I love this! Enjoy...

This is a poem Ruth Graham wrote when she was young and I love it!!! I too like writing poems occasionally, so here is hers and then I'll post mine.

"It isn't your gold or silver,
your talents great or small,
your voice, or your gift of drawing,
or the crowd you go with at all:
it isn't your friends or pastimes,
your looks or your clothes so gay,
it isn't your home or family,
or even the things you say;
it isn't your choice of amusements,
it isn't the life you lead,
it isn't the thing you prize the most,
or the books you like to read;
no, it isn't the things you have, dear,
or the things you like to do,
the Master is searching deeper...
He seeks not yours, but you.

It's your heart that Jesus longs for;
your will to be made His own
with self on the cross forever,
and Jesus alone on the throne."

Again, I love this so much, I am thinking of framing it in my house. How often, I lose sight that Jesus is just after ME and my heart! Wow, to be loved that much, blows my mind away!

Here's mine, written in 2003:

A blanket of love is what we all need,
safe and secure from all life's misdeeds.
A place to find true peace and security;
a place to lay down all our past history.
At the feet of Jesus is where we will find
the warmth of God's love and salvation to all mankind.
He came as a baby and grew to be a man,
with just one mission, redeem mankind, was God's only plan.
So on the cross He died for you and me
and rose again so we could be free.
To all who call on Jesus from heaven above,
He lovingly wraps in His blanket of love.

Verse for Week 4

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Oh, to always have a cheerful heart!!! This is something I hope for all of us in my house and everyone. Who wants dried up bones anyway...

Just an Idea

Jeanine's post talked about getting kids to do chores, so I thought I would share one thing we do in our house. Getting the kids to pray at dinner time used to be feast or famine. They would all want to pray or no one would! I'm sure you understand. Anyhoo, my friend Jill shared that her kids each have a special day of the week, so I thought I would use that too. Each of our four girls have a day of the week starting from oldest to youngest. For instance, Delaney is Mon., Timmary is Tues., skip Wed. since we eat dinner at church, Merrily is Thurs. and Cassidy is Fri. On their day, they set the table and then get to pray. Over the years I've added clearing the table and sometimes doing the dishes. Eventually I would like to add helping to prepare the meal and even planning what to have. This works out great, no fighting and I have help four days a week!!!

Answered Prayer

My oldest is spending the day at the mall for her school's science fair. So, yesterday she came home from school and was gathering what she needed, her science project notebook, being an important item. She frantically came to me saying she couldn't find it. Yikes!!! For once, praise Jesus, I didn't freak out. I remained calm and went over possible places for her to look, to which she said she'd already looked in those spots. I then asked if she had prayed for God to help her find it. Yes she did that. Ok, so I prayed too. About a minute later, I thought of her laundry basket in her closet that had a pile of who knows what under it (it was also time to bring her laundry down). I suggested she looked there too. What did I hear next? "FOUND IT" from up the stairs! Yeah! God is good and He cares about every detail of our lives.

I'm so excited!

Three weeks in and I'm still excited about the verse thing. This week's verse came up in Sunday night discussion group and I thought I could use it as a reminder to help me speak encouragement to those around me.

Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Please pray for me, as this is easier said than done!

Verse for the week and a quote

Psalm 68:4
Sing to God, sing praise to His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds, His name is the Lord, and rejoice before Him.

I am so proud of all of you attempting to hide God's word in your hearts! Give yourself a little hug from me!

Albert Einstein said, "Only a life lived for others is the life worthwhile." That should be our goal, to live for Jesus and others.

Last night, my husband took his four princesses to the Father/Daughter Ball and had a wonderful time. It all started at 4:00 p.m. when I attempted to curl 3 heads of hair, as you know one doesn't need any extra curls. By the time I was done, the first two girls curls had already gone limp and I had broken out in a sweat. Oh well! It was time to get dressed. My mom and Jerry came over with wrist corsages, that I am not sure stayed on all night, but they seemed to appreciate them. Since grandma was there, the girls bows would all be perfect. I don't think I will ever tie a perfect bow! Anyway, after pictures and kisses they headed off in their limo, or Dodge Grand Caravan rather. One last good bye and warning they better be home before midnight. I went back in the house to quite a disarray of clothes, shoes and other things thrown around the house from the frenzy of getting ready. Whew! I can't imagine four future proms or weddings. But now, it was my time. I went to a friend's for dinner and then shopped the night away, and actually looked for things for myself! I think I must have asked my friend if she thought they were having fun a thousand times. When we were reunited that night, it was so fun to hear what they girls thought of the evening. They had so much fun. Daddy actually danced with each of them and I think it made them feel really special. I am so glad my husband took this time with them and I am sure it will be a memory that will last a lifetime.