THANK OFFERINGS

Hello friends,family and foreigners,
There has been much time that has passed since I last posted on this blog because of a change in my lifestyle with homeschooling but this week everyone, even my husband has taken time off for Thanksgiving. I am so excited because it is my favorite holiday. Maybe you think that odd coming from a good Christian girl like myself. Why isn't Christmas and Easter at the top of my list? Of course I love Christmas when celebrated appropriately as it helps us focus on the birth of Our Savior and Easter too because of reflection on the Sacrifice that Jesus made so we could live at peace with God. But these holidays are no longer "holy" days in the world we live in. I have chosen to celebrate God and who He is everyday and it takes the stress out of trying to make these days the end all and be all to my worship of God. My family appreciates it when mom is not trying to rush everyone here and there and we can just enjoy each other.

That brings us to Thanksgiving! In a sweet new devotional I am reading called,Jesus Calling, Sarah Young writes as is Jesus is speaking. A few days ago, this was her entry: "Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to MY thoughts." This reminded me once again why I love this season we are in.
One night I was lying in bed praying for my brother which I had been doing for 20 years. He was the only member of my immediate family who was still running from the God who loved him first. He was a miserable,lost man. He never came around the family. It was as if he was hibernating away from all those who cared about him. He never wanted to expose himself to the Light. I tried to reach out to him as much as I could. I sent him cards and letters,helped him financially when his only child was born with Downs Syndrome and medical bills were piling up for all the surgeries he needed for his heart. I gave him great books to read that I hoped would open his heart to God's love. Because he loved to read, my Granny Langston gave him a Bible one year for Christmas. We decided that we would agree in prayer that he would have a desire to read it. Years went by and finally one day his wife made a passing comment at a family function. "You know, he reads that Bible every day." My heart lifted. God was moving!! Years went by.......... and that is where you find me at the beginning of this story.
Lying in bed,tears running down my face, I asked God,"Why haven't You saved Timmy yet?"
Like a bullet,not with pain but with quick precision,His answer came. It was a short statement about me,not my brother. I was shocked and a little perplexed but I didn't feel condemned or attacked. God said to me,"You don't THANK ME enough!" I quickly agreed with God and began at that very moment telling Him Thank You for all He was doing in my life. The next morning I wanted to continue to be obedient and I started a THANKSGIVING journal and each day I began to jot down a few things I realized I had never Thanked God for. It was amazing how many times He had answered very specific prayers and I had not even noticed. I had been doing this for about 2 weeks when my phone rang one morning. It was my brother. Immediately I knew that this phone call was either going to be very good or very bad. My brother had never called me in my adult life. He said,"Denise I needed to call you and tell you that today I tried to kill myself, I couldn't do it. I begged my wife to do it,she of course wouldn't do it. I was so miserable and unhappy and finally I fell on my knees and cried out,JESUS SAVE ME! Denise, He DID! You are the second person I called..... the first person was Granny Langston." This was the most wonderful phone call I have ever recieved. I jumped up and down praising God for hours afterward and never knew that God was teaching me something about Thanksgiving.

Months went by...... I was reading my Bible one morning and came across this verse: "He who sacrifices THANK OFFERINGS, honors ME and he prepares the WAY that I may show him the SALVATION of GOD"(Psalm 50:23) I was blown away.....that is why God wanted me to THANK HIM more. Through my Thankfulness, He prepared Timmy's heart for Salvation. Just like in Sarah Young's writings... Timmy's heart was opened to God's Presence and God's Thoughts toward him. Isn't that amazing!!!! So now you know why I love THanksgiving!

