I have had that nasty virus that has been making the rounds, 
so my wings have been clipped and I have had to stay close to home. Yuk!

So with dread and a bad attitude…I set my sites on a horrible job that needing doing many moons ago…
a chore I have put off for years…the task of cleaning up piles of files and desk drawers. 
Although I must share that the years of items left for a rainy day were amazing!

“A moment of prayerful reflection can prevent a lifetime of bitter regret.”
Woodrow Kroll

I took a journey through the milestones of my past…some were good and solid…things that put a smile on your face. 
The stuff that you say with a thankful heart…Thank you Lord for the opportunity to have made a difference and 
to have shared special moments in the life of someone else.

And other events are those that bring a tear or a sense of shame…
Did I mention that this was 24 years of stuff?
Give me a little grace here... 
I have been busy with life. 
Anyway it was quite a ride of emotions and reflection. 

Joshua 1:9, 
“I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. 
Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! 
I am the Lord your God, 
and I will be there to help you wherever you go.” 
(CEV)

I am glad I took the time to see…
Who I was
Where I had been and
What has my life meant so far.

2 Corinthians 5:17,
“Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah,
he is a new creation —
the old has passed;
look, what has come is fresh and new!
Complete Jewish Bible 
(CJB)

Now I can look to the future with a view of…
Who I want to be
Where I want to go and
The impact I would like to have.

Jeremiah 29:11 
“I alone know the plans I have for you, 
plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, 
plans to bring about the future you hope for.” 
(GNT)

 

Prayer:

Father, give me the wisdom to move forward…
freeing me from the past that hinders. 
Instead give me the courage to be the child of God you created me to be. 
Full of love for you that pours out into the lives of others. 
Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer, 
for holding my hand and guiding my steps…
May 2015 be the best yet for all of us! 
Amen

Caprice <><

How would I describe joy?

It is that state of being in which a “delight”…
warms you from head to toe…

A warmth comes from the simplicity of
loving God and loving others.

The reason I can experience this special love is
I opened my “Christmas Gift”.

The gift of Jesus…

Isaiah 9:6,
“A child is born to us! A son is given to us! 
And he will be our ruler. He will be called,

“Wonderful Counselor,”

“Mighty God,”
“Eternal Father,”

“Prince of Peace.”
(GNT)

Joy is a result of our truly understanding the relationship
offered to us through a tiny babe in a manager.
 
Luke 2:8-14,
“There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood.
They had set night watches over their sheep.
Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and
God’s glory blazed around them.

They were terrified.

The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. 
I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is 
meant for everybody, worldwide:

A Savior has just been born in David’s town,
a Savior who is Messiah and Master.
This is what you’re to look for:
a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing

God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.”
(MSG)

The God of creation, the all-knowing God…
provided us with a way to experience relationship with Him,
by sending His son to us.

The angel said,
“I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”

That good news is the gift of God to us and it does provide great joy for those who believe!

Let’s remember to keep in step with the spirit this Christmas
and fill our hearts to overflowing with JOY!

In the harsh reality of a world gone mad with hate and confusion…
don’t let the Joy of loving God and loving others get lost.

The answer can only settle itself in four little words…

The JOY of JESUS!

Merry Christmas!

Caprice <><

Prayer:
Our Heavenly Father, we praise you and rejoice this Christmas for 
your gift to us in your precious son, Jesus, Emmanuel! 
God, you are truly with us and we are so grateful for your spirit and the gift that it gives through your power! 
Help us to keep your Joy at the center of our Christmas and to share that Joy with others. 
Father, I lift up to you those who are struggling this year to find joy amidst the pressures of this world. 
I pray that you give us all the ability to grab a hold of your hand in order to keep in step with your Spirit, 
so that we may embrace the fruit that your Spirit provides. 
In the name of Jesus we celebrate this Christmas! 
Amen.

My grandson from out of state was staying with us 
while his parents got to spend some peaceful and restful time away.

It is always such a blessing to have family here…
Especially when the "family" is not even 2 years old.
 
I love the perspective that a toddler sheds on everyday events. 
There is joy in what an adult may consider the 
“everyday”, “Ho-Hum” and “mundane”. 

Through the eyes of a child everything is new and worth exploring…
but most of all rejoicing about.

Psalm 104:1-3, 
“I praise you, 
Lord God, 
with all my heart. 
You are glorious and majestic, 
dressed in royal robes and surrounded by light. 
You spread out the sky like a tent, 
and you built your home
 over the mighty ocean.

The clouds are your chariot 
with the wind as its wings.” 
(CEV)

My Grandson and I were in my kitchen in the afternoon 
when he discovered sunlight filtering in through the windows.

He stretched out his arms as his hands reached for the light... 
Then he started to grab the rays of sunlight with his chubby little fingers…

Echoing throughout the kitchen were squeals of joy and belly laughs  
as he attempted to catch the light.

"Oh, the joy of young ideas painted on the mind, 
in the warm, glowing colors fancy spreads on objects not yet known, 
when all is new and all is lovely!"
-  Hannah More

Remember this Thanksgiving to take a good look around…
To see with eyes that look with anticipation…
To grab a hold of the gifts from God with a joyful heart…
Everyday is a miracle from Lord!

