IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THANG

Pie and coffee for b'fast this morning.

Because I can!
Because I can!
Because I can!

Lord, I'm praising you for my singleness this morning. I thank you for this pie. I thank you for the hands that brought this pie to me because she knew I didn't get any on Thanksgiving! I thank you for my team with whom I dined last evening.

Father, I lift to you today: myself. I give you: me.

And I thank you for being the God of Restoration, Fresh Starts, Sunsets and Sunrises.

Trust [God] absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. Psalm 62:8

GIVE THANKS

I am very thankful for all that God has blessed me with. Who knew?

Lord, I'm thankful:

1. That I know my Savior
2. That I will not go to bed hungry, nor will those I love
3. That some totally awesome women came into my life this past year
4. For clean air and clean water to drink
5. For Blogger : )

What are you thankful for?

THIS LIFE EXTRAORDINARY

Lord, only you take my breath away.

Tonight I'm thinking of my son. Remembering back to days when he was small. I still can see him playing in the ocean. I can hear his giggles in the waves. I can see him wiggling to get away from me while I tried to get suntan lotion onto his body as fast as I could.

Life is good. It's sometimes a little tough. But overall, I'd say it's gorgeous even in my toughest moments. It's all because I know I have a savior. It's because I have Jesus in my heart.

In your toughest moments, what memories remind you God is gracious?

PRAYERFUL INTO YOU

lonely breath
envelop
You

lonely days
me
collapsing

into You

i can't see
i can't see

my spirits deflate
and lift

deflate

and lift again

weary soul
seeking
You

why did you draw me near?
what parts of me do You want?
what parts are to be discarded?
which retrieved?

He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life." Ezekiel 37:3-5

You're asking only that I believe
help me, I want to believe

Each reaching and aspiration is an instinct with which all nature consists and cooperates and therefore it is not in vain. But alas! each relaxing and desperation is an instinct too. Thoreau On Man & Nature

Friends, I look back on my last few posts. In my mind, I think, "stuff's just going nowhere..."

It isn't writer's block as much as it is me drawing in a deep breath and doing some thinking and a lot of praying. The last few months were pretty hectic for me. I have felt hugely underappreciated in some very personal areas of my life. I feel very second-hand lately. I feel like someone's last thought. My patience with others is thin. I am fearful to write because I sound pretty sour grapes right now.

From deep within my heart, I've been reaching...my aspirations hugely instinctive. My desperation an instinct too. Thank you Henry D.

I suppose that's why there is God. Because I certainly can't go through this alone.

WAVES
Waves; ebbing and flowing. Trust turning to mistrust. Comfort to discomfort. And yet, mistrust in some areas has turned to trust. Discomfort to comfort. I am not so blind that I don't see.

"God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction."--Psalm 25:8

"Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails." --Psalm 51:12

HIS SHOULDERS NOT MINE
I am not as strong as some would suppose. My intellect, my heart, my ability to listen and comfort...it feels lately like it's been sucked dry. I feel resentment. I holdfast to the Lord. I seek the Cross. Father, why am I still so distraught in my heart? I try to remind myself - place these burdens on the Lord - my shoulders are too weak.

It's a season, some say.
It's a phase.
These are attacks.

Is God on the move again in my life? I'm venturing to say yes. And tough as this is for me right now, prayers are being answered right now. And while some of the bad fruit falls from the shaking tree, I've only to hang on. Hang tight to God.

"When life gets really difficult,
don't jump to the conclusion that
God isn't on the job.
Instead, be glad that you are in
the very thick of what Christ experienced.
This is a spiritual refining process,
with glory just around the corner." --1 Peter 4:12-13

Then, hey, hallelujah and amen. I feel the tides changing.

I know Jesus hurt too. This comforts me.

I just gotta ask tonight, do you think he said ouch?

I'M ON A BREAK BUT I'M NOT GONE FOREVER!

Enjoy this and I'll see you in a week or so...

UNCERTAINTY

I have some thinking to do. I'm not sure I feel like posting what I'm feeling at this moment. I will be reading your blogs as I enjoy encouraging you as you have encouraged me. I would like to gracefully take a break for a bit.

In Christ,
Danielle