Energy from God~

Are you ever super super tired? Do you run out of gas some days? Do you struggle with your long 'to do' list?

I know I have at times. I have a little picture frame by my front door on the wall that states-- "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 It is the JOY of the LORD that gives us strength.

God gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. —Isaiah 40:29

The dictionary defines energy as the vigorous exertion of power. It has to do with effort, strength, potency, and might. Who has all these attributes? The Lord!

Scripture tells us that God not only has his own power and strength, but he’s given that same power to us. He enables us to have energy when we tap into HIS.

David says to God in Psalm 31:4, “You are my strength.” And again in Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” What great verses! What comforting verses! God gives us all the energy we need.

When I’m exhausted and fall into bed at night, I often think I’ll never get up the next morning because I’m so tired. Or when I have no more strength to take care of a need or do the things that have been assigned to me, I have to force myself to remember my strength comes from God, not from inside me. There’s a vast difference.

So, remember—strength doesn’t come from exercise; strength comes from waiting on God. Tomorrow is another day, and God energizes us for it . . . no matter our age. Every day that I get older, his strength brings more comfort to my own life.

I have all the energy I need, Lynette

March Madness~

March Madness is a fun time at our house. Lots of good food, lots of iced tea, soda and pop corn.

We are a real 'basketball' family. All my guys played basketball, including my hubby's varsity days at Canoga Park High School, where we both attended. I am sure it all began back in 1962 when Dave played for Poly in Baltimore Maryland. He was 14 years old.

I learned early that I better either learn to love basketball or I would lose out on all the fun, discussion and happy times together. I learned most of the rules, which teams 'we' root for and who the great coaches were.

I loved Rec Basketball games with all our boys. I yelled and clapped and cheered. Bekah played Rec ball too. She learned the rules, having learned how to dribble from her brothers before she was three. "Wow....look at that little girl dribble", people would say. Hannah, my youngest plays varsity girls basketball still. Her sister is COACH and her brother is the Assistant Coach. My hubby is Coach for the guys Varsity team here. Like I said, we are a basketball family.

March Madness is a special time of year for us. We do 'brackets'. We know who is winning. My son Caleb flips on the remote so we can 'watch' more than one game at a time. I do sometimes go downstairs for a bit to prepare snacks during Maryland/Duke games because it gets intense. All in fun. During those games, I laughingly remind them that God is sovereign in 'who wins' tonight too!

Our enjoyment for basketball shows. That is good.

I am glad I have come to enjoy March Madness too.

Cheer-leader here, Lynette

Busy Tuesday~

What a busy day!

It all began with making the bed.

Then my devo time---too short!

Off to the the bathroom to wash, do hair and put lipstick on ~ smile!

Dress and add shoes.

Put Bible and journal in red book bag.

Go downstairs to pack up my 'stuff' which is a lunch tote, book bag, purse and coffee mug.

Grab a banana and a quick cooked egg. Bring with.

Grab a coat, my stuff and get in the car for the 10 minute ride to Open Bible. Eat banana and egg as hubby drives.

Get settled at work. Grab fresh mug of coffee.

Hand out two band-aids.

Smile, greet, answer phones.

Deliver a message to a teacher.

One more band-aid for a boo-boo.

Refill my coffee mug.

Smile, greet, answer phones and take messages.

Computer work.

Smile, greet, answer phones, take messages and make appointments on computer.

One more coffee refill.

Late slips written.

Notes sent and delivered.

On and on it goes....delighting in being a blessing along the way.....

School is out.

Basketball Games to cheer and clap!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig!

Cooked dinner.

Ate dinner with all the family~

Now to head for the PJs and a good book!

Good night!

What a day, HE was with me in it all, every minute of every hour~

Praise the LORD, for HE is so GOOD ~ Lynette

40th Anniversary ~ Sweet Gift

My side of the bed....she knows I love bubbles!

Dave's side of the bed...he is blowing bubbles that turn into hearts as they flow onto my side of the bed........we love it!

