I've decided to have another photo challenge! The last one was so much fun! I hope you'd agree. =)
So this theme is...FLOWERS.
I know y'all have lovely flower pics! I know flowers may seem simple, so I'll ask you to be creative. With lighting, perhaps the location, the angle or what's in the picture with the flower(s). The choice is yours. =)
Here are the rules:
~You must follow my blog~
~Place your link in a comment {you don't have to have a blog}~
~The photo must be an original taken by you~
~Absolutely no inappropriate links/entries, or else your entry will be deleted.~
The challenge ends on March 28, 2012 at 3:00PM
I'll post my favorite photos...{well, lets face it...I'll probably be posting all of them =P} and y'all can vote for the winner. {There will be a poll on the sidebar like last time}
Feel free to tell your friends! The more the merrier!
God is so good! I am crying with joy right now, just, because...I can feel His presence.
It is such an amazing feeling to know that He is with you!
To know that He is here...right now...at this very moment!
There are times when I feel like I could just burst with joy.
You know the feeling where you want to just start singing "for no reason". Ahh, but we do have a reason. We always have a reason to feel joyful! We have His love, His peace, His hope...and His joy inside of us!
I feel like I could just go dancing around, but I'm sure the people below us {I live in an apartment} would prefer I did not...
There is nothing that compares to the overwhelming sense of joy and peace as when you've just come out of a trying time spiritually.
I realized a couple days ago, that my life had been sorely lacking in prayer... I started feeling moody, and dare I say...purposeless. Ahh, but He is so faithful. Even through that, I knew He didn't leave me. No, He carried me! He ministered to me in ways that only He can.
It is so wonderful to know that we have freedom in Him! Freedom that lifts us above the chains of this world and lets us soar above.
Freedom that give us the ability to run to His arms whenever we feel weary.
That was my problem. I was feeling weary and instead of running to Him, I tried to be a "big girl" and take care of myself. I know better...you'd think I'd learn my lesson... Maybe one of these days I will.
But that is the past. And the present is me running full speed ahead, toward {not away from} my Abba Father's outstretched arms.
There I will stay, surrendered, tucked under His wing, in the palm of His hand. Resting, trusting, listening, praying...in His embrace.
Au Revoir...Until next time.
Many Blessings! =)
Tiffani
Everything in this post is Copyright Tiffani-Joi. Please email me at TiffaniJoi143@gmail.com to ask permission before using any part of this post or any pictures. Merci! =)
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
~ Psalm 23:4
Wrapped in Your Embrace
My heart cries out to be heard
My heart cries out for mercy
My heart cries out, in need of a Savior
You wrap me in Your embrace
Let my lips not speak idle words
But give You all praise and glory
My heart cries out, in need of a Savior
And You wrap me in Your embrace
I am undeserving
Yet You are so willing
Your love for me is amazing
You wrap me in Your embrace
You are faithful
You are Light
You hold me in the palm of Your hand
And You wrap me in Your embrace
My days have been numbered my You
You are the Holy God, my Father
You are my Provider
You wrap me in Your embrace
I am fallible
You are unchangeable
You still my heart and quiet my soul
And You wrap me in Your embrace
You are my comfort
I am Your daughter
You are my Rock and my Foundation and my Fortress
My Abba Father
You wrap me in Your embrace
Au Revoir...Until next time.
Many Blessings! =)
Tiffani
Everything in this post is Copyright Tiffani-Joi. Please email me at TiffaniJoi143@gmail.com to ask permission before using any part of this post or any pictures. Merci! =)
Am I in a rut? Am I just going through the motions? Do I take for granted that I'm saved through the grace of God & the sacrifice of my Savior Jesus alone?
Every so often these thoughts fly through my head... And I have to dwell on the question for a little while... I have to pray, ponder....and then what? How many times do I think about these things, but then just move on with my day...promising myself & God..."Oh, I'll pray about that later when I have more time..." God, You mean you don't have time for ME? "Oh, no Father," I weakly protest, "that's not what I mean at all..." Silence. "Well, I know that's the way is sounds, but You know my heart...You know there's nothing I would rather do than just spend time worshipping You all day long...but I can't". Silence. "Really, I can't..." You can do nothing apart from ME. I AM the One who gave you today, & you don't have time to pray about something very important I've placed on your heart? "Well, when You put it that way..." I reply getting weaker... Silence. I am broken...I know that the Lord is right...as always! And broken is what wants... He wants me to completely surrender to Him, so that He can mold me & show me & lead me, exactly where I need to go...
