God's Love

The Length of God’s Love

by Rick Warren

“I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky.” (Psalm 89:2 TEV)

There’s a limit to human love. It wears out; it dries up.
That’s why you have to have God’s love in all your relationships if they are going to last. God’s love never wears out. God’s love is patient, persistent, and persevering.
Isn’t it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, his love never gives up. It’s wide enough to include everybody, and it’s long enough to last forever.
God will never love you any more than he does right now. But he also will never love you any less than he does right now.
He loves you on your good days; he loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love, and his love is given freely. It cannot be earned, and it is not deserved.
Accept his love and worship him, knowing that his love is long enough to last for all time: “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully” (Ephesians 3:18-19a NLT).

(all images taken from Pinterest)

25 Things

It's January and at this time of the year we can start to feel a little down, a bit sad or just simply crabby. Some days nothing goes right. I heard a bit of advice and thought I would give it a try. Instead of journaling about your bad day, make a list of 25 things that make you feel happy. Maybe a little bit shallow but here goes....
1.Sweet old photos of adorable little children.
2.A cup of hot black tea.
3.Intricate old lace and antique buttons.
4.An unexpected sincere compliment.
5.A Bible verse read in a modern translation that speaks to my heart in a fresh way.
6.Text messages from my family. (especially when they answer my texts back)
7.Dove chocolate.
8.Comfortable cozy pajamas.
9.Slippers.
10.Pinterest.(it's a stress-reliever)
11.Working out.(afterwards~not before or during) :)
12.Homemade soup in my crock pot.
13.Little birds~reminds me of God's Love.
14.Chopped on Food Network and American Pickers on History.
15.Scented candles. (mostly baking scents like vanilla, cinnamon etc.)
16.Downton Abbey watched with my husband. (on Season Two)
17.Art and Design Magazines. (Somerset Life is my favorite)
18.Glitter. (esp. German Glass Glitter)
19.A clean kitchen. (even if I was the one that cleaned it)
20.Starbucks Peppermint Mocha.
21. Glitter nail polish. (The Living Daylights by OPI) a little bit gaudy but it makes me smile.
22. Dangly earrings.
23. Naps with my kitty.
24.Thrift Stores~good ones.
25.Wildflowers. ( minus bugs)

So what do you think? Thinking about your favorite things for a few minutes actually feels nice. It may not make your life a lot better but for a few minutes indulge yourself and think about what you like. If you are anything like me, I don't think too much about what brings a smile to my face. I am more concerned about taking care of others. Now, to go have a cup of hot tea, watch Downton Abbey and get out my glitter nail polish....oh yeah, after I throw in a load of laundry, start up the dishwasher and think about what is going in the crock pot for lunch after church! Take a few moments for yourself! God loves you and you are important to so many!

Not-so-Common Cold

I would love to know who coined the insulting phrase,"the common cold." If you are struggling with rampaging cold symptoms it feels anything but "common".

The one smart thing I did at the beginning of the week when my symptoms were beginning was make a huge pot of soup. All this week whenever I felt hungry but didn't really want to eat anything this soup filled with veggies was the only thing that really made me feel better.
I had a low grade fever and felt very weak as well as having red watering eyes and the typical nasty cold symptoms.

I shuffled around in my pjs all day with absolutely no make up on (which is astonishing even for me) and tried to comfort myself the best I knew how. Two of my children have had mono this year so in the middle of the night, I freaked myself out with the thought that perhaps I had mono. Once I calmed down and googled the symptoms on my iphone at 3AM in bed, I drank some Sleepy Time tea and realized I did not have mono....just the "common cold".

I have a flannel neck wrap filled with soothing herbs that I heat in the microwave and I used that a lot this week. It is heavy and sometimes that gets claustrophobic but for the most part I love it.

I would love to say that my servants aka Downton Abbey~esque served me pots of perfectly brewed tea but let's just say I zapped a lot of tea in my microwave! LOL
There have been so many people sick with illnesses much worse than my own that I don't want to complain too badly but I must say it has been one long week. Today is the first day that I don't have any fever and I feel a bit of energy returning to do laundry and take care of my family.

I was wishing to hide away from everything in this little cabin until I recuperated. I pray that no one else in my family gets this nasty virus. They would have my every ounce of sympathy if they did. I would know exactly what to do to help them feel better.

Now I can perhaps get myself looking back to "normal" after the "common cold". I hope you are feeling well and avoiding the many illnesses that are around. If you come down with a nasty cold you can send me a message and I can offer you some advice and sympathy.

Whenever I see a little sparrow, it reminds me of how much God loves me. The Bible says He even cares for the little sparrows and how MUCH more important I am to Him. I saw a little sparrow in the snowy tree today and I know God sent him to say "hello, I haven't forgotten you my dear daughter." Isn't God good like that to us?! Blessings to you and to your health!

Winter Thoughts

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And that it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'"

—Lewis Carroll, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass"