Sunday Thoughts

Sunday Thoughts

Sunday Thoughts

Just taking a few minutes to write a simple Sunday post. We have had such a nice day...truly a day of rest. Morning coffee together, church, a flea market, an early dinner out, a nap and some great March Madness TV!
I hope you had time to rest and time to recharge your batteries for a new week.

Spring starts tomorrow! YEAH. 

Sunday Thoughts

I've been spending time each day on a couple of Lenten devotionals this Lenten season. I haven't done that for a very long time. I was encourage by a few friends to so do and it has made this time before Easter more meaningful for me.

Matthew Kelly has some great thoughts. I didn't buy his book, but I am following him daily on the internet. I quite like his instruction, his thoughtfulness and his delivery.

On of the lessons that hit home this week was one on being spiritually healthy. We spend a great deal of time on our physical health, but do we always work on our spiritual health? The days can slip by and we find that we haven't really worked on becoming healthier spiritually.

One of the ways we can get stronger in our spirit, is spending time every day in prayer. It sounds so easy, but unless we really establish the practice, we don't become spiritually healthy. I have been working on this during Lent and following a program keeps me on track.

Matthew states that the 4 questions we want to be answered are:

Who are we?
What are we here for?
What matters most?
What matters least?

He challenged his readers to think about yesterday and use those 4 questions. Interesting, huh?

By spending time in prayer with God, He will help us to understand these 4 questions. It will happen.
Take the time to pray, listen to God and follow. 

Sunday Thoughts

I have shared how I prayed for my little grandson when my daughter was pregnant with him. I still can't believe sometimes that Otto is here and I will always be so thankful that God answered my prayer.
I had a situation happen today that is very sad and upsetting to me. I don't understand the actions of Otto's father. I am Grandma Linda, not Otto's mother, so it is hard. I can voice my opinion and I have, but that is all I do. I can pray and I do pray for that sweet little boy who has stolen my heart. 

Sunday Thoughts

Happy Sunday! We are enjoying a bit of rest after church before we join the grands for a birthday celebration and dinner.

The pastor gave a great sermon on Mark 4:1-20. He took us through the whole soil and seed talk, as I'm sure many of you have studied in the past. I really loved how he summed it up by showing us the that when we are really following Christ, our actions will show through as we see listed in the fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-23! If your soil is good and your are a real believer, the fruit will be there.  What a perfect time of the year to review these fruits. How are you following Christ? Is He shining through in your love for others? Are you joyful, even when it is hard? Are you at peace, knowing God is in control? How is your patience when waiting on a difficult situation? I love this one...are you kind to others, even if they don't deserve it? Are you generous with your money as well as your time? Are you a faithful believer and does it show? We live in a world that isn't too gentle...what can you do to bring gentleness into the lives of others? How are you doing with self control...so many areas here on this one!

So, cast the seed out there, share the good news, pray for those in your life and let God do the rest.

It's Valentine week...get out there and share some love! Have a great week filled with God's blessings. 

Sunday Thoughts...February 5th

A rainy and lazy Sunday on this February winter day. Time to rest and ponder these thoughts.
I hope you are having a nice day and I pray your week ahead will be filled with God's blessings.
Believe!

Sunday Thoughts

Good Sunday morning. I woke up early with a push to post and get back to my Sunday Thoughts today. So much has been going on in my personal world, my family world and certainly in our country. I am thankful today that Jim and I are both feeling so much better. I don't like to be sick.

My word for this New Year is RESTORATION. I am continuing to work on restoring my health, several relationship, hoping to restore parts of my home that have gotten out of whack and most of all, I realized that I needed some work on my relationship with God. I seriously didn't even think of that restoration when the word came to me! God works in funny ways, heh? I wasn't even tuning into that fact that I was drifting. My friend LaVonne said something to me about my anxiety and lack of discussion about any devotional time. WOW....it takes a great friend to bring that up to you. I am thankful as she was so right. It stopped me in my tracks and made me think about where I had landed in my personal journey. I have been so cooped up this winter with our weather and sickness. I decided I needed to do something...act on something! I am asking God with a humble heart to help me get back on track and back to Him.

I love the bible teachings of Beth Moore. Our church had to end it's little morning bible study and I am missing that greatly. So, I looked online and found a great study she did called  THE BASKET CASE. It all about anxiety and I was drawn to give it a try. So, I have gotten  back to my morning devotional time, back to my thankful journal and back to this little study on anxiety.

Happy Sunday...I am praying that God will bless you in a very special way today. I am asking that of Him for myself too. 

4th Sunday of Advent...the LOVE candle.

