Today’s thought – Think on these Things

apr11 009There is just something special about a rosebud.

Good Morning

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

It is not what one does,
nor is it what one says,
but it is what one thinks that makes the man.
What one thinks determines what he will say and do.
A person may try to make his words and actions
to be much different than he actually thinks
but it will be all in vain.
For it is still the thoughts
that manage to break through the actions and the words
regardless how closely they are guarded.
Others can always see the soul when it is off guard.

Paul knew the human mind and character very well.
He suggests that we are to think on all things
that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely,
and well esteemed, all virtue, all things praiseworthy;
and as these are allowed to dwell in our thoughts,
they cannot help but transform us into their likeness.

Oh, be careful little mind what you think . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 22, 2014 at 4:33 am  Leave a Comment  
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Now the Day is Over

dec 27 001

Now the day is over,
Night is drawing nigh,
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky.

Now the darkness gathers,
Stars begin to peep,
Birds, and beasts and flowers
Soon will be asleep.

Jesus, give the weary
Calm and sweet repose;
With Thy tenderest blessing
May mine eyelids close.

Grant to little children
Visions bright of Thee;
Guard the sailors tossing
On the deep, blue sea.

Comfort those who suffer,
Watching late in pain;
Those who plan some evil
From their sin restrain.

Through the long night watches
May Thine angels spread
Their white wings above me,
Watching round my bed.

When the morning wakens,
Then may I arise
Pure, and fresh, and sinless
In Thy holy eyes.

Glory to the Father,
Glory to the Son,
And to Thee, blest Spirit,
While all ages run.

Sa­bine Bar­ing-Gould

To hear the music click here

Published in: on December 31, 2013 at 12:04 pm  Comments (4)  
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Five Minute Friday — Remember

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

Today’s prompt  —  Remember

Go:

My first memories, I’m five years old

the first memories that are really mine, not told me or something explained from a picture.

These memories have my feelings, my pictures in my head.

these memories are real.

I don’t dwell on memories.

When I went through a period of sickness;

I learned to forget yesterday

just live today

and leave tomorrow with God.

that was my way of coping.

But when I do remember

I’ve learned that :

what I remember is my memory

and that for another person experiencing the same situation the memory may be completely different.

Stop.

To read more ‘Five Minute Friday’ posts go here:

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/11/five-minute-friday-remember

Published in: on November 5, 2011 at 12:03 am  Leave a Comment  

More from the Law of Kindness

Notes from Bible Study Tuesday evening:

you would think Helene and I had a conversation about the way we speak to one another. I’m taking the scriptures and definitions she used,  some thoughts from Clarke’s Commentary and my two-cents to further describe Proverbs 31:26

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Proverbs 15:1  A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Helene  —  soft  —   quiet soothing in sound


Clarke  — . . .one angry word will always beget another, for the disposition of one spirit always begets its own likeness in another: thus kindness produces kindness, and rage produces rage.

Proverbs 15:2  The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

Clarke  —  Useth knowledge aright – This is very difficult to know: – when to speak, and when to be silent; what to speak, and what to leave unspoken; the manner that is best and most suitable to the occasion, the subject, the circumstances, and the persons.

Proverbs 15:3  The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
Proverbs 15:4  A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

My wanderings during the lesson  —  Psalms 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

picture credit cc-sandiego.org

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Helene  —  grace  —  capacity to tolerate accommodate and forgive
Clarke  —  Let all your conversation be such as may tend to exemplify and recommend Christianity; let it not only be holy, but wise, gracious, and intelligent. A harsh method of proposing or defending the doctrines of Christianity only serves to repel men from those doctrines, and from the way of salvation.

1Peter 5:5  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Helene  —  grace is found by exercising humility

My wanderings during the lesson  —  It sure takes humility to give a soft answer when the first reaction is usually defense.

Ephesians 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

My wanderings during the lesson  —  Ephesians 4:29  Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it. Amplified Bible

“Minister grace unto the hearers”!, but grace is unmerited favor, does that mean I’m to speak gently and kindly to others even when they don’t deserve it?

Proverbs 31:26, She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Amplified   —  She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness (giving counsel and instruction.

At all times  – softly, gracefully, skillfully, especially when I think they don’t deserve it.

I’m definitely a work in progress –.

Published in: on November 2, 2011 at 1:40 pm  Comments (1)  

The Law of Kindness

The law of kindness is that a rule, a commandment, a guideline not to be broken?

Should all my words stand before this law?

Do my words comply with this law?

Do my words measure up?

