Am I a bird???

No Evidence of Progress
At times nothing seems to be happening. So it must be for the bird that sits on her nest. Things are apparently at a standstill. But the bird sits quietly, knowing that in the stillness something vital is going on, and in the proper time it will be shown. It takes faith and patience for the bird, and such faith and patience never seem to waver, day after day, night after night, as she bides the appointed time.
Restless and doubtful we wonder why we have nothing to show for our efforts, no visible evidence of progress. Let us remember the perfect egg--unchanged in its appearance from the day it is laid. But while the bird waits faithfully, doing the only thing she is required to do throughout those silent weeks, important things are taking place.
I wait for the Lord. My soul waits,
and in His word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord more
than watchmen for the morning.
--(Ps 130:5, 6 RSV)

Darkness will not win

We Do Not Belong to Darkness
There are times when we cannot see our way, and it seems that darkness is about to overcome and hold us. It must have seemed so to the Christians in Thessalonica. Paul spoke of their grave suffering because of having welcomed his message. Must the coming of the light of God's truth bring suffering? Yes, often it does, and the one who has received it with joy is plunged into darkness. But darkness is not his master! He does not "belong" to it (1 Thes 5:6 NEB) but is in fact a "child of light," having been given word of things to come--resurrection, the sound of an archangel's voice, God's trumpet-call, the descent of the Lord Himself. "God has not destined us to the terrors of judgment.... He died for us so that we, awake or asleep, might live in company with Him" (5:9, 10). A small child is at peace even in the dark if his father or mother is with him. He has company. How different the darkness feels then.
Take the word of the Lord in your darkness. If He died to let us live in his company, is He likely to abandon us just because things look dark?

True Faith

It was driving me crazy and we finally tracked it down!!!

Wonderful surreal video. True 80's at its finest.

For today..

Many of our prayers are directed toward the quick and easy solution. Long-suffering is sometimes the only means by which the greater glory of God will be served, and this is, for the moment, invisible. We must persist in faith. God has a splendid purpose. Believe in order to see it.
"Our troubles are slight and short-lived, and their outcome an eternal glory which outweighs them far. Meanwhile our eyes are fixed, not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen" (2 Cor 4:17, 18 NEB).

This is from part of my devotions this morning. I have been laboring in my current job for almost 10 years. At times it has been a great joy, other times it has been a tremendous burden. The past few years have become increasingly difficult.

I've been praying for God's will. Each day I face that place with God's strength supporting me. Things just seem like they are coming to a close there. A job I have dreamed of for many years was to open in 8 months and now may open sooner. The thought is overwhelming. I am learning to face each day with faith that God is in control.

May God's will be done. (Lord, I'd really like that job, though...if it is your will)

For the 'twi-hard' tweenagers

This brings me such giddy amounts of joy I can't even explain it. Will I be going out to look for the candies? Of course!

I also ordered sparkle powder samples from "Aromalight".

From today's devotions

One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.
Lord, help me to take your yoke on my shoulder, not a yoke of my own making. May I learn from You to be gentle and humblehearted. May I find that your load is light.

Thank you, Lord, for your continued lessons.

For today

This really speaks to where I am right now. May I use this time to glorify God. This time of trial will come to pass.

When we are puzzled by delays and detours, let us think about the great purpose of life: to glorify God. The lessons He wants to teach us "in the wilderness" are priceless means of providing us with a song we could not otherwise have sung: "In Thy constant love Thou hast led the people!" (Ex 15:13).