What Is Your Desire Today?

It's My Desire

by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

It's my desire, to live for Jesus.  

It's my desire, to be just like Him.

So often I've failed and I caused Him much pain.

It's my desire, to live for Him.

If you could see

Where Jesus brought me from

To where I am today

Then you would know

The reason why

I love Him so.

You can take this world

All it's wealth and riches

I don't need earths fame

It's my desire 

To live for Him

It's my desire, to help someone today

Someone who might have failed

To see the way.

For I too was once so lost

But I found my way to God

And it's my desire

To live for Him.

If you could see 

Where Jesus brought me from

To where I am today

Oh then you would know

The reason why, 

I love Him so.

Well, you can take this world

All it's wealth and riches

I don't need earths fame

It's my desire

To live for Him.

Some days the way I truly feel can be found in a song.  When I was a young preteen throughout my teenage years, my Mom, sisters and I, sang this song.  

Today this is the song on my heart.  It is my desire to live for Jesus.  To do what I know to do.  To be who He has called me to be.  I want to know Him more intimately.  I desire to be like Him.  To love like Him, to walk like Him, have compassion like Him, have His strength, know what to do and do it even when it is uncomfortable.  

What is your desire today? 

I hope you feel His presence all around you today.  If you are hurting, I pray you can feel the safety of His arms wrapped around you.  God Bless You.

You Are Not Alone

Life can get so busy and wear us down to the point that we cannot find our joy.  We no longer enjoy our lives and nothing seems to satisfy or fulfill us.  Some may say, there is never enough money, never enough time, never enough fun, no rest for the weary…etc.  I think we can all say that we have visited this station before.  How do we, as Christians, leave the station of weariness?  

This has been on my mind for some time.  How do we get out of our funk?  

I find, many times when we are in our funk, the first thing we do is withdraw from assembling ourselves together.  Church is the first thing to go.  We are legitimately tired, we need a rest, we have too much on us.  But my mind goes to Psalms 118:14 KJV"The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation."

  

Psalms 28:8 KJV, "The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed."  

Psalms 27:1 KJV, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  

Psalm 29:11 KJV, "The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace."  

It is my belief that church is not for the sinner but for the saint.  There are times that non believers come into the church and that is great and we love it when people are drawn in or brought by a friend.  But it was told to the church in Hebrews 10:25 KJV, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more as ye see the day approaching."  

I like the way the Message Bible puts it, 22-25, "So let's do it-full of belief, confident the we're presentable inside and out.  Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going.  He always keeps his word.  Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching."  

This is for us, to protect us, to strengthen us.  God knows that we are going to go through difficulties and we are going to struggle.  He has already provided a safe haven, a rest stop.

I want to encourage you today, that if you are in a funk, unable to find strength, you feel alone in your life, like the world is crashing on you and all around you…You are not alone.  Go to your house of prayer.  Don't neglect the one thing that is sure to give a moment (or more) of peace and will strengthen your spirit and body.  God's Word and His house are provided for us so that we have a place to go, specifically to commune with Him.  I have always found that the hardest thing about going, is getting ready.

"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the LORD."  Psalm 122:1

I pray that you feel the strength of the LORD's arms wrapped around you today.  I pray that you see the goodness of God as you look at your life.

Love Is In The Air

I do believe love is in the air right now.  I have to say that there are some days when I crave the presence of my husband.  I like to just sit in the front room with him and drink coffee, talk and we usually end up laughing.  When I climb into bed at night and just feel his warmth, it is home to me.  He has strong hands, a giving heart, a contagious smile and he loves me. 

Kelcie, Emily and Juliana

Tomorrow, Scovia, Juliana and I are going to my nieces bridal shower.  My niece, Emily is so beautiful inside and out.  I am so proud of the woman she is and the woman she is becoming.  (We never stop  growing and changing)  She has a lot of the same traits as her Uncle Bo.  She is very smart, an adventurous cook, loves to garden, loves to eat, loves her family, considers others, she is kind, just an amazing young woman.  As you can tell, I love this girl and I am so proud to be her Aunt.  

Emily and Tony

I guess with Emily's shower tomorrow and date night tonight, I am feeling all gushy and gooey inside.  I like that feeling.  But when all the gushy, gooey feelings are gone and my day doesn't look so bright, I am still very much in love.  Love is not a feeling, it's a decision.  Feelings come and go.  One day I feel all gooey and the next I just want some time alone…feelings are fickle things.  24 years ago, I decided to love Kenneth Dudley VanDyke, III "Bo" for the rest of my life.  Of course I was filled with all kinds of feelings at the time but it is my commitment to him and to God and our families that sustained me when the feelings were on vacation.  

