Contentment

While catching-up with two dear friends on Friday evening, one of them was asking about any prospects at my new church and if I had considered online dating.  I smiled and said, "No and I'm ok with it."

She paused and then sweetly said, 

"Contentment looks 

good on you, Angie."

Sweet notes

Today I received a lovely surprise in my mailbox...and I am not talking about my ComEd bill. 

Underneath my electric bill there were 2 sweet notes from 2 gals from church.  Their sweet words were exactly what I needed. 

I am so thankful for my church family - especially the sweet ladies who count as friends.

My mailbox

My mailbox has seen more "action" this week than in times past...


On Monday, I received my passport.  Funny story - I wasn't expecting my passport to arrive so soon.  You see, I applied for it on March 4th and was informed at this time that it would take atleast 6 weeks.  In my head, I still had 3 weeks to go.  Imagine my surprise when I pulled out the certified insured envelope from my mailbox!  Not gonna lie - my first thought was WHY AM I GETTING MAIL FROM THE US GOVERNMENT???  WHAT HAVE I DONE???  Thankfully - the envelope contained my passport.  My unsmiling-in-the-photo passport.


On Tuesday, my mailbox was empty...which is always delightful as it means no bills and no junk mail. 


On Wednesday, a sweet little note from a creative type of gal arrived.  Totally made my day.  She talked about our adventures from 2010 and how "young" she was back then.  I love her dearly and it was such a blessing to read her sweetly penned note.


On Thursday, I received my passport-required certified birth certificate returned to me.  This was a blessing because I know have an officially stamped birth certificate.  {I'm still not sure where my original one ended up...but I am thankful I was able to go online and order another.}


On Friday, a note from Snohomish!!!  A note just for me. 


I love mail...perhaps this is why I love sending cards.  If getting mail gives me warm fuzzies, surely it has this effect on others too...right?

Have a fabulous Saturday! 

And write a note to someone. 

It could change their day!

"Can we meet at Meg's tonight?"

My two dear friends, Leah & Ruthie, invited me out for coffee / tea tonight.  Both cat lovers, they understood my loss.  Leah gave up her Kenzie two years ago and shared how she still thinks about her adorable feline.  Ruthie shared how she was frantic when her Suki Pie escaped from her former place of residence.

Loss is loss.  It hurts. 

Tonight after ladies Bible study, I walked in my apartment and did not breakdown.  It'll get easier.  As with any loss, it takes time. 

I miss Maggie most in the morning.  She had a terrible habit of waking me up 5-10 minutes before my alarm would go off.  It drove me nuts...and now I miss it.

I love, love, LOVE my Sunday school kids!!!!!

Wednesday night Bible study lesson

Tonight we were blessed beyond measure to have Jim and Myra Wright at mid-week Bible study.  Oh, how I love this dear couple.  They are furlough-replacement missionaries.  What a blessing to hear about their 2.5 month adventure in Hungary.  (I did think of that scene in the opening of the Muppets when Walter and his brother are talking and Walter says, "Like Hungary's even a country!")

Mr. Wright (it's so strange to write that...I want to write "Pastor Wright."  There happens to be a lot of Wright/rights in this sentence, right?) preached from John 6 - verses 1-15.  Here are some of the things I jotted down...

The feeding of the 5,000 ~ there were more than 5,000 as the Scripture only notes the men not the women and children...and we know from the text that there were children there.

* My proximity to God

is dependant upon me

NOT Him. *

* God knows exactly who I am and He's perfectly content to let me be what/who He created me to be as long as I am growing closer to Him.  God loves me because I am me.  He loves me for no other reason.  His love is not conditional.  He loves me unconditionally.  "Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God should die for me?"
* God does not compare us to others.  He never once told John that he should be like Peter.  God wants us to put ourselves in His hand and let Him mold us.

Can you imagine Andrew's internal conflict?  The young boy has 2 fish and 5 loaves.  The boy brought his lunch to Andrew.  Andrew may have looked at the lunch and looked at the crowds and looked back at the smallness of the lunch.  Andrew made the right choice when he was in conflict -- BRING THE CONFLICT TO THE LORD...even when it's a struggle. Have faith in God.  Choose to believe.

