Off-Line but not Out-of-Touch!

I will be shutting my blog down a bit for some "changes." It might be today. Might be tomorrow -- will be soon anyway:) Good things come to those that wait -- yes? I'll probably be enlisting the help of my blogging friends for advice, too, so BEWARE!!!

My friend Mari moves out of her house today. Please pray. They really really need some doors to open. Prayers are helping her through this for sure. Don't forget to pray for her husband, Les, and their son, Kyle, too. These economic times are starting to affect many of my friends. It's really scary. God is in control, though, and we will continue to praise Him through it all -- praise and pray - pray and praise. And then we praise and pray some more. Thank you for joining with us.

Mari wrote a new blog last night, too. Don't know how she had time to fit it in. Please check it out and encourage her. She told me things are so hard with everyone praying for her. She can't even imagine (and doesn't want to) how bad it would be without those prayers.

Keep your eyes looking to the skies. Maybe today, yes? If not, we will continue to pray and praise, praise and pray.

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Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Psalm 18:46
The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Psalm 34:1
I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

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.

Psalm 89:52
Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.

This past August when we went to Amish country in Ohio, we saw clothes flying high in the sky. I loved the sight and took lots of pictures. This picture today reminded me of praise to God so I am sharing praise verses with you. Praise the Lord! Even when the way seems scary -- Praise the Lord! Even when you wake up on Monday morning so tired -- Praise the Lord!

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Surprise soon - CHA CHA CHA!

With school starting back up, I've really slacked on the blogging. So sorry. I've also slacked up on reading other blogs. That makes me really sorry. Sometimes I do lurk, though, and not always leave a comment. At times this internet is so slow that there isn't enough patience in me to do it:)

I'm having some pretty tough days with my head pain but I am continuing on. Just if you would like to pray, that would be very much appreciated and I thank you in advance. I go see my neurosurgeon Thursday, October 2nd. Beckie, at God's Gracious Gems (she's on my blog roll to the right) is taking me again. Last time she did that it was a 24 hour affair. Oh boy. And she's willing to take me again. Is she CRAZY or what? (I'll answer that -- YES!) but I adore her. She's great! Please please pray for that trip. I'm driving to her house and then she'll take it from there.

As you can see above, there is a surprise coming soon. My good HTML coder, Kristen from Exemplify (she's on my blogroll, too,) is helping me with it so you KNOW it's gotta be GREAT! Not sure when but soon -- then all will be revealed. Just wait -- it's gonna be G-R-E-A-T!!

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Ruts

I picked up my new glasses today. I went black. You really can't get more in style than black, so I've heard anyway:) Of course, to REALLY be styling, I would have gone for the Sarah Palin look of course.

All I know was that I wanted different. I need different. Now all I need is my hair colored again to get out all the stinking silver showing through. I also need a cut, too. Maybe I'll try to find a different haircut. Seems to be a season in my life for change.

I'm a person that loves changes. If I could find a job that let me do something different every day, I would love to wake up each morning and go to work!

I don't like ruts so I'm wondering why I keep falling into them. So strange. I seem to deal with the same issues over and over again. I can't leap high enough over the fence, I guess, to get past the problems. One would think a forty-five year old would have life figured out a little bit better.

So here I sit, typing this on my bed, door closed, hiding from the world for a bit and taking pictures of myself just so I could show you all my new glasses. How silly is that? Pretty silly, I know. That's it. No more. So I will take my leave now. Here I go.

Aloha Baby! Cha cha cha!
Laury:)

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God-Framed!

My life is set. At least I'm pretty sure it is. My husband was born and raised in Tabor, Illinois. Not sure you'll find it on the map but you can try. We live right across from ADM grain elevator where he works. He's worked there since he was out of high school. We did live next door to his mom but she died recently so we are now the only ones left in our little town. When we first got married we lived between both sets of parents. That was better than a kick in the pants;) Really:) I can't imagine Jim ever wanting to move anywhere else. I'm pretty sure we're set here for life.

I have two friends, though, whose lives are up in the air. Shirley's been homeless for awhile now. Her and her family have been living with different friends and her husband's parents for a bit. But she does have a move date -- October 1st! They'll be moving into a brand new apartment building. I am so happy for her. She's withstood the hardships and will soon be rewarded.

And October 1st, Mari will just be beginning her homelessness. Her and her husband are trying to listen to God and go where He has for them. It just seems things are a bit out of order. I'm so close to both Shirley and Mari and it hurts so much to see them go through such hard times.