This is my simple prayer for you: May you THANK GOD and prepare the Way for HIS SALVATION!!!!" As you are gobbling turkey ponder that thought and know this I Thank My God for every remembrance of all of you who read this humble little blog!!! dedelang

Changes

Good morning out there!
Long time ,no post. I am sorry to leave you all hanging since I last posted but there have been many things happenning at record speed at my house. When you live in a house full of teens and pre-teens it's like riding a roller coaster.
Today will be my first full week of homeschooling one of my high school daughters. You know the one who misses the bumpy roads of Africa. Well apparently the bumpy roads of Africa are much smoother than the bumpy roads of public high school. So, after much prayer and godly counsel we took the leap of faith and began a new adventure. So far..... so Great!!! My daughter is herself again. She told me after 3 days that she finally felt like she was was comfortable in her own skin. She has a wonderful network of homeschool friends that were in place before we began. I wish I had done this sooner when I look at the relief in her face. It's the same look I saw in my older daughter's face when she decided to not try out for cheerleading her 1oth grade year. She was always stressed out,in physical pain or dealing with girlfriend drama. It is so wonderful to see her really enjoying her life, as she put it, "without being in constant pain and sick to her stomach." Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against public school or sports.... but I think we need to listen to the hearts of our children when they want to go against the "norm". And of course, quitting anything should never be done without considering the reasons. We want our children to work hard at "whatever they do as unto the Lord." Perserverance is an important part of Christian growth but God speaks to us all as individuals and what is good for one is not good for all. I am so proud of the way my children are listening to His voice and having the courage to be "who He is calling them to be not who the w orld says they should be" God's word says ,"Be not conformed to this world,but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." Transformation is happenning in our home and it is bringing in changes that are resulting in peace and joy and love and rest in our hearts and minds. What are you facing right now? Try it God's way and see what a difference it can make. My prayer for you is simple: May you have the courage to go against the world's way and let God change your life for the better. ddlang

LOVE LETTERS

Every circumstance or event in our lives,God uses to draw us to Him. As a child, I hid away in my room avoiding confrontations with my alchoholic father. I was alone and scared and I would cry out to God in pain. I had recieved a small white Bible from my church when I was baptized and it became my source of comfort and hope. I would read God's word and be amazed at how it spoke just to my special needs. It was as if God had titled each passage.... "Dear Sweet Denise".

These times in my room became a sweet "stealing away" to read love letters from the One who loved me first. It filled my heart with hope and I began to believe that I was created for a purpose. My purpose was to be in this beautiful,pure relationship with the God of the universe.

I began to notice how God was working in not only my life but the lives of those around me. I began to pray for others.

40 years have passed and the only thing that has changed in me besides the physical signs of aging is my deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus. It is sweeter and more fulfilling than anything else in my life. This spills over into all my other relationships and makes them richer and gratifying.

There is also a sense of peace that passes all human understanding. Do you have what i have described? If not,why? It is a free gift---------- Accept it and you will exchange a life of worry,restlessness and uncertainty for one of peace,joy,contentment and assurance that you are loved and have hope for the future.
Have you accepted the fact that the rough spot your in should be drawing you to God? Then, go to Him...... Jesus said,"I am the Way,The Life and the Truth. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Accept His words of Love. Read His Love Letters!!!! That is my simple prayer for you.

My Great Escape

Hello out there! I am a little behind this week in my posting. Life has come in like a huge wave and it has been hard to keep my head above water and the current has been pretty strong as well. Can anyone relate? I feel like I am being hit from all directions. When you have 4 children there is never a dull moment so I am used to juggling normal life stuff but this has been different. I have felt like I have been in a battle. This has been a time of being "on guard".

The bible reminds me that in this time that we live in "this is not your REST".(Mic.2:10) In Luke 22:46 I am reminded by Jesus to "Rise up and Pray!"

The most ironic thing about this is that when you think that what you really need during a situation like this is SLEEP,A VACATION,A DRINK,ETC.,prayer is the GREAT ESCAPE!!!! God truly knows what he is talking about.