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Caprice <><

Prayer:
Dear Lord, Help me to recognize the miracles of everyday! And this Thanksgiving Holiday, may I remember to reach out and grab a hold of the “Son” and remember to bask in the warmth of His light! 
With a very grateful heart, I praise and thank you for your love. Amen

Water is wet. 
It is a simple fact that water is wet. 
My husband and I were talking about God and his creation and his fingerprints that are all over 
everything that He has made, including life-giving water.

Ecclesiastes 11:5, “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” (NIV)

God has left his fingerprints all over this incredible world we call home! 
The evidence of him as master designer is everywhere! 
So Caprice, back to your opening statement, what does this have to do with water? 
Well, I have a challenge for you, are you ready? I want you to go and get a nice, cool, tall, fresh, pure glass of water. 
Okay, now I want you to take the wet, out of that glass of water. 
Well, how is it going?....Not too good?....Try one more time. 
The point here is; that I cannot take the wet out of water. 
If I could, I would be left without anything, water has the attributes and characteristics of being wet.
The same is true of God....God is the creator and master designer of all things. 
People try to take God out of things, but it doesn’t work. 
You see there is one common thread that people sometimes forget. 
Just like we know that water has certain qualities and principles, so does God. 
And one of the most important attributes of 
God...is love.

 1 John 4:8, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (GNT)

1 John 4:16, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. 
God is love. 
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (NIV)

Jesus spoke the following verses to his disciples in the upper room at Passover, the eve of his arrest. These are his parting words of instruction to his beloved followers:

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: 
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)

So as those who believe and know God through the gift of his son Jesus, 
we understand that love must be part of who we become as we grow as believers and disciples. 
We must become love for others who do not know what God’s love is.

It is humble, and serves those who need serving. 
Love gives unconditionally, without expecting anything given in return. 
We show our love by looking into the interests of others above ourselves. 
Unselfish, kind, patient; God’s love is perfect! 
It is the reflection of the image of God. 
People will know that we truly believe that Jesus was the Son of God, if we love others like Jesus loves us. 
So just like you cannot take the wet out of water; as followers of Jesus... 
the attribute of love should be ever present in all that we do. 
Can anyone see anything but love in you as a believer? 
Are you a believer that follows the teachings of Jesus? 
Then you should be the example of God’s love. 
No one or...no thing should be able to separate or remove God’s love you’re your heart. 
God’s love should spill over from your heart and actions into the lives of others. 
Love should become the attribute and characteristic that marks you as a believer. 

Caprice <><

This week marks the first day of spring. 

Oh how I love spring…everything takes on a new light. 

The buds on the trees burst forth in color, and then tender green leaves replace the falling petals. The hum of bees is everywhere, in addition to the song of birds. 


To top it all off we have had clear nights with a magnificent full moon. Need I share the beauty of a full moon as it rises in the sky and its silvery blue light illuminates the night? It always amazes me how clearly you can see on a night with a full moon. 

I can remember how impressed I was by the fact that the Moon reflects the brilliance of the sun; it holds no power of its own to shine light at night. God did that…you know…setting the moon in its orbit so we could have seasons and its light by night. God thought of everything when he arranged this world in its place.

Hebrews 1:3, “God’s Son has all the brightness of God’s own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together. After the Son had washed away our sins, he sat down at the right side of the glorious God in heaven.” (CEV)

Just like God gave us the reflection of the sun via the moon at night…He shines His glory through His son and what he did for us. He wants us to light up the hearts of others with the new “life-light” he gives through his son Jesus. Not by our own power of illumination…but by our connecting to Jesus and the power that he has to share.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18, “The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord’s Spirit sets us free. So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.” (CEV)

 This week go shine your “Life-Light” into the hearts of others!

Caprice <><

If you get the chance to get away from the city lights go on a drive to admire God’s incredible blessings in the heavenly realm!

Psalm 8:3-5, “I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. Then I ask, “Why do you care
about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?” You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor.” (CEV)

Jello…do you like jello?

I never have cared for the taste of jello, but I was always fascinated by it as a child. I remember watching my mom as she would place watery jello into a jello-mold, then place it in the refrigerator, a little time later out it would come with much ceremony, the mold would be flipped upside down onto a plate and out would come a duplicate of the mold. I was always impressed by it’s transformation!

So what are you allowing to shape and mold you?

I was thinking about how it is the jello that conforms or is transformed by what contains or molds it into shape. When the jello goes into the mold it has the nature of something that is fluid and pliable; it then converts into something that is of substance and takes on it’s shape.

Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

So again I will ask you; what are you allowing to influence and shape you as a person…what are you rubbing elbows with in this place we call home?

Jesus knew who to keep connected to and then how to reflect that which is transforming.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18, “The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord’s Spirit sets us free. So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.” (CEV)

How about you? What pattern is shaping your form?…Here is a voice of wisdom…

Spend time with the Lord for He is good. And then your face will be bright with a reflection of “His Glorious Love”! 


Caprice <><