Hope and Refreshment

Have you ever had a day when a word of encouragement could go a long way?  That was my week...Lately, I feel like I am surrounded by the most dismissive, negative, discouraging folks in the world. Some days, I just feel as if my strength to press on is fading. "Does anyone really care?" I've thought many times. That's why a smile, a friendly gesture, or encouraging words are so precious to me right now.  

So, I turn to God's word, which is the best thing I could ever do.As I read through Psalm 23, I am encouraged in the way David describes the Lord's care.  All 6 verses reveal something beautiful about our God. The Lord provides for us all that we need with tender loving care: provision, guidance, and protection for the sheep in His care. He is the "Good Shepherd" as explained in John 10. Under His care, we can have rest and peace that only the Lord can give. (Reminding me what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28) What I also notice is that this rest and peace brings refreshing and new strength - almost as part of preparation to be guided in the right path.

Verses 4-6 shows us that no matter what we go through, the Lord is always there and that He will do what is necessary to keep us where we need to go. If His presence is our dwelling place, then His goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. The biggest encouragement we have is through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Through Him we are not only set free, but incredibly loved!

"See what [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are!"    

1 John 3:1 AMP 

Ahh...refreshing hope...

Today, I am grateful for the encouragement the comes from the Father. Although I may wish it would come from those around me, nothing beats the love and care that only God can bring. Apparently, I need constant reminding, but the good news is that God's Word and His Holy Spirit is always available to bring these things to mind.  Thank you, Jesus!

Peace & Blessings,
\o/

@Being Connected...

Over the summer, I signed up for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.  I am not sure what I am trying to accomplish here by trying to be so social, but I've realized that there are WAY too many social media outlets that make absolutely NO sense to me right now.  All this has accomplished for me is that I feel more out of touch than in touch.  Gee, I used to be so tech savvy...or so I thought.

For the most part, I don't think I like Twitter at all.  I keep forcing myself to read the different tweets and even have 2 Twitter accounts (personal & professional)! I know...Why? Why?! Why?!? And I keep getting strange followers like make money now and a moving company in NYC (Umm...I live in NM).  Do I really need to connect with these folks? Or is there some unwritten contest as to how many followers you can get no matter who they are or what they sell? I just don't get it. *shaking my head*

Well, I've come to the conclusion that there is too much of nothing going on in the Twittersphere. The streams of consciousness some folks have is more than I care to keep up with. That's what your Facebook friends are for, right? ;-) Besides, I have more on my mind that exceed the 140 character limit of a tweet.  Perhaps Twitter was created to perpetuate multitasking skills in its followers. I mean really, who else could tweet every 5 seconds and follow a million people at the same time?? This is too overstimulating for me.

Google+ has some cool features, if I learned how to use them effectively and add friends to my circle. Honestly, I don't even know what the circles mean or how to start a hangout, but it looks really cool though.

LinkedIn can be profitable professionally, but to be honest, I find that I network online better through the blogs of other persons of similar interests. I'll keep my account for now, but I don't think I'll invest too much time in it unless the need arises.

Okay, so why am I connected to these things that make my head spin? Hmm...that's a good question!

Seriously, am I trying to keep up with today's hip culture? (Ugh, I sound old) Maybe...maybe not. *sigh* Perhaps all of this speaks to a deeper desire in all of us to connect in some way to each other (although I'd prefer different methods like actual human connection like conversations face-to-face or a phone call). There are so many people you can reach out to in these types of forums, but I don't know. I still feel somewhat disconnected from the people I "follow" or those "following" me.

To relate, on any level, requires giving a piece of ourselves to another. It's a gift actually. I love that God gave Himself for us in Christ. I love that no matter how cut off I may seem in the world, I can always be connected to Him. Being connected to the Lord is the only thing that matters in this life. Through prayer and through His Word, our connection with the God of the universe goes beyond a tweet or status update. Instead of being captured by the unimportant things, I can be renewed, transformed, encouraged, taught, corrected, protected, comforted, calmed, guided, forgiven, and simply loved.  Now that's a connection I can get with....tweeting it....lol


John 15:5 AMP

"I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing."

#Unplugged for now,
\o/

**UPDATE**
Ok, I think I've figured out Twitter a little better, so I might change my mind about it in the future.  LOL

A Bump in the Road

Proverbs 3 says to trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. Well that was put to test this morning as my car slowly went into transmission arrest and I barely got my daughter to school.  I was scared and felt the emotions creep up and eventually seep out. My daughter was the voice of truth reminding with such authority to trust God. When I said, "I will" she declared, "NO, TRUST GOD!" with such conviction that I had no choice but to be immediately obedient.  Wow, I was almost jealous of her level of faith!

Fear wanted to paralyze me and keep me from moving forward. However God used my sweet daughter today reminding me that He is very near, very present, and in control. I just needed to trust.

In all of this, I almost forgot that the Lord cares about every detail in our lives.  As I sit here in the parking lot of a car dealership listening to the radio, God  continues to be my companion with songs that encourage my fearful heart.

Thank You, Lord, for the voice of truth that reminds me of Your love and care.

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in You."  Psalms 56:3