The greatest rest I ever have no matter what is happening around me is right after I have prayed. The greatest vacation I have ever taken was one soaked in prayer. The only drink that has filled me with such Joy and relaxation was a drink of "Living water".
I found the words to a beautiful song that describes what prayer does.... IT STOPS ThE WORLD! Maybe that is why God tells us to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

STOP THE WORLD
THE TV IS TALKING
THE TELEPHONE'S RINGING
THE LIGHTS ARE ALL ON AND THE RADIO'S SCREAMING
A MILLION DISTRACTIONS ARE STEALING MY HEART FROM YOU
I'M TIRED AND EMPTY
THIS LIFE IS RELENTLESS
IT WEAKENS MY KNEES AND BREAKS MY DEFENSES
IT'S WEARING ME DOWN AND I'M DESPERATE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

STOP THE WORLD
I WANNA GET OUT
I NEED AN ESCAPE
AWAY FROM THIS CROWD
JUST TO HEAR YOU SPEAK TO ME
I NEED TO BE STILL BEFORE I MAKE A MOVE
I NEED TO BE HUMBLE WITH NOTHING TO PROVE
I NEED YOUR WORD TO SHOW ME THE TRUTH
AND I NEED TIME,PRECIOUS TIME.



If you want to hear the next verse and the beautiful melody, pick up Matthew West's cd called "Something to say". The whole cd is worth listening to and pondering. My prayer for you is simple: May you pray and discover that God truly is your"GREAT ESCAPE". d

AHA!

There is a road I travel frequently and just recently I saw a little gravel road that someone had carved out leading back into a wooded lot. A sign had been erected at the entrance that merely stated,SANCTUARY. You couldn't see anything from the road,not a building,bulldozer or any sign of movement at all. There was an air of mystery about it and I just can't stop thinking about it. So, you know what that means... I began to ponder the word,sanctuary. The dictionary defines it as a holy place or a place of refuge. Funny thing how God speaks at just the right time ,if you are listening. In my daily Bible reading this morning in Ezekiel the scriptures were:"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you said "AHA!" over my Sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile,therefore I am going to give you to the people of the east as a possesssion." God makes it clear here that He does not take it lightly when we say "AHA!" over His Sanctaury when it is being harmed in any way. But what exactly is His sanctuary? Back then, it was a building because that is where God's presence dwelt among the Israelites but today God has made it clear that those who invite Jesus into their lives to forgive and cleanse them also invite in the Holy Spirit to dwell within them and therefore we become God's Sanctuary. If that is true, why do we take such poor care of God's Sanctuary? Are we saying"AHA!" when we run around and never rest,drink,smoke,eat junk constantly? Are we saying,"AHA!" when we worry and forget to pray? How can we be a place of refuge for others when we are sick,tired and harried ourselves? Please believe me this is convicting to me and I am not preaching to you but to myself. I think of the song:"God prepare me to be a sanctuary,pure and holy,tried and true. With Thanksgiving,I'll be a living sanctuary for YOU!"
My prayer for us is simple: May we never say"AHA!" over God's sanctuary and may we become a refuge for all those seeking comfort and shelter in our lives.

