Remember the Peanuts cartoons by Charles Schultz? 
I heard a sermon that opened with the following…

Lucy is in her psychology booth and 
Charlie had stopped in for some advice…

“Life is like a deck chair Charlie, on the cruise ship of life,
some people place their deck chair at the rear of the ship
so they can see where they’ve been.

 Others place their chair at the front of the ship so they can see where they are going.” Lucy then asks,

“Which way is your deck chair facing?”
Charlie responds without hesitation,

 “I can’t even get my deck chair unfolded.”

Some days I can really relate to the difficulty of
getting my deck chair opened.

And usually this difficulty comes from uncertainty about
where I am going or where I have been.

First step…start by getting that chair open… 
take it one step at a time you can do it!

Then proceed to the rear of the ship and the past..

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is united with the Anointed One,
that person is a new creation.
The old life is gone—and see—a new life has begun!”
(Voice)

Did you catch that?

If I believe God gave us Jesus…
the One chosen by God to provide us with a future…
a new start…
those things of my past…
my old way of doing things are gone…
no more do I need to linger in my former approach to life…
because I have been made new.

Reflection is good…

"Live thoughtfully today
and you won't have to live regretfully tomorrow."
-  Woodrow Kroll

So when you look to where you have been…remember who holds you up as you go.

Joshua 1:9
“This is my command—be strong and courageous!
Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 
(NLT)

As you gather perspective…
be determine to have the capacity to view things in their true 
relations or relative importance

This will help you to set your goals for the future and then
To function in the present

So as far as 2015 is concerned

1 Corinthians 15:58
My dear brothers and sisters,
stay firmly planted--
be unshakable--
do many good works in the name of God,
and know that all your labor is not for nothing when it is for God.” 
(VOICE)

Set your course for a worthy future!

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 <><

I want to ask you a simple question today “Where are you right now? Take a moment to answer that question.

How did you respond? Did you respond in regards to your current location?

If you answered by stating your location, you are like most of us in our response to this question. Adam answered that way when God asked him and Eve after they had done what God asked them not to.

Genesis 3:8-9, "When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”  (NLT)

What I was really asking you is, “Where are you in regards to your walk with God?” Where are you really? Don’t give me, and better yet yourself, the answer “Oh I am great!” The following is a sort of fact finder for you to do a personal review.

On the line below where would you place yourself in regards to your position to God?

You                                                                                                                                                                  God

Are you happy at where you placed yourself on the line?

Do you wish you were closer to God?

What is keeping you from getting closer to God?

Are there habits that are in your way?

What about your attitude?

Is your time management in tune with your relationship to God?

Are there relationships that need mending?

Are you part of a church so you can become stronger as a believer?

What will it take to get you closer to Him than you are today?

Do you talk to God on a regular basis, and in turn listen to Him?

Do you know what the word of God has to say and how it applies to your life?

Make a list of the changes and decisions that need to be made.

Now time to get serious and take action. Do the things on your list!

I want you to take one last look at where you placed yourself on that line. Look again with this thought in mind, God did not move, you did. So move on back and take the first step to getting closer to the one who created and loves you. Take action on that list and start today!

Dear God,
 I do truly love you and I want to change my location on the line to a position closer to you. 
Help me to be honest about the things that have moved me away from you. And then Lord I am going to need your help to take the action to do the things that I put on my list. 
Father I do confess that I need your help. 
Thank you for always being there; no matter how far away I take my self, you are there. 
You are right where I left you when I took my first step away; waiting for my return. 
I humbly ask your forgiveness for the items on my lists, those items that have placed a distance between you and I. 
Help me to turn around and run with all my heart back to you. 
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 <><

My dear friend Catherine likes to have her ducks in a row. So when she needed to pick up some bales of hay, she wanted to be sure that she had enough space for them. She hooked up her trailer to her flat bed truck and off she went to the feed store with her empty trailer rattling behind her. As she traveled down the highway she checked her rearview mirror to be sure everything was in order. Confident that all was as it should be, she proceeded to the feed store, parked her rig and went inside to purchase her needs for her ranch.