In a little less than two months, Emily will stand up in front of God, her family and friends and vow the same thing to Tony.  To love, honor and cherish until death they do part.  They will then start on the path of becoming one.  It is a great journey that doesn't end but continues to deepen, strengthen and all of sudden you realize that you didn't even notice when you stopped being two.  Their lives will become so interwoven that they won't even know where one ends and the other begins.  This is God's great gift to us and His plan for marriage.  

We are, everyone of us, someones favorite unfolding story -Ann Patchett

I will probably cry tomorrow at Emily's shower because I do that.  I pray that she has the kind of forever love that I have been blessed with.  

I hope your weekend is full of love and you see the blessings that God has given you, daily.  

We Pursue What We Love

I love mornings.  I love the quiet, the smell of morning, the light that wakes everything up, mornings are so peaceful.  Unfortunately, I have the worst time getting up early in the morning.  Something that I enjoy so much and most days, I sleep right through the best part of it.  I get up so late that I have to rush to get things done and then I am still running late.

Why do we do that?  Why do we neglect the things that we love and enjoy, just to set us in a whirlwind later?  I say us or we but I mean "I or me".  I always say to myself, "I am going to get up early and go for a walk, take some pictures and enjoy my morning."  But what do I do?  I roll over and open one eye to see the time, turn back into my sweet spot in the bed and continue in my slumber.  Now, I do find it easier to get up early when I am at the beach and it's warm outside. It's like the waves wake me up calling my name.

It all comes down to this, We all have the life we truly desire.  If I truly desired to get up early, I would do it.  Truthfully, no one can stop me from doing what I truly want to do, not even me.  My husband always says, "People do what they want to do."  Humans are very resourceful beings.  We will work it out no matter what happens, if we want to.  Bishop Estep said in his message last night, "We pursue what we love."

I guess the question for me today is, WHAT DO I LOVE?  I guess I have to correct the first line of this post, I love mornings to I like mornings.  If I truly loved mornings, my backside would be out of that bed and enjoying my morning.  What do I love?  How do I show love?  What will I do for love?  If we ask ourselves these questions, we will start to prioritize our lives and those things that we truly love will rise to the top of the list.

I hope you all have a blessed day and that each of you have a love to pursue!!!

A Visual Pick Me Up

One thing I hate to do and that is go to the doctor.  I would rather sit in pain than go.  But, today I went in and had my checkup.  AHHHHH.  Bo asked me if I felt better now that it was over and I said, "YES".

Sometimes we dread a thing so much that we cannot relax until it is over.  That's the way I felt this morning as I was getting ready to go and last night as I was getting ready for bed and every day leading up to my appointment.  Sounds like I am exaggerating, but I am not.  I was dreading it.  After I got there and had my exam, I was fine.  No earth shattering news, no one was mean to me, no one made me uncomfortable (mentally), I just don't like to take the time to go.  Now I am home and life is good.

I can now focus on what I need to do in other areas of my life and I don't have to focus on remembering my doctors appointment or convincing myself to go.

As a little visual pick me up, I looked at some of my photos of flowers today and even though they are only memories, it made me feel better.  So here are a few for you.  Enjoy!!!

I know, not a flower but its a reminder of good things to come

Another reminder

He's so busy…miss California

Falling In Love All Over Again

I just read a post at Memories on Clover Lane called "Dear House".  I will have a link to it at the end of this post.  The writer talks about how all winter long she has felt suffocated by the walls of her home, all she can see is what needs to be done and how hard it is to accomplish the tasks.  She is disenchanted with her home.  She is ready to move and find something new and easy.  Until she went for a walk and came around the corner to see her home waiting for her.  What she needed was a new perspective.  This place that has been a part of her family for years.  Their blood sweat and tears are in the walls and floors of this home.  Falling in love with her home all over again.

Friends I cherish

Life is like that.  We find that we become disenchanted with things, people and life.  We start looking for new stuff, new friends, new spouses, new churches, new jobs, new cars, new homes, new, new, new.  Instead of working on what we have, we embrace, "the grass is always greener" attitude.  I know  there are times when we have to move on from things or even people but too many times we give up right before our breakthrough.  We need a new perspective.  We need to fall in love again.

