http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWEKq1YMFJE&feature=related

Tonight I am so amazed by the God we serve.  Our God pursues us with His love. 
He is love.  Oh how he loves us.  He comes to give us life:
Everlasting life. 
We so easily forget our first love and become entangled by the things of this world. 
But even in our wanderings, He is waiting,
Waiting for us to turn around and let him be our everything. 
He is our everything. 
He is all we need. 
We do not need anything else. 
He takes care of the details. 
He is the one in charge. 
He is the lover of our soul. 
He delights over us with song.
He is mighty to save. 
He is our strong tower. 
He covers us with his righteousness and his grace. 
He is our Hope.  He is our peace.  Nothing is impossible with God.  Nothing.   

       

Recently one of my favorite things to do when I am at the beach is to watch the pelicans fly!  The past few times I have been down by the beach, there has been a surprising amount of pelicans!  I have decided that they are my new favorite bird!  I learned that they are social birds, (which may be one reason why I like them:)) and I have noticed that I usually see them flying in groups...!  It is so amazing to see them fly in a line or formation!  I also recently learned that they can carry up to 3 gallons of water in their bill.  My question is, do they fly when their bill is full?!  Deep thoughts...:)

Everytime I see them flying, I wish I had my camera with me!  I am so thankful for nature.  When I see beauty in creation, I thank God.  It is like he puts the pelicans there just for me!:) 

He cares about what speaks to us and what we enjoy.  Whether it is storms, rainbows, sunsets...  Whatever it is in creation that is your favorite, God knows that and He delights that his creation delights you! 

Psalm 104: 24-25 “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number-living things both large and small.” (NIV)

Now, enjoying nature comes naturally to me, but remembering that I am His creation is not always as easy.  We so easily see our flaws more than the fact that we are his masterpieces, or at least I do. 

If a pelican were human it would probably be stressed out that his bill was so big, when in fact, that is part of what makes it fascinating and special!!! 

It is so important for us to remember who we are in Christ as HIS creation and a NEW creation!!!:)  When you make something beautiful, think of how proud you are of your creation!  God is so proud of his Creation and handiwork in you!!! 

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  1 Corinthians 3:16 

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  Psalm 139:14 

So when when we are enjoying God's creation, we can not forget to thank him that He created us the exact way that He wanted to so that we may reflect his image and bring him glory just as his Creation does!

Let's praise God today!!!  Life is a gift!!!!
 

I was uploading pictures onto my computer tonight from old memory cards, and I found some from my mission trip to Kenya a few years ago.  Here is a picture of a girl that I took that was definitely one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

                            

I still remember that our group was walking to see a new school that had been built and this girl was following our group.  There was something about her that left an impression on me.  Her face told a story.  I don't think I ever found out her name, but it must be beautiful! 

It is so incredible that even though I don't know her name, God does.  I can pray for her and God knows exactly who I am praying for! 

I was thinking about our faces and how signifcant the faces are to us of those we love.  A face can say so much about a person and what they have experienced or sometimes a face can be a mystery to us.  The more we know a person, the more we understand how their face reflects who they are.

There are over 300 verses in the Bible with the word "face" in them.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Proverbs 27:19
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.

Proverbs 15:13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Psalm 27:8
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Matthew 17:2
There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.


Who's face comes to your mind today?  Let us pray about how God may want us to encourage those faces of people He puts in our path and on our hearts. 

How is your face today?  If you are downcast, pray to the Lord, for He is the lifter of your head !

Psalm 3:3
But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I experienced him lifting my head today!!!  It amazes me how he turns our worlds rightside up! When we come to him, he gives us supernatural rest.

 
AND one day we shall see Him face to face!!!!  How glorious that day will be!!!!!!!!!!!! 







 

                              


When I was little I used to have dreams about flying.  I would dream that if I waved my arms up and down I would start floating, and I could push myself higher and higher.  In most of my dreams I used this floating/flying to get away from boys chasing me on the playground (lol), get away from bad people (I loved reading mysteries as a kid), etc.  Sometimes the dreams seemed so real that I am pretty sure a few times I tried to move my arms up and down when I woke up to see if it would work!:)  I think that my dreams of flying represent my free spirit and desire do be free to do things beyond what is humanly possible.  The motto of my personality type is: "Anything is possible." 

 Lately, I have noticed a lot of eagles (or what I think are eagles) soaring through the sky when I am at recess with my students or just happen to look up at the sky.  It it so beautiful to watch them fly and soar so freely!  I love watching birds fly!  

I also love Isaiah 40:30-31:

"Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

Wow, God renews our strength! AND not only does he renew it, he makes it possible for us to soar on wings like eagles.  There are times where you know that humanly speaking you could be stressed, but instead God is giving you strength and He is working things out for you as you trust him enough to open up your wings and fly.  With God we can fly!... Free from anything weighing us down. 

I found this awesome quote about eagles:

Eagles:  when they walk, they stumble.  They are not what one would call graceful.  They were not designed to walk.  They fly, and when they fly, oh how they fly, so free, so graceful.  They see from the sky, what we never see.

And don't forget, eagles fly above the storm clouds!  

                                          


 I also found this information about eagles in the storm:

"The eagle is the only bird that loves the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the winds of the storm to rise and is pushed up higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagle stops flapping and uses the pressure of the raging storm to soar the clouds and glide. This gives the eagle an opportunity to rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of our lives (obstacles, trouble, etc) to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably. Keep in mind the eagle is the only bird that rises above the storm to soar in the heavens until the storm passes. They do this because the eagle is the only bird God created with the ability to lock its wings in fixed position which enables them to be at rest as it soars high above the storm clouds."  -Dr. Myles Munroe



Locking our wings involves trusting God fully.  Believing when we can’t see…  Having faith!

What is weighing you down today?  As we give over our worries, doubts, fears, concerns, anger, anything that holds us back, he takes us to new heights that we have never gone to before! 

Forgive just as God forgave us
Love God first and others with the overflow
Yearn for time with God and chances to give him glory

 Are you ready to FLY today?!!!  See you in the sky!:)