All through the ages God has asked His people to do things that seem out of order. There was Abraham who had to pick up and move his family without knowing where they were going. Moses was told to go help his people without knowing the plan of attack. Peter's name was changed to, "The Rock." He certainly didn't live up to that name as he was denying that he even knew Jesus.

All were framed by God - God-framed. And I see Mari and Shirley's lives God-framed too. All of our lives are God-framed when we allow Him to be at the helm. When we look back, I pray we'll all be able to see how God used us through the really rough times in our lives. I see us in a picture frame. In it is each of us with God's hand on our shoulders or perhaps we are sitting in His Hand.

I love it when I see His plans come together. I am so very glad to be God-framed.

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Illinois Incline or a Mt. Ranier?

Lately I've been riding my bike. I've decided I like it much better than walking. For one thing, it's possible to go farther than what I'm used to and I get a bit different scenery. I've got it down pat, too. I figured out a way to go that has NO hills whatsoever. Of course I have non-Illinois friends who don't believe we even have hills here but believe me, when you're riding a bike, even the smallest incline is Mt. Ranier! At least right now, as I'm getting used to this being up out of bed, moving around, doing something that pumps up my heart. Oh yes, I remember the word for that now -- dare I write it? EXERCISE!

On my last ride I took advantage of every bit of "incline" I had. I struggled up and then sailed down. See me in the picture? LOL! Ummm, yeah right. Whatever. But I found this spiritual truth as I rode: when I coasted down the hill, I found that it was okay for a bit. It gave my heart an opportunity to catch up. But you know what?

After you coast down, there's usually another incline up ahead. I found if I started to pedal again while going down, I really got a momentum going and it would take me farther and faster for longer.

It reminded me of life. When life is going smoothly we tend to coast. Sometimes we pull away from God. Get pride-ful thinking we have something to do with our good breaks. That is the time to PRAY. The time to READ the WORD. Come on - you know it -- on the heels of a good break is trouble of some kind. While we're in this good time, take a breath, enjoy the coast, and then pick up speed again.

I remember when I was little how I would spread both my arms out to my sides and pretend to be flying. If I tried to do that now, I would surely land in the ditch. But even now my grip loosens. I become a little careless as I feel the wind in my face. When the first little struggle starts, my legs begin to burn, my heart rate increases, and you know what my hands do? My grip tightens.

That's our walk with God. When the way gets tough, we run to God (usually anyway.) Our grip tightens onto His arm. I want to keep a tight grip ALL THE TIME! I need God both in the easy times and the hard. I NEED GOD ALL THE TIME!

All of us are at different places - some aren't struggling up a little Illinois incline. Some are trying to ride up a Mt. Ranier. I know it seems like it goes on and on. The troubles never seem to go away. Your legs are burning (and your toe may even hurt.) Your heart is racing. It seems like God is light-years away and at times it seems that He's right there pushing you along.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run (ride) with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb. 12:1-3 NIV)

Keep on pedaling and maybe you'll even see a friend pedal up next to you, urging you along. I hope so, anyway, because that's what we all should be doing. Urging each other to keep going. We can even get off our bikes and push them up together.

Aloha Babay!
CHA CHA CHA!!!

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Invisible Illness Week!

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The Word of God is our Authority!

Today, since it is Sunday, I am going to share a sermon that was preached by our anointed pastor, Greg Taylor (First Christian Church in Clinton, Illinois.) His title was, "The Word of God is our Authority." My toes were stepped on very badly today. I had to come home and apply bandaids - no kidding. I don't spend enough time in the Word. Sometimes, sad to say, I don't spend any time there.

This is what he shared today. We should:

• Embrace the PURPOSE of God's Word.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

• Embrace the PRIORITY of God's Word.

James 1:22-25, "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."

• Embrace the PATH to follow because of God's Word.

Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path." (spiritual flashlight)

• Embrace the PENETRATION of God's Word.

Colossians 3:16, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

• Embrace the POWER of God's Word.

Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

• Embrace the PLACE of God's Word.

1 Peter 2:1-3, "Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

And Greg is very good at always providing practical application to our lives:

1. Make sure the Word of God is your MOST IMPORTANT book.
2. Practice makes PERFECT! (in the Word daily)
3. Quality vs. Quantity? TIME IS TIME!
4. More than just reading - it is finding out WHAT IS GOD'S WILL for my life.
5. More than just reading, put the Word into PRACTICE.

So, as Greg says every Sunday, "the bottom line is" we must read THE BOOK. How else can we be ready to fend off Satan's temptations? How else can we know what God's will is for our lives? Well now, I guess I better go read The Book!

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