40 YEARS LATER

Today - January 30th, 2010 marks my 40th Year with the Lord Jesus Christ! As I have been reflecting upon my life with Him this day - and even over the past few weeks, I keep thinking that so much of that time was wasted - just wandering in the desert. Only in the last three to five years has there been any significant building of the Lord's House in my life. But these last three years - it is GOD who has built new walls and new floors. The foundation of Jesus Christ has always been there since the day I came to receive Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. That day back in 1970, when I was just fourteen years old, I remember how the scales were removed from my eyes and His light shone into the darkness of my heart and flooded me with spiritual understanding as God used this verse to bring me into the LIGHT:
Romans 8:1 [KJV]
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. [emphasis added]

Yes, this simple verse, yet so profound gave me HOPE and understanding that my sins, past and present, had been forgiven by what Jesus had paid with His blood on the Cross. I received that forgiveness that day and began my 'faith walk' in the spirit. I knew that I had received the free gift of Eternal Life....... and I told anyone and everyone that night [after youth group was over] what Christ had done to save me! Zeal poured out of my life for the next few years. God had performed a miracle and I had that desire to let Him rule and reign in my life forever.
But.... slowly over time I began to think that I could control my life. I was not content with things that seemed to be 'missing' in my life. Like most people I tried filling the void with 'things' - instead of turning to the Living, Loving God who had given me life in the first place.

In October of 2005, the Lord brought this passage into my life through a Simulcast of Beth Moore's teaching at a local church. About two hundred of us attended. She spoke on Psalm 126, and about God's Word being 'seed' - and what that meant. I tell you it took me 3X of hearing that same message to finally understand what it meant. I felt that somehow the Lord was using this passage to speak to my family. At the time, my husband was in his fourth year of cancer and his life was ebbing away physically. Not knowing 'why' - then... I committed to memorizing the entire Psalm - and to this day I am typing it in for you now from memory:

Psalm 126 [NIV]
1 When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed [were restored to health].
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of JOY.
Then it was said among the nations
"The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us
and we are filled with JOY.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negev [desert]
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of JOY.
6 He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of JOY,
carrying sheaves with him.

I now call this my psalm of JOY and PROMISE! It has come to mean so much to me and to my family in all that God has done.
Just yesterday I happened to hear a clip of Joyce Meyer in which she said these words:

"If you won't worship the
Lord in your days in the Desert,
what makes you think that you will worship Him

in your earthly Promised Land?"

When I reflected upon her words, I knew that I had made a choice in recent years to follow the Lord wholeheartedly with all of my being - fully surrendered to His ways - no matter where they might lead. My 'wandering' had ended a little over three years ago and now - as I step into my earthly Promised Land on this day - I know that the LORD has given me promises of HOPE and a future!

I spent the morning in God's Word reflecting on many passages that are significant but besides these already mentioned I have to say that Psalm 119 - the psalm all about God's Word, God's Commands, God's statutes, God's laws, God's ways, shows His fingerprints all over my Bible among those 176 verses. It may be the longest chapter in the Bible - and for good reason. There are not enough words to speak about God's Holy Word. Oh, how I love it so. Oh, how I love HIM so!

Lord Jesus -
This day as I reflect upon the house that You have built - in spite of my many wanderings, fears and failures, I am eager to move into my earthly Promised Land once and for all with You! Your Word is my delight. It lights my path so I know the way even if only for one step before me.
*Thank You for calling me Your "Beloved".
*Thank You for redeeming and restoring my life , even when the enemy lied to me and told me that could never happen.
*Thank You for replacing the enemy's lies with the TRUTH of Your Word. I am overwhelmed by Your Presence with me right now in this moment of time. There is no greater JOY than to be in Your Presence daily! I long for heaven - the place I was destined to live out eternity with You. But for now, earth is still my home.
*I thank You for building a house for me - that only You could build. As David so wonderfully stated:

2 Samuel 7:18

[As David sat before the LORD]

"Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family,

that You have brought me [us] this far?

Celebrating the GOODNESS of the LORD this day!
Receiving all of His undeserved GRACE and MERCY, JOY and PROMISE!

Choosing Great JOY,
Stephanie
JESUS ONLY in 2010
PS: My favorite color is still purple!

REACHING HIGHER

Deuteronomy 30:10-14 (The Message)
10 But only if you listen obediently to God, your God, and keep the commandments and regulations written in this Book of Revelation. Nothing halfhearted here; you must return to God, your God, totally, heart and soul, holding nothing back.
11-14 This commandment that I'm commanding you today isn't too much for you, it's not out of your reach. It's not on a high mountain—you don't have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it's not across the ocean—you don't have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!

How high will we climb?

How far will we stretch ourselves?

How high will we reach to feast on God's Word and obey His ways which are all for our good and our benefit for life?

It's time....... let's "just do it!"

Choosing JOY, Stephanie

JESUS ONLY in 2010

HAITI EARTHQUAKE HITS HOME in NJ

Click on the Link below for the

Story - the Scripture - and the Prayer!

SHEPHERD'S WALK at Sweetbriar: HAITI EARTHQUAKE HITS HOME

Choosing JOY, Stephanie

JESUS ONLY in 2010

RESCUED...

Job 18 [NIV]
[emphasis added]

7 The vigor of his step is weakened;
his own schemes throw him down.

8 His feet thrust him into a net
and he wanders into its mesh.

9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.

10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap lies in his path.

