Sunday, September 30, 2007

Psalms Sunday - Psalm 47



Psalm 47 (New King James Version)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
[NKJV at Thomas Nelson] [Thomas Nelson, Inc.]

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
2 For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
3 He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
4 He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

5 God has gone up with a shout,
The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.

8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

What an awesome Psalm. I love to sing upbeat worship songs with wording similar to this Psalm. I think sometimes, it can be fun to be singing about how great God is while clapping your hands and tapping your feet.

Have you noticed how many times this Psalmist says "sing praises"?

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises with understanding.

What a wonderful thing to actually understand why God is being praised. How incredible it is to have Him in your life and to see how He has changed your life, and then to lift your hands in worship to Him.

I really do like this Psalm. And I love to praise God for who He is and for how blessed my life is because of Him.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Psalms Sunday - Psalm 46




Wow, so I am really late aren't I? The post that I will write next will kinda explain this a bit. I am so sorry girls.
And then when I read Psalm 46, I realized, man, I really should have done this one sooner. Of course, I believe it is one we are familiar with. We have heard many verses of it in various worship songs.
Here it is:

Psalm 46
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Real quick, I just learned today what Selah means. It means to pause, reflect, be calm.

So, I am going to focus on the first part of verse 10 today. It is one we have heard numerous times.... "Be still, and know that I am God."

I truly think this is one of the hardest things to do. Although, I do find I am pretty good at it with some things, because I have faith in God, and I know He has my best interest in mind. There are definitely times when it is hard to just be still.
Also, we live in such an instant gratification like society. When we want to talk to someone, even if we are out and about, we use our cell phones. We can email and chat over messenger. We can buy furniture when we don't have the money, because they have the no interest no payment for 2 years thing. I mean every where you go, your wants for the most part can be fulfilled pretty quickly. So when we have to actually be still and wait for something, it's pretty tough, even when we are waiting on God, our source, our life, our help.

I mean how hard it must be for the mother of two young kids who is just diagnosed with cancer, to "be still and know that I am God". Or for the parents whose child goes missing, to "be still and know that I am God". Or for the parents with very sick children to "be still and know that I am God". Or for those being persecuted to "be still and know that I am God". And of course those are serious issues. I am sure we have problems being still, even with things not as serious, like a behavior issue with our children or a misunderstanding with our spouse, or maybe a decision over a promotion at work.

So I guess in order to be still and know that He is God, we have to think about who God is to us. We have to look at all He has done in our lives. We have to look at how we view Him. Is He our refuge in times of trouble? Is He the first one we talk to in the morning and the last one we talk to at night? Is He our close friend? Is He the one who we give the credit to for all the blessings in our lives? Is He the one we trust? Is He the one we know will look out for our best interest? Is He the one who holds us?

He will always be these things if you let Him. And it is then that you can realize how easy it is to Be Still and KNOW that He IS GOD!!

If you participated, go ahead and leave your linky, if you do read this. I will visit all of you regulars and read your posts as well. And I am so sorry that this is sooooo late.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

About Psalms Sunday

Well ladies, I just won't be able to fit in my post today, but I will do it tomorrow. If you happen to do your post today or tomorrow, I will have a linky up tomorrow with my post.
I had to submit my final project last night for my most recent class. I worked Last night and got home around midnight and I am leaving here to work again this evening as well.
So, I have just been busy today.
So, I'll see you all tomorrow.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

So Small

So, I really love the new video and lyrics to Carrie Underwood's new song, So Small.
Watch it!
Read the lyrics.
Think about it.



What you got if you ain't got love
The kind that you just want to give away
It's ok to open up
Go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
You wanna shut the world out and just be left alone
But don't run out on your faith

Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small

It's so easy to get lost inside
A problem that seems so big at the time
It's like a river that's so wide it swallows you whole
While you're sitting around thinking about what you can't change

And worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast
You better make it count cause you can't get it back
Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
Oh, and when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And then you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh, it sure makes everything else seem
So small

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Psalms Sunday - Psalm 45



Psalm 45 (New King James Version)
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.”[a] A Contemplation[b] of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.
1 My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 You are fairer than the sons of men;
Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
3 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
With Your glory and Your majesty.
4 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
The peoples fall under You.

6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,
Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.
9 Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

10 Listen, O daughter,
Consider and incline your ear;
Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
11 So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
12 And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
The rich among the people will seek your favor.

13 The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
14 She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.

16 Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
17 I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

Okay, I must admit, I did a lot of studying on this Psalm for today's post.
This Psalm is a wedding song. But this isn't just any wedding, it is a royal wedding, and while some believe this to be about Solomon, it is really about Christ and his bride, the church.

