The Son (sun) Shines

A few days ago, I posted a comment about what we can see in our own yards and I posted this same picture and you need to click on the link to see the differences in the two. They are still the same picture, the same chimneys and the same trees.

These pictures represent to me, my life under the darkness of depression or feeling hopelessness (more like helplessness) and allowing the Son, Jesus Christ to shine in my heart and show me no matter how I feel or what I am going through, He is with me and He is shining brightly today, tomorrow and forever.

I had so many great comments on the last picture and what people saw or were actually looking for and those comments gave me reason to smile and that is why I blog. Not only because all of you make me smile, but because I know that by my writings, I can and pray I do, make you smile as well.

When the Son shines, the skies are the brightest Robins egg blue I have ever seen and there has never been a more beautiful sky color to me than the Washington skies when the sun is out. It is as if something magical happens when the rain goes away and to quote my grandson this morning when he walked outside,' Ranny, Jesus is really happy and laughing this morning, look at how pretty the sky is!' Amen!

The 2 trees that almost looked black against the gray skies earlier, now shine in their greenery, magestically reaching upward and these trees have endured many years to be as strong and upright as they are. The bare tree in the front? Oh, in another few months, will be a beautiful blazing red!

What happens when we concentrate on ourselves to much and spend more time worrying that praying and believing? We become depressed and we allow the devil to move into our hearts and life and cause stress and strife! I know, as much as I try not to, it happens and then someone yanks my chain and says, 'Are you giving up? It sounds like you are giving up! This isn't the Jean I know, she doesn't give up.'

You know, it is hard being me sometimes! Don't laugh as I am serious as a heart attack! I am always the one that people say never gives up and trust me, I am as guilty as the next person of wanting to toss in the towel and then God sends me friends who remind me, He didn't make me a quitter. He didn't bring me to Aberdeen to let me drown. He didn't pull me away from the dispatch mike to silence me.

He brought me here for a purpose and what that purpose is only He knows. Jesus tells us in John 8:12: 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.' Jesus didn't say we wouldn't stumble and fall, He didn't say we wouldn't have worries, He didn't say we wouldn't struggle, He said we would not walk in darkness!

Now, look at those 2 pictures from my front yard again and tell me what you see. I see light and color and life and I see Jesus telling me that no matter what, He is here with me, I just have to remember that and I have to remember (feeling the Holy Spirit as I am writing this) that He speaks to all of us daily if we will just settle down and listen.

I have never heard of Madame Jeanne Guyon until my mother was diagnosed with cancer and my baby sister and I talked several times. My baby sister kept telling me she felt God is leading me to be a prayer warrior and was telling me about this book she was reading by Madame Guyon and she would try to find a copy and send it to me.

I never got the book, but the point is, I never tried to look up this person, I didn't look for any of her books, I just opened a file and stashed the information in there. Until this posting and when I opened my Bible, the first thing I found was this this quote: 'Remain in peace. Move only when Jesus does. In Jesus there is life, and He must give life to every living thing.' Madame Jeanne Guyon.

While God planted the seed through my sister months ago, He knew that today, I would be looking for the Son light and He knew I would remember my sisters comments and that being the person I am I would look her up. Madame believed that we should pray at all times no matter what we were doing and this would keep us in direct Son light.

I have long prayed many times during the day from the time I awaken and pray to the prayers I pray while driving, cleaning, writing this blog or my quilting. Now, that is the time for praying. I pray over each quilt I make and that the Lord will not only bless my hands to continue my quilt ministry, but He would bless the recipient of my quilts.

Choose today to not only walk in the Son Shine, but bask in it. For without the Son (sun), there is not light or life and while it rains much where I am, I must be able to look through the clouds and remember that no matter how dark it is outside, the Son shines in my heart and in my life in so many ways!

Prayers

How many prayers are listed in the Bible? I am not sure, but I found a source that states around 85 not including the Psalms. Prayer is so important that Jesus even told us how to pray in Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:9-13(King James Version):

'Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, They kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.'

I have not always been the best at prayer. Oh sure, I have always prayed and prayed everyday, off and on throughout the day, at night before bedtime, when in need, when in pain, when I had my surgery, when I am thankful, etc..