Lovewalking

I am posting late today because it is the first day of school. My dining room table looks like a display table at Office Depot. It will look this way for about 2 weeks as the kids gradually get everything removed to their lockers. They were nervous and a little excited as they moved through the new but familiar routine of dressing,quick bites of 'whatever" I can entice them with on a stomach full of butterflies and gathering all the necessary tools for the day.
They are also nervous because of what they will face,hear and be made aware of.
Public school is not the safe,warm and fuzzy place it was 50 years ago. There are many reasons for this which I will not try to explain or give my personal account of at this posting. No, today is about my reaction to this truth. 11 years ago my 4th grader and my kindergartener started public school. I had been a public school teacher for many years and knew what they were going to experience. First, I was gripped with fear and then I fell on my knees and cried out to God for their protection. Second, I attended a meeting I had heard about on the radio. I invited an aquaintance that also had a daughter who was entering kindergarten. We attended this meeting out of desperation. It was called Moms in Touch.
Moms In Touch is a prayer ministry. We were told how to use a simple outline of Praise,Silent Confession,Thanksgiving and then Intercession using scripture to pray for our children each week for one hour. My new friend was a little nervous. She barely knew me and she went home and told her husband," I have never prayed for anything for one hour".
But pray we did and the hour flew by.
I have to tell you that this new friend became my best friend. We have cried and laughed and sang and danced and shouted in some of the most exciting hours of prayer that I have ever experienced. We have seen our children succeed and fail and get up again as we have prayed them through elementary school,middle school,high school and now even college. Many other women have joined us through the years. Some have come and gone and some die hards like us are here to stay. 3 years ago another aquaintance called me up and asked me to help her with this vision God had given her to start a County-wide prayer walk for all our schools. I was excited about this because I was already doing this for my kids schools. It seemed like a huge task to get the whole county involved but we met to pray and God showed up and that is how the LOVEWALK was formed. The name came from 2john 6-"And this is love,that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning,His command is that you walk in LOVE."

Every year the LOVEWALK has grown from just a few moms to moms,dads,children,grandparents,teachers and even people who have no children at all. We had no idea who walked the first year and now we have a website where people contact us and let us know who walked and what they prayed. The first year we had a reporter take our picture and write an article in the paper. It was truly a God thing. Last year we had signs made and my friend and I hammered them into a hard dry ground because of the drought. We placed them at all of the schools by ourselves. This year just like the abundant rain we have had to loosen up the soil.. we had an abundance of helpers with this task.

On Saturday I stood at the elementary school where my son had graduated from and now will be entering the middle school next door. I stood with my Moms In Touch friend who started all this with me. We couldn't believe how 10 years had flown by sorta like the first hour of prayer. We asked God to replace us. We released this wonderful school with all the students,teachers and staff into His hands. And we turned toward the middle school to begin another year of LOVEWALKING.

What are you Pondering?

It has been a busy summer! Have any of you seen something or read something that has made you Ponder? If you have trouble commenting on this blog just keep hitting the "publish comment" and type in the silly words until it goes through. It's a pain i know i have to do it on another blog I comment on. You could also just send me an e-mail at deniselthomas4@hotmail.com Can't wait to hear from you with new things to ponder. Maybe we can ponder them together! denise

Is the Lord Willing?

Today I was reading in my favorite devotional,"My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. I will probably be quoting him alot in this blog so just remember it is from this book. His comment this day was,"We have not yet understood all the COMPELLING purpose of God." As you can see the word, compelling jumped off the page at me. When that happens I know that God wants me to ponder this word. I got out my trusty old Webster's dictionary. Compel means to "constrain". Constrain means to "confine". Confine means to "keep within bounds,to limit or restrict,to give borders to".

And there lies the rub........We do not like to be constrained! We do not like someone telling us where we can and cannot go. But just like children need a fence around the yard to keep them from running out into the busy street,we also as children of God need the same confinement. A loving God does it for our protection,but we have the choice of staying within that wall of protection or breaking through to complete abandment of all rules ,guidelines and direction form the One who loved us first.

As a young child I remember my Granny Langston responding a certain way when someone would ask her if she would do this or that or go here or there. She would say ," If the Lord is willing." She read her bible and was quoting James 4:15. This passage warns us about boasting about tomorrow as if we decided what it holds. I guess that is as silly as hearing a two year old say."Tomorrow I am going to travel alone to New York and do some shopping". The bible says that God laughs at the plans of man. This puts his laughter in perspective doesn't it?

