Author: lynmckown

THIS CANE! BOTHER OR BLESSING

| lynmckown

This cane!

Some days it’s a bother but some days it’s a blessing.

It’s a bother in familiar territory like when I am at home. It’s a blessing on uneven ground or going up and down the steps.

It’s a bother when I am running late and it slows me down even more.  It’s a blessing when I’m tired or when I’m trying to get out of the car.

It’s a bother to run to seemingly endless doctor visits and therapy. It’s a blessing when I see they are all trying to work together for my good.

Well, is it a bother or a blessing?

It’s all a matter of perspective. I pray that during this season of my life I will have a perspective that is pleasing to God, one of hope, joy and thankfulness.  A perspective that trusts in His goodness even when I don’t understand.

Proverbs 3:5-6   New Living Translation (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek His will in all you do,
    and He will show you which path to take.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

MORE TO COME…AS GOD LEADS

 

EACH NEW DAY

| lynmckown

Almost each new day brings a new doctor, a new test, a new prescription or a new exercise.  But:

 

Philippians 4:13   New Living Translation (NLT)

 

13 I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 

I know that God has a plan and purpose for everything that happens in my life.

 

Psalm 139:16   New Living Translation (NLT)

 

16 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.

 

I go through the day and rest at night because,

 

Psalm 16:8   New Living Translation (NLT)

 

8 I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.

 

And I say!

Psalm 18:1 New Living Translation (NLT)

 

1 I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.

 

MORE TO COME…AS GOD LEADS

 

A STORM

| lynmckown

A storm began to swirl around me.

I looked to God.

Psalm 107:29   New Living Translation (NLT)

29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
    and stilled the waves.

Yet through the day there were doubts.

But the Holy Spirit was there.

Psalm 94:19   New Living Translation (NLT)

19 When doubts filled my mind,
    Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Fear came next but the Word said:

 2 Timothy 1:7   King James Version (KJV)

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

With new hope, I continued to read:

Romans 8:28    New Living Translation (NLT)

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

I searched for more:

Psalm 32:8   New Living Translation (NLT)

8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
    I will advise you and watch over you.

And I rested through the night.

MORE TO COME …AS GOD LEADS

MORE TO COME…AS GOD LEADS

| lynmckown

Isaiah 43:19   New Living Translation  (NLT)

19 For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

 

God is doing new things in my life.

More to come…as God leads.

PRAYER CORNER

| lynmckown
Recently Andy and I watched a powerful movie – WAR ROOM!  The prayer closet concept is not new to me but all along I have been content praying at the table for meals, late nights in my recliner, in the computer room, on the porch on beautiful days or quiet nights by the bed.  Praying takes place most anywhere for me along the way through the day! 
After watching WAR ROOM, I knew I needed a specific place set aside for doing battle in prayers of spiritual warfare.  Andy agreed and we began to pray about where that would be in our small home where closets are tiny and rooms are full. 
There is no room in our house that is not fully used and accessible to everyone except our bedroom which is small and has wall to wall furniture with dressers, nightstands, our bed and oh, there was one corner that had the printer and stereo on a tall stand. 
Yes, somehow God always provides and makes a way to meet the need at hand.  I decided to find a way to fit that table in the computer room.  Now in the corner of our room is a floor lamp and a wooden rocker which I brought down from upstairs. 
That corner is a specific, special place of prayer.  A place dedicated to meet God.  It doesn’t get clothes thrown on it, and it’s not to sit in while putting on shoes or anything else.  It is a place of reference, a place to stay focused when talking to God!  I like to call it our prayer corner!  When I lived in Pennsylvania, my Pastor’s wife used to say, “Lyn, you have to do the best you can with what you have for Jesus’ sake today!”  To me she meant you are to use what you have for God’s glory. 
God, I pray we will seek You and meet with You faithfully day in and day out and even many times a day as we seek Your will when spiritual warfare enters our lives.  May this prayer corner also be filled with prayers of joy and thankfulness, prayers for healing, prayers for spiritual birth and growth, prayers for direction, prayers of forgiveness and restoration, and prayers of blessing.  Keep our motives pure and create in us clean hearts.  Give us Your perspective LORD.  May our time with You give us strength, peace and victory as we stay focused on You, Your Word and Your will and may You indeed be glorified.  We know that You hear and answer our prayers.  We love You! In Jesus Name. Amen.
Matthew 6:6    New Living Translation (NLT)
 
6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
 
Psalm 51:10   New Living Translation (NLT)
 
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a right spirit within me.
 
Psalm 116:1, 2   New Living Translation (NLT)
 
1 I love the Lord because He hears and answers my prayers.
2 Because He bends down and listens,
    I will pray as long as I have breath!
 

STOP

| lynmckown
As you go through your day just STOP!
SMELL the aroma of breakfast that gets the day started.
HEAR the far away sound of the train and the rustle of the leaves as the squirrel runs to the tree.
APPRECIATE the quietness when everyone has gone for the day.  TAKE TIME to THANK God for His Presence in the calmness of the moment and every moment of the day.
TOUCH the tree bark that is rough from the years of growth and weather. SMELL the rain; FEEL the drops as they softly begin to fall.  SENSE the storm coming with the gentle breeze getting stronger.
REMEMBER to THANK God for His provision of tasty food all through the day!
WORK hard at the task at hand for now is the time to complete the day’s work.
ENJOY the fellowship of your loved ones at dinner.  THANK God for the many blessings of the day! 
PLAY and SPEND TIME with the children just as Jesus gave them time and love.
SEARCH the Scripture each day to grow closer to our Lord and Savior.  PRAISE Him, TALK TO Him, TALK WITH Him, and even QUESTION Him if you want.
He knows.  He cares.  He understands.  He hears.  He answers!
LOVE! LAUGH! LIVE! PRAY!  SHARE!  BE JOYFUL IN THE LORD!
 