As she pulled into the back, to have the feed store employees load her hay, she was caught off guard by the fact that they said they could not load the hay onto her trailer due to the type of loader they had. Instead all of the hay would have to be loaded onto her truck’s flat bed.

Catherine was frustrated, but arguing would not get her anywhere. So unto the back of the flat bed of her truck the numerous bales were loaded and stacked. As the guys in the yard tied down the load it was large, over the top and extending beyond the sides. Catherine hopped into the cab of her truck and proceeded back to her ranch. As she was on her way home, Catherine became alarmed when she heard the trailer rattle. She checked her mirrors, but alas she could not see it due to the mirrors being blocked by the load of hay. At first she was startled, where did the trailer go? Because she could not see it, she felt like it wasn’t there. She knew it was, but it just didn’t feel right, until a thought came to her, this is just like it is with God, just because I can not see Him, it doesn’t mean that He isn’t there. I need to drive in faith that the trailer is still there, just like I walk with the confidence that God is there for me.

John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”

What this is saying is that no one has seen God, but Jesus has made God known. Because of our relationship with Jesus we know that God is there, even though we cannot see him.

Reflections:

Is there anything blocking you from knowing that God is in your life? Is it you and your lifestyle? Do you allow the business of this world to block you from seeing the evidence of God in your life? Take a minute to evaluate the number of bales in your truck. Are you over loaded? Ask God to help you remove some of the needless burdens that you are hauling behind you. You know what they are, they are the things that are blocking your view and limit your vision. Remember to trust in God that he is there for you…even when your sight is limited.

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to always walk in faith. Help me to not allow the burdens or stuff pile up in my life and obstruct my view of you. Help me to unload the unnecessary bales from my truck bed and instead drive through this life with the confidence that you are there no matter what appears in the way. Thank you Lord for your constant care.

Caprice <><

What is of importance to you?
To me one of the most valuable aspects of this life is my time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 
“Everything on earth
 has its own time
 and its own season. 
There is a time 
for birth and death,
 
planting and reaping, 
for killing and healing,
 
destroying and building, 
for crying and laughing,
 
weeping and dancing, 
for throwing stones 
and gathering stones,
 
embracing and parting. 
There is a time 
for finding and losing,
 
keeping and giving, 
for tearing and sewing,
 
listening and speaking.
 There is also a time 
for love and hate,
 
for war and peace.” (CEV)

So what are you doing with the time that God has given you?

Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to use wisely
 all the time we have.” (CEV)

Do you recognize, He who gives you life?

Job 33:4, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (NIV)

Why not take a deep breath…inhale the precious gift of life…
Recognize, Rest and Restore yourself in the truth of God’s love…

Life is worth the Living!

Isaiah 42:5-8, “God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. 
He created the earth and everything in it. 
He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth.” (NLT)

The following is “Part 2”of an interview that I did last summer on the "The Barb Marshall Show" with Love your Life Ministries. I hope you enjoy a snap shot of my heart and how I have been carefully shaped and molded by the Lord.

Caprice <><
P.S. If for some reason you are unable to view this video go to the website below
www.crossroads-ukiah.org/womens-blog

Life is definitely worth the living!
Life is precious...not what is convenient for the moment.

Psalm 139:13-16, You created every part of me;
    you put me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because you are to be feared;
    all you do is strange and wonderful.
    I know it with all my heart.
 When my bones were being formed,
    carefully put together in my mother's womb,
when I was growing there in secret,
    you knew that I was there--
you saw me before I was born.
The days allotted to me
    had all been recorded in your book,
    before any of them ever began." (GNT)

Although sometimes...
how we view our world can greatly influence
the decisions we make or how we go about the daily process of living. 

Psalm 90:12, Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." (NLT)

The things that happen to you...around you...all can pivot your world one way or the other.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9, We often suffer, but we are never crushed. 
Even when we don’t know what to do,
 we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, 
and when we are knocked down, 
we get up again. (CEV)


The following is the first part of an interview that I did last summer on the 
"The Barb Marshall Show" with Love your Life Ministries.
I hope you enjoy a snap shot of my heart and how I have been carefully shaped and molded by the Lord. 
If for some reason you are unable to view this video you will need to go to the web site   
 http://www.crossroads-ukiah.org/womens-blog

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 <><

Searching…searching…asking…questioning, ”Where is the solution?”…”Did I miss something?