Are my words adorned with kindness?

And not just the words but how does the tone of my voice sound: cutting, sarcastic, belittling.. . ?

Kind   —  Of a friendly, generous, or warm-hearted nature.   Showing sympathy or understanding; charitable:

Kindness  acting out being kind

“In her tongue is the law of kindness – This is the most distinguishing excellence of this woman. There are very few of those who are called managing women who are not lords over their husbands, tyrants over their servants, and insolent among their neighbors. But this woman, with all her eminence and excellence, was of a meek and quiet spirit. Blessed woman!”  ~Clarke’s Commentary

Whose adorning . . .let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1Peter 3:3-4

“A meek and quiet spirit – That is, a mind that will not give provocation to others, nor receive irritation by the provocation of others. Meekness will prevent the first; quietness will guard against the last”.  ~Clarke’s Commentary

The Proverb’s 31 Woman has been lifted up as our example. At times I feel I’ll never reach those heights, but kindness, I think that is doable if I pause before I speak and ask for Christ’s words, Christ’s love , Christ’s compassion to be the motivation of my words.

This is my prayer today.
Okay, keep the shield up……… an attack/test is coming.

photo – onemoneydesign.com

Published in: on November 1, 2011 at 10:55 am  Leave a Comment  

For My Good

My name is Leslie and I am a closet voyeur. I thoroughly enjoy reading others blogs.   I receive encouragement and thoughts for pondering. I find myself nodding and smiling. I am so thankful at this stage in my life I am still not raising children, ( I read a lot of mother’s blogs).

One of my favorite authors is Ann Voskamp  at A Holy Experience. to me her writing is poetry and I think if we were to meet we would become friends if I could get over being in awe of her.  I didn’t note in which post she wrote the following.    It is my springboard for my thoughts today.

“Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have.
Enemies have loosed me from earth more than friends have…
Enemies have made me a hunted animal, finding safer shelter than an unhunted animal does.

I found safest sanctuary in You…may too my enemies-made-grace.
I found greatest grace in You…
may my enemies-made-grace find Your generous grace alive and radical in me.
I found fullest forgiveness in You…
may my enemies-made-grace find faith and freedom in You
and Your forgiveness working surprising ways in me.

The longer I walk with you, Lord,
I find I have no enemies: only your gift of chisels etching me deep.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.”

I am intrigued by Ann’s wording in the second paragraph ‘enemies made grace’.

Those people that seem enemies,
That situation that seems to be working so hard against me,
The illness that has lasted so long,
That word that pierced my heart,
That slight that stung,

As I accept it as from you, Lord,
As I surrender what My ideas and My ways  are about the situation,
As I commit the keeping of my body into His hands,
As I pray for the one who spoke,
As I extend kindness to the one that slighted

God covers each ‘enemy of my soul’ with grace
And it becomes what is needed for my good through God’s working.

Oh, to look beyond what I see on the surface and let God work in all things in me.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45

Published in: on July 9, 2011 at 11:35 am  Leave a Comment  

Cleave – to adhere firmly

I feel like these thoughts need a disclaimer: This is a declaration against the enemy of our souls that delights in discouraging, lying to, separating and destroying God’s people.

Because sometimes ” your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1Peter 5:8 ” even at Cozy Acres.

[Therefore beware] brethren, take care, lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to turn away and desert or stand aloof from the living God.  Hebrews 3:12 Amplified

Cleave    to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly

We cannot be cleaving
If we hold each other at arms’ distance.
If we just gaze and then look away quickly
If holding hands feels like a handshake
If in our minds we are making a distance
If we question
If we doubt
If we hide behind our hurts
Until a thought becomes

a withdraw
a space
a wall

It’s time to gird ourselves with truth, not lies
It’s time to cast out the stones
It’s time to rebuke the destroyer
It’s time to march around the city

for how ever many times it takes
to
bring
the
walls
down.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:8

Let love be without dissimulation.
(disguising  (one’s intentions, for example) under a feigned appearance.)
Abhor that which is evil;
cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9

(  Picture from Animal Zoo Park
http://animalszooguru.blogspot.com/2010/11/lions-roaring-pics-roaring-lion.html   )

Published in: on June 30, 2011 at 12:22 pm  Comments (2)  

Hidden in the Cleft of the Rock

Could it be that the darkest places in our lives are when God puts us in the cleft of the rock and then He passes by to do the work that needs to be done and when se come out of the cleft we see how abundantly above He answered our prayers and worked things together in a way so ‘much higher’ than our thoughts?

