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Posted Does God Speak to Us, Uncategorized
in≈ Comments Off on Summer (Part 1)
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Does God speak to you? Does He speak audibly, to our hearts and through His Words? I was pulling out of the parking lot anxious to drive straight home and relax after a long day at the office. Although it wasn’t audible or out loud I heard God encourage me in my heart to drop another gift card on the young Mom’s porch and also add a potted flowering plant. I followed God’s gentle urge, and although exhausted I was strangely energized as I hauled my sweaty and probably not so fragrant self to the HEB. I was filled with joy as I placed the beautiful heavenly scented potted gardenia and gift card upon her porch. I later shared at bible study and together we filled a big wicker basket filled with gift cards over the next week. I may never meet this young Mom but she is now on my heart and I’m open to God leading me to place whatever He wants me to place on her steps.
Posted Places With God, Uncategorized, Words That Heal
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I slipped into my seat on the front row at church. My usual spot is next to my husband, who is the pastor. Halfway through the message, I smell honeysuckle and orange as my sweet friend Eileen’s hair brushes the left side of my face, and she taps me on my right shoulder. Trish, there is someone here who needs you. I quietly step into the hallway to see a slight woman in her early 30s hunched over sitting on a child’s bench. Her auburn hair extends far down her back. She is lovely, with golden skin, and she looks up at me. She has startlingly green eyes. Kind and luminescent that are red from crying.
“Hello, how can I help?” Autumn shares she needs a safe place to stay, she lives with three women and a man, and it is not a good situation. Of course, we can help. I sense she is letting her guard down a bit. Her next question”Do you have any food I can eat?” I led her into our food pantry, which is stuffed full. She gingerly fills a bag with tuna cans and peanut butter. She looks straight into my eyes and states, “I’m so sorry I smell like smoke” I smile and offer her a hug which she takes. She holds on like she doesn’t ever want to let go. So I share my Mom loved Marlboro lights, so the smell is lovely to me. The sides of her mouth turn up slightly, and she inaudibly laughs.
I ask her if it is okay for me to pray for her and pray down Jesus. I share how beloved and precious she is to Him and that He loves her. The room fills with His Holy Spirit, and I hold her close as she weeps. She has tattoos everywhere, the also lead from her neck and then all over her face, and fire engine red-tipped fingernails with glistening crystal tips brush her cheek. Nails that look like someone paid a fortune for them. I know she is probably on something, and she also makes her way in the world by selling her body. I’m wrecked and broken-hearted for my new friend Autumn. My heart aches. I want to take her home, and away from her life, she knows or anywhere she wants to go besides her home. I share that it will only be 10 minutes, and Todd will finish his message. She waits 5 minutes and states I’m going home to eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I watch her quickly walk across the school parking lot and in-between homes and can no longer see Autumn and her auburn hair. I sit outside the church with Todd wondering how I could have persuaded her to stay. An hour passes, the wind is fierce against my face, the sky foreboding gray, and Autumn never returns. I have prayed for her every day, hoping she would step through the church doors again.
Eileen has a safe house near her neighborhood, but at this point, all we can do is pray Autumn into Isaiah 43:1-2. It states ” Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. I’m asking God to do a new thing for her, to set angels all around her. Not a day has gone by this month without me praying for her freedom and that she is in a safe place. I thank God for placing us in the neighborhood near her home so she could walk to us that day or maybe again someday soon.
05 Sunday Apr 2020
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blog, Christianity, Coffee, Faith, Palm Sunday, Spirituality, Texas, Word
It was dark when I entered the kitchen on Palm Sunday. I immediately noticed a half-full carafe of water on my husband’s coffee pot—what a pleasant surprise. I poured the water in the side cylinder and brewed up
his favorite decaf Dunkin Donuts medium roast.
He walked out shortly after and said, “Oh, thank you, honey, how thoughtful.”, took a sip, and suddenly a vast expanse of quiet loomed.
“Ahh, I was cleaning the pot with vinegar last night, tastes like you may have used that water.”
Nice, what a way to begin your Sunday morning. Coffee and vinegar.
As we all spend extra time together sheltering in place, are your words edging on the sour?
Do they give grace to those who hear?
Are your Zooms and calls filled with words that build up others in need?
“No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29 HCSB
29 Sunday Mar 2020
There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved. Is. 45:22
Posted Comedy, dogs, Places With God, Sweet, Uncategorized, Words That Heal
inTags
Christianity, Faith, Health, People, Spirituality, Texas, Walking the dog
I walked in front of a garbage truck the whole time I was out for my lunchtime stroll. It seemed to rev up loudly each time it moved beyond a few cans. It reminded me of how it feels when a person in a bad mood makes contact with you; it’s also with the stench and noise of their bad attitude.
