Love is...

“Love is a many-splendored thing.”  “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”  “If you love someone, set them free.”  And on and on…I know so cheesy, but this is how the world defines love!

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine’s Day…or as we singles call it: Singles Awareness Day!  I’ll have to admit, I’m usually sad or depressed on Valentine’s Day since I don’t have a special someone in my life.  However, I’ve been sick recently and have spent more time on getting well, than dwelling on this day, so perhaps the Lord allowed my sickness for a reason??  I don’t know for sure, but I decided this year, I wasn’t going to let it get me down! 

Just because I don’t have a husband, boyfriend, or a significant other at the moment, doesn’t mean that I don’t have the love of my family and friends!  I believe my family is THE BEST ever I have some very close, awesome friends!  But, the greatest love of all is from my Heavenly Father who loves me unconditionally!  What more could I ask for??  Let’s face it, our earthly love for one another is so shallow sometimes: “I only love you if you love me!”  Or, “I love you if or because you do something for me!”    But, Jesus loves me with an “everlasting love.”  John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus did that for ME and I’ll take this kind of love over human love any day!

I’ve realized recently that I spend too much time dwelling on things that I don’t have instead of being satisfied and grateful for what I do.  I’m blessed beyond measure!  Of course it’s easy to say this now when I’m not in the middle of feeling lonely or sorry for myself, but I can choose to be happy and content and this is what I’m choosing!

There’s a chorus to a song that Rodney Griffin wrote…he sings with Greater Vision who is one of my favorite Southern Gospel groups.  Ivan Parker made it popular…here’s a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GolaUfFdWB0&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLD05CF2A200C555F3

I choose to believe that You are faithful and my heart is in Your hands

And this mystery that I face today is part of a greater plan

I choose not to be discouraged when the sun will not break through

I have a choice of trusting You, so Lord this is what I choose

If I'd Had My Way

You know the old slogan from Burger King, “Have it your way”!  Well, as much as we’d like to, we don’t always get our way.  When we’re kids, we think our parents are so mean if we want something and don’t get it.  I mean, if they loved us, they would give it to us, right?  How immature our thinking!  I remember when I was growing up and I would want something so badly, I could hardly stand it!  While I didn’t have everything I wanted, I had everything I needed!  But, I’ll have to admit, I usually got what I wanted…within reason, of course.  However, there were the occasions when I’d want something and I just couldn’t understand why mom wouldn’t let me have it or if I wanted to go somewhere and she wouldn’t let me.  While I didn’t like it at the time, Mom was just doing what she thought was best for me!

Now that I’m older, there are still things I want, but don’t have.  Lisa says since I’m the baby, I’m spoiled.  And I like it that way – HA!  And people assume since I’m single, that I have no responsibilities…right??  Wrong!  I still have bills, rent, and food to buy.  But there are things I still want like a husband or a new car or some other unfulfilled desire.  I mean, I’m a good person, I try to be obedient and do right.  So why am I still unmarried?  Well, I really have no clue, but do know what the Bible says in Psalm 84:11, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”  So, I know the Bible is true and God’s way is perfect!  I have to trust that God knows what He’s doing.  He’s a lot smarter than I am!  So, my logic is I guess I don’t NEED a husband or it’s just not good for me right now.  Maybe someday…until then, my heart will go on singing!  Sounds like a song!  HA!

This is song sang me into work this morning!  While it’s several years old, the message is still as strong today as when I first heard it! 

If I’d Had My Way

By Janet Paschal

If I’d had my way about it, I’d of danced in grassy fields and fragrant meadows

And risen in the morning with the robins’ lovely melody

I’d of rested in wide spaces high above the hurting places and found a cross that asked much less of me

Never sailed through raging wind or troubled sea

If You thought it best to leave it up to me

But if I’d had my way I might have been wading through the river, when You wanted me to walk upon the sea

And if I’d had my say and all of my wants and whims and wishes, You knew how weak, how shallow I would be

If I’d had my way

If I’d had my way about I’d of only known your majesty and glory

And passed that cup of sorrow to somebody else more willing to receive

I’d of written lovely phrases; inspiring lofty praises and soared above my own humanity

Wounded wouldn’t die; hearts wouldn’t bleed

If all along You’d left it up to me

I trust Your wisdom over mine ‘cause You’ve proven over time that in my narrow way of seeing things

I’d leave the best behind sometimes; I might not have stayed as close if I’d had my way!

Never say "NEVER"!!

I know you’ve heard that saying before, “I’ll NEVER do that!”  I’ve said it too!  Truth is, we should never say that we’ll never do something because most of what we say we’ll never do, is THE very thing we end up doing!  When I was a teenager, our youth director would encourage us to do right and stay out of trouble.  He sounded like a broken record.  And yes, I got tired of hearing it, but I never forgot it either!  I remember several teens saying “Don’t worry, we’ll never do that!”  Most of them ended up doing things they never thought or said they would do.  That’s one of the reasons to stay faithful in church and in your daily devotions!  Not to brag, but I’ve been having my “be still” time with the Lord since I was a teenager.  I remember reading something as a kid that has stuck with me: “Never start the day with the face of your soul unwashed.”  I learned very early that it’s so important to put God first and everything else will fall into place. Have I ALWAYS done that??  No, not always, but Praise the LORD times are the exception and not the rule!

I am so grateful for God’s Word!  As much as all the “always” things of God are promised, it’s just as important to emphasize the “never(s)” He has promised as well!  Of course we’re familiar with the promise of “I will never thee nor forsake thee.”  But I found a “never” you might not be as familiar with!  It says in 2 Peter 1:4-10: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”  If I continue to add to all these things above, I will NEVER fall!  How AWESOME is that?? 

