Author Archives: Marie

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About Marie

Happily married to the same awesome guy for many years. Love God, reading, cats, and travel. Avid crafter especially counted cross stitch and crochet.

God’s Breath

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all-scripture

Can you imagine placing your hands on any page of your Bible and feeling His very breath on the page?   That is exactly what this verse is saying (to me).  This is how I see it – – if I can’t see Him face to face until I enter heaven then I’ll settle (hardly the right word) for experiencing His breath in the words I’m reading.

Think about the words of this beautiful chorus from the song “Ancient Words” by Lynn DeShazo.

Ancient words ever true, changing me and changing you; We have come with open hearts, oh, let the ancient words impart.

Friends, family, sisters, and brothers in Christ there is nothing more important than knowing God’s word.  In every action and situation of our lives we can draw on the Word and know without question it was written for that very purpose.

God did not leave us alone on this earth.  He is still breathing every word, in every verse, on every page of our Bibles.

Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world, they resound with God’s own heart; Oh, let the ancient words impart.

Ah, Lord, God thank You for every word, every phrase, every letter of Your Word.  Heavenly Father place a real hunger in our hearts to know Your words and use them for our lives.  Let us not only read them but let us use them.  Put teachers in our lives to help us understand them.  Drench us with the Holy Spirit as we read and learn how to apply them.  Make it so in Jesus name!

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

Take a Closer Look

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Can you imagine this world if we all thought of others first.

Butch Dean's avatarWordsmith's Desk

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To see yourself in someone else’s shoes is the beginning of compassion.

The old man or woman who walks so slowly in front of you.

Is it anyone you know…

take a closer look, for someday that will be you.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31

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What IF …

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When was the last time you looked back a situation and said, “What if… ?”

From the time we’re very young we start having ‘regrets’. We start thinking what if I had not said that. What if I had not done that. What if I had chosen something different. Regret is one of the most common, negative feelings human beings experience.

Everyone has regrets!  Psalm 51 is a prayer about David’s regret over adultery and murder.  And what about Peter?  When he realized what he had done he went away and wept bitterly, Luke 22:61-62. (Can you even imagine what Jesus’ long glance did to him?)

The good thing about having regret is it shows we’re paying attention to our shortcomings, yes, even our sins.  It’s knowing that something went wrong, something’s not right.  Thinking what could I have done instead of what I did prepares us for the next time the situation occurs.

But then…  Get rid of it!  Take it to the cross and leave it there.  Quit mulling over it and over it and over it…  (satan loves that because it takes our focus off Jesus).  Pray David’s prayer:

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

(Click on the picture above to hear Keith Green’s beautiful rendition of this prayer.)

I’m joining many others at 5-Minute Friday.  Join us there!

 

 

 

 

 

True Beauty

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Where is true beauty found?  In our looks, our jewelry, our homes/cars, our…   I think not!  Then is beauty in the ‘eye of the beholder’?  To some extent, but even that is based on personal bias.  Confucious said, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”  In nature, in music, in work, in …  It truly is all around us.  We just have to train ourselves to look.

In the Song of Songs, Solomon tells his bride that she is beautiful because she has no flaws (Song of Songs 4:7).  Our culture is all about that.  If we are thin, rich, youthful, educated and successful we are considered perfect. But is that really what being beautiful is all about?

So what is beauty?   Have you ever met someone that is not physically beautiful but there’s just something about them that draws you in.  I really like the way the New Living Translation says 1 Peter 3:4, “You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”  There it is.  The confident, inner glow, that says I care about you, I know your struggle, I’ve been where you are …  The ability to be appreciative, forgiving and loving marks the beautiful person.

Beauty is not about perfect hair, (I’ve not had a perfect hair day in so long I’ve given up on it.) perfect body shape, perfect attire, perfect words, perfect home, perfect children…  It’s not about perfect anything!  It’s about the willingness to take the focus off yourself and place it on Jesus and those around us.  Only then, are we truly beautiful!

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

I’m delighted to be writing with many others in response to the 5-Minute Friday word prompt.  You can join us, too!  Check it out at http://fiveminutefriday.com

Stones of Remembrance – Book Review

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I love it when a book or song comes into my life that is exactly what I need.  Don’t you?  It seems like God is saying, “This one’s for you.  Especially for you!”  I recently received Stones of Remembrance by Daniel G. Amen to review and read it from cover to cover in the first sitting.  Yes, this one is definitely for me!

Dr. Amen is of the opinion (as I am) that ALL that we do impacts the brain.  What we eat, what we read, how we sleep, exercise, music, everything has an impact on the ‘gray matter’ in our head.  Consider Proverbs 23:7 (As a man thinks so is he.) and Joshua 1:8 (This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.) and Philippians 4:8 (Think on whatever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy and good.)

This little book is a cornucopia of verses based on his acronym for REMEMBERENCES.  Each letter has a short, compelling explanation of each word in the acronym and Bible verses to support the concept.

5 of my favorite quotes from this book:

  • When your brain works right, you work right in every area of your life–physically, mentally, and spiritually. (pg. xvi)
  • Much like love, forgiveness brings healing. (pg. 30)
  • …when you stop learning, your brain starts dying. (pg. 34)
  • A happy brain is a healthy brain. (pg. 42)
  • One of the best things you can do to improve your memory is to eat right. (pg. 112)

This book is and will be on my reading table, permanently.  My sincere, heartfelt thanks to Dr. Amen for compiling this short, easy to read, powerful book.

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”