The home I prayed for

We get so caught up on what is wrong that we fail to see what is good.  We no longer see the joy and we lose our perspective.  Sometimes, we just need to go for a walk and be refreshed.  Wait for that first warm day so we can open the windows and let out all the stuffiness and let the breeze blow through.  As Bo would say, "Get the stink blown off".

The man I love

My dad preached a message when I was a little girl that I will never forget the title of,  "There's No Place, Anywhere Near This Place, Like This Place, So This Must Be The Place."  He told a story of a man who put his home on the market.  He was tired of all this old house lacked.  But no matter what new house he looked at, it just didn't measure up.  One day he was looking through the paper and found an ad about a house on the market that had everything he desired.  He called up his realtor to set up an appointment to go look at this, his dream home.  The realtor listened as he talked about this house, the excitement in his voice, oh how this man hoped they would get there before someone else snatched it up.  After the man was through, he waited for the realtor to reply but there was silence.  Finally the realtor spoke and told the man that the house he wanted to go see he already lives in.  It was his own home.  He just needed to look at it from another perspective.  He already had everything he wanted, he just didn't know it.

My life

If you are in a place that you feel disenchanted with life or something in your life, maybe you just need a new perspective.  I am not saying that this always works but if we look at it from all angles, maybe we won't throw aways something that we truly love, we will be less likely to cause hurt to ourselves and to others.

We are surrounded by blessings straight from God.  I hope you can see yours today.

http://www.memoriesoncloverlane.com/2013/04/dear-house.html?showComment=1366724567263#c966067348473600543

Knee Jerk Reactions

On Friday, I was taking my huge vacuum upstairs and all of a sudden my knee caught and I twisted to keep myself and the vacuum from falling down the stairs.  This was a "knee jerk" (bahahaha) reaction but it has caused me pain since.  The only time I am not in pain is when I am sitting in my chair.  As every mother, wife, grandmother, aunt and woman knows, sitting in the chair for more than one or two days is ENOUGH!!!  We have things to do and places to go.  We have dishes to do, clothes to wash, kids to play with…so many things.

My camera and some books that I am reading

I have to say though, being unable to go out and do things was a blessing this weekend.  I got to spend a lot of time with my husband and I had so many visitors yesterday.  I so enjoyed my family coming over, laughing, telling stories, loving one another.  I also got to read some books on photography that I have not taken the time to sit and really learn from.  I have to say, sometimes it takes an unfortunate accident to make us slow down and take in the blessings that God has so graciously given us.

So today, I encourage you to slow down, look around and take in the blessings.  Every good and perfect gift comes from above.  I am moving slow today but not as slow as yesterday.

Priorities Over Distractions

I try to keep a schedule during the week just to keep myself on track.  I have a tendency to get distracted and then nothing gets accomplished.  There are some days that even to sit down and write a small blog seems like an impossible dream.  So many things call out to be done or addressed and if I don't focus on the task in front of me, I will not complete it.  

I remember when I was a teenager and it was time for me to clean my bedroom, what should have taken an hour would end up taking me three hours because something caught my eye and I became distracted.  I would start looking at a book that I picked up to put away or I would start looking at pictures or playing with my makeup…it could be anything.  The fact was that very innocent things distracted me and prolonged my task.  To be honest, that still happens to me today in my 40's.

This morning has been a distracted morning.  I have had the TV on watching the coverage of the hunt for Boston bomber suspect #2.  I don't want to turn it off but I couldn't put a thought together because of the sound from the TV.  In order to write, I had to turn off the TV or mute the sucker…distraction.  

We face distractions every day.  I was reading a blog this morning where a Mom of a two year old said that when she becomes too distracted by her work, her two year old will start having melt downs in order to get her attention.  It causes her to refocus on what is a priority in her life.  Stop what she is doing and scoop up her baby, giving him the attention he needs.  Then her sweet little baby becomes the happy boy that everyone knows and loves.  

What is the distraction stealing away your precious time and energy?  Is it the TV or just a bunch of little innocent things?  Is it big things like life decisions or work or even play?  Today, refocus on what is a priority, what is the important task at hand.  I don't live your life and cannot determine your priorities for you.  I know for myself that I have been distracted and have neglected some things that I now will refocus on.  So many times, what we let go undone or neglected are the very things that will strengthen us and bring us peace and love.  

Today in the news we hear and watch so many lives destroyed by senseless acts of violence.  It makes me want to hold on to the things that bring peace and love into my life…God, my family, my friends.  