And here we are...almost at the end of Advent! This season has gone by so quickly. Today we light the 4th candle of Advent which is the love candle. Ah...that word  that we long for everyday.
We have a deep desire to be loved and cherished. We give our love to those around us with a happy heart.
This has been a very special Advent season for me. I think I am more thankful and appreciate everything more now since I have been sick. I have treasured my friends and family and the time I have been given. I have taken the time to just enjoy whatever comes my way....including all the snow! I feel like we have had winter already and it's not officially winter.
I hope you have had a nice Advent. I had hoped to blog more and get around to more blogs, but you know, it just didn't happen and that's ok.
So this week before things get way too busy or crazy, think about how you can show the love of God to others as He has shown to you. Just some extra help or kindness or comfort when you are given the opportunity. Show others that God is living in you and you want to pass that love on to others. Don't miss those chances God gives to you to show love.
Have a great week as we prepare for the birth of the baby Jesus on Christmas Day...for unto YOU a Savior was born!

Sunday Thoughts...JOY

This Sunday we light the pink candle...for JOY! We move away from the purple and look forward to the coming of the Lord with joy.

We often think of joy as happiness, but there is quite a difference.We can do things that make us happy...we can seek happiness. Joy is a gift, it is something that comes to us often when we least expect it. As Christians, we are given the gift of Joy through Jesus...that gift that is offered to us if we choose to believe.

My very sweet friend Lynda gave this little plaque to me this week for my birthday. I just love it. She got one for me, one for her friend and one for her.

After thinking about the gift of JOY, I think this is a great reminder to choose our gift of JOY. Hold on it, be thankful for it, rejoice in it.

Sunday Thoughts.....Hope and Anticipation

It's the first Sunday of Advent! I love the custom of the Advent wreath and although we didn't have one when I was growing up, I have always enjoyed having one  in our home since our children were little. It helps me focus on my Lord during all the business of the Christmas season. I like to sit in my tea room in the mornings and have that quiet time before the day begins. I love soft candlelight and find it calming.

I also try to find devotionals or prayers for the season. It's good to have new readings to ponder over each year.  Of course, I love the HOPE candle and oh, don't we all need hope? I was doing some reading this morning about waiting and anticipation.

The Jewish people were longing for the Messiah. They were filled with hope as they waited for His coming. As a Christian, I believe that hope was fulfilled with the birth of that little baby in that humble manger. God kept his promise. So as we prepare our hearts for Christmas, we are thankful for that first coming.

So, where does the anticipation come into the picture? As Christians, we know the second coming of Christ will happen someday. Are we ready for that promise too? Do we think about that? When you wait for something, there is an anticipation about it all! During that time, you are actually preparing for something. It hit me this morning. Waiting with anticipation! It means we are also full of hope and waiting with excitement.

As Christ hasn't returned yet, He has given us this time to prepare. So think about that today. How can you use this beautiful season of Advent to prepare and anticipate your Lord? Prepare you heart for Christmas and remember His first coming, but go beyond that. God keeps His promises. 

Sunday Thoughts

Ah, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. A quiet time to pause and really think about being thankful.
So much has happened in my life this year. I am just so thankful to even be here and thankful that I will be with my family on Thursday. I am so blessed to have this second chance and I think about it everyday. I don't like all the meds and tests and doctor appointments, but I do love my family and my friends. I won't take this Thanksgiving lightly. I know God is healing me, sometimes much slower than I like, but healing is the important word here. I believe He has more work for me to do and I am thankful for that! It's not a bad thing to have to slow down and relax and get your priorities straight! It's not bad thing to be able to help others, even with a comforting word or a cheerful email or text. It's a good thing to have a peaceful home that welcomes friends.
So, I am thankful for all of this and am looking forward to the holiday season to "be of good cheer"!
Enjoy the day and find peace in some quiet time with the Lord. Enjoy the week ahead with a thankful heart. 

A Sunday Afternoon

I'm looking out my back window, watching the falling leaves as the wind is blowing them from my maple trees. It's been a long month since I last posted. The weeks have been full and I am thinking, oh my, fall is here and it will soon be on the way out. So many changes have filled my days. I have gone to Montana, enjoyed my brother-in-law Allyn's visit from Illinois, have had too many labs and medical visits, diet changes and this past week LaVonne has been here visiting from Montana. So, I guess you could say it's been quite a mixed bag.
I am still not feeling normal as the doctors continue to adjust the meds. I am not a patient person and have learned a great deal about myself this past month. Prayers from faithful friends have been so coveted and appreciated. I very much want to get back to normal, but I know life will never be as it was before all of my heart and blood pressure problems showed up! I don't do well with change but am faced with it now. I need to get back to some of the things I love to do, such as blogging. I hope this time I can continue. This is my humble beginning. I do love fall! I don't want to miss all of it's beauty this year. 