So, My prayer for you and myself is simple: May we get up each morning and say to the Lord," What is your plan for me today? What are you compelling me to do or not do today? Keep me in your fence of love and protection!!!! dedelang

Highway to Heaven

My daughter just returned from a 2 week mission trip to Africa with my husband. After a few days of recovery from jet lag we ventured out to run some errands. It was a glorious day filled with sunny skys and so we decided to ride with the top down on the convertible. We were tooling down the road,wind in our hair on what I thought was a smooth and lovely ride. But then my daughter said with emotion in her voice," I miss the bumpy roads of Africa."
God is calling us all to walk a certain road and we will not be happy unless we go where He calls. Something happened in my daughter's heart when she walked the "bumpy" road that God called her to walk. That road became a Highway to Heaven for her. It brought her such joy and she is changed forever.
Her school tells her she should walk a certain road to get into college,her friends tell her she should walk a certain road to be popular,her doctor tells her she should walk a certain road to be healthy and on and on it goes. Jesus simply tells her,"Follow me!" If you know the road you are on is leading you to heaven it will not matter what it is made of,how narrow the path or whether it is smooth or filled with potholes. The journey may be long and hard but just ahead of you is the One who Loved you first leading you to joy unspeakable.
I have just finished a wonderful book called,Adventure Yourself by Tommy Barnett. The sub-title is,Discover the thrill and excitement of serving God.
In chapter 12 he tells the story of David Livingstone. He was a missionary in Africa in 1840. When he and his brother John were boys they shared with each other their life dreams. John shared that he wanted to grow up to be rich and famous. David shared that his goal was to" follow Christ to the fullest."
David left Great Britain as a young man and died in Africa doing what he loved,sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with tribes of indigenous people. One small tribe loved him so much that they did not want the family to retrieve his body and take him back to Great Britain for burial. Finally,one of the tribesman ripped open Livingstone's chest and cut out his heart and proclaimed,"His heart belongs to us." And so,his body is at rest in Westminister Abbey beside many of the greatest people in world history. By his grave lies a sign that reads:"David Livingstone's body is here ,but his heart is in Africa." Remember his brother John who desired to be rich and famous. He did become rich and famous as he walked the road that the world called him to walk. On his tombstone the marker reads: Here lies the brother of David Livingstone."
So many people who are walking the Highway to Heaven will never be famous on earth like David Livingstone. But they will be famous when they reach their destination. The Bible tells us that we are surrounded by a "great cloud of witnesses". They are cheering us on,encouraging us to take the path that may not always look appealing or even safe.
My prayer for you is simple: May you take time to look at the road you are on. Ask God if this is the path He wants you on. May you follow Him wherever He leads.
dedelang

Are you Knocking?

Knock,Knock! Who's There?
Just checking to see if anyone is home. :) But seriously, I did want to share what God has been saying to me about "knocking". Matthew 7:7 says we should Ask,Seek and Knock. Asking God for something is easy. We can sometimes do it very passively without much effort. Seeking requires some movement as we read His word and do a little research. Now knocking is all together different." To knock "means to hit,blow,strike or basically, work.
Colossians 3:23 tells us that "Whatever we do,work at it with all your heart,as working for the Lord,not for men.
To knock off means to stop working.
To knock out means finishing a job.
To knock down means to take apart.

