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.

Content With What I Have

If I were to create a contentment chart it would probably look much like yours.  Sometimes high.  Sometimes low.  Sometimes average.  My satisfaction level varies with the day and sometimes even the hour.  I have all I could ever want or need yet my mind says ‘I want more’.   Look at these words from Hebrews 13.

Hebrews135

Can we all try living this?  Can we develop an ‘attitude of gratitude’ ?  God has so much in store for us.  He truly wants to give us ‘every perfect gift’.   His storehouse is packed full and he doesn’t want to keep it for Himself.  The very next verse says, “The LORD is my help, so I will have no fear.”  (Hebrews 13:6/Psalm 118:6)  He promises to supply our every need…We can count on Him!

 

My God Is With Me All The Time

Romans 8:31  If God is for us who can be against us.

Lately I’ve been thinking about God’s nearness a lot and remembering the many times and places He has made His presence known to me…

I’ve seen Him in the mountains at sunrise when the mist is rising, the moose is bugling mountainin the distance, and the birds are singing their beautiful morning symphony.

 

oceanI’ve seen Him on the ocean while sitting on a balcony and watching the incredible blueness of the water and the flying fishing playing on the waves.  I’ve heard Him in the sound of the dolphins chattering in the dark of the evening.

I’ve seen Him in the ocean while snorkeling in the Caribbean.  The colors of the tropical snorkelingfish, the stingray stirring up the sand, and the small brown shark minding his own business, and the myriad of colors in the coral.

jesus_surgeonI’ve known his presence before and during surgery.  Only he could guide the hands of the surgeons so that all that was left of an 8 1/2 pound cancerous tumor is a nasty scar.

 

thCA8GZJYEI’ve known the calmness of His presence while waiting for 20 days for my Ray to wake from his Traumatic Brain Injury Coma.

blizzardI’ve seen the beauty of His creation in the more than 70 inches of snow we’ve had this year.

 

symphony-orchestra-183607_640I’ve heard him in the beauty of Beethovan, Brahms, Mozart and Dvorak Symphonies.

My Lord is with me all the time.  How about yours?

Psalm 2

It’s still snowing and blowing and cold…I truly love this weather.  I look out the windows in my home office and there’s a wonderland of white and it’s so beautiful.  God is painting new pictures every day around my country home and I am so thankful!  He’s reminding me that I have been washed whiter than snow.   My God shows me that He is with me all the time.  Amen and Amen!

Here’s another of my translations of the Psalms.  This one reminds me that even in the worst of political tension and wars God knows what is going on and He is in control.

Psalm 2

 

Worship the LORD!  Celebrate the LORD!  Honor the LORD!  Love the LORD!

Heavenly Father, in this scary and confusing world I know that I can take refuge in You.  I know that You are in control.  Heal our country and heal our land.  Let us know Your presence in these trying times.  Hear my prayer lifted in Jesus Precious Name.  Make it so!  

Psalm 1

blizzard

It’s a blustery, cold, snowy day in Northwest Ohio.  We were under a blizzard warning last night and now we’re under a Level 2 Snow Emergency.  That means we are not to be out on the roads unless we have an emergency.  That’s perfectly OK with me.  I love the snow and the chance to stay in and read, write, and stitch on my counted cross stitch and crochet projects.

I haven’t posted for a bit because the accuser got into my mind after my last post.  I felt very strongly about God wanting me to write about modesty and never expected to loose more than 200 followers.  I have my positive mojo up and running again and have realized a basic truth – – This blog is not about how many followers but about following God’s ‘command’ to write about His Word and using it in everyday life.

I have been writing the Psalms in my own words to give as a special gift to a dear, dear lady.  So I hope you’ll sit back, grab a cuppa (whatever you like to drink) and just read on…

Psalm 1    Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of gossipers, but whose delight is in the Law of the LORD, and who thinks about it day and night.

TreesThat person is like a tree planted by fresh water.  It yields its fruit in season and its leaves do not dry up.  Whatever they do prospers.

Not so with mean and wicked people!  They are like dust that is blown away by the wind.  God won’t even bother to judge them because they won’t be able to stand among the righteous.  God watches every moment and movement of the righteous and allows the wicked to continue on their path of destruction.

Heavenly Father, let me walk with You, totally delighting in Your Word.  Help me take it to heart and use as I walk this earth.  Forgive me when I determine to do it my way.  Grant me Your peace and presence in everything I think, do, and say.  You are my God, my King, my Everything.  I lift this prayer in the Precious Name of Jesus.  Make it so!

More Modesty, Please!

Why do people want to look, talk, and act like something they’re not?  I am very concerned about the immodesty of both men and women in our culture.  It concerns me that many find it necessary to look, say, and act in ways that conform to a societal bent toward lewdness.  1 Timothy 2:9-10 addresses appropriate appearance.  He is in no way saying don’t look your best.  He is saying look your best but put it to the test!  Hair style, jewelry, expensive clothes, and lack of modesty do not show ones devotion to God.  It definitely shows ones attachment to the world’s culture and disrespect for our Lord.   I have a dear friend, who even when she’s wearing jeans and a sweatshirt is just beautiful.  She is healthy, happy and reflects the absolute joy of being a believer.  My husband is a conservative dresser.  He often wears jeans and plaid shirts.  His confidence, assurance and acceptance of his place in God’s Kingdom are marks of his walk with our Lord.

fashion

I came across this delightful quote on Facebook and wanted to share it with you.

An incident transpired when Muhammad Ali’s daughters arrived at his home wearing clothes that were quite revealing. Here is the story as told by one of his daughters: “When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father’s suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day. My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You’ve got to work hard to get to them.” He looked at me with serious eyes. “Your body is sacred. You’re far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too.” From the book: More Than A Hero: Muhammad Ali’s Life Lessons Through His Daughter’s Eyes.