11 Terrors startle him on every side
and dog his every step.

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I don't think I, nor my cat, Griffin, had any idea where God would take this post.

This afternoon while I was unpacking groceries from my trip to the store, I went downstairs to the basement to put all the frozen food in the freezer. While I was down there, I heard the most unusual noise going through the house above me [trust me you had to be there]. But I could not figure out for the life of me what it was. Now, I'm usually pretty good with sounds but this one had me baffled... until just as my curiosity was about to get the best of me - the 'sound' appeared in front of me.

Griffin was stuck in the handle of the plastic bag and running with it all over the house. When he appeared downstairs, he looked at me it was as if to say, "Get me outta this contraption!!!

The problem was, that as I moved toward him he ran upstairs and freaked out running from me from room to room. [I wondered if he knew how ridiculous he looked]. At one point he came flying around a corner and I thought his 'bag' was going 'air born' ... looked like my little caped-crusader might take flight! What a laugh I had. He was embarrassed and finally just sat down and gave in to letting me help him. I petted his head and removed the bag. "You could have gotten hurt much worse than that, Griffin if I had not 'rescued' you", I said, adding one last stroke to his head. "Didn't you read the label? It says,'not for children or pets'... that means you buddy," I added.

As I cleaned up the rest of the items around the kitchen Griffin soon appeared one more time... coming over to rub around my legs with his head. He knew I had rescued him even though he had no idea what harm could have come to him - playing with a noose like that.

I laughed out loud when I read the Scripture that the LORD found for this post! I had a list of questions to ask - but somehow - I think the story speaks for itself. Can you relate?

Choosing JOY, Stephanie
JESUS ONLY in 2010

A LIGHT-HEARTED REFLECTION

Numbers 8:2-3

2 “Give Aaron the following instructions: When you set up the seven lamps in the lampstand, place them so their light shines forward in front of the lampstand.” 3 So Aaron did this. He set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

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John 1:4-5

In Him was Life; and the Life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. [emphasis added]

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"Shine your light and... let the whole world sing...for the glo-ry... of the Ri-sen King!"

These words from the song, Mighty to Save, done by Hillsong, have been playing over and over as I have been asking the LORD where HE wants this post to go. It's that "LIGHT" theme again!


But today, the word "REFLECTION" kept coming up in everything I was listening to or reading or pondering. And I began pondering ... questions like:

• What can we reflect upon from the outgoing year that will give us insight into the new year - and the choices that will be before us?


• How does reflecting back - give us wisdom for the 'next season' of our lives?


• What does light have to do with reflection?

This post - so I thought - was supposed to be about reflecting over the past year - taking a deep reflection of our lives - to evaluate what we've learned - in order to assess the good choices and the not so good choices - and how that reflection would bring value to our future. Yes, I know that was a mouthful of thoughts all by itself! [Remember this is a Light-Hearted Reflection?]Before I lose you ;-) and me both [here] I want to pause and ponder that last question.

First, let me say that "LIGHT" seems to keep coming up so much because on my prayer list this past year one person along the way had asked me to "pray over her family situation that God would shine his light into the deep corners of their home and expose the TRUTH" - and she added - "no matter what it reveals."

As I began praying that over her family - God did exactly that. She shared with me that He also shone the light in her own life which revealed deep and hidden things that she did not even know where there -festering and keeping her in the bondage of sin. As the year progressed I began praying that over my own life and over many lives that I knew were struggling. Now I pray in a much simpler TRUTH:

"That we would walk in the light of Your Truth, Lord!"

Now glance back at the photo of the lamp reflected in the mirror. The light itself is what allows the photo to be taken - allows for the reflection at all. If there were no light - to reveal the objects - there would be no exposure, only darkness. No light ... no REFLECTION.

Yes, there are different meanings of 'reflect' or 'reflection':

• To look back and ponder; to think carefully
• Return, as images, light or sound; a mirror image in a different light

Both are significant here. What are your thoughts as you REFLECT the power of LIGHT in this post? What has God spoken to you about LIGHT recently?

May we seek to shine His Light forward - like the lampstands!

Choosing JOY, Stephanie

JESUS ONLY in 2010

THE DOOR OF YOUR HEART

Deuteronomy 6 (The Message)

5 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love Him with all that's in you, love Him with all you've got!
6-9 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

Over the last few day as I was pondering the end of the year - I began to ask myself what I wanted 2010 to be about. "LIGHT" seems to be the theme that the LORD has been teaching me over the last two weeks. HIS LIGHT shining in darkness for the world to see --- and my light being a reflection of JESUS that would shine in the new year to all I will meet along life's pathway. The New Year is filled with new beginnings - new hurdles - new conquests - new commitments - new challenges - new joys - new promises - new territories to conquer - new encouragements of the heart!

My theme for this year is simply:

JESUS ONLY in 2010!

HIS LOVE

HIS GRACE

HIS PRESENCE

HIS JOYS

HIS PLEASURES

HIS FORGIVENESS

HIS MERCY

HIS COMMITMENTS

HIS PRAYERS

HIS WORD

HIS PURPOSES

HIS SPIRIT

HIS WORK

HIS MIND

HIS HEART

Psalm 139 [selected]

1 O LORD, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

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As we examine our hearts individually - and corporately - how do you want your heart to grow? What did your heart look like last year? How do you want it too respond differently this coming year?

Is your heart an OPEN DOOR for all the world to see JESUS?

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Choosing Joy in JESUS ONLY in 2010,

Stephanie

Happy NEW YEAR = 2010 is here!