Pillowcases Jeannette embroidered for our 40th Anniversary ~ SO SWEET!

Thank you Jeannette and Rob for thinking of us in such a darling and sweet way~ a daily reminder of our gracious and loving marriage! God is so good, and we are thankful!

Since it is rainy and cloudy and dark outside today.....I thought I would post a happy, sunny picture as a 'toast' to my 'happy heart' today! Happy not because of 'circumstances' but because of 'WHOSE' I am! It really is all about HIM!

Greenville, South Carolina

Rob preparing for Church Service~ Sunday
Hug a bunch after service ~
Genna, Sammy and Jeannette playing at the park ~ on Thursday
Thursday at the park....Genna and PopPop
Alex and PopPop ~
Sherry, Genna, Calvin, Tommy, Rob, Sammy, Jeannette & Alex
Hiking at Jones Falls State Park
This picture does not show how BIG the rock Alex is on really is!
Sammy ~ our cutie!

Calvin ~ always on the move!
Genna and MiMi ~ posing...ha
Tommy and Sammy playing on the scooters~ at the park.

We had so much fun in Greenville, South Carolina. We went to see our kids. We went to the State Park, hiking. We sat and chatted. We went to Church at Greenville Presbyterian Church. We enjoyed our family ~ our kids and grandkids. God is so good! I personally wish we lived closer, but that is not the LORD's plan. You see Rob is a Pastor and so is his Dad. HIS way is perfect! I am grateful for our times together! We are so blessed ~ FOREVER!

The Ocean~

Rob reading away...Alex, Tommy, Hannah, Genna and Calvin posing for MiMi!!!

Running on the Beach....so fun! Calvin, Tommy, Hannah, Genna and Alex!

The Ocean~

The Shore holds a very special place in my life. I grew up in Southern California, 30 minutes from Malibu Beach. I can remember so many times as a Teen sitting and reading my Bible on the Beach. God spoke to me in special ways .....giving advice, comforting me and giving me HIS priorities, even as a teen.

All these years later, I still enjoy the sea shore so much. I am glad my God created the seas and the beaches of this world. The tides, the sand, the shells, the smells, the sounds, the constancy of the waves....God made it all. HE is unchanging! HE controls the tides. HE has made all the creatures of the sea (yes, the horseshoe crab Hannah and the kids found---alive!) What comfort to know HE holds it all in the palm of HIS hand. AND HE allows us to enjoy it and praise HIM for HIS marvelous works!

As we spend the week at the Beach together we are reminded of the brevity of life. Time marches on and my youngest is a teen. I am passing the love of the shore onto her now. Even MORE, I am enjoying seeing her read her Bible here for herself. What joys! What wonder! How good our GOD is ! HE is the same, yesterday, today and forever ~ still changing lives, still helping us know HIM better! Oh, the wonder of it all and the joy of another year at the SEA SHORE together!

Summer Time~

I love Summer. I grew up in Southern California and went to the Beach a lot each summer. I was blessed to live 30 minutes from Malibu Beach yet my favorite beach was Zuma Beach. It had consession stands, bath houses and lifeguards always on duty! But you had to pay to park....I remember it being $5 and that was a lot it seemed to me. I spent my hard earned money though to go to Zuma Beach because that is where all my friends were!

Now all these many years later, I still like the BEACH....any beach. Summer isn't summer without at least one visit to the Ocean. I was thinking about this yesterday ~ why is summer so special to me when I am surrounded by people who always say they love Fall or Winter and enjoy the cold?

I decided it would be fun to make a list of things I like about summer! Those of you who love winter or fall can do the same thing! Post it at the end of this post!

