Happy New Year, 2011

What are your plans for the new year? Are you setting personal goals such as exercising more, eating healthy, or studying the Bible more intentionally? The list of potential goals and resolutions can be long and full of good intentions.

In fact, there are many great things that we can strive for and they will surely enrich our lives as we see new disciplines developed. At the top of my list is memorizing scripture in 2011. I’ll be participating with Living Proof Ministries as posted on their blog page recently. I even ordered their handy-dandy, spiral bound booklet full of blank index cards ready to be filled with scriptures ... 24 of them ... as I memorize two verses each month.

By the way, you can learn more about this Siesta Scripture Memory Team by visiting the Living Proof Ministry blog entry at http://blog.lproof.org/2010/12/my-fun-little-siesta-surprise.html

So, anyway, I’m beginning with Isaiah 30: 20-21 (I know that’s 2 verses but they just seem to be inseparable) and these verses say ....

Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, Your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it.” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

This passage refers to a time following the judgment because of Israel’s disobedience in which God opened their eyes once again to the sound teaching of the prophets but I think there is application for us today ~ as believers who have the living God within us in the person of the Holy Spirit ... our resident Teacher.

Sometimes, life can be so very difficult and we do indeed experience the “bread of privation and water of oppression”. Sometimes life just gets tough and it hurts! It may be something of our own doing which causes difficult consequences (like the Israelites in this passage) or it may be something that is totally beyond our control. Something that sovereign God allows into our life to refine us, mold us, teach us, shape us.

The point is ... don’t give up on God. He loves you and He loves me ... He longs to walk with us every step of the way ... in the difficulty and the ease of living.

Maybe we just need the reminder and the assurance that God has not forgotten us. This verse reminds me that He is my Teacher, my Guide, the Ever-Constant in my journey. One thing is for certain and that one thing is that I long to seek Him and find Him in the midst of whatever I am experiencing and, He promises that as I seek Him, He will be found ... gotta keep pressing in!

So, let me retype the verses now with some simple thoughts added because I don’t think it’s enough to just memorize scripture ... there must be some understanding of what it means ... of how it can apply to my right now moments ....

Although the Lord (the sovereign Ruler over all) has given you bread of privation and water of oppression (what difficulty or uncertainty is happening in my life right now ~ could it be the sovereign allowing of it in my life?), He, Your Teacher, (the Lord Himself, indwelling) will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher (seek and He will be found ~ Jer. 29:13). Your ears will hear a word behind you “This is the way, walk in it.” (the promise of divine guidance, divine direction). whenever you turn to the right or to the left (at all times; in all circumstances).

Puts a fresh perspective on this old testament passage for me ... so my prayer is this ... not just for me but for you ....

Ah Lord, we don’t know what this new year holds; what joy, what heartache, what laughter and tears, what indecisions or lack of clarity, but this we do know ... You ~ Holy, Sovereign, Loving, Faithful God ~ will supply all of our needs! And we rest assured that everything that touches Your beloved child will have been filtered through Your loving council and Your perfect will for our lives.

2011, as all other years since the dawn of time, belongs to You ~ Ruler of all that is! You are timeless, eternal. Let Your will be perfectly formed in us, day by day, as we walk into the unknowns of this new year.

In Jesus Name!

Blessings to you for a wonderful 2011 ~ full of God’s grace and never-ending mercy!
Cindy K
cindyrkessler@gmail.com

Rescue!

It’s been 2 weeks and 1 day since the 33 miners were raised from their underground prison in that collapsed mine in Chile. Were you glued to the TV, as so many were, watching the count being tallied as each miner reached the surface and breathed in fresh air for the first time in 69 days?

I was attending a worship rehearsal that particular Wednesday evening but kept my i-Touch close by refreshing the web browser between songs to get the updates of the ongoing rescue. I guess you could say I was somewhat “glued” to my i-Touch. How remarkable that all of them plus the rescuers were able to reach the surface safely. Just incredible!

As we began to rehearse the particular song in the Youtube clip above, ... You Alone Can Rescue (by Matt Redmon) ... I thought about the act of rescue. I thought specifically about that first rescuer standing on the surface, surveying the problem and accepting the challenge of what would be the only way to get those trapped miners out. I tried to imagine what might be running through his mind. I thought about the risk that he was about to take, the selflessness that he was about to display. How heroic!