Farewell to 2011

As I look back over this year, I have to say it’s been great!!  However, it didn’t start out that way!  The New Year brought sickness to me and my family – a stomach bug that seemed to go on for weeks!  Then I pulled my back in February and couldn’t sleep in a bed for 5 months (although it seemed longer!)  All that aside…there’s a lot of good things that happened too!  In March, Lisa and I did the Daniel Fast for the WHOLE month!  If you’ve never done it, you should try it.  We managed to stick it out a whole month…wasn’t easy, but we prevailed.  April brought the threat of a Fed Gov’t shutdown (AGAIN) and NASA celebrated the 30^th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program.  In May, I got to see Space Shuttle, Atlantis, roll out to the launch pad for the last time.  It was also Lisa’s 50^th birthday, so we got to live it up in Hershey at the Chocolate Spa!  It was wonderful!! I was able to see Space Shuttle Endeavour land safely for the last time in June.  My good friend Shannon Dove and her family came home from Costa Rica on a medical furlough in July.  So glad she’s home now, but we’re still praying for answers and resolutions to Rick’s illness!  I also saw Atlantis take her last flight in July – very bittersweet and so ends the Shuttle Program!  My uncle passed away in July as well, so we made a quick trip to Alabama and enjoyed time with family amid the sad circumstances.  I experienced my first, and hopefully last, earthquake in August.  We also survived my birthday weekend amid the impact of Hurricane Irene!  I was able to visit the Glenn Research Center for the first time in September.  And then October brought one of the best vacations I’ve ever had thanks to God, Lisa, Melinda, and Sallie! J  Melinda came for a visit in November for Thanksgiving!  And here we are in December again…in spite of Lisa cracking her foot, we made it through all the extra rehearsals for the Christmas program at church! 

It truly has been a GREAT year and I’m very thankful for every part…not just the good parts, but the hard parts too.  The tough parts keep us depending on God and just when I need Him, He is near!  Can’t wait to see what next year has in store!! 

Blessings,

Dawn

Christmas Time's A-Comin'!!

Christmas is my favorite time of year!!  I love all the lights and decorations – they just make me smile!!

When we were growing up, we went to a fairly small church.  We always had a Christmas play and Lisa and I always got the most lines.  I wonder why?  At any rate, it was the same routine every Saturday up until the play…we would go to the church for practice with curlers in our hair (so our hair would look good for church the next day) and go over all the songs, poems, and lines of the play.  Then, the night of the performance came…yikes!  I remember it very vividly – I was in the 7^th grade and had been playing the clarinet for over a year.  I was asked to play Silent Night for the program.  Everything was going well, until I got to the part “all is calm; all is bright” and then I squeaked!  I just wanted to die right here on the platform!!  I tried to recover and stop, but the more I tried, the worse it got!  Someone behind the scenes asked Lisa, “Why is she making that noise?”  Well, it wasn’t a noise I WANTED to make – believe me!!  I can’t remember if I played another verse or not, but that song seemed to last an eternity!! I finished the song and was so very thankful it was over!  To this day, Silent Night is NOT on my list of favorite Christmas carols!  LOL

Dying to Live

In order to live for Christ, we must die to sin and self daily.  Easier said than done!  This was in my devotions a few days ago and was a real blessing to me.  Enjoy!!

“A Christian has died to sin. Sin has no control over a corpse. Temptation can present itself enticingly and persistently, yet a corpse will not succumb! Before you were a Christian you were keenly susceptible to sin. Sin held you in its grip. When you became a Christian, your old self died (Gal. 2:20). Sin now has no more control over you than temptation has over a corpse. You have died to sin. You can still sin, but you are no longer in sin’s power. If you choose to succumb to temptation, you are rejecting the freedom from sin that Christ gained for you by His death.

God’s grace is a further motivation for us to resist sin. It was God’s grace that enabled Jesus to endure mocking, beating, and crucifixion at the hands of those whom He had come to save. It was grace that led God to forgive our sin despite our rebellion against Him. It is this same grace that God expresses toward us each time we sin against Him. Knowing this grace, we cannot continue to practice sin (Rom. 6:1–2). We cannot presume upon God’s forgiveness by committing further offenses.

You are no longer the helpless victim of your sin. The victory has already been won. God does not have to win a victory over your sin; He already has! You only need to apply His victory to each area of your life. If there is a sinful habit, an ungodly attitude, or an unrighteous relationship that you need to put to death, claim the victory of Christ’s resurrection today. Then you will be free to experience the abundant life that God intends for you.” ~Blackaby

So are you living to die or dying to live??  It's your choice!

I Believe...

I read this today and it was an encouragement to me...hope it will be to you as well!!

I believe today will be a good day because God made it.
{Psalm 118:24}
I believe I have all I need to accomplish His purpose in my life.
{2 Peter 1:3}
I believe nothing is too difficult for me because nothing is impossible for the God who lives in me.
{Philippians 4:13}
I believe even the biggest challenges in my life can be redeemed for my good and His glory.
{Romans 8:28}
I believe I am loved just as I am and called to become even more like Jesus every day.
{Hebrews 10:14}
I believe that He isn't finished with me yet and is able to complete the good work begun in me.
{Philippians 1:6}
I believe I am an overcomer, more than a conqueror, and nothing will keep God from carrying out His plans!
{Romans 8:32-39}
Can I get an "amen" or a "yoo-hoo"?
--Holley Gerth