~Warm days to bask in the warm sun
~Flip flops
~Shorts and sleeveless shirts
~Flowers....all kinds
~Warm ocean breezes
~Popsicles
~Coke floats
~Cold Watermelon
~Fresh mowed grass smells
~Riding the waves
~Berry picking
~Bicycle riding
~Pool fun
~Slip and slide fun on our hill
~Riding in the country
~Steak on the grill
~Corn on the cob
~Vacation at the shore
~Washing my car in the sun
~Sleeping past 6am
~Frozen drinks
~Sitting under an umbrella on our deck
~Lilac bushes smelling sweet
~Roses in my garden
~Squirting the kids with the hose
~Playing games at night
~Flash light tag
~Shell hunting
~Sand between my toes
~Dead heading my flowers
~Fresh tomatoes
~Peaches....lots of them~
~Ocean City, NJ, with the Teens
~Walks in the evenings with my honey
~Ocean smells
~SnowBalls
~Family visits
~sooo many more...too many to list!

We only have a month of summer left~ and I will enjoy every day of it! Thank you Lord for giving us seasons but especially SUMMER!!!

With a Grateful Heart, Sherry

Summer Saturday

I slept in today! I hardly ever sleep in. But today I did. I didn't get out of bed until 10am. WOW...can you imagine that? TEN A.M.? Yeppers! My early rising hubby said he brought my coffee in and sat it on my bedside table at 9am and I didn't move. He said "you were out for the count", so I let you sleep! And I did ~ it felt so good. Yet, I feel guilty about it!

Why? Why do I feel guilty about sleeping in after a long long while of early rising? Because we are all about productivity....doing, doing, doing. Dave and I had a discussion this morning concerning this topic. He said "the Lord gives sweet rest to the righteous, Sherry." But ~ why then do I feel bad about sleeping in? Because my thinking is influenced by our society!!!

So much of what we 'feel' is influenced by our thoughts. I am to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What does the Bible say about each and everything I do? What about sleep? If I slept in every day then I could be lazy. The Bible says TOO much sleep is bad for you. And too little sleep is bad for you too!

Since we stayed up very late after rising very early everyday this past week but one, no wonder I was so tired! So I slept in. I feel rested. I have no reason to feel guilty. So I won't!

Thank you Lord for good deep rest. You have planned rest for us. You are God of rest. How I praise and thank you for being my REST!

Grateful to be HIS, Sherry

Are you 'Content' ??

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me---practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9

Are you content? There is a secret to being content....and I have learned it! It is what you think about and how you think about the things you think about. If you want God's kind of peace, be diligent about what you think about. It takes self-control. I know. I learned the hard way.

I was a worry-wart as a child. I always thought of all the things that could go wrong. I was aware at a young age that bad things happen to people. So I fell into the trap of being a worry-wart. My parents told me all the time that I was one. Then at age 12, Jesus drew me to Himself. Slowly I began to 'trust and obey'. It had become a bad habit to worry. God in is redeeming grace freed me from the sin of worry. I've had bouts of it since, but HE continues to show Himself powerful and mighty in my life. I am quick to see that wrong turn and run to the Cross.

The secret is to put your mind on the things above. No matter what you or I face ~ we CAN ask God to give us his eyes....to view the 'thing' through the eyes of our heavenly Father. He cares for us if we are one of HIS sheep. We can trust HIM. He is in control. He is powerful. He is mighty. He cares. He loves us and wants only what will be for our good and HIS glory. We can trust Him. Ask him. He will show you! He is waiting for you to find your contentment in HIM and in Him alone! Don't make the mistake of trying to find it in people, your hubby, your children, your house or friends or things. You will not find it there. Only in Jesus Christ is it found....true, deep, joyous contentment is in HIM and in HIM alone!

Here are a few good words to help in the pursuit of contentment~

**Never allow yourself to complain about anything---not even the weather (God hates grumbling)

** Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else. Bloom where you are.

**Never compare your lot with another's. Comparisons lead to sin.

**Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise. God knows what is best for you.

**Never dwell on tomorrow---remember tomorrow is God's, not ours.

God is so faithful and true. He has a plan and a purpose for me and for you. Remember ~"A quiet heart is content with what God gives." ~ Elisabeth Elliot

Are you content? You can be! Turn your thoughts around today!

Gratefully HIS, Lynette