But the more we sang that song ... and I especially love the chorus ... my thoughts turned to the greatest rescue of all time ... that is after all what the song is about ... here is what the chorus says ...

“You alone can rescue, You alone can save
You alone can lift us from the grave
You came down to find us, led us out of death
To You, alone, belongs the highest praise!”

Yep, I thought about that word rescue a lot that night as we rehearsed and about the One who has rescued me. Later I looked it up in the dictionary for the full, official definition. Now, I know that it’s probably a 3rd or 4th grade vocabulary word but it’s definition bears remembering in full detail.

Rescue:
–verb (used with object)
to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil.

As I read this definition, my thoughts embraced it’s meaning in a fresh, new way. I really thought about the “what” of this definition that one is rescued from. I again pondered the risk that the first rescuer took ... humbling himself to be lowered, in that tiny capsule, to get to the ones in such desperate need of being rescued. He truly is a hero and deserves much honor for his bravery!

But even as heroic as he is, it is truly only a fraction of the heroism that Christ, our God, our Savior, our Lord, displayed for us. Think about it....(from Phil. 2:6-8)

.... Christ Jesus,
 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
God, the Almighty Creator, the Sovereign One, the Ruler of all, Father, Shepherd, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords stepped down into our dark, lonely, chaotic world ... to rescue us!
It made me sing that song that night in a whole new way!

It made me glance toward Heaven and feel so small against the backdrop of His magnificence ... and yet feel so right in place!

It made me feel such overwhelming gladness that I have a Savior!

What about you? Have you thought about the bonds, the prisons, the chains that have held you down? Are they still holding you down in spiritual bondage and defeat?

Oh my friend, don’t remain in your prison, your confinement, your danger, your dread ... let me remind you that through the blood of one perfect Sacrifice, for all time, our freedom ~ our rescue ~ has been bought! (1 Peter 3:18 - look it up; rejoice in it; receive it!)

Because, one day, at the name of Jesus we will all bow and every tongue that has ever uttered a sound will confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2: 10-11)

Now that will be a real Hero’s welcome! I hope you are ready!

Simply abiding!
Cindy K.

Precious Memories ... Old and New

I spent last evening with a group of Sr. Citizens from my home church Woodlawn Baptist Church (Charlotte, NC). Mark and I grew up there and were married there as well. Its a place full of warm, fuzzy, Old memories! Where my faith took hold and began to soar.

I was there because I had been invited to be the musical guest at their monthly fellowship meeting. So, I enlisted the help of some of my girlfriends that are just incredible musicians/vocalists to go with me and build some warm, fuzzy, New memories as we ministered together in song. I’ve just got the best friends! Beautiful, inside and out. So glad they agreed to come with me. Thanks gals!

As we stood up front to sing and I looked out over the faces that sat before me the Old memories seemed to flood my heart and my mind at the exact same moment that tears were flooding my eyes. Filled to overflowing with gratitude for the heritage that God has given me ~

for my Mother who taught me to love the Lord and make
music for Him alone.

for the men and women who taught me in Sunday School
or Missions or were the selfless chaperones
on countless youth trips.

It was a special evening indeed ... each one of these special people touching me perhaps more than I touched them last night. All of them have had a hand in shaping the adult that I am today! Just an honor to be in their presence. And I began to think about things...

Our earthly heritage can be a wonderful thing but our real heritage, our inheritance, found in the Lord is of grand proportion! Do you know this? Can you wrap your mind around it? It matters not what your earthly heritage may be for as David says in Psalm 16: 5-6 ...

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

It’s true, I have been blessed with godly parents and a firm foundation ... my earthly heritage ... but even if I had not been blessed in this way I know that my heavenly Father, Creator of all that is, Lord of lords has wrapped me with a royal robe and called me His own. He crowns my life with righteousness and I am blessed indeed!

Yes my heritage is beautiful to me ... He is beautiful to me!

No matter what has gone before me (my past), no matter what is swirling around me now (my present) and no matter what lies ahead (my future) ... my God, my Father, my Portion is bigger! Yes, He’s bigger and He is enough.

Scripture assures me...
I am His and nothing can separate me from His love. (Romans 8: 38-39)

He is enough!