I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of good food, good friends, good fellowship. 

Contagious Smile and Wonderment

I took this yesterday…one of my favorites

The colors are so varied and amazing

Yes, there is beauty in nature.  I love my weeping cherry tree.  I love the different shades of pink and the way it blows in the breeze.  There isn't anything that I don't like about a weeping cherry.  But you know what is the most beautiful thing?  The smile of a child playing outside and enjoying being a child.  Yesterday as Henry was outside playing, I was taking pics of him and thinking that he is just exactly what God imagined.  He is straight from the mind and heart of God.  You see God made nature, the flowers, trees, sun, grass, animals, colors all around us but He breathed life into man.  God made man in His image and it is spectacular.  We are all created in the image of God.  What a gift.

Here are some of the pics from playing outside with Henry.

 

He brings such joy into our lives.  His smile and wonderment is contagious.  As Bishop Bledsoe would say, "God designed, one of a kind, straight from His mind"…thats our Henry.  

Be blessed today.  Stop, look around and see the great things that God has created and blessed you with.

Kimi, Look It Up…WHY?

There comes a point in every child/young adults life that they have to take ownership of their spiritual life.  When you raise them in church, they can become so reliant on what Mom and Dad say about God that they neglect the searching it out for themselves.  I remember my Dad telling me to look it up. It would make me so mad because why wouldn't he just give me the answer?!  Of course, now I understand the "why" and I see the importance of looking it up on my own.  My Dad was and is great about helping me understand but until I got into the meat myself, I would never get the full nourishment that it offers.  My spiritual life could not survive on rumors alone.  I needed to enter into the fullness of God.  I had to grow up and own it.

When your child/young adult comes to that place where you can see the light go on and you witness him/her truly searching out the Word, you know that it has become real for them.  They aren't using the Word to find a loophole to get to do what they want.  They are in a real relationship with the Father.  You have just witnessed a beautiful thing.  It's a maturing in the spirit.

Last night, my youngest, Kelcie, gave her first sermon at a youth meeting in Florida.  She attends an awesome church in Florida while she is college.  Her Pastors and Associate Pastors are amazing.  They have taken her into their fold while she can't be here in ours.  I love to see churches training the young. Allowing them to be a part of the service.  Caleb (the pastors son) videoed Kelcie sharing so we could see her first time sharing the Word.  It excites my heart to see the passion that my little girl has for God. I have seen her go through many stages in her walk with God. I know that she will continue to grow and as Bishop Junior Vigante from the Philippines says, "It's a process".  She will go through times of great victory, great sorrow, mountain top and valley experiences.  Through the process of life, my daughter will experience many things, but she has a foundation that is ROCK SOLID…Jesus Christ.  Because she is not living on my walk with the Lord or her father's walk with the Lord, she will make it through, as long as she keeps her eyes on Christ.

When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he started to sink but he didn't just let himself drown.  Peter, because of what he knew, he called on the One who could save him.  He called out to Jesus and that's what we have to do.  We are not perfect but we know the One who can save us.  When we take our eyes off of Christ, which will and does happen, call out for Him and He WILL reach right down and take our hands to bring us out of what is trying to overcome us.

Just like my parents had and have to be patient with me, I will be patient with my children.  I don't always get it right and neither will they.  But I am so happy that God is allowing me the privilege of being a part of training them and watching them grow.  For this I know that I am blessed.

Sheltered In The Arms of God

As I was watching the news yesterday about the tragedy in Boston, my mind kept going to a song that Dottie Rambo wrote and my Mom used to sing when I was young.  The song is, "Sheltered In The Arms Of God."  Evil exists in this world but we have the Arms of God to run to.  

"I feel the touch of hands so kind and tender

They're leading me in paths that I must trod.

I'll have no fear, for Jesus walks beside me.

For I'm sheltered in the arms of God

So let the storms rage high

The dark clouds rise

They won't worry me

For I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God

He walks with me

And naught of earth shall harm me.

For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.

Soon I shall hear, the call from heavens portals. 

Come home my child 

It's the last mile you must trod.

I'll fall asleep and wake in God's 

New Heaven

For I'm sheltered in the arms of God

So let the storms rage high

The dark clouds rise

They won't worry me

For I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God

He walks with me

And naught of earth shall harm me

For I'm sheltered in the arms of God."

We don't understand why things like this happen but we cannot let fear rule our lives.  Jesus gives us peace and comfort in the face of evil.  I am praying for all the victims in Boston and their families around the world.  I pray that they feel the embrace of God's arms wrapped around them in this time of grief and as the healing process begins.  