I don't know about you,but as I look around me I see alot of people who are really tired and weary and sometimes quite depressed about how life is treating them right now. It is tough out there. But as a Christian, there is something we need to remember: We must not stop "knocking". We can't knock off just because things are hard. We must continue to do what God has called us to do. Let us raise up our hands and hit,strike and pound upon the doors that God has placed in front of us. It is a different door for each of us------------- maybe it's a lost neighbor,a prodigal son,a wayward spouse,an addiction,poverty or depression. We must not stop until we knock down and take apart the walls that are holding these doors in place. These walls consist of pride,fear,anger,lies and misunderstandings. We must open the doors with the truth spoken in love,God's word and prayer. This is not easy,but hard work. Think of 2 boxers in the final round.... it is a draw and both are hardly able to stand,much less fight. But one boxer somehow finds an extra measure of strength and "knocks out" his opponent. A knock out means Victory because his opponent can no longer fight. That is what we need to do right now, find an extra measure of strength to finish the work God has given us. Usually a boxer will gain strength by sitting in his corner for a few minutes to rest and listen to his coach speak words of encouragement and instruction. A cool drink of water brings physical refreshing. That is what we need as well. Take time to come away from the fight for awhile to rest and listen to God's word of guidance and encouragment. You too, will be spiritually refreshed by the Holy Spirit and have that extra measure of strength to knock out the enemy.
If you think this is just a fun play on words... let me know. But try it first and know that I do not think it is easy or will accomplish everything overnight. As the turtle said...Slow and steady wins the race. There are things I have been praying about and doors I have been knocking on for 20 years and am just now seeing results. Victory is sweeter the longer you strive for it. The job could be almost done..... so don't give up..... KNOCK IT OUT!!!! And that is my simple prayer for you. Let's ponder it together. ddlang

THis not a Debate

Hello Out There!,
I have had such warm and friendly responses to the things I have been blogging about. Maybe some of the things I have said have been challenging and hard to swallow. I know not all of you agree with my beliefs. I really don't mind if you share those feelings with me. This blog is not a platform for a debate. It is just a place to share about what is really happening in my life. It is a place for honest truth about what I have experienced and what is working to fullfill me as I journey through this life. I hope if anything, this blog makes you think about what is important over the tyranny of the urgent. I hope it makes you take time to ,"BE STILL". I have to admit that I may sound all confident that I have all the answers. I do not.... but I know the One who does. It is not arrogance you are sensing as you read my blog. It is reassurrance that I am loved by God and I can trust Him. He has my "back". My wisdom does not come from myself or my experiences. My wisdom comes from simply obeying what God has told me and seeing with my own eyes that ,It Works!!!!! It is quite simple really ,that is why I always say."My prayer for you is simple." The act of obedience is not always simple.... most of the time it is very hard..... but when put in to play the outcome brings the simplicity of peace,joy and understanding! If you are not a big Bible reader start in Proverbs. Read a proverb every day and begin to obey these words of wisdom. My Prayer for you is simple....."May you have the courage and the strength to obey and may peace,joy and understanding be a constant in your life."As you ponder that, comment on the blog and let me know what you are thinking. Others may be thinking the same thing and it would be helpful to them. ddlang

The River of Life

Matthew 28:19-Then Jesus said the them,"Do not be afraid. GO and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
It is our job as Christians to go where Jesus tells us to go and tell others where they can find Him. He has commanded us to do this. We must obey not only because we love Him but because we want to share the Joy of seeing Jesus, with others. If someone has never seen Jesus they don't know what they are missing. It's hard to make them understand. Sometimes we do a poor job of convincing them because we have been turned down so much so we just give up. A few years ago I wrote ,"The River of Life" to encourage others to keep "telling" .

The River of Life
THIS WORLD IS A GREAT DESERT.
BUT THERE IS A RIVER OF LIFE FLOWING THROUGH IT.
MANY PEOPLE ARE ON A JOURNEY THROUGH THIS HOT,DRY DESERT LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO QUENCH THEIR THIRST.
SOME KNOW THE RIVER IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.
THEY HAVE SEEN OTHERS WALKING BACK FROM THE RIVER WITH CUPS OF WATER,BUT NO ONE HAS EVER SHARED A DRINK WITH THEM OR DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO GET THERE.
NOW THEY ARE TIRED AND WEARY AND ANY HOPE OF REACHING THE RIVER IS GONE.
STILL OTHERS, DON'T BELIEVE THE RIVER EVEN EXISTS.
THEY'VE SEEN NO EVEIDENCE OF IT ANYWHERE IN THEIR SURROUNDINGS.