I love verse 1, where it says, "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer." This is referring to the Holy Spirit. I just love how it is written. Our tongues should always be the pen of the Holy Spirit. But, oh how often do we fail to ask to be filled with the Spirit? How often do our tongues speak the selfish words we, ourselves, have written?

Christ, the groom, is described in verses 2-9.

1. His excellency through His grace
Verse 2: Grace is poured upon your lips - Ahhhh the sweet grace of Christ. We are saved by His grace.

2. His splendor and Majesty (verse 3)
3. His righteousness (verses 3, 4)
4. His almighty power (verse 4)
5. His power to inspire conscience (verse 5)
6. His power to inspire worship (verse 5)
7. His everlasting kingship (verse 6)
8. His just rule (verse 6,7)
9. God's Anointing (verse 7)
10. His beauty (verse 8)
11. His bride (verse 9)

After reading these traits, it is clear that the bridegroom is Jesus.

In verse 10-15, the bride is instructed on preparing for the wedding.

Verse 10: "Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;"
- Forget the worldly things and pledge ourselves to Christ.
- Don't long for worldly things.

Verse 11: So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
- How beautiful are those who are in worship.
- How beautiful are those who aren't worldly.
As His bride, we are to honor Him.


Verse: 13 The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
14 She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.

Oh, it will be a glorious time, won't it? Filled with such gladness and rejoicing. Gladness like we have never felt before!

I really enjoyed this Psalm. I don't think I have read it before. The whole thing just paints such a beautiful picture. Maybe it's the girl in me that loves the idea of being a princess in a glorious robe of gold. And all of the dancing and celebrating, simply divine!!!

I used this link during my study...


Saturday, September 15, 2007

Tiny Dancer

Well the miss went to her second tap/ballet class today. I promised G.G. some pictures, which was a feat in itself. They only have the blinds and door to the studio open on the first Saturday of each month. So, I snuck in a shot just as she walked into the studio and then a couple as we were leaving the dance center.
The momma needs to get better at putting a bun in the fidgety miss' hair. She hates it when I put her hair up, so she doesn't cooperate. This morning, we were running late, so I did the best I could. I also need to get better at having everything ready the night before, so there isn't a mad "let's get ready" dash. The hubby sleeps in on Saturdays, so I, of course, wait until the last minute to get the mister, the miss and myself ready to go by 8:30. But her class will be ongoing until June, so we should get it down at some point, maybe before May, right?????




Yesterday was the hubby's last day working as an Airman in the USAF. He doesn't officially separate until the end of the month, but he is using up his remaining 2 weeks leave. So, no more uniform, no more boots, no more rushing to find his hat in the mornings, or his misplaced id card. No more seeing him dressed in his military blues. It is a bittersweet thing. Although, we are so excited to move on to the next chapter in our lives, there are some things about the military I will miss. I will miss getting to meet new military families. I will miss having my clinic, my labs, and the kiddo's doctor all in the same building. I will miss having prescriptions filled right after the appointment, at the pharmacy right down the hall from the clinic. I will miss free health care. I will miss the BX. I will miss the military functions and the military discounts. But I will love not worrying anymore about deployments or having to ever have my hubby gone for a long time!!!

He had his going away lunch yesterday, and I forgot the camera. But, thankfully, there was someone there taking pictures. So, when I get those, I will post them on here.

As far as the hubby's job search, he had been working with a couple of contract companies, one of which called him earlier in the week to let him know they were submitting his resume to a company seeking someone to fill a network security position. The contract company then called him a day or so later to let him know that an interview had been set up. But they wanted to be sure he would be okay working for Compassion International, a Christian child sponsorship company, because as they put it, it was a "different culture". Little did they know, we happen to be strong Christians who actually have sponsored a Compassion child in the past. So he was elated to have an interview set up. How awesome would that be to work for such a great Christian organization, surrounded by Christian employees? And the pay is comparable to what he was hoping to make. So, his interview is this upcoming Tuesday.

It's funny, when we first moved out here, I knew Compassion was out here, and I had checked their employment opportunities often. I always thought it would be neat for me or the hubby to work there someday. And now, well...we'll see. :o)

So, that's my quick update. I know I didn't post much last week and I apologize. Last week, was a sleepy week for me and I crashed a lot on the couch by like 9:00 at night. But the first trimester is almost over.

Oh, and by the way, the hubby and I watched Premonition the other night, and it is VERY GOOD!!! So, YOU SHOULD SEE IT!

Have a great Saturday!!

Friday, September 7, 2007

Children See. Children Do.

A friend of mine sent this to me and I found it on youtube to post here. It is pretty powerful and made me teary eyed. I know that my miss has picked up some behaviors of mine that I wish she hadn't. I mean they are nothing like what is in this video, but they are definitely things that I would like for her to stop doing. I had actually talked to my hubby last night on how I want to work with her on realizing that it isn't right and to work on what things I model in mainly with patience and dealing with anger.
Anyway, watch this video, it is powerful!!