Psalm 118:23-24   New Living Translation (NLT)
 
23 This is the Lord’s doing,
    and it is wonderful to see.
24 This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.
 
 
Psalm 34:8   International Children’s Bible (ICB)
 
8 Examine and see how good the LORD is.
    Happy is the person who trusts the Lord.
 
Psalm 34:8   New Living Translation (NLT)
 
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
 
Psalm 139:14   New King James Version (NKJV)
 
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
 
 

SANTA OR NO SANTA?

| lynmckown
Some choose to believe in Santa, some do not.  The idea of Santa Claus is SHARING with others and CARING enough to give.  Nothing wrong with that.  The problem comes when the focus is turned from sharing and caring to I want and give me. 
Next year when visiting Santa why not redirect the child’s focus to what they are going to do for someone or what they will give to someone.  Bake cookies for others, give a present or toy to someone else, spend some time with an elderly person who lives alone, or, well, this list could go on forever. 
I am thinking Santa will be surprised to hear an “I am going to do or give….” Instead of an “I want…”.  There are so many ways even little ones can reach out to others and they in turn learn the blessing of giving!
Santa or no Santa?  Your choice, but the real question is where is the focus?
Now here is the real story:
John 3:16   King James Version (KJV)
 
16 For God so LOVED the world, that He GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
 
1 John 4:19   King James Version (KJV)
 
19 We LOVE him, because He first LOVED us.
 
1 John 3:11   New King James Version (NKJV)
 
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
 
Acts 20:35   GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
 
35 I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, ‘Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them.’”
This is Christmas – receiving God’s gift of Jesus to us and giving back to Him by SHARING with and CARING for others.

GRACE AND ELEGANCE

| lynmckown

My friend, Betty, is going to be with the LORD soon.  She is facing physical and emotional struggles right now.  She had said she didn’t know it would be so hard to leave loved ones behind.  She has always had peace with God about leaving this world and now God has graciously given her time to make peace with everyone in her world.  When we were together the other day she was saying what a blessing it was to have the peace of knowing her loved ones know the LORD and be with her in heaven one day!

Betty is a beautiful person inside and out.  She is the picture of grace and elegance all wrapped up into one. She is a true friend.  Friendship is listening, caring, loving, sharing and correcting.   At work, she would listen when I needed to talk yet she didn’t hesitate to correct me when I was off base.  She would tell me straight up if I was wrong or could be a little more patient or understanding with others.  She could be blunt when she had to be.  In other words, God knew who I needed in my life those days and that was Betty!  Even still today she is always there for me like when I just pop in to “bring her a few books”, she knows I need to talk and often she needs to talk too.

The blessing of Betty’s life is that I am not the only one that can say these things about her.  I dare say there are many more who echo my same thoughts and feelings.  We love you Betty! You are a friend and inspiration to all of us! We thank God for you!

God is like that.  He gives us special people in our lives that we can go to whenever and its feels like it hasn’t been days, weeks or even months since that last chat time.  Amazes me that God always knows who and what we need in our lives at each given point of our lives!  And God is never late! Never!

Psalm 139:16   New Living Translation (NLT)

16 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.

Proverbs 17:17   New King James Version (NKJV)

17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

Psalm 16:8   New Living Translation (NLT)

8 I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.

Psalm 29:11   New Living Translation (NLT)

11 The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.

 

 

 

THIS LITTLE DOG…

| lynmckown

This little dog, well, puppy, has stolen my heart!  Bandit, as he is known, was given to me for my birthday last month.  He is a tiny little pup and won’t get much bigger.  I have wanted a small lap dog for a while now and Bandit is just perfect.  He fills the void left by our Buddy that we lost in February.  He is so much company when Andy is working late.

Bandit also has helped me by keeping me moving.  Pups move a lot more than I remember.  He loves to be outside even though he is an indoor dog.  When we are outside, he explores more than he walks.  I find that as I walk slower and look around on these walks I am more aware of the beauty of God’s creation all around me.

It also gives me time to talk with God.  It’s amazing how in the quietness of morning or night and even some afternoons I can hear God’s still small voice and I know His presence not only on the inside but on the outside.  I see God’s majesty in the beauty of the changing of the seasons or the time of the day!  It may be the sun shining bright or the fog so close it feels as if I could touch it and sometimes the moon and the stars just take my breath away.  What a wonderful world God has given us to enjoy!

It’s at those times that I just overflow with prayers of thanksgiving for so many blessings.  GOD IS SO GOOD!  No matter what is going on in my world, these outdoor times take me to a world of wonder and thanksgiving.  These are the times when I don’t just know in my heart that God is in control but I see proof positive all around me that God is in control and there is peace in my soul.

Psalm 46:10   New International Version (NIV)

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 95   New American Standard Bible (NASB) 

O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.