There's no beating-around-the-bush with God, there's no playing phone tag...there's no voicemail... If we don't answer when God calls us the first time, He will keep calling...and calling...AND calling... Until finally we "find the time" to answer... Sometimes if we wait too long, the Holy Spirit will stop us in our tracks (in our rut, while we're going through the motions) & put that theoretical "phone" right in our face...so that we can't ignore, not hear, or walk by it again...
But I can avoid all of this if I would take action when the Lord shows me something I need to work on in my life! If I just surrender to Him daily it would make my life a lot easier... If I would pray about those fleshly tendencies when they are first shown to me. If I didn't try to make excuses for myself...
That's why out of all the songs I could've chose for this topic, I chose Give Me Your Eyes.
Because that's the example that's being set in the song. There is a problem that is made aware...and there is a prayer... A prayer first & foremost asking for forgiveness...then immediately afterwards is the a prayer of longing... A prayer of wanting to be more Christ like, than we are.
And I know that being completely honest with myself, that's not always going to happen. The Enemy is very good at dangling "little emergency's" in front of us. Those that are just important enough for us get distracted at least temporarily from the One who truly matters.
Dear Precious Heavenly Father,
I come broken before your throne of grace. Broken with shame that I so often put You aside. Make You wait. And I praise Your name & thank you from every crevice of my soul that You are a God of forgiveness. A God of patience. A God of mercy.
Lord, please mold me, make my heart more mindful of when You have something to tell me! Teach me to go through my days totally on fire for You alone! Where the only thoughts that fly around in my mind are pleasing in Your sight. The only words I speak point back to You.
Thank you Abba Father for loving me even though I will never be able to deserve it!!
I ask this all in Your precious Son Jesus' name.
Amen!
I pray that the Lord blesses you abundantly today & that you will feel His embrace forever!
I recently did a guest post for His Handmaiden's blog titled: "His Limitless Love". Please check it out! =) Comment away, & browse other posts by Sierra.
Chorus: Children of God, sing your song and rejoice
For the love that He has given us all
Children of God, by the blood of His Son
We have been redeemed and we can be called
Children of God
Children of God
Bridge: We are the saints
We are the children
We've been redeemed
We've been forgiven
We are the sons and daughters of our God
Third Day ~ Children of God
Album: Move
Why is it that we as humans are so focused on ourselves all the time. Maybe not all the time...but most of the time... I find myself thinking about me, so often. My problems, my dreams, my life....
NO!!! It's NOT about me.... I live solely, because of my God, my Savior Christ Jesus, & my Helper who lives within me. I called Him, mine, just now.... But that's is not how it is.... I live for Him, I am His alone, He is all that matters. No matter how "big" my "problems" are, they are NOTHING compared to what the biggest problem is...my sin. No matter how "big" I think my "sacrifices"are, they are NOTHING compared to the greatest sacrifice of all. No matter how "important" I think my opportunities are...NOTHING is more important than living for my Savior.
But why is it that we as humans are so forgetful of those facts? Sin. Our flesh.
It makes me sad to realize that sometimes I need such a large wake-up call to realize when I'm starting to think about me too much. I know I'm never going to be perfect, but I want to be. I want to live like Jesus lived. I strive to be like Him. And when I fall short...I'm disappointed in myself. Until I realize why I fell short.... I thought I could do things on my own. Not consciously, but the result is still the same...
Yet, the Lord is merciful. He has given us the Helper. He gives us subtle & not so subtle reminders about Who is really important. He gives us second chances again & again & again. Sometimes I wonder, Why in the world does my Abba Father love me so much?
But then I receive an answer. Amazing & miraculous as it is! Because I am His child first...& then He is my Abba Father...my Daddy. The BEST Daddy! (John 1:12) With unconditional love that cannot even be described. Mercy that abounds & follows me all the days of my life. Love...God loves me! He loves you! He encourages us, He's our biggest cheerleader!
Psalm 95:6-7, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand."