If I am in Christ, then I’m an heir according to the promise given to Abraham (Galations 3:29)

He is enough!

Yes, while I can trace my earthly heritage back to my parents and grandparents and great-grandparents ~ my spiritual heritage is traced back to highest royalty ... the King of kings! And as His child what a place of position He has placed me in....and you, if you are in Christ. How humbling to know that He loves us that much!

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.. (I John 3:1)

I pray that you’ll walk in His love today! I pray you will walk confidently in the royal position that He has bestowed upon you and hold fast to the Hope that is in Him!

Remember, He loves you with an everlasting love ....

Psalm 37

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:3~NAS)

Okay, so today I find myself asking for a fresh word from the Lord to address some issues that I must face. I ask for His strength and courage, wisdom and grace to walk through some difficult conversations, to abide silenced in some uncomfortable waiting and to endure some unpleasant encounters. Have you found yourself there lately? Ah, the facts of this life ... it’s sometimes quite hard!

Then I read Psalm 37 and it leaps from the page at me!

From verses 1 & 2: “Do not fret....” and “Do not be envious...” ~ Calm my anxious thoughts Lord!

Then the nugget ... from verse 3:

“Trust in the Lord...” ~ O God, I do trust in Your unfailing love. I bow the knee to sovereign God ~ I give you all my fear and my hurts and my “frets” and my “envy’s”.

“...and do good” ~ Teach me, Lord, to be pure, authentic, real, merciful, loving, kind, truthful and full of grace.

“Dwell in the land...” ~ Give me a steadfast heart O God to stay put and not run ~ not retreat ~ to DWELL right where you have me!

“and cultivate faithfulness.” ~ I did a little word study on this word cultivate ... it intrigued me. The original Hebrew word means to pasture, tend, graze. I like the mental image of those words that describe cultivating faithfulness. Tending to my call to faithfulness and grazing on God’s perfect faithfulness that does not fail.

So as I face these uncomfortable places where we sometimes have to walk I pray that You, O Lord, would remind me of Your faithfulness and Your unfailing love ... and may I confidently, comfortably dwell there ~ resting & cultivating (tending & grazing), and fully sheltered in your wonderful provision for my life.

Happy Anniversary to my Sweetie!

Mark,

Twenty-six years ago today, on June 23, 1984, we said “I do.” We pledged our love and commitment before God and man and raced off to begin our life together as husband and wife.

But who can know the journey that your lives will take? We certainly did not. There have been glorious days and some days, well, not so much; but, I’m so thankful that every step of the way has been walked alongside such a godly man who pours out his life daily in the sacrifice of service to God and to us ~ his family.

On this day, I honor you Mark and to our heavenly Father I say “thank you”, again, for birthing our love all those years ago. I could not have imagined the faithful and loving husband and father you would be. I am abundantly blessed! We are abundantly blessed!

All my love and all my “I do’s” still belong to you.

Lovingly,
Me

Reminders in the month of May!

I love the month of May. Okay, okay, for those of you who know me you know my real motivation .... it is, afterall, my birthday month and my birthday is followed immediately by Mother’s Day ... I just love all the attention! Just kidding ... okay partially kidding! I do love the attention!

But not for the attentions sake. No, it runs much deeper than that. I love the way my guys ... Mark, Brad, Cory and Will ... take care of me. There is something just so lovely about having these strong men at my side as we walk through life. They make me feel safe. They make me feel loved. They remind me that I am blessed beyond measure. They are my treasures, this side of heaven, and I’m abundantly, overwhelmingly grateful to God for each one of them.

The love I feel for them, the love I feel from them, points me right back to the Father! The God who made me. The God who ordains my days. The God who blesses my every moment with His incredible presence.

And then I’m reminded ...

He will never leave me nor forsake me!
He is my valiant Warrior!
He is for me so who can be against me!
He is my safety!
He alone loves me with an everlasting love!

In Him I live and move and have my being (Acts 17:28). He calls me to Himself and I am changed in His presence! The Word...alive in me. My mind truly cannot fully comprehend it; but, I know this, He is my Treasure, all year long, ... and He entrusts me with His presence daily. My heart is His home. My heart is His throne. My heart is His tabernacle. He chooses to dwell within me.