Yes, the cleft is a hard place, it is rock. It is dark. It is a dead end place we cannot see what is ahead. It is also a place of shelter. A place of refuge, A place of safety, A place of protection.  It is a place by God. It is a place whose foundation is a rock.  It is a place where God’s hand supports my leaning weak frame. It is the center of God’s will.

And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
(God)And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
(Moses)And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
(Moses)And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
(God)And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:12-23

Close To Him
God never would send you the darkness, If He felt you could bear the light;
But you would not cling to His guiding hand If the way were always bright;
And you would not care to walk by faith  Could you always walk by sight.

So He sends you the blinding darkness,  And the furnace of sevenfold heat;
‘Tis the only way, believe me,  To keep you close to His feet;
For ’tis always so easy to wander When our lives are glad and sweet.

Then nestle your hand in your Father’s,  And sing, if you can, as you go;
Your song may cheer someone behind you  Whose courage is sinking low.

(picture – http://acts2gathering.com/sos-final/rock-cleft )

Published in: on June 18, 2011 at 7:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

Every Day

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/06/five-minute-friday-every-day/

Yes, it is Saturday, but I had to ponder this topic and my thoughts finally jelled this morning.  The exercise is to write for 5 minutes, just open up and let it flow; sometimes the flow is fresh and  sometimes something surfaces that needs a little work.  Whatever shows up, it is good.

EVERY DAY

go

Last year was a season of many changes, my whole life seemed to be turned upside down. My financial foundation crumbled, almost everything we had worked for gone, March 12, 3010 felt like a funeral had taken place.

Even so:

Every day I wake up and I have these treasures:

EVERY DAY:  I will load thee with benefits     Psalms 68:19

EVERY DAY: I will hold your right hand   Isaiah 41:13

EVERY DAY: The Lord is my Shepherd    Psalms 23

EVERY DAY: I will send a comforter    John 14:16

EVERY DAY: My peace I will leave with you   John 14:27

EVERY DAY: Let not your heart be troubled  John 14:1

EVERY DAY: My GRACE is sufficient  2Corinthians 12:9

EVERY DAY: Fear not! Isaiah 41:10

EVERY EVENING: I will never slumber or sleep   Psalms 121:4

stop

Scripture references and picture were added after ‘stop’.

Published in: on June 4, 2011 at 11:00 am  Comments (1)  

Simple Woman Daybook, May 31,2011


FOR TODAY
Outside my window…a garden plot tilled, ready to be planted, partially planted, and because of the recent rain, little weeds sticking their heads up

I am thinking…this is my first entry and it’s kinda fun

I am thankful for…yellow flowers

From the learning rooms…oldest is girl43, boy 39, girl 32, boy 32, my baby girl  26, praying they continue to learn to follow God with their whole hearts.

From the kitchen…vegetable soup with spaghetti sauce as a base

I am wearing…jean skirt and t-shirt

I am creating…a baby quilt (pic below of progress)

I am going…to Bible Study in about 15 minutes

I am reading…The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie

I am hoping…good reports from the Farmer’s medical tests

I am hearing…an airplane over head, and children’s voice as they gather for Bible Story Time.

Around the house…General stuff and watching day care child, Little Miss A

One of my favorite things…watch the sky as the clouds roll in

A few plans for the rest of the week:  more blocks put together for quilt, continue to trust in my Father for the unknowns in our future.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing…

A work in progress. . .

This post idea  is from “the simple woman’s day book, where every day is a blank page” http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Published in: on May 31, 2011 at 7:03 pm  Comments (2)  

as the Lord commanded

1Kings 17:9-16Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

Did God tell this woman ” my prophet will come and ask for bread”?

Or did God ask this woman to be my servant and I will never leave thee?

I think that by her response to Elijah she didn’t know what would happen but she did know the God she served. As she did her morning prayers don’t you think her cry to God was  ” O God, you see my need, you know my situation, Lord I’m depending on you to supply, but if you don’t supply I’ll serve you regardless. ”  Just as the three Hebrew boys said our God will deliver us but if he doesn’t we will not bow.

Serving God doesn’t come with a detailed  plan and explanations of all that is going to happen in our lives.  So that we can be prepared and know everything will work out okay.  Serving God is a commitment each day to choose Him again and again.

Matthew 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is what God asks and there is no detailed explanation of what “all” entails.