Friday's Happy News




Samiha Khanna
News & Observer
Updated: 9/6/2007

It was in the ironworkers' shop at the Golden Gate Bridge where Joe Venable started getting weepy-eyed again, witnesses said.

He saw workers clad in overalls manage massive pieces of steel and listened as metal clinked on metal and welding sparks crackled.

All along, the 71-year-old custodian from Mangum Elementary School kept tearfully remarking, "I'm here because of the students."

A group of fifth-graders surprised Venable and his wife Alease, 76, in May with tickets to San Francisco. They heard the school's only full-time janitor once mention he always wanted to see the renowned bridge in person and raised about $2,000 for the trip.

He never knew how many people would hear him.

As news of the students' gift spread, people nationwide sent donations to the school --enough to pay for $3,500 in meals, activities and spending money, much more than anticipated, said Principal Gwendolyn Johnson. The San Francisco mayor's office called to arrange the Venables' itinerary, and a bridge supervisor wanted to give the couple a personal tour.

"I had no idea that I would get this kind of attention," Joe Venable said by telephone in July, as a taxi whisked him to a lunch appointment.

Venable, a reserved man who usually hides his gray wisps of hair beneath a ball cap, has worked at Mangum for three years, Johnson said.

He never takes sick leave and rarely goes on vacation, she said. And since the day the children told him they were sending him on a memorable trip, he has become endearingly weepy, marking most of his thank-yous with tears.

The surprises have continued. The three-day trip became a five-day vacation when the Hilton Hotel where the Venables were staying threw in a couple of extra nights.

And a San Francisco salon called Alease Venable on Thursday and offered her a free hair appointment after stylists saw her on the news, according to the couple's daughter, Patricia Lea of Yanceyville.

Lea, 56, booked a ticket to travel with her parents months ago, she said. She thought they needed help navigating the city, but she has become their impromptu press agent instead, booking interviews for her parents with eager media outlets, including ABC's "Good Morning America."

As the family walked toward the famous bridge Thursday, a throng of news cameras followed them and people noticed, Lea said.

"I heard someone say, 'These must be celebrities,' " Lea said.

They are being treated as such, if only for a few days. The family's tour of the bridge was one few people receive, and it took them to the top of the structure for a grand view of the sprawling city. Then, someone put a keepsake piece of cable and rust-red steel rivet into Joe Venable's hands.

"We can't do this for everyone," said Mary Currie, director of public affairs for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

Currie said the VIP treatment usually is reserved for elected officials and dignitaries. And on a Thursday in July, for Joe Venable, school custodian

Story here

Monday, September 3, 2007

Conversation with the miss

Tonight at dinner, I had the following conversation with the 3 1/2 year old miss.

Miss: I am a princess
Me: You are?
Miss: Yes.
Me: And where do you live?
Miss: In a castle with two cars.
Me: Two cars, huh? What colors are they?
Miss: Purple and yellow and I have a truck. It is yellow with black on top.
And my hands do magic and I turn into pink Spiderman.
Me: Oh, I see.
Miss: And I have two boys waiting for me downstairs.
Me: You do? How old are they?
Miss: Six (She then rests her head on her hand and smiles at me)
Me: Two six year old boys downstairs?
Miss: Yes, in the playroom and they are climbing all over the place. And I tell them they will get owies that hurt real bad.
Me: Oh. Do you have any pets?
Miss: Yes, they are in my bath eating.
Me: They eat in the bath, in your bath?
Miss: Yes
Me: Doesn't that get messy for you to take a bath in?
Miss: No, there's a table in there. They eat at the table.
Me: There is a table in your bath?
Miss: Yes. It is their house.
Me: Oh, your bath is their house?
Miss: Yes.
The hubby then entered in saying...it's a bath house.

Good ol' hubby making the dad jokes.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Psalms Sunday- Psalm 43


Good morning, today we are reading Psalm 43, which is actually a continuation of Psalm 42. It is a Psalm of lament and of trust.

Psalm 43
Prayer to God in Time of Trouble
1 Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.


I love verse three, "Oh send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me." We should pray that every morning. We need His light and we need His truth, especially during difficult times when our friends in the world and the enemy are trying to bring us down. Or when we catch ourselves lost in our own thought processes of what if. We need His light and His truth and we need to have it lead us. We need to let go and follow Him.

The Lord will not stand by and watch His children trampled on forever… and as confident as I am that the sun will rise in the morning, so is my confidence that He will shine His light on your circumstance, whatever it may be. - Darlene Zschech


Have a wonderful Sunday and I will see you again next week, for Psalm 44.