are a glutton for punishment, you can see more photos on FB. I can tell some of you are starting to yawn, and your eyes are glazing over! LOL!

Yep. I did make Sianna's hats, but not Aliza's sweater. I hurt my arm a while ago, and have had to curtail a lot of my crocheting. Craig and Abby are blessed with many little old ladies in their church who love to knit, so they have MANY handmade sweaters for the girls.

I hope you all have been keeping well. We Americans are sort of in a holding pattern waiting to see who our president will be. I am glad God is sovereign. Nothing surprises Him. (Psalm141:8)  "But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge.."  I think that is good advice no matter what is going on in this crazy world, don't you?

I will be back later this week to do some visiting, and to put up a devotional. Thanks for being out there.

Be a blessing!
Mae