Oh, may I never miss it! When the calendar flips to June and then July, and then August and so on ... may I always see His blessings, always abide in the safety of His wings, and always embrace His boundless love and mercy. May I never forget in the “ordinary-ness” of my days that I am the apple of His eye!

Thank You, God, for the reminders in the month of May! All of life points to You and there is no where I can go that You are not already there! (Psalm 139)

Springing Forth ...

I love this time of the year...Spring...the weather is warming, the flowers have pushed their way up from the earth, the flowering trees and bushes are showing off with their splendid display of color. It is truly my favorite season!

And, I love to sit outside on my patio. Sure, it’s an old patio but there’s a certain charm about it. It was built by the previous owner of our little humble abode. I never knew him but he and his wife were the original owners of this home that we bought from his widow 8 1/2 years ago. He was a master gardener so I hear. He laid the patio, paver style, in the early 70’s. Needless to say some of the bricks are loose and broken and uneven. Still, there’s something endearing about relaxing on this patio. I love my patio!

There’s also something enjoyable about sprucing this old patio up. It doesn’t take much. And, just like a new outfit can spruce up our physical appearance so it is with a patio. You know like a new potted plant, or fresh cut flowers for the table top. Maybe a new cushion for a chair or new wind chimes or a birdhouse.

Sometimes, though the beauty must be brought from a deeper place. At some point the soil was broken, blended, tilled, worked so that a fragile seed or a seedling could be planted, watered, and nurtured. All of this done with the hope that something beautiful would spring forth.

So it is with life. Our life. A new outfit only dresses us up on the outside. And I love a new outfit! But God is more interested in doing a deeper work. He longs to cultivate the soil of our broken heart and contrite spirit (Ps. 51:15)...these are the offerings that He will not deny.

And when He puts His masterful hands to the gardening work of our lives, breaking and blending the soil of our hearts and carefully placing the tender seedlings of our days and our circumstances, well simply put, breathtaking beauty will be the result. The flower and the fruit will point others straight back to the incredibly creative, Master Gardener ... your Creator.

Oh God, spruce us up from the inside out. Use us for your eternal glory. Teach us to submit to Your mighty hand allowing You to be the Giver and Sustainer of a new thing springing forth in us each day!

Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
Isaiah 43:19

Let Him have His way in you, my friend.

Blessings!
Cindy K.

Looking in the rear-view mirror ....

I’m looking in the rear-view mirror of life today. Looking over the past 365 days to be exact! That’s how long it’s been, one year ago today, since I heard the words, “I’m so sorry Mrs. Kessler but it is indeed malignant.” In that short period of time, my God has comforted me in ways I never knew possible. My world wasn’t “rocked” you see, changed forever, yes, but my foundation stands secure. My hope is in Christ alone! He has given me more strength than I ever knew I could possess. Our God has revealed Himself to me in countless ways and has given me such courage to face the fact that “man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow”. (Ps. 144:4)

David knew the joy of this security of the soul ... certainty of life beyond this life. He knew the provision and care of the Lord upon his life and he believed that even the grave could not rob him of life. Listen to what he says in this Psalm of trust ....

Psalm 16: 6-11

6. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
         Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
7. I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;
         Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.
8. I have set the LORD continually before me;
         Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
 9. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
         My flesh also will dwell securely.
10.  For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
         Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
11. You will make known to me the path of life;
         In Your presence is fullness of joy;
         In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

I continue to stand and marvel at God’s goodness to me. I continue to bow at the feet of the One who orders all of my days and the content of those days. I continue to give Him all of my fears and apprehensions regarding my future. Oh yes, I have those .... it’s a daily act of the will for me to take every thought captive and not be given over to the “what if” questions. They can drive one insane!

Yes, it is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment decision to bring every thought under the authority of the Lord Most High and some days are more successful for me than others. Cancer is a wicked, sneaky disease and I will not be so arrogant as to think that it could never strike me again. I will, however, defer this possibility to my Maker. I will be confident that He knows my coming and my going, He knows the content of my days, He knows the beginning from the end. Simply put...He knows!

Even with all the human fears that come against me, I declare that it is my great privilege to walk my journey with Him. I accept the “good” and also the “not so good” from His hand....all the while holding tighter to His hand for it upholds me. It is here that I can bask in the knowledge of the love and mercy of our Savior. The Lord of Heaven and earth who continually bends His ear to us (Ps. 144:3), hears our cry and answers from Heaven’s throne. Oh my, my, my. What a Savior!

