Friday Foto.....

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this photo.

We purchased this cross from the young ladies who came and spoke at our church who are part of Teen Challenge.  If you've never heard them speak, I sincerely HOPE you one day get a chance.  They each have an awesome testimony of what God has brought them through.  The cross hangs on the wall above the computer and I just happened to look up and the sun was shining on it through the blinds.  Am I the only one who thinks things like that are just totally a God-thing?  Kinda like He's smiling on me!!!

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Enough is enough.....

Yesterday, two of my devotionals were about totally different subjects.....

yet both spoke to my heart about a struggle I've had most of my life.

I've shared with y'all in the past about my weight problems.....

more times than I care to count.....

an embarrassing number!

But, my weight problem is more than just a number on the scale.

This struggle affects not only my physical health, but my emotional and spiritual, as well. 

Maybe you have this same battle.....

or yours is with something other than your weight.

No matter what might be your "thorn in the side".....

this might help you, too!!!

"Let the goal of this day to being every thought captive to Me.

Judgmental thoughts are unmasked as you bask in My unconditional Love."

(Jesus Calling, Enjoying Peace in His Presence,

by Sarah Young)

As I read that verse of scripture in Ephesians and the statement out of my Jesus  Calling devotional I was reminded abut how often I put myself down. I think it started many years ago as a defense mechanism.  I'll go ahead and make fun of myself before I allow somebody else to hurt me with their words.  And, please know that I've had LOTS of negative remarks made about my size.  It's as if I don't have mirrors, or tight clothes, or a scale!!!   Not too long ago somebody very close to me made the statement to me that "well, you can loose weight, but you always gain it right back".  Yes, that seems to be true....and I guess the truth hurts.  I truly don't think this Bible verse is meant entirely for how we treat others.  Everything out of my mouth definitely doesn't serve to be good and helpful to me.   At my age, it's  going to be very difficult to change my attitude and how I feel about myself.  Often I've thought "what does it matter", "who cares how much I weigh",
"at my age, I'll never change".   

Guess what?

If it's a concern of ours....then, it's a concern of God's, too.

He CARES.

And, it matters to HIM!!!

So.....back to the title of this post.....

"enough is enough".

Enough negative talk about myself.....

enough of just talking about getting healthy

(which consists of more than just loosing weight).

My goal is to work on my physical health.....

my emotional health.....

which in turn will benefit me spiritually!!!

How will I do this?

With God's help!!

And, hopefully, with encouragement from those closest to me!!!

What about you?

What are your thoughts?

Is there something in your life where you have to finally say,

"enough is enough"?

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

(As I searched for an image of Ephesians 4:29, I found the little sign above. 

I just read verse 30 and realize how much it goes along with this post)

Wednesday's Word - Dwell.....

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Strands of glitter.....

For those of you who know me personally,

you know I've got lots of "snow on the rooftop" and it seems recently there's been a snowstorm!!!

I saw this little sign on Facebook yesterday and it made me smile!!!

Proverbs 16:31

Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
    it is attained in the way of righteousness.

Proverbs 20:29

The glory of young men is their strength,
    gray hair the splendor of the old.

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Kindness.....

Kindness
(from Streams in the Desert)

There is a story of an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and if he passed through a door that squeaked, he poured a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. And thus he passed through life lubricating all hard places and making it easier for those who came after him. 

People called him eccentric and cranky; but the old man went steadily on refilling his can of oil when it became empty, and oiled the hard places he found.

There are many lives that creak and grate harshly as they live day by day. Nothing goes right with them. They need lubricating with the oil of gladness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness. Have you your can of oil with you ? Be ready with your oil of helpfulness in the early morning to the one nearest you. It may lubricate the whole day for him/her. 
The oil of good cheer to the downhearted one---
OH, HOW MUCH IT MAY MEAN! 
The word of courage to the despairing. 
SPEAK IT.

Our lives touch others, perhaps only once, on the road of life; and then, perhaps, our ways diverge, never to meet again. The oil of kindness has worn the sharp, hard edges off of many a sin-hardened life and left it soft and pliable and ready for the redeeming grace of the Savior.

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

SONday Morning Song - I Am.....

There’s no space that His love can’t reach
There’s no place where we can’t find peace
There’s no end to Amazing Grace
Take me in with Your arms spread wide
Take me in like an orphan child
Never let go, never leave my side.

I am,
Holding on to You.
I am,
Holding on to You.
In the middle of the storm,
I am Holding on,
I am!

Love like this, Oh my God to find!
I am overwhelmed what a joy divine!
Love like this sets our hearts on fire!

I am,
Holding on to You.
I am,
Holding on to You.
In the middle of the storm,
I am Holding on,
I am!

This is my Resurrection Song
This is my Hallelujah Come
This is why it's to You I run
This is my Resurrection Song
This is my Hallelujah Come
This is why it's to You I run
There’s no space that His love can’t reach
There’s no place that we can’t find peace
There’s no end to Amazing Grace!!
(David Crowder)

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Friday Fotos.....

What a blessed birthday week I've had!!! 

I received several really special gifts.....obviously meant just for me because some of them were owlies!!!

My bestie mailed me four beautiful rustic owl ornaments for my burlap/outdoorsy/rustic CHRIST-mas tree I have planned for next year!!!  Some sweet friends at church got me a huge coffee mug with owls and hearts on it.....so much my style!!!  I'll share what Jess is painting for me as soon as she gets it finished.....it.is.AWESOME!!!   Pappy got me a beautiful scarf with a place to put charms.....a cross and....of course....an owl!!!  He also took the day off for my birthday, which was a huge blessing in itself because he was also off work on Monday and it's really difficult for him to get a day off, let alone after a holiday!!!  We headed out early Tuesday morning and I took some pics along the way.....