I am His sheep, & He is my Shepard. I am to follow Him, for He knows the Way. (John 14:6)
Daddy, I wish there was a better word than 'thank you'!! Thank you doesn't come close to being enough. Even if I praised You constantly, 24/7 for the rest of my life, You would still be worthy of infinity times more!! Please, Father, help me to daily surrender to You! To let You lead me, without any "help" from me. Please make it exceedingly clear when I'm speaking too much or not listening enough! Help me to always trust You, especially when the road gets rocky & I can't see the 'big picture'. Father I pray for those who are reading this right now. That You will bless them abundantly!! That You will fill them with Your overwhelming peace, joy, & love. Father, You know our hearts...You know how much we long to serve You faithfully. Continue, please to teach us Your ways & how to better serve You & Your children. I ask this all in Your Son, Jesus' name. Amen!
You've just had a peek inside my mind. My thoughts are all over the place. And they move so fast... I'm a girl...so that explains it. =)
I really do hope you are blessed by this. The Lord has had this "topic" pressing on my heart for a while, & I think tonight...or rather this morning....He has let it all pour right out.
One last thing before I go. I love 1 John 3:1-3, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."
Au Revoir...Until next time.
Many Blessings! =)
Tiffani
I got a new ring three days ago. I love rings that won't turn my finger green! (And not just, because they don't turn my finger green. =) ) I also love them, because I hardly ever have to take them off. I'm not very good at remembering to take rings off....I've had to throw quite a few away, because of it. BUT the point is I got a new one.
Ta Da (in a sing-song-y voice):
Walk By Faith
I love unusual rings... Rings with writing on it (especially when it's a Bible verse!!) Like my new one.
2 Corinthians 5:7
The funny thing is, that I've been wanting another ring. My mom & I went to our local Christian Book Store three days ago. I always look at the jewelry...especially the rings, but I never see anything I like. (Usually because they have very few to choose from.) But this time, they had a lot to choose from. And this one caught my eye, even though it was "trapped" inside one of those locked cases.
Anyhoo, a lady unlocked the case, so my mom & I went on the search for a ring that we liked. We found a couple, but they were the wrong size... 'Oh bug!' BUT I still had my eye on the above ring. And at the very end of this one row, we found one that fit! I was quite pleased!! =) This particular style of ring happened to be the only one in my size. Amazing!
I love rings that are unusual, because they can be great conversation starters. I've had people comment on my "twisty ring" before. And I'm able to explain that its a Bible verse.
They're also good reminders for myself. My "twisty ring" says: "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:14
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
Something I am continually working on. =)
If you have any interesting rings, jewelry etc... I'd LOVE to hear about them!!
I thought I'd just share some things that have been going on in "my little corner of the world".
Congratulations to my grandparents (in case you were wondering...it's my mom's parents). They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last month. But we just had the party for them last Saturday. I'll post some pictures later.
It was so much fun! Hearing my grandparents reminisce about the "good old days". Things like riding their bicycles for miles, (no cell phones, no predetermined destinations) & their parents-never for a minute-worried about where they were. Seeing all their friends that they've had since junior high & high school. It was fun to see my grandparents so happy. =) I don't know when I've ever seen them smile...or cry so much in one evening.
I'm getting excited for our Community Bible Study (CBS) to start again! So far we have 13 (including me), 7-12 graders. My mom is the teacher. =) It's going to be so fun to be in a group with people my own age again.
Last year I was a helper in the K-6th grade class. I had a TON of fun...but it could never take the place of the fellowship, that I missed terribly from my old CBS... With my all-girl group of sweet sisters. (You know who you are =) )
We are studying Revelation this year. I've studied it before, but I'm excited to be studying it again, with a new place, new people, & new spiritual growth!!! I'm just a little bit excited....in case you didn't already notice... =P
I would LOVE to hear what you're studying right now....or if you go to a CBS, what you'll be studying this year!!!
Unfortunately I must go.... BUT I will return!!
Au Revoir...Until next time.
Many Blessings! =)
Tiffani
Ok, so this song is just too beautiful to break up. The main part that I want to talk about though is the first two lines of the song. So simple, but if you think about it...so true. If I had control, (not just the illusion of control), control every single thing that happened in my life, & I was able to redo things that went wrong in my life...would I?
