Taking God At His Word

 Have you ever gotten to a place where you are utterly and completely frustrated? Nothing seems to be going right and the devil is ganging up on you, trying to make you believe God is not God and that He cares nothing about you? Perhaps you've been waiting and waiting for the answer to something and the answer still hasn't come yet.
 We have to walk this road by faith, turning our eyes upon Jesus. It can be hard to do when you are rattled and angry - maybe even angry at God. But think how infinite the mind of God is. How great He is and how small we are in His sight. Yet we try to be The Boss and tell God what we want, " firing " Him when we don't get what we expect, when we expect it. Oh, we try to be patient, but if our patience doesn't outlast His timing we feel rejected and get mad.
 O ye of little faith! We must take God at His Word. His promises are true. He will not fail us. When we rage and kick at Him, he quietly waits off in a corner until we are finished with our tantrum. Then He gently scoops us up in His nail-scarred hand and cradles us as we weep out our sorrow, frustration, and pain. He renews us so we can go on our way with our head held high with the knowledge of His strength made perfect in our weakness.

Little Blessings

 I love how God gives us little things that we maybe mention in passing that we want. Little love gifts. :)
 Several months ago, when Mom and I discussing what I wanted for my birthday I had mentioned ( as this was during a time of major stress for me, working and finishing school ) I'd love to have a massage. I thought maybe either my parents would pay for one or I'd use birthday money. We-ell... as you recall, my dad had had an injury at work. He had chiropractic work done. In the end, some kind of settlement/reimbursement was made and Dad got a gift certificate for...a massage! To expire the end of October. He didn't want to use it and we checked to see if it could be transferred to a member of the household. They made an exception. I got a massage! Yesterday. Mmm, bliss. :)
 I got another little gift a week ago as well. Mom and I had done errands on the Saturday at Costco. I took the opportunity to browse the cameras. As you recall, my camera went kaput in August. I happened to notice that an upgrade of the model I had lost was marked down considerably due to the fact that once all of that model were gone, that was it. I moaned my luck to Mom because I doubted they had extra money or that there would be any cameras left by the time I had birthday money. The next day Mom and Dad surprised me and said they were getting the camera for me early for my birthday!
 I am so thankful for these blessings that certainly caught me by surprise that I did not truly ask for, though I wanted them. :)

Voyage of a Lifetime!

So. It is a week ago today that I really actually went on a boat and really actually went out on the ocean. YUP! You read that right. :) I am still excited that I got to do this. What did I get to do? Wellll, I got to go on a deep-sea fishing trip. :D I didn't actually get to fish, but I had an awesome time anyway. Ok, minus the fact that I did get queasy and nauseated. I didn't puke though!
 It was actually originally an all-guys fishing trip, but the visiting minister had brought his daughter out with him and she was wanting to go. Not wanting her to be the only girl, I asked to go too. As it turned out, one of the guys brought his wife along too and we three girls joined forces and had a great time.
 Most everyone caught something...some of the guys did quite well. We ended up hauling in three baskets of fish. Not bad for 5 hours.
 Here are some pics:

Sunrise

Depoe Bay/The Ocean

Waiting for the boat

Down to the belly of the whale...or so it felt ( and smelled! )

On the boat at last!

I think this is one of my favorite pics! Love it!!!!

Bro Wayne, Matt, Si, & Jordan

Quite possibly the biggest catch of the day!

Marci, me, and Gracie

I doubt you can see it, but it  says Gracie's Sea Hag.
So, Gracie took a pic by it.
And we all ate a fabulous meal there.
:D

 There are shots and clips I would have loved to have taken, but it was too risky. Like when dad and I stood at the bow the whole way back, riding the waves. That was the most incredible things EVER, and quite possibly my most favorite part of the whole trip. :D It kinda felt like I was riding the creature in Water Horse, ( an awesome movie, by the way, if you've never seen it. ) dipping and rising with the waves and having the salty sea spray up on me. :) :) :) I really hope I have another chance to do this again!

Fall-la-la-la

  I am absolutely in love with these Fall pictures I found on Pinterest. The first one took my breath away & I think maybe ( just maybe ) might be my favorite. :)

Ahhhh, bliss. The stress melts away... :)

What's better than Fall in Paris, right?!

Well...maybe falling in love!
( no pun intended, seriously! )

Fall Decorating
* sigh *
:)

Can you even imagine how good this smells??!

Or how good these taste?

Or these?!!!!

Bon Voyage & Happy Fall!