But, I haven't always been really faithful about getting up in the morning and putting God and prayer first and for the longest time when I prayed at night as ashamed as I am to admit it, I always fell asleep.

I have been a strong prayer partner and prayed for others, for our leaders, my pastors, my family and I have seen prayers answered in the most amazing ways. While as I have said in the past, I am a very strong person and am not shy about speaking up or speaking to others, I have never liked to pray in front of others. However, God wants me to be an intercessory and I have seen that so clearly lately.

The woman I met and prayed for last week at her place of business and invited her to our church never showed up on Sunday. However, today, as I was walking into a local grocery store that I rarely shop at, the same woman with a small child was coming out the door. She recognized me and I her and we talked for a few moments but I didn't mention church, I could see she almost dreaded seeing me.

Than I spoke with a member of my churches prayer team and she and a few others prayed specifically for that business and its employees and the owners and she had a similar happening at the same place with a younger employee. Must be something in the water, haha! While I gave the woman a business card for our church, the prayer team member left the young girl with a book our church wrote.

Prayer, it is powerful and when others begin to intercede, powerful things happen and God begins to work miracles and I believe God wants to work in me and use me to intercede in prayer on the behalf of others.

We can all pray for those we know need prayer. We also need to make a commitment to pray for others. I use Mala beads when I pray and as I touch each bead, I pray for a different person or happening. You can also use a Rosary, a large linked chain or anything else that will help you to pray and name all the people on your prayer list.

Try praying for these people:

• Your pastor and his family
• Your neighbor (yes, even if you don't like them)
• Your co-workers
• The overwhelmed mother you saw in tears in the store
• The single father
• The elderly neighbor
• Your city council
• The person sitting in the vehicle of a car wreck you passed on your way to work
• Police officers
• Fire fighters
• Teachers
• Doctors

Prayers are beautiful to the Lords ears and He isn't looking for fancy words or hour long prayers, He is looking at the genuineness of your heart! Try praying and let me know how it is working out for you. If you would like to join me in prayer, let me know!

Shhhh, The Letter Q for Quiet

Todays letter is the letter Q for quiet or quiet time with God. How many of us get so busy during the day we don't take that special time for God? The bible is very clear on this is Psalms 119: 'Blessed are those who seek Him with all their heart, walk in His ways, keep His ways, His commandments, His word and heart pure, not sin, rejoice and meditate on Him, have no contempt.'

I think as we are entering the Easter season, it is important to remember what Easter is about and why those of us have chosen to accept our Lord and Savior, because He rose again and before He did, He took our sins to the cross with His suffering so we didn't have to.

I wake up each morning and I say a prayer of thanksgiving for my waking up, the sun is out and I am alive. Then I sit up and thank Him for the pain I am feeling, because some people are paralyzed and can't feel at all.

I then move over to my desk where I read three daily devotions and meditate on what I am reading and what I believe the Lord wants me to take to heart that day. A few days ago it was a reminder that we all need to pray so we can prepare ourselves to minister to others. We are to quietly seek God before someone seeks us!

I don't always pray per se, I am more of a talker. When I travel on my own, I am always asking God how I am doing, am I on the right path He has set before me, if I see someone on the side of the road with a flat or car troubles, I always ask God to bless that person so their day only gets better. I open doors for people, I allow people to pull out in front of me, I talk to the homeless.

When I get discouraged and want to give up, tuck my tail between my legs and run away back to Arizona, God always reminds me I am here for a reason even if He hasn't showed that to me quite yet.

Yesterday, God used my son in prison to speak to me. I received a letter from him and he told me, 'Mom, God won't let you fall on your face, you know that, just think of all of this as a test and then he went on to tell me I over extend myself and need to stop and he sent me a copy of the poem Footprints. Wow! That was powerful and God delivered His message to me in a way He knew I would understand & when I was quiet!

Todays word? Joyce Meyers, 'Starting Your Day Right,' states 'If we pray before speaking, the Lord will keep us from overcommitting our time.' Now, that I have been told this twice, I know God is telling me something.

Amazing, if we are quiet, if our hearts are open, sometimes we hear God not with our ears, but with our eyes and we know He has spoken.

Have you taken the time today to get quiet and pray? It is very empowering!