YOU AND I ARE ALREADY ON THE RIVERBANKS,DRINKING FREQUENTLY OF THE COOL, REFRESHING WATER. SOME OF US HAVE EVEN LAID DOWN AND GONE TO SLEEP. BUT WE NEED TO WAKE UP!!!!!
THERE ARE FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS AND MANY STRANGERS ROAMING AIMLESSLY IN SEARCH OF THIS COOL PLACE.

LET'S FILL OUR CUPS WITH WATER AND RUN TO MEET THESE THIRSTY TRAVELERS. WE SHOULD ENCOURAGE THEM TO KEEP WALKING,GIVING THEM SIPS FROM OUR CUP TO STRENGTHEN THEM ALONG THE WAY.THEY WILL BEGIN TO BELIEVE THE RIVER IS JUST AHEAD AND WILL LONG TO REACH IT TO FILL THEIR OWN CUP. "FOR WHOEVER DRINKS FROM THE RIVER OF LIFE WILL NEVER THIRST" JESUS HAS SAID," I AM THE RIVER OF LIFE." DON'T STOP TELLING OTHERS WHERE HE IS. PLEASE,PLEASE PONDER THAT IN YOUR HEART! MY PRAYER FOR YOU IS SIMPLE IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN JESUS......BE STILL AND SPEAK HIS NAME IN SINCERE SEARCHING.BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR DOUBT,ANGER AND CONFUSION.BE STILL AND WAIT FOR HIS RESPONSE. MAY YOU SEE HIM AND NEVER THIRST AGAIN.ddlang

# 1 Reason

A dear friend just gave me a book titled, "101 reasons I Love God". The very first reason took me back about 40 years. I was sitting in a pew in my little country church when I heard this reason for the first time. On random Sunday nights my preacher would decide to save his sermon for another day and instead would give people opportunities to stand up and give a "testimony". If you are not familiar with this baptist term it just means that they would share something about how God was working in their lives. The short and simple testimonies appealed to me as well as the emotional ones and that is why I remember this certain one.
A lady in my church, whom I had always considered to be one of the kindest women I have ever known, stood up. She said 8 simple words. A small tear fell out of the corner of her eye as she said," I love Him because He first loved me." These 8 simple words spoken by this sincere, kind lady drew me closer into the arms of my Father and I felt His love in a way that still effects me today. These words are actually in the Bible and I never knew it until a few years ago. I was so excited when I found them in 1John4:19- "We love Him because He first loved us."
A few months ago I was meditating on a scripture about faith. People always say to me, "why do you have such great faith in God?" I never know how to answer this question because I know that faith is a gift that God gives and he gives everyone a certain amount. Whether faith grows is up to us. So... I pondered this question out loud to God. "Why do I have so much faith in You?" Like so many times when I am listening and He responds I am always humbled and moved to tears. I wept as I heard Him say into my spirit." Because you believe that I love you."
I wish I could find that sweet lady who had the courage to stand up and give her "testimony' so many years ago. I would say THANK YOU For helping increase my Faith in the One who loved me First. It is the #1 reason I love God!
My prayer for you is simple: May you love the One who loved you first! It is definately worth pondering! ddlang

Feedback Appreciated!

Hello friends,family and foreigners,
I know everyone is busy these days and it's hard to give attention to one more thing, but if you can ,let me know if you are receiving this blog and if the few posts have been helpful in any way. Some folks have been so kind and shared already and I thank you. If you would rather share privately just shoot me an e-mail instead. Please know that I pray before I write each post that someone would be encouraged or gain some new insight by what I write. It would bless me so if I knew it was making a small difference. Thanks for listening! Have a wonderful 4th! de

Somewhere in the Valley

When I was a little girl we had "singings" at my little country church. Wonderful little groups would come in from all over and sing songs about heaven,God's love and 'stepping on the clouds". These songs touched me a powerful way. To this day, when I am feeling low I will sit on my porch and sing them. One particular song has been my source of strength when things happen that are so horrific and hard to understand. The melody was slow and haunting and then grew into a victorious anthem. Here are the words:

When I'm low in spirit
I cry Lord lift me up,
I want to go higher with Thee.
But the Lord says,"There is strength in my sorrow,
and Victory in trials for me!