Isaiah 61

" The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;

because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;

he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

' To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all that mourn;

' To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,

to give them beauty for ashes, 

the oil of joy for mourning,

the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

that they might be called trees of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord,

that He might be glorified. 

' I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

my soul shall be joyful in my God;

for He hath clothed me in salvation,

He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,

and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

' For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,

and as the garden causeth the things sown in spring to bud forth;

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations. "

 I know these verses above are lengthy, but they are what brought me much hope and comfort a few days ago as I read my Bible one morning. The last few weeks have been quite a struggle for me, a real war in my spirit and flesh. So many days I would feel depressed, weary, and sorrowful all day long. I'm sure everyone goes through time like that. I'd worry if not! =D Despite the struggle of feelings and thoughts sloughing about inside me I kept on trying to tell myself this was only for a season, that God was still with me no matter how alone I felt. Truly, He was and is. I am so very thankful! All those lying, negative feelings are but shadows now and I have victory in Jesus! 

 So. If anyone out there is having a rough time of it and feels like there is no hope and no way out, Jesus is calling. He wants to help you. He'll lift your burdens if you'll let him and trade them for peace and contentment. None else will satisfy but Jesus. It does not matter what you are battling. Jesus is the answer to everything!

 Here are the words to a little song my grandma wrote a long time ago. They have such truth in them. :

" I'm NOTHING Satan says I am,

and little of what others think I am,

so why should I let this influence me?

I'm cleansed, redeemed, and sanctified,

walking with the Lord in this evening time.

I'm EVERYTHING God's Word says I am. "

Amen!

New Seasons, New Beginnings

 While I know that it is not yet Fall, the arrival of September and a new school year brings to mind to many that a season's change is just around the corner. Technically, it is still Summer, and I'm glad. :) Things are beginning to slow down for me as far as going hither and yon, to and fro. My parents are more than secretly relieved, hahaha. I guess I am too, for I can begin to settle in and get some things done and truly relax and enjoy the tale end of Summer.
 My greatest accomplishment thus far has been that I finally got our Fall/Winter garden planted a few weeks ago and have more or less succeeded. Little green shoots are peeking out of the soil and I am proud and excited at my accomplishment. ( Well, my Mom's too, as she did help with research and set-up. :P )
 The biggest change, however, involves my dad. Every quarter at his work everyone gets to bid on routes and this time around he decided to try for a different route. Things have been rather rough-going where he was at and he was ready for a change. So, he got his bid, and as of yesterday he began working a  day shift!!! Now, to most that would be like, so what? big deal! Not so for us. This will be the first time, with a few short exceptions, that my dad has worked a day shift in twenty-two years - give or take. That is a  big deal!!! Admittedly, I was shocked he actually got his bid and it has been hard for me to get used to the idea of basically having his schedule - our schedule - reversed. In fact, I don't know if I know just what to think still, and here he is just about to get home from day two of his new shift. But, I can't complain too much because my mom is a pretty happy camper. Dad is too, since he's got a less-stressful route - which, in turn, makes it a bit less stressful for us at home. 
 Aaaannd....the saddest news for last. =( My camera is kaput. =( So, I won't be posting pictures of my own until I can conjure up a replacement. =( =( =( Which may not be for awhile. Bummer. Blah. Ugh. And all other similar noises of disgust. And yeah. End of story, end of post. =(

Ode to Fall

 I know this may seem silly, especially since Fall is not yet here. I tend to hold Fall in a mix of joy and anticipation - it's my favorite season. I was inspired to write a bit of a poem about Fall. ( Perhaps due to the fact that I'm reading the Anne books and she is always in rapture over the land and seasons. ) That is what may seem silly...the poem. BUT, I am going to be a brave soul and post it anyway, terrible though it may be. :D

 Fall is in the air again,
 Her fragrant breath upon us.
 She comes dressed in regal, royal splendor
 Such as no season e're did festoon.
 Warmth of summer has cooled,
 The crispness of Fall is here -
 Smokey, damp, musky too.

 Oh! The awe of golden-crimson leaves!
 They rustle and mingle with velvet green grass;
 They contrast sharp and wondrously with clear blue sky.
 Such beauty takes breath away,
 Yet beckons for to inhale deeply.
 Save the pleasant memory!
 Tuck it away for a cold, rainy, dismal Winter day.

 Fair Fall has slipped in again
 On the tails of Sweet Summer.
 Enjoy the perfection so as to hold through Winter.
 Fair Fall, I bid thee welcome!