God Bless America…America turn and run into the Arms of God.

What Is Your Favorite Song?

On Sunday Morning, before church, I had planned out the songs we would sing for Worship.  But after Communion, the LORD had something else in mind.  Our usual two fast songs and one slow song wasn't going to cut it.  Between The Eucharist and the Praise and Worship Service, I felt like I should sing the song, "Thanks".  We needed to enter into Thanksgiving.  Remind ourselves why we are there.

"Thanks, thanks, I give you thanks.  For all you've done.  I am so blessed, my soul is at rest. Oh LORD, I give you thanks."  

A very simple chorus that focuses totally on us giving Thanks to HIM.  While we were singing this song, I could feel the presence of the LORD so powerfully which then led into the song, "He Is Here".

"There's a sweet anointing in the sanctuary.  There's a stillness in the atmosphere.  Come and lay down the burdens you have carried for in the sanctuary, God is here.  
He is here, He is here, to break the yoke and lift the heavy burden.  
He is here, He is here, to heal the hopeless heart and bless the broken.
Come and lay down, the burden you have carried, for in the sanctuary, God is here."

Oh this song is so powerful.  Just writing it down, I can feel presence of the God in my home.  Then something happened after we sang that song.  My brother in law Patrick, who is on the Worship Team, started singing in his smooth, Bing Crosby like voice, "I Need Thee".

"I need thee, Oh I need thee.  Every hour I need thee.  Oh, bless my now my Savior, I come to thee."

When he started to sing, I started to cry.  No, I am not afraid to show my emotions in church.  I figured God made all my emotions, He's alright with tears, joy…your emotions do not offend Him, after all He created us with them.

I am so thankful for the presence of the LORD.  I could not go to a church that didn't allow the Holy Spirit to move and where you didn't feel Him there.  I love Christ The King Church in Havre de Grace Maryland.  I love the teaching, the unity, the worship and the fact that it is a place of healing and love.

The power of a song is evident in all walks of life.  But the power of a song to usher us into the presence of God is my favorite.  There is not another place like it.

What is your favorite song that you feel like you are sitting right there in God's lap?  Sing it today.  Enter into His presence with Thanksgiving, into His courts with Praise!!!  It will only Bless You and give you joy and peace.

DREAM, IMAGINE, LOVE, CREATE, INSPIRE…

I love to be creative.  Whether it is writing, taking photos, painting, doing crafts with Henry, coloring a picture, decorating my home…I love to create.  I am drawn to art.  I am drawn to dream.  Every piece of art starts in the dream.  Some days I wake up knowing what I am going to write about or what I want to photograph.  Some days I sit at the computer and force myself to find something to write about and that usually starts with a photo.  Photography inspires me.  I love the imperfections in photography.  I think that is why I like to photograph nature.  A photo of nature can be anything you desire.  It can be a blurry bunch of colors and just pop or you can focus just on the inside of a flower…it's all up to the artist.  Like the photo below, super blurry…in my eyes, super cool and I love the colors.  The flower below that is beautiful, my favorite flower and I love the way it is only half lit.  Now some will tell you that I am an amateur, and they are correct but I am learning.  

Here are some more of my favorite, not perfect pictures.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Not creative but he said he was Pop sitting at
Pops desk at VIG

I have always loved this pic of Kelcie with Julie talking
on the phone in the blurry back

Jake, Melody and Jenna at the beach in 2010

In the barn at Poppies Easter 2010

I love this of my parents on the Ferry to Ocracoke 2010

Presley loving the water OBX 2010

Jacob…he's perfect and I love the sun streaming between the
tree limbs that is casting shadows on his sweet face

He is perfection

KaKa with Presley in the water OBX

Ethan at Aunt Cheryl's pool…I just love this

This is why we take pics as Aunties…
So we never forget the fun that is Jenna Hope
OBX 2010

Jacob is too cool

After Juliana's hot as a firecracker baby shower,
the rain that followed…ONE OF MY FAVES

The fountain at Julie's shower

Henry's perfect foot

The baby's cooling their toes

Henry, "Whatcha talkin bout, Grammy?"

Jacob loves the fountain

Henry…baby wrinkles LOVE

Juliana…PERFECTION

BEFORE

AFTER

DREAM, IMAGINE, LOVE, CREATE, INSPIRE…It's all part of the Blessed Life.