Lets Give Them Something to Talk About

And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors…   It was like I heard this for the first time this weekend.   I have prayed the Lord’s Prayer since I was a child.   I remember learning it, I remember saying it at church at different times, like before communion.   I remember personalizing it and making it my own for a devotional I was doing, but I had never really read this verse.   I know that I have read the verse prior to this weekend, and spoken it hundreds, if not thousands of times, heard it and prayed it in my heart.   Perhaps this is the first time I have taken the time to comprehend the verse.   Forgive us our debts AS we also have forgiven our debtors.   Two letters that make this a different prayer for me.   AS we have forgiven.   So if I choose to hold onto bitterness or hatred or a grudge, the Lord has every right to do so too?   As…   what a compelling little word.   What I am praying in this prayer is that as I do, let it be done unto me.   If I forgive

Some of my favorite times with my kids is when they wake up and just want to cuddle.   Maybe we are watching a movie and they just want to crawl into my lap and cuddle with me.   I have said it before, and I will repeat it here, God gives us children so that we know how we make him feel.   It isn’t always a bad feeling that we give God.   When we are disrespectful, annoying, demanding, yes, we are like children, but how about when we just want to be around Him?   How about when we want to crawl up into His lap, have Him wrap His arms around me and hold me tight.   My youngest daughter is a professional cuddle monster.   She LOVES to cuddle, and is so good at it.   She sits still and relaxes and sits still.   My older daughter wants to cuddle so badly if she sees my youngest daughter doing it, but she can’t seem to sit still for very long.   One thing I have noticed though is that when either of them aren’t feeling well, they love to cuddle.   When they have no control over what is goi

In the middle of December we welcomed 4 little puppies into our lives…   Our female dog gave birth to them at 3:00 am and since then, a lot has changed.   As they have gotten older and bigger, their eyes have opened, their curiosity peeked, and it has been interesting to watch the development.   The worse part about having multiple puppies is that you have to clean up multiple potty and poo accidents.   We have been keeping them in a caged area in our kitchen.   We keep them in one of those puppy pens with 6 sides, although, we don’t have it fully extended. The small area that they live in is constantly stinky.   There is the potty smell that permeates my entire house.   Since the puppies have wanted to play, I have started letting them out of the caged area and into my house to run around (although they have been held every day since day one).   I know that they are ready to come out now as they run to the “door” or the cage and beg to come out when they aren’t sleeping.   Prior to l

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and Redeemer.   Psalms 19:14 How many times have you heard a pastor say that?   I heard it every almost every Sunday growing up and then many while an adult.   I love it.   I would pray it with that pastor and think I was being so good.   The first part is easy.   Let the words of my mouth.   Well, I just have to watch what I say, easy right?   Well for a quick talking, loudmouths like me, it isn’t so easy, but it is more manageable.   The second part is where I have always faced problems.   “The medications of my heart”.   What do I think of all day long?   Is it my kids?   Is it some book I am reading (not the Bible)?   Is it some book I am writing?   Is it about sickness and death?   Is it bitter or kind?   Would the meditations of my heart be pleasing to my LORD?   Would I be able to stand faultless before the throne and say, “no LORD, I didn’t wish to be in different situations i

I have some amazing people in my life.   They have the biggest hearts of anyone that I know.   They will drive across town to give you a small token, they will help feed the hungry, help their friends out no matter what.   They have really made an impact on my life.   I used to throw elaborate parties for people and really put 110% into making others happy, then I got tiered of being stepped on and being taken advantage of.   There were times that I would feel like a door mat for those that don’t have that spirit and, unfortunately, I really lost that spirit in the last year or so.   It hurts when your heart is so big.   It hurts when you try so hard to make it right for others and then nothing is done in return for you.   It just plain hurts!   You can take those people out of your life, but they aren’t intending to hurt you, they just have a lot of other things on their plate.   Having now been on both sides of the situation (the receiving and getting), I have noticed some things:  

“The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.   The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing in the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.   The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.” PSALM 19:7-9 For some reason, this section of verses just really stuck out at me yesterday.   I think that a lot of the reason that it stuck out to me is because of the way that people have been approaching the “Law of the LORD”.   The commandments are pretty cut and dry, they tell us what we should and shouldn’t do.   It is so easy though to get caught up in the world and not realizing that we are breaking commandments.   Like, Don’t cheat , but we find a way to cheat in a game or in work to make it easier for us.   The biggest one I think is: You shall have no other Gods before me .   How often do we think that our jobs are more importa

I am not a patient person.   I want what I want, when I want it and how I want it or I get frustrated and aggravated.   I am a best when it comes to waiting around for something to happen or for people to get back to me or if people are late coming to my house when we have plans with them.   But patience isn’t all about waiting.   It is also about being slow to anger.   For me, if I don’t get what I want, my anger and frustration starts building up and within a few short seconds, I am becoming an anger volcano.   I am anything but even keeled.   I started a new read thru the Bible in a year plan.   It is great and flows together well.   I definitely think that God is trying to tell me something…   every day there are passages on anger.   I never realized how many passages there were on anger.   A lot of Proverbs speak about the folly of anger and then there are Psalms that speak on it…   it is amazing that when you feel convicted about something, you can find it almost everywhere.  

“Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.   The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.   Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.   Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.   Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.   Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.   Steams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.” Psalm 119:129-136 (NIV) I love it when I open the Bible and a verse or a section just pops out…   Smacks you in the face.   It is like God knows that it is exactly what you needed to hear that day.   I want to pant and long for the commands of the Lord.   I want to cry over the Lord’s commands being broken.   I want His face to shine on me and for Him to teach me all His decrees.   I want Him to direct my footsteps.   I long for this.   I want this ki

Why are dogs always so excited to see you?   It is like their whole body jiggles from their tails wagging.   The smallest hint of praise makes them want to jump up on your lap.   They are the friendliest, most domesticated animals I have ever seen.   Right now I am just looking at my male dog.   He sees me and is so happy.   He wags his tale and the minute I move he jump up to me and tries to get me to play.   I throw the ball and he jumps and wiggles, his whole body barely able to contain the excitement he is feeling…   How cool would it be if we got that excited about something?   I used to get pumped up.   I used to get so excited that I would almost burst.   I used to…   Then the world came in and looked at me funny.   They would say things like – “it isn’t right to get so excited”, “tone it down”, “people don’t like it when you get so excited about something.”   Due to all that, I did tone it down .   I dialed my excitement back and would keep it in check.   I still get excited,

Last night, a dear woman inspired me to think a lot about light.   Light and darkness…   One of the most impacting sermons of my teenage times was when I was spelunking (caving) in the Ozarks at camp Kanakuk.   They took us into an inner room in the cave, one God had hollowed out.   And there we sat.   The only light was from our flashlights, which they then told us to find a seat and turn off.   I had never experienced such darkness.   It actually hurt your eyes it was so dark.   We held our hand up in front of our face and couldn’t even see it.   Utter and complete darkness.   Then, our leader started preaching.   He said that the world is like this cave.   The world is a dark place.   It is full of sin and hatred.   It is musty and dank from stagnation and mold.   But then Jesus came.   And he became a light to the world.   At this point, he turned on one little flashlight.   It was a flashlight that you give little kids.   They didn’t have led flashlights back then, it was a weak

If you are like me, you like escaping into a good book.   Maybe you find yourself escaping into a daydream like I do.   Maybe for you it is a good movie.   Removing yourself from your own reality and putting yourself into someone else’s.   It is exciting, and not always bad, but it can also be devastating.   If your reality is something that you are not happy in or if your daydreams and fantasies are making your current situation look terrible, or your spouse look like they are not the one, then run…   RUN as fast as you can.   If it is causing you to leave behind the responsibilities of your current situation or making being a Christian something you are questioning, try your hardest to stop it.   If this escape is getting you into something that the “world” considers good and normal, but in reality is not pleasing to God, pray for strength to stop it.   I say this because I have been talking with a friend that has been escaping into fantasies or daydreams and not keeping in touch wi

Yes, I realize that the usual phrase “butt out” is spelled with two “t”s, but my misspelling is intentional.   So often we have used the word but in our sentences.   Even after I was thinking this last night, my husband caught me in the act multiple times. I want to do this, but… I would find time to serve the poor, but… I would call her, but… I would find time to read the Bible every day, but… Fill in the blanks.   It is easy to say I would or I should do something and then justify why we are not doing it.   Our lives take precedence over everything and we justify not having time to do this or that.   I know that I do.   Sometimes the word but is very useful, it helps us stay on the straight and narrow path.   But lets look at it in our spiritual life.   Lets look at the but in our walks with God.   There isn’t always a black and white answer to everything in the Bible.   Sometimes there are shades of gray that we must dive deeper into the scriptures to discover the true meaning

I have a Bible…   It is old…   It has been with me for 15 years now.   It is marked up, written all in, colored and doodled in.   Stickers from High School and college are scattered all over the covers and note pages.   I got this Bible when I was a teenager and I have finally found a new Bible that I really like.   Something about going through my old Bible brought back a lot of memories.   I would write in the margins notes about how the verses spoke to me or about how I questioned them.   I wish I had the knowledge and foresight to date my notes or to write clearer or to write full thoughts instead of sentence fragments.   I wish there was a way for me to say, I want my notes from 1998, I want to know how God spoke to me in that time.   It is easier now, because there’s an app for that.   (surprise surprise)…   I love my Bible on my Kindle (it is called YouVersion)- already it has made it easier for me to date and take notes.   I have gone through my old Bible, tattered, ripped and

I was 6 the first time that my name was changed.   My parents were moving us from California, where I was born, to Pennsylvania, where I grew up.   All my life until that point, I was Catherine Michelle Gross.   Yep, Gross.   We would be teased and jeered at constantly.   “Eww, you are so gross” , or when we found out how much a “gross” in measurements weighed, we were told that we were so heavy because we were a gross.   Being 6, I don’t remember it bothering me all that much.   I know that it would have as I was growing up, but I don’t remember too much of how it made me feel.   All my relatives were used to the name and we were going to be too.   I remember that there was a family with the last name Gass that we were friends with.   I can remember making fun of them like I had been made fun of.   When my father decided to start his own company with a friend of his, we were moving from CA to PA.   My mother, who hates to be cold, said that the one requirement for her to move where t

I have been spending the last month or so reflecting.   Reflection on what my life is and if it is where I want it to be and if this is what I want to be doing.   I have had some medical issues (that have, for the most part, resolved themselves) that has prohibited me from getting on the computer and really digging into my study of God’s word.   Now I have been studying God’s word and have some new and great ideas and options, but I haven’t been diving in like I want to be.   I haven’t been evaluating every verse like I used to.   Now that my back is feeling better (for now) I am able to sit and reflect. So the Bible reading that my “plan” had for me today was in Proverbs.   How can you read Proverbs quickly?   Each verse has its own message wrapped all up into one small little phrase.   If someone spoke in proverbs today, we would look at them very strangely, but we have an entire book of them available to us, a book full of teaching and understanding and we often times just graze th