He leads me beside still waters
Somewhere in the valley below.
He draws me aside
to be tested and tried.
And in the valley He restoreth my soul.


It's dark as a dungeon
And the sun seldoms shines.
And I question,"Lord why must this be"
He says,"There is strength in your sorrow.
"They'll be Victory in trials ,You'll SEE!!!


I don't know if you are somewhere in the valley but I am this morning. Something so tragic has happened to such an innocent sweet person that I know. My heart is broken and life seems so cruel. I have done the only thing I know how to do that gives me comfort that lasts. It doesn't come from a bottle,pill or food. It is not about getting some fresh air or exercise. Those things can bring comfort but they are temporary and most bring side effects that aren't always pleasant. No, what I do is turn my attention to the One who knows all things. I cry on His shoulder and seek His embrace.He reassures me that His heart is broken with mine. Pain was not something He intended for His children but in a world where people have choices it happens because of selfishness,carelessness and sometimes mysterious reasons we will never understand. God's love and peace flow into my spirit and I feel strength and hope. It is a supernatural exchange that I can not explain.
My prayer for you is simple: May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, comfort you in all your troubles,so that you may comfort those in any trouble with the comfort you have recieved from God. (2 Cor.1:3-4) Please Ponder This when you are somewhere in the valley! ddlang

To Ponder

When Mary concieved Jesus by the Holy Spirit she was a teenager,not a typical teenager but one who was truly wise beyond her years. There are not many things about Mary(sounds like a movie title) that I can compare myself to except one. She pondered. To ponder means to think deeply. Whenever things happened that she did not understand, the Bible says she pondered these things in her heart.
I have been a ponderer all my life. A ponderer never says," Oh well, I guess it's not for me to know." A ponderer says ,"Oh God,Help me to know!"

I have always been a writer and as a teenager I began to ponder on paper.(sounds like I was training a puppy) I actually wrote letters to God asking Him all my questions.
As an adult I have kept journals and when I run across a word or scripture I do not understand, I jot it down. I pray,"Dear God,as I ponder this,help me understand it's deeper meaning."
I can not tell you how many times I have been blown away by God as He answers this prayer.
I will see the word or phrase everywhere in my daily life. Sometimes it will explain itself as I observe nature,a billboard,traffic,people,a magazine in a checkout line.

God tells us in His Word..... "Seek and you will find." God is a God of His Word and if you ponder,you will understand.

My prayer for you is simple: In Proverbs,the writer calls out to you and so do I....."Get wisdom! Get understanding! Not the world's wisdom but the wisdom that is from above! May you seek and find the understanding that only God can give. To ponder or not to ponder ... That is the question! ddlang

Genesis of a blogger

Hello friends,family and foreigners,
This a new beginning for me. Not because it was merely an idea of mine but because many people said I needed a blog. I always thought blogs were for people who needed to stay in touch with others because they had either suffered and came through a crisis and needed to share how they did this. They use the blog to gain support or support others in the same crisis. I guess of course it is also used for acquiring useful info from those who consider themselves experts on some subject.Some folks may just like to see themselves type sorta like they might like to hear themselves talk. None of the above describes why others nor myself decided I needed to start a blog. Everyday I wake up with such a heart and head full of thoughts of inspiration that I know are not meant for me alone. I guess i am what the Bible calls an "exhorter". My desire is to see all that I know and do not know make wise decisions that will lead to a"blessed and abundant" life. So if you want to hear words of wisdom or inspiration every day just check this site out. My prayer for you is simple: "May you be like the man in Proverbs for happy is the man(or woman or child) who finds wisdom...... For her(wisdom) ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace." Ponder That! ddlang