And, when we got home that evening, this is what greeted me from a precious young lady we go to church with.  She and her hubby were the ones who bought Izzy and she just wanted to do something special for me.

This was one of the most delicious cakes I've ever tasted.  

The cake was strawberry and that frosting.....

oh, my.....

it was delicious!!!

I cut it in half and shared it with our kiddos!!!

God truly blessed me this week.....

just like He does every single day.....

it's just a matter of me being thankful!!!

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Thankful Thursday.....

One of my favorite times of the day is early in the morning when the light is just starting to show thru the blinds in our bedroom.  The ceiling fan is on and I'm just waking up and laying there contemplating getting out of bed and it's just so very peaceful.  I wish I could have that feeling all the time, every minute of every single day.  I'm so grateful that no matter what I'm going thru, no matter how hectic the day gets and how many people I have wanting/needing my attention....that God still whispers His sweet peace to me!!!

Romans 15:13

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Wednesday's Word - Worry.....

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Happy Birthday.....

The 139th Psalm is one of my very favorites.....for lots of reasons.  

One is that the night before our kids boarded a plane for Uganda in 2012, 

I read this part of the Psalm to them.....

verses 7-10.....

I can never escape from your Spirit!

    I can never get away from your presence!

8 

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

    if I go down to the grave,you are there.

9 

If I ride the wings of the morning,

    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 

even there your hand will guide me,

    and your strength will support me.

Today is a special day for me.....

'cause it's my birthday!!!

So, I want to share these verses from Psalm 139.....

verses 13-18.....

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed. 

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

    They cannot be numbered! 

I can’t even count them;

    they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up,

 you are still with me!

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Martin Luther King, Jr......

(artwork by Sawyer, our 6 year old grandson)

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

SONday Morning Song - I Believe......

.....another "believe" song!!!

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Friday Fotos.....

I loved this little "sign" because it has my word for 2014.....

Believe.  

It was created by Ms. Karla Dornacher!!!

If you get a chance, check out Ms. Karla's blog.....
you can click here to pay her a visit.

Here's the link to her web-page....
Karla Dornacher.

She also has an Etsy shop.....
click here to check out her awesome artwork.

Here are a few more of her creations that I just adore.....


















And, this one just might be my favorite of all.....
whooooo knows why?!?!?



HOPE everybody has an awesome weekend!!!

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Stepping out in faith.....

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee,
Who from the heavens the streams of  His mercy doth send thee.
    Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
Who with His love doth befriend thee.
(Stanza 4 from Praise to the Lord, the Almighty)

(thank you, Ms. Dawn)

Good-bye, Old Friend!!!

This past Saturday, we sold Izzy.

It was completely a God-thing the way it happened.

A young couple needed a car.....

God told us to sell them ours....

at a ridiculously low price.

They couldn't afford to pay us the entire amount....

promised to pay us weekly until they could get the balance.

We signed the title over....

and Izzy was driven out of our driveway and I had to fight back tears.

(I tried to remove the little red bird, but she was stuck)

Later on Saturday evening, I received a call from the buyer.

His Aunt....

who is our friend.....

wanted to pay us what we had asked and let her nephew pay her back.

Pappy and I were overwhelmed at how God provided....

all because we stepped out in faith and did what He asked!!!

Ephesians 3:20

Now all glory to God, 

who is able, 

through his mighty power at work within us, 

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Wednesday's Word - Romans 8:38-39.....

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

I am.....

......chosen, holy, and blameless before God.

Our pastor continued his messages on GRACE this past SONday morning.  The meat of his message was about Lot and how we might have the wrong impression of the man....that things we perceive about Lot isn't how God saw him.  (2 Peter 2:6-9).  God considered Lot a righteous man.  The point being made was how we may see ourselves as unworthy, but that's not how God sees us.  

Pastor had handouts that gives 31 "I am" promises about what we are in Christ.

Since today is the 14th day of January,

I want to share #14 with y'all today.....

Ephesians 1:4

Even before he made the world, 

God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

Because of some things that happened to me growing up.....

feelings that became instilled in me, even to this day.....

I REALLY needed this message.

As we stood and bowed our heads.....

I wept.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me.

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

I Believe.....

We drove the truck to church yesterday and on the way Pappy cranked up the CD player.  
I told him that's just what we need to do every SONday morning to get us ready to enter SONday school and the worship service!!!

We were pretty pumped by the time we drove the 15 minutes to church!!!

And....

I was led to to yet another thing about my word for 2014.....

BELIEVE!!!

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

SONday Morning Song - Where There Is Faith.....

I believe in faithfulness.
I believe in giving of myself for someone else.
I believe in peace and love.
I believe in honesty and trust but it's not enough.
For all that I believe may never change the way it is
Unless I believe Jesus lives.

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb

Friday Fotos.....

My week in pics.....

RK loved her little stove.

I think her apron might be a tad big though!!!

We got snow Sunday night and Monday!!!

I get so much joy out of watching the birdies.....

especially the cardinals!

(yes, my candles are still in the windows.....

don't think I'm gonna store them away this year)

I painted the inside of our front door.....

Tuesday morning....

it was actually "0" the first time I checked.

I decided to paint the inside of our back door, too.

It's not the same paint color as the front, but it sure looks like it, huh?!??!

And, I painted a little table that I've been putting off painting FOREVER!!

I'm the world's greatest procrastinator!!!

Still gotta stain the top.

Wednesday morning, it had warmed up to SEVEN degrees.....

Filled up the bird feeder.....AGAIN!!!

Those little creatures are hungry!!!

I also cleaned my craft room because it had  gotten out of hand.....AGAIN!!!

No pics....but I did discover there's still a floor in there!!!

How 'bout y'all?!?!?

Did you have a good week?!?

Breathing in Jesus,

Deb