Maybe I missed the answer; if I asked God, he will be faithful to answer?...Right?” Hmmmm, but how long must I wait?

Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;” (NIV)

But Lord didn’t you hear my cries in the night? Did I miss something? 

Well let me answer that for you…yes he did.

1 John 5:14, “We have courage in God's presence, because we are sure that he hears us if we ask him for anything that is according to his will.”(GNT)

Did you get that? According to HIS WILL, not mine. God’s will is for all that is good…sometimes mine gets off course…you know it becomes all about me.

Even in the storms of this world he hears your plea. When you, with an earnest heart, come humbly before him.

Psalm 66:18, “If I had been cozy with evil, the Lord would never have listened. But he most surely did listen, he came on the double when he heard my prayer. Blessed be God: he didn’t turn a deaf ear, he stayed with me, loyal in his love.” (MSG)

Okay, okay I am getting it our God is faithful. So…what about his answer did I miss?

Sometimes the answer comes in ways that are unexpected…not in the way we would answer or choose a way to solve our situation. You know what I mean; our answers are usually in a way that is comfortable and consoling. But…uh-oh here it comes…the “on the contrary”. In the answers to my “questioning heart” God’s way, is the best way, even when they do not make sense.

Sometimes the answers are not what we where looking for…they were unexpected. Maybe they even rumpled our brow a little or created a fear in our limited thinking.

Did you know that Jesus knows your heart and thoughts?

That he loves you?

1 John 4:16, “Also we have come to know and trust the love that God has for us. God is love; and those who remain in this love remain united with God, and God remains united with them.”(CJB)

And that he cares enough to do the unexpected.

Jesus after having fed the 5,000 who had come to hear him in the country, sent his disciples on ahead of him in a boat to the other side of the lake. Then he retreated to spend some private time in prayer. As the darkness of the night engulfed the lake, a storm stirred the waters into a frightening upheaval.

Matthew 14:24-27, “Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” (NLT)

So are you in a storm? Don’t get cozy with the evil one. Why not look to the unexpected answers…the answer that God knows is best…and trust that he is faithful and loves you very dearly.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, help us to keep away from the things that tempt us, into taking what appears to be the easy road. Instead help us to trust you in the storms and to recognize your answer. Amen

Be prepared…


Are your ducks in a row?
Is your check list completed? 
Look out here it comes…
Are you Ready?...hmmm…for what? 

I just went to Disaster Relief Training. 
I hope I am ready to help others through the recovery of disaster. 
And in all honesty I just added to my “To-Do” list the updating of our first aid supplies. These are great ways to be prepared. 
There are also other things we need to get ready for…
marriage, education, buying a home or further down the line…retirement. 



But how prepared are you for that final breath…
the last gasp of air on this earth? 
Are you ready for your death? 
Have you thought about your life and it’s final end?


Psalm 39:4, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
 and the number of my days; 
let me know how fleeting my life is.” (NIV)

 People in general don’t like to talk about it…I wonder why? 
How about you are you ready? 
Or are you like the others? 
Is it because they are in denial?
 Is it that you have bought what others say about “this is all there is”?

Hebrews 9:27-28, “We die only once, and then we are judged. 
So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people. 
But when he comes again, it will not be to take away sin. 
He will come to save everyone who is waiting for him.” (CEV)

I believe in God and his promise.

John 3:16-17, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, 
so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. 
For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, 
but to be its savior.” (GNT)

Why is it so difficult to believe in God…He believes in you. 
And why not trust him and take it to the next level? 
To this day I have not understood why so many say they believe in God…
yet reject His precious gift of Jesus, His son.

Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” 
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, 
you will be saved.” (NIV)

I can say with confidence, I am ready! 
I am ready to live in Heaven with Jesus. 
Won’t you get ready? 
Heaven is real and it would be wonderful to see you there!

Jesus speaking…John 14:1-8, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. 
Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. 
If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 
When everything is ready, I will come and get you, 
so that you will always be with me where I am. 
And you know the way to where I am going.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. 
“We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. 
No one can come to the Father except through me.” (NLT)

 

Caprice <><