what i'm learning

i love seeing God's hand in the things around me. i have been told that each snow flake is unique, each wave crests in sequence but is unique, each leaf that falls from the trees are unique, each finger print is unique...you catch my drift. and while God chose to be so detail oriented in creation He continues to be involved in each and every moment, happenning, experience of every day. when i wake up in the morning i see that the sun has risen just like it did the day before, there is air for me to breathe, water to quench my thirst; my house is warm, light comes on with the flip of a switch, my refrigerator keeps foor cold and fresh while ther oven is calibrated to heat and cook as it is designed. the heat, lights, fridge and oven may be "artificial" or man made but nothing is made that God didn't create either the ability or the pieces. nothing is without the stamp of God's working.

i remember as a child wondering if somehow creation was either like a dream that God was having or maybe it was more like a game He was playing. I am grateful that neither of those scenerios were correct, instead i have learned that God created us for His pleasure and that He desires intimate communion with us.

these are lyrics to a song we sing at church that remind me that even the rocks cry out and cause me to desire to praise Him more passionately:

Your voice it thunders The oaks start twisting The forest sounds with cedars breaking The waters see You and start their writhing From the depths a song is rising Now it’s rising from the ground Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours and singing Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours The earth is Yours Your voice it thunders The ground is shaking The mighty mountains now are trembling Creation sees You And starts composing The fields and trees they start rejoicing. Now it’s rising form the ground It’s rising from the ground Hear us crying out Hear us crying out Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours and singing Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours The earth is Yours

lip smacking!

so instead of going to bed all snuggled up and keeping warm i was out in the yard in sweats and flats collecting snow!! i can't remember the last time i had snow cream, hehe! anyway, i don't have any very profound thoughts tonight.

isn't it grand that God makes fresh fallen snow, ahhhh.

one last thought...check out tim hawkins on youtube, good laughs and watching them while eating snow cream is a great combo!

it's snowy

i look out my window on the undisturbed snow and think about everything it's covering up: the dead grass, dirt and mud from last summer, uneven and rough soil and terrain, trash and junk left out in the yard...but today i see none of that, i see a fresh, smooth, clean landscape.

isaiah 1:18
your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be white as snow

Jesus shed His blood so that our dirt, dead areas, rough patches, junk may be covered and made new.

in moments like these

it is so easy to sing of God's goodness when things are going great but when faced with uncertainties and questions it is so much harder. that's why i am constantly surprised when i catch myself suddenly singing this song...
In moments like these I sing out a song,
I sing out a love song to Jesus.
In moments like these I lift up my hands,
I lift up my hands to the Lord.

Singing I love You, Lord.
Singing I love You, Lord.
Singing I love You, Lord,
I love You.

i wonder sometimes about what the writer of this song was going through when he penned these words? was he standing in a worship service surrounded by a crowd of people lifting praises to God? had he just received wonderful news? was it Easter morning and he was overrun with emotions of the Saviors Resurrection? or was he possibly sitting next to the bed of a dying loved one? was he in the middle of a work lay off? was he feeling some sort of persecution? were life's stresses mounting up?

excited expectancy

i went to bed last night excited that it was sunday and that involved church. i woke up this morning and felt a real sense of expectancy for what God might have in store for me at church. i dressed my best...what an outfit!! (sorry, that's a different post!)...because i like dressing my best for going to The Lord's house. i get to church still excited, expecting, looking my best and walk into the sanctuary and realize the message was on parenting. well um, that's not really me.

boy am i glad i went to church this morning and that i went expecting! God touched on an area of my heart that i tend to keep pretty protected. i fell on my knees at the altar weeping as God refreshed my knowledge that He has my life in His hands. He reassured me that He knows my heart's cry. i must continue to lean on and find my security, peace, joy in Him because He is all that i need. no human will ever fill that need.

i could have easily sat back and enjoyed the laughs, sang the songs, celebrated communion and packed up and gone home unchanged. i could have crossed my legs, folded my arms and been bored, upset and dare i say even bitter and left hurting and angry.

i'm sure we have all seen those posters that say things like "attitude is everything". not patting myself on the back but rather being thankful for those who have ingrained in me to come expecting.

i came, i expected, i received and i go away praising.

what a day!

i had the greatest lunch with a couple of great friends that i never see any more and got rid of this huge piece of furnature which had taken over my living room and now, if i was at home i would be smelling the wonderous food cooking for tonight's ladies get together! actually the day started better than that...a super fun and refreshing email from my best friend before i was even out of bed!

now it's on to doing some serious redecorating, well mostly moving stuff around and getting rid of the next huge piece of offending furnature, my broken down consel tv from another era. i'm really excited to see how it's all going to look once it's done and best yet, i don't think i need to buy any other furnature but in the end things will look so much more cozy. i might even see about getting my zebra rug professionally cleaned and bring it back out...

would you believe that i just did an image search and my very tv came up on page one! that's slightly frightening, lol.

now i need to move my lovely red couch and antique teal chair...don't judge me, i love my antique teal upholstered rocker. it actually looks just like this one pictured except mine is bright teal wool. my mom brought it home for me when going through things at my grandparent's house before the house was sold. if i have the story straight this is the same chair that my great-grandmother used for years. surprisingly it is still very comfortable and rocks nicely. it has beautiful claw feet that almost didn't make my move but thankfully a friend realized that they must belong to something important and rescued them! my couch is just another fun story. i quite literally bought it from a girl who was moving out of my apartnemt  building the same time i was moving in. we took it from her trailer to my living room. i had told a friend just minutes before that i really wanted a red couch and God heard my request. i love how He does that some times :)

and just this morning i realized that with all this furnature moving i can bring out another prized piece...my custom built hope chest from my grandpa, ahh life is good!

oh and so many more great things to mention...it's looking more and more likely that my new niece or nephew will be born today or at least this week!! and on this dreary day i got to thinking that this is just the kind of day that Jesus may return...nobody is suspecting. may we always be prepared for that glorious day.

something tasty

one of my favorite things about Christmas is all of the scrumptous foods! this year i tried something different on recomondation of a 2 minute clip of some cooking show i caught. it was easy, it was tasty, it was pretty, it was gone really fast!

APPLE APPITIZER PIZZA
1 refridgerator pizza crust
1/2 cup apple butter
1/2-3/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
1/2 apple, chopped finely (i left the skin on for color)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
6-8 slices canadian bacon, chopped

spread pizza dough on the back side of a cookie sheet. evenly spread apple butter cover with cheese and top with apples, onion and bacon. bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. cheese will be hot and bubbly. cut in squares and enjoy.

my sister in law made some delicious chicken that was also new to our buffet: thinly sliced chicken breasts baked or maybe crock-potted in sweet baby ray's bbq sauce and jack's hot sauce. the hot sauce made for a really nice kick!

another sister in law also used jack's hot sauce: she fried up some pork sausage and chopped onion and rolled it into a stromboli along with grated cheddar and baked it. the jack's sause was then served as a dipping sauce. this was really, really good!

we also went through 2 batches, or should i say 2 casserole dishes of ruben dip which i've tweaked over the years into something that i will shamelessly admit to being near perfect! and my swiss cheese dispising brother's even quickly devour :)

we had so many little smokies that the crock-pot was never empty for long, sauted mushrooms, cubed cold cuts, countless cheese balls, jalapeno dill pickles, cheese dips, homemade candies, wrapped candies, nuts, cinnamon rolls, spiced cider, punch, coffee with all sorts of flavored creamers, snack mixes, jalepeno bacon wraps, relish trays, artichoke hearts, spicy peanuts in the shell...it was a yummy day!