April will be a month of milestones for me .... there will be other “one year ago’s” coming my way before the end of the month ... so my goal for April is to begin to memorize some entire chapters of scripture. I’ve never been very good at remembering large passages but I’m going to start with Psalm 16 and Psalm 144. They speak to me right where I am; right now.

Would you join me? Maybe you have a different verse or passage of scripture that is touching you deeply. Let’s commit them to memory ... hiding them in our hearts. For when we do, He uses their truths to transform us and reveal more of who He is. I want to be found sitting at His feet, learning of Him....all the days of my life!

Now it’s time to turn my glance from the rear-view mirror and keep my eyes focused ahead ...

... one thing I do,
forgetting what lies behind
and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:13 & 14)


Keep pressing in and on!
Cindy K

That Amazing God!

Can I just brag for a moment on God? He truly is amazing. Today I found out that CD’s will soon be on their way to Niger, West Africa, Canada, and Australia!!!! Another one, possibly may be sent to Jordan, yeah that would be the Jordan in the middle east. I’m just standing in awestruck wonder! Thank you to my sweet friends who are sending them out to their friends in distant places...you are the hands and feet of God!

I must say that these destinations are just plain “crazy” BUT I’m so thankful to be part of the “crazy journey” with God as He launches these CD’s to the uttermost parts ... all for His glory and all for His fame!

You know the saying .... God can even use a donkey to get His point across! :) as mentioned in the Bible (2 Peter 2:16)...

Ok, that may be a little bit of an extreme comparison, I’m not calling myself a donkey. I know that I’m the loved daughter of the Most High God but I am saying that in my weaknesses, my infirmities, my limitations ... exchanging all that I am for all that He is ... He is able and willing to absolutely bring Himself glory through the lives of his people.

So, as I find myself “singing” vicariously in other countries, I bow the knee to Almighty God and I say with the psalmist....

And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen, and Amen
Psalm 72:19

MAKE YOUR PRAISE GLORIOUS GOD!

The Gals singing at a Sr. Citizen function

One week ago, I had the awesome privilege of sharing in word and song with a group of very lively senior citizens at Calvary Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. It was so much fun...They were so much fun!

These beautiful women above joined me. We sang some great tight harmonies! Thanks ladies for lending me your voices for the evening. I know that our God was blessed!

Finding Rest - Psalm 62

I’m sitting here on my sofa ... house quiet save the puppies running around and playing in the den. It’s been rainy today and so when they came in from a few minutes in the yard the youngest one, Lucy, looked like a wet rat (she’s only 4 months old, a hairy mixture of malti-poo and “powderpuff” breeds) and I can hear her running with all of her might through the kitchen and den, sliding as she goes. She’s such a ball of energy and completely unaware of it! If she’d only slow down!

My thoughts return to what I’m doing ... I’m sitting here on my sofa ... my quiet corner of the house ... feeling very content at the end of a day where the housework is done; things, for the most part, are put away in their places; the laundry is finishing up; and dinner is in the crock pot. You know those kinds of days? Contentment, satisfaction, peace ... emotions that lend themselves to our fully thinking about the goodness of God! Moments where it is easy to be still before the Lord.

But what robs us of these moments in our daily days? You know the days when nothing is going right? What makes us come in from the world looking like a “wet rat” sliding all over the place, like Lucy, completely unaware that if we’d just slow down a bit ... just a bit, and take time to be still ... perfectly still in His presence ... how different our days might be.

I can only speak for myself but I want to be still. I want to be found resting in His presence, safely in His grip, completely absorbed by His goodness! I want to say with David (from Psalm 62) ...

 1 My soul finds rest in God alone;
       my salvation comes from him.

 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; 
       he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
 5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; 
       my hope comes from him.
 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; 
       he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; 
       he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; 
       pour out your hearts to him, 
       for God is our refuge. 
       Selah

Did you catch that in verse 1 and 5? They basically say the same thing but the tense makes the application slightly different. Vs. 1 says, my soul finds, that’s present tense ...it’s happening at this very moment; Vs 5 says it this way, find rest, indicating a plea to take an action; to look for something, in this case to find rest.
Now I’m no scholar but in my life that speaks to me ....
I can be confident that my soul does find rest in my right now moments.
I must be actively pursuing rest in those moments that I find myself striving against the rest that He so freely gives.

