SO OUT of Shape!

My goodness how sorrowful this old tent is!

Yesterday I entered into the beginning of my world of "Exercise"
Ahhh what joy to lay on the floor and discover the bones I haven`t felt
in a long, long time! Ouch!!!

I want to lose weight and feel good.
Although yesterday was the first day...great things happened within my head...Yeah I did it!!!
The first step is the biggest one, and the hardest!
And so, there is NO stopping me now!!!

So off I go to my "Salsa Cardio" Class!

My goal is to be, inside and out, a Fabulex fifty year old... ;) <---big smile!!!

Taking A Step Of Faith

Funny how when you get a little older in life things change.

I am at a place in my life where I am willing to take a chance..
Be open to what ever the Lord may have for me...take a risk, I quess you
could say...I`m not saying it`s easy..there is hard work involved in being
Vulnerable. But it`s a good thing... Because through it, I seek the Lord and
am seeing Him at work within my being.....changing me from deep inside,
chipping away at those things that need to be torn down...
Although I consider myself to be a pretty open person, i`m finding as "Newness"
becomes a part of my life there are areas that must be dealt with from
the Hand of the Father....
And in the end... I believe, with all my heart, that Only Goodness will be erected!

"The Winter has past, i`m walking through the door into Spring"
For behold, the winter has past,
The rain is over and gone.
Song of Solomon

Summer

I remember when all I wanted to do is play in dirt...plant flowers, make the garden beautiful and so on...It`s funny how a little chandelier, some garden decor, a place to set and the singing of some blue birds can brighten up your day.....

It doesn`t take much to bring a little beauty into one`s life....God has blessed me in so many ways that I do not ever take this for granted...in fact, I think about it daily...His goodness and the covering of His perfect Grace over my life...

God has made everything beautiful in it`s time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

A DAY AT THE BEACH......

Today I took off for the day and went to the beach with one of my closest friends.
It really was a super blessed day.....

I am the kind of person who will take any situation and see or should I say, look for the good in it...as they say...if you have lemons, make lemonade, and I do love lemonade!

We did alot of hiking and it really was fun!
That is until I fell....I fell down some rocks. My friend said it looked like I was falling in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n LOL!
Oh yes, I can certainly laugh about it, even though I was in a lot of pain, ha ha ha....
I scraped my back up pretty good, and really, I was hurting all over...

All I know is....it didn`t ruin such an amazing day of......
Taking in all of God`s beauty through the ocean and all of His wondrous creation
...

This Old Table

The passion to paint.

I`ve been thinking more each time as I find a new piece of furniture about the process of making something that is old and worn and not so pretty, into something beautiful.....

It`s kinda what the Father desires for me..I don`t consider myself to have that

"outward beauty" BUT I so desire to reflect His Beauty within my very being...

So much He is showing me, as I am beginning to understand this crazy passion to paint...

I will try to articulate it another time......

Ensenada Mexico

I had the opportunity to go to Mexico with my church..... It was an amazing blessed time of ...

fellowship, ministry, and allowing God to minister to my very soul..

It was like a cup of cold water,

A group of diverse people, young and old with the most important thing in common...

THE LORD.....

We spent Sat. working at an Orphanage, helping with a variety of things that needed to be done,I washed outdoor tables and chairs the children use and also weeded and cleaned up a flower garden Bed. Acuple of the younger one`s of the group got Baptized! That was a real blessing to see.

Sunday we ministered to the woman and children at a abuse shelter

and had a church service for them
These are pictures of the weekend, of Faith, Fun and Fellowship,

As God was working.....He`s always working....

I was so blessed beyound words, to be able to be apart of something that the

Lord put together....

Phil Wickham

So one of my favorite Christan music artist was our "special quest" singer Sunday Morning

http://www.thepackinghouse.org/

Well, needless to say, Phil Wickham was amazing.....

But to tell you the truth, it almost felt like a tease, because I didn`t want him to stop!

He truly was great...

Thanks Phil, for sharing your most incredible gift, glorifying the Lord...

Create In Me.......

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

Happy Valentines Day....
May our hearts grow closer to our Heavenly Father
and long to be more and more like Him,
who`s Love is perfect in every way...

Colossians 3:12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

A LABOR OF LOVE

So I spent the day with my BFF`s Mom, as Teresa and her `Brand New`husband, Mark, were away on their very first Marriage Retreat.
Regina, Teresa`s Mom, `Puppy sat`their Dog Rocky, at their home...
So her and I hung out and what started out to be a "lesson in Crocheting" ended up to be something totally different...
Regina, who i`ve known for most of my life, was ever so kind to knit me this BEAUTIFUL scarf, that I absolutely am in love with! Can you tell ?!?!
I will treasure it always....not because it`s so beautiful to me or not because it will keep me nice and warm, but... because it was... a labor of love.......

Thank you Regina for my beautiful scarf and for teaching me a thing or two!

The Path Of Perseverance by Amy Carmichael

Long is the way, and very steep the slope,
Strengthen me once again, O God of Hope.

Far, very far. the summit doth appear,
But Thou art near my God, but Thou art near.

And Thou wilt give me with my daily food,
Powers of endurance, courage, fortitude.

Thy way is perfect, only let that way
Be clear before my feet from day to day.

Thou art my Portion, saith my soul to Thee
O what a Portion is my God to me.

I need endurance, courage and fortitude, right now in my life...
It seems like work get`s harder and harder these day`s.
I quess it`s because the world is getting darker.
I am called to be a light and I will continue to trust in HIM who has called me to be a light...

Matthew 5:15-17 says this -
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Amen!

`CONSIDER OTHERS BETTER THAN YOURSELVES`

Philippians 2:1-3 (NIV)

Imitating Christ's Humility ......
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Father I long to be like you...
may my joy be complete in you and you alone, having the mind of Christ,
having the same love, doing nothing out of selfish ambition but in humility,
may I consider others better than myself....

Praise be to God that He, in the midst of our depravity, drew us to Him with the sweet chords of His melodious grace. We were wretched and iniquitous, yet He chose to love us freely.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, provider of our salvation and promise of hope!

IN THE GARDEN

In The Garden
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me.
And He tells me I am His own,
And the Joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.