Sunday Thoughts

This is where I am trying to get myself and praying for right now! I came across the verse and it sure had a lot of meaning for me. THANK YOU all who held me up in prayer last week. It was soooo hard and really trying. I don't think I would have made it without the help of others.

So much bad news came my way and my heart was NOT steadfast! Trust is hard for me. I have had to just trust, just be, just lean on my Lord and my loving family and friends. Boy, that is not an easy task for me.

Then on Friday, the bad news turned into good news! My Coumadin tests are down to once a week (I can also eat 3 salads per week now!!!), no breast cancer, no osteoporosis, and my DR ok's my trip and  is letting me do the kidney/bladder imaging when I return. WOW...thank you Lord for all that wonderful news in one day. WOW. Prayers were answered with YES!

The meds are a bit better...not great, but better.

My daughter Gina came home yesterday and that cheered me up so much. There is nothing so comforting as a grown and lovely daughter to just sit with you and chat. Love love love.

Sunday Thoughts

Enjoy your summer Sunday...such a wonderful time of the year to be with friends and family. 

Sunday Thoughts

I don't think many of us can really express our feelings right now about our country. This has been a sad and disturbing week that seems very dark. I love this verse and it is helping me to get my thoughts together on this Sunday morning. I have reasons to rejoice and am so thankful I have the Lord in my life. This world is not my home and I know I am just passing through. But as I am on that journey, I know the Lord expects me to be a loving person, to do His work whenever I can, to trust Him and to know that even when this world seems so crazy, He is in control and there is a plan.
The other part of this verse that  I like is to pray without ceasing...pray WITHOUT CEASING! Not just in the morning or at church or at bible study, but all day. So, that is what I am going to work on this upcoming week.

Sunday Thoughts for the 4th of July Weekend

Love Abraham Lincoln. We are so blessed to live in this country and have so many freedoms. Even as we see things changing that we don't like or have concerns about, it is so good to thank our God for what we do have.

I find my self thinking about all who died for the freedom and the life I am able to enjoy this weekend. The courage and the faith so many had to find as they marched into a battle is beyond me.
When I have trials to face, I often think of what God asked others to do. I am blessed.

Have a Happy 4th of July weekend....be safe and have fun but spend a bit of time in prayer and thanksgiving. God has blessed America. 

Sunday Thoughts

This is my sweet SIL's father...Hubert Stoll. He is a gem. He worked hard all his life as a dairy farmer and farmer in Illinois.His daughter Brenda is married to my brother in law Allyn.

We are keeping Hubert in our prayers as he has been in the hospital for a few weeks now. His family expected him to be leaving us all yesterday, but I guess the Lord has other plans and he is doing better today. He has a wonderful doctor and pastor that are right there with him. What a blessing.

This sweet soul has been sending out a bible verse every day, plus a little poem he writes and happy birthday, anniversary, congratulation, or any other good wishes for his large family. He has been doing this on the internet for years and I just cherish his daily posts.

We love you Hubert.

Sunday Thoughts on Father's Day

This little plaque sums it all up for my Jimmy. Oh, how he loves his little Otto and thanks God everyday for the gift of a grandchild.  Otto is almost 3 years old now. He stayed over night with us on Friday and he is one funny little boy. What a joy.

The old Italian Papa has been waiting for a ripe tomato and finally had one ready. So Otto and Papa went out to "pick" it and "eat" it.

It was all pretty exciting for the two!

It's been an emotional weekend for us with some family issues going on. Little Otto was the best thing that happened this weekend. Jimmy sings him a song when he puts him down for a nap. Otto didn't want his song when I was getting him ready for bed, but then he jumped up into Papa's arms, hugged him around the neck and wanted his song. It was so very precious! It was the best present a grandpa could ever wish for...what a gift. What a gift from God our Otto is.

Happy Father's Day.

Sunday Thoughts This Evening

I'm sitting here in my living room with a happy heart. I had such a lovely Sunday and I am thankful for that. It's so peaceful tonight...pleasant weather, quiet neighborhood, no barking dogs...just a few birds chirping as the day ends. The days are long now as we find ourselves moving towards the Summer Solstice. Thank you Lord as I end my day and say my evening prayers. Bless my friends and family as we all begin a new week. Grant us peace, a good night's sleep and the strength we may need that only you can give to us.