So Father, I thank you for the rest that you give me in the midst of peaceful days and the peace you offer on those days where, to You, I must look like a ball of energy, striving for rest that is only found in You. Forgive me Lord for not being still in Your presence.

Psalm 23 ~ With added perspective ...

Several weeks ago at church, our Latino Pastor, Gilberto Colon shared an incredible message about suffering and rejoicing. In his message, he read Psalm 23 with an added perspective and it really touched me in that deep, deep place where our hope abides. We know that David wrote Psalm 23; however, the author of the added perspective is unknown......may these words minister to your soul right where you are .... right now ....

Psalm 23
The LORD is my Shepherd (That’s a Relationship!)
I shall not want (That’s Supply!)
He makes me to lie down in green pastures (That’s Rest!)
He leads me beside the still waters. (That’s Refreshment!)
He restores my soul (That’s Healing!)
He leads me in the paths of righteousness (That’s Guidance!)
For His name’s sake (That’s Purpose!)
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (That’s Testing!)
I will fear no evil (That’s Protection!)
For You are with me (That’s Faithfulness!)
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (That’s Discipline!)
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies (That’s Hope!)
You anoint my head with oil (That’s Consecration!)
My cup runs over (That’s Abundance!)
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (That’s Blessing!)
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD (That’s Security!)
Forever. (That’s Eternity)


Also, praying for the country of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake .... join me won’t you?

Cindy K

Sunrises and Rocks..The story of the photograph ......

I feel so privileged to be able to use this photograph as my CD cover. Let me take a moment to give the backstory.....

For months I had been attempting to say “overwhelmed” in a picture. I thought that a sunrise would say it nicely and settled on an online stock photo depicting the sun coming up and spreading it’s warmth over a green grassy field and one lone tree stretching heavenward for all of it’s needs. That was a good idea, perhaps, but it still didn’t capture the essence of being overwhelmed. What to do?

While sharing my dilemma with a friend and sharing with her the story of the rocks my son had given to me....more about the rocks in the insert of the CD which tells that story and the lessons that God is teaching me through this simple gift of 4 rocks. The rocks are inseparable from the songs that have been recorded....so, I was telling you that I was telling my sweet friend about my dilemma.

She had an idea...it turns out that her brother-in-law, in Minnesota, is a professional nature photographer and has the most beautiful picture of rocks on his website. She told me to check it out and if I liked it, she’d contact him to see if he would let me use the photo. Well, I did like it...alot...and he has allowed me to use it. He is a fellow believer and very supportive of what I’m doing.

He explained to me that he captured the picture quite by accident as he was out at Sugarloaf Cove, Lake Superior, Minnesota trying to capture a sunrise...oh really? So was I! It just wasn’t working out for him...oh really? Me either! He happened to down look at his feet and saw the water rushing over the stones. He stood there trying to time the incoming water so as to capture the water’s power, covered and uncovered rocks, and the water’s foam in perfect timing. This photograph is the result.

Praise God for His own perfect timing...
2 people trying to capture the sunrise, for different reasons,
2 people beholding rocks and gazing at their beauty,
2 believers, bound in Christ, capturing “overwhelmed”....
for such a time as this...

Thank you Darren. My heart is blessed by your generosity to me and your support in this call of the Lord. May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Check out his website of beautiful photographs at www.darrenolson.com

Blessings to you for your day! And, whatever happens to you today, find God in the details....He may just be working behind the scenes of any given situation to accomplish something incredible in you a little further down the road....

Cindy

New Year 2010

Praise God for new beginnings! Surely His mercies are new each day! No resolutions for me this year just a deep abiding conviction and desire that each day will be, must be, deeper still with Christ than the day before.

Each moment, a cherished one.
Each breath, deeply inhaling God’s grace.
Each step, walked out with my Maker.

I may stumble along the way, I may feel squeezed by the cares of life but He is the Lifter of my head. He sustains us moment by moment.

So, with our finite minds we say “Happy New Year” precious Lord..timeless, eternal, unchanging God...walk with us, guide our steps, guard our hearts, shower down Your incredible mercy...

we are desperate for You!