Honestly, there are probably some things I would want to change. I would probably make sure I kept my balance, & didn't fall into the big fountain we had in our front yard; the one that gave me a big, ugly fat lip & black & blue eye so swollen I could hardly open it. Yes, I think I'd like to change that...
BUT, now that I think of it...I was so blessed by my friends during that time, who (even though we were young...& I probably looked pretty weird) showed me such kindness, by telling me I looked beautiful, still asking me over to their houses for "play-dates", didn't stare, but didn't keep their distance. That might not sound it should be a big deal...friends should do that anyway. But for me it was a big deal. I was about 8 years old, & I wasn't a pretty sight...honestly I wouldn't have blamed my friends if they wanted to keep their distance until I was better. But instead, I was extremely blessed, & can now truly sympathize with people who have something deform their face (whether temporarily like mine, or permanently.)
Ok, so...I'd probably still let that happen to me...
But those times where I said or did something to hurt one of my friends. I'd change those times! BUT, if I did, I wouldn't be able to feel the forgiveness I received after apologizing... Forgiveness that reminded me of what my Savior did for me. Reminding me that I'm not going to be perfect, but that I can't use that as an excuse for sinning.
Ok, so...I'd probably keep those times as well...
I guess I'd say the same thing for the times that I wasn't respectful to my parents. I've learned from those mistakes I made...& am getting better & better at keeping my frustration from getting the upper-hand. I also know the importance of parenting, & am storing all this knowledge for when I become a mommy.
So...my list of "Things In My Past I'd Like To Change If I Could"...is getting smaller by the second as I think about it...
The only thing, I still think I'd change was...feeling way under the weather on my 16th birthday...that's just wrong...isn't it? BUT...(you knew this was coming =) ) I guess that did show me that it doesn't matter about growing with age...what really matters is how you grow in the Spirit. Instead of depending on worldly things to give me joy, I should be looking to Him to give me joy. And reminding me not to take for granted the health & especially the life that I have, because there are some children who are sick on almost all their birthdays, with cancers, & tumors. Some children don't even reach their 16th birthday. I really have nothing to complain about, because I have the only thing that matters! A personal relationship with my Abba Father.
I'm not sure how many of you've read that book Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter. But this sound very much like the "Glad Game". Looking for the good out of not-so-good situations...
I know that I won't always see the big picture. But my prayer is that when I do feel discouraged, that I lean on Him who gives me strength. He who does see the big picture & knows exactly whats best for me. I pray that we all trust Him druing these times. Because He will allow us to go through struggles, but--as I've realized--even though we might not be able to see them at first...later we can see the amazing joys & blessings that came from those trials.
I LOVE hearing stories of how the Lord worked something that you thought couldn't get any worse, turn into something great. If you have any stories like this...about yourself or others please share!!
I will be a mirror that reflects your endless love
I will be the hope among the hopeless
Where there is conflict I will be peace
Only by the power of your spirit that's living in me
I will be
Natalie Grant ~ I Will Be
Album: Deeper Life
I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of person, if I'm waiting, either in a line, for my computer to restart, or my food to cook, or anytime when I'm out & waiting for...whatever. I feel like I'm wasting valuable time & that I should be doing something... So I pick up a book (almost any book) & start reading it. Then I started thinking why am I not reading my Bible?
Soooooooooo A couple weeks ago I got a smaller Bible that I can fit in my purse. My other Bible is a huge study Bible...& my purse is already heavy enough with out putting my "sword" in it.
"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" Eph. 6:14-18
So I got a portable Bible, & it's pink!!! I know...so girly, but my choices were quite limited. Black, brown, PINK or go to different version. Here's a picture of it:
But since it is pink, it will probably get more attention. More people will probably wonder what I'm reading, which will open more doors for me to be a witness for my Savior.
One of my mom’s favorite songs is Nichole Nordeman's You Are My All In All. I was always amazed at how simple the words were, yet how much meaning, inspiration & truth were packed into them. The more I started thinking about the song, the more I felt called to study out the verses (of the song)...
So I'm going to do that and post my "ah-ha's" & epiphanies...here! My prayer is that the Lord will fill me with His Spirit, inspire me, & change me during this study.
I invite you to do this with me. You can post comments of what the Lord is showing you. I would LOVE for you to share, share, share!! =)