Marriage doesn’t come with instructions either, it is just a commitment better and worse, richer and poorer, sickness and health, choosing each day to love again. We aren’t given any idea about how rich, how poor, how sick, how healthy, how much better, or how much worse.  This week (under the sickness and health column) I needed to help The Farmer with a procedure; I did not see it on  my list 43 years ago. But the love that started then, that has gone through many of life’s circumstances, that is renewed by choosing helped me. And it wasn’t so bad after all.

Published in: on May 20, 2011 at 4:09 pm  Leave a Comment  

When Seasons Change

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/05/five-minute-friday-when-seasons-change/

Got five minutes? Let’s write. Let’s write in shades of real and brave and unscripted.
Let’s just write and not worry if it’s just right or not.

When seasons change…………
Monday—–1:00pm biopsy
Tuesday————-feeling fine
Wednesday———feeling good
Thursday————Phone Call ————-
aggressive prostrate cancer.

Our season has changed.

it is still spring

the garden is still being planted

tomato stakes are going in the ground

birds still sing

wind chimes are still ringing

but the season has changed.

NOW—–I am numb

NOW—–I have questions

I don’t know how to put into words.

NOW—–I don’t have any answers.

BUT I CAN STILL TRUST!

I have trusted, I trust today, I will be trusting tomorrow.

a few words from a song that have supported me through many changing seasons:

Yesterday things were different

Today they’re different again.

Jesus never, never changes

Jesus is always the same.

And one of my favorite verses:

Malachi 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not;

therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed

Thank you.

Published in: on May 20, 2011 at 2:50 pm  Comments (3)  

Breath Deep, that’s what My Mind read

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/05/five-minute-friday-deep-breath/

It’s Friday Again! I’m trying another 5 minutes of thinking and writing, I guess neither one will hurt very much.

When I saw the prompt ‘ Deep  Breath’ and read a few posts, I thought ‘wow’

where can I go with this one:

Take a deep breathe   —  start:

Breath Deep

Let it out slowly, it’s called a sigh

I know two kinds of sighs

a sigh of acceptance     and     a sigh of regret.

If I Breath Deep and let out a sigh of acceptance as in “it’s alright” (thank you, Sarah Ban Breathnach)

You take over God

My way is not your way, God

God’s way is best, I will not murmur

You see the end from the beginning

Deu 11:11  But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
Deu 11:12  A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

then I find the sighs of regret, sighs of I’m sorry, sighs of ‘I wish I had’ are fewer. . .

I’ll Watch and Pray as I Breath Deep.

Stop

Guess what I read ‘Deep  Breath’ and my mind thought ‘Breath Deep;’ that must have been what I needed for today.

Published in: on May 13, 2011 at 3:56 pm  Leave a Comment  

Hard Love

I couldn’t get the button to copy. Here I am again on Friday,
spreading my fingers wide and seeing what will fall out.

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/04/five-minute-friday-the-hard-love/
Write five minutes, no fixin’ gulp!
Five Minute Friday — Hard Love

Go

Hard love is going the distance love.
it’s praying, crying, for the right words love.
its knowing the words will hurt, because the words are hurting you.
It’s writing the words,
repeating the words
living the words, doubting the words, coming back to the words.
It’s standing on the porch love,
it’s waiting love,
it’s struggling love,
it’s dark love without sometimes a glimmer of hope love
it’s preparing love
it is hoping against hope love
it is knowing that if you could read the last chapter of the story,
knowing all the tears, doubts, prayers, disappointments,
you would live the story anyway because hard love is worth it all.

especially from the porch you look down the road and see her coming home.

stop

now I can breath it seemed I was holding my breath the whole time five minutes.

Published in: on April 22, 2011 at 10:48 am  Comments (3)  

On Distance

Got five minutes? Let’s write. Let’s finger paint with words

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/04/five-minute-friday-on-distance/

Ready ……Set……….GO

The distance …going the distance

from a beginning….from a start

there is an end

I want to go the distance

it doesn’t matter how long the journey

It doesn’t matter what road I have to travel: supper highway or country lane; but to behonest I prefer the lalne

I’m a voyeur, an observer in a nice kind of way

I watch and wonder

I’m learning to appreciaate all the things I see along the way

I don’t want to miss a single thing.

but to go the distance ….takes

time

determination

preservance

stick-to-it-ness

stubbornness

focus

love for what is the distination!

I am going the distance, one day at a time, meeting the new, learning, improving, and yes

even though, I love to travel alone

would you like to travel a way with me………….

Stop

Okay a couple typos, it’s all apart of the distance.

Published in: on April 15, 2011 at 10:20 am  Comments (4)  
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