Don’t assume ownership and try to fix the venomous words spewing. It’s not ours to own. It’s the Lord’s work to repair.
There was a neighbor who was always angry when I walked our sweet Daisy by his yard. He was so upset one day, he took a shovel and began tossing dog poo out in the street with a shovel. He said, “You people need to pick up after your dogs.” By the size of the doggy doo, I knew it was a much larger dog than Daisy, leaving him treasures. I looked over, showed him my bag and softly said we always use a dog waste bag. “He replied, I bet.” At this point, I moved quickly, so I wasn’t on the receipt of a shovel full of ….. Daisy decides to hang out by his red fire hydrant and locks in her legs and won’t move. She’s checking pee-mail, and I’m getting nervous as shovel guy moves closer. I want to lecture him on contaminating our ecosystem, but as the shovel approached, I scooped up our sweet Shitzu and walked on the other side of the street. I continued to do so each evening until he recently moved.
I couldn’t fix my neighbor. He is the Lord’s to repair.
No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, to give grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit, who sealed you for the day of redemption. All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Ephesians 4: 29-32
28 Saturday Dec 2019
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Yesterday morning I opened the refrigerator, and suddenly the top shelf on the door collapsed to the floor. The plastic tray that held my pickles and leftover sweetened condensed milk gave way. Both glass jars shattered everywhere, spilling sweet and sour over my feet, the floor, the cabinets, and my soon to rush in 16-year-old Shitzu who lightning-fast found a piece of glass with condensed milk invitingly dripping off the edges. My quick hands removed the jagged and deadly morsel, much to Miss Daisy Mae’s chagrin.
What a mess.
As we move through the twelve days of Christmas, I’m examining my sweet and sour.
Examine the sweet, which may be good competing with the best?
What are the sours? What needs tossing out of my life?
Proverbs 27 verse 25 states, “When hay is removed, new growth appears.”
Posted Uncategorized, Work and Spirituality
inWalking peacefully beside Shoal Creek, a creek I’ve walked beside for most of my lunchtimes the past five years, a giant light green insect landed and attached to my upper arm.
I could not shake it loose and had to scrape it off my hulking bicep with my plastic gym card.
I enjoy the path because two resident falcons often sweep past into the depths of the creek on the hunt for a mouse.
Where was my falcon friend when the stink bug attacked and would not let go?
Sin. It will attach to you, and it will leave a scar behind.
I’m looking at a 5-inch scrape that’s bleeding, and it will undoubtedly leave its mark at least for a while.
Posted Comedy, Healing, Places With God, Uncategorized, Words That Heal, Work and Spirituality
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A Quiet Place With God, Bible, Christianity, Faith, God, Healing Words, Jesus, More time with Jesus, Organizational Tips, Religion and Spirituality, Restful enviroments, simplify, What Scares Me..., Words That Heal
Being cooped up.
I’m an outdoor girl.
Mothers Day or my birthday are usually a day of canoeing, hiking or horseback riding.
Studying for my big exam this spring I missed taking in the grape kool-aid (mountain laurel) air with honey suckle top notes.
The scent of flowers and birds singing all calm me.
My coursework of memorizing laws and regulations kept me from my daily visit to the creek to breathe in the fresh air-conditioner free air.
Stepping out for a few minutes this spring, a young gentlemen from the next building whistled out the mocking jay haunting melody making me laugh.
I must remind him of a much older Katniss Everdeen.
Getting out of the routine of being outside scares me. Spring seemed to rush by without me noticing.
Don’t be scared… go outside.
Posted Healing, Places With God, Uncategorized, Words That Heal, Work and Spirituality
inTags
A Quiet Place With God, Bible, Christianity, Faith, Healing Words, More time with Jesus, Office, Religion and Spirituality, Restful enviroments, simplify, Words That Heal
Every day I like to do something that scares me.
Choosing faith over fear, I went to work at a friends firm in Austin.
It scares me.
I’m scared in a good way.
Praying all day I can stay razor-sharp and accomplish as much as I can for our clients.
I am not commuting or working alone.
You have not to do it in your unaided strength: it is God who is all the while supplying the impulse, giving you the power to resolve, the strength to perform, the execution of His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13
In a nut shell my work encompasses being a tenacious problem-solver for each person I meet throughout my day and doing it with excellence.