Come to God with your conflict or need and fall humbly before Him.

When you give a gift to God, He is greatful!!!  In the story, He (Jesus) thanked God for the lunch.  The size of the gift (small or great) doesn't matter and is not important to God.  The value (importance) of the gift is the receiver of the gift -- God. 

Our Sunday Morning Choir Special

His Robes for Mine by Chris Anderson

His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage.
Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified.
In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

Chorus:  I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:
Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.
Bought by such love, my life is not my own.
My praise-my all-shall be for Christ alone.

His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread?
God’s daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.
Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine,
Saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.

His robes for mine: God’s justice is appeased.
Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.
Christ drank God’s wrath on sin, then cried “‘Tis done!”
Sin’s wage is paid; propitiation won.

His robes for mine: such anguish none can know.
Christ, God’s beloved, condemned as though His foe.
He, as though I, accursed and left alone;
I, as though He, embraced and welcomed home!

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always: 

and again I say, Rejoice.   

Let your moderation be known 

unto all men. The Lord is at 

hand.  Be careful for nothing; 

but in every thing by prayer and 

supplication with thanksgiving let 

your requests be made known 

unto God.  And the peace of God, 

which passeth all understanding, 

shall keep your hearts and 

minds through Christ Jesus.

I don't know about you...

...but I've had a week chucked-full of prayer requests...and not the whole "bless this food" kind of requests, but BIG requests...


...be near to a wife who witnessed her husband getting shot while they were communicating on Skype.  He was a nurse in Afghanistan.  There is a grieving wife, 2 precious young (ages 3 and 9) daughters, siblings, parents, etc. who are grieving with broken hearts.  There will be an investigation.  I ask that you pray that it goes quickly so that there will be closure. 


...a friend with very ill parents.


...a wayward individual.


...individuals who need compassion.  


...a crumbling, hurting family.


Evangelist Farrell said, "Compassion is your hurt in my heart."  Isn't that the truth!  There are just so many requests.


I am reminded daily -- as in every single morning that I pour myself a mug o'coffee -- "Prayer changes everything."  Prayer doesn't change God's perfect will...it puts us in a position to see whatever He allows to come in to our paths as His perfect will.

What does it take to be a good Samaritan?

Luke 10:25-37
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.

And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

I.  Condition of the stranger


A.  He had been assaulted.
B.  He was naked.
C.  He was wounded.
D. He was left half-dead.
E.  He was abandoned.


Evangelist Farrell reminded us -- no one ever gets saved until they realize they are lost.


II.  How to have compassion of the Good Samaritan


A. Be willing to stop for the emergencies of others.
  ~ Mark 5:30-43 - Realize every day you are on a mission of mercy.


B.  Be on the lookout.
  ~ The first two men (the priest and the Levite) saw danger and how they could be hurt; the Samaritan saw a dying man.


C.  Sense other people's needs
  ~ Jude 22 - Evangelist Farrell said "Compassion is your pain in my heart."


D.  Be willing to sacrifice....
     1) time 

     2) toil * You have to work at evangelism.  Don't be a casual Christian.

     3) treasure * Two pence (in the story) was two (2) days wages.

Little reminders...

I am totally going to copy my friend's fabulous idea.  She looked up "truth" in her concordance and photo-copied the page.  She is using the list of verses for her Bible study.  She writes down a verse or two for the week.  A promise to meditate upon.  Isn't that a lovely idea?  


Today I looked up "joy."  I used the compact concordance in the back of my Bible.  It lead me to some amazing verses...and you know what happened...while I was searching for the joy verses, I read other applicable verses and I wrote those down.  Now as I meander (oh, how I love to meander) through the cottage, I see reminders of God's faithfulness, His goodness, His peace...and on the flip-side, I see Proverbs written out where my words are like apples of gold in a picture of silver.  


What wonderful reminders sprinkled around the cottage.

from www.proverbs31.org

From Renee Swope's devotional dated January 18, 2012...

"I want to be a woman who listens to God. But, sometimes I’m not sure if it’s God talking or just me thinking...And if I’m really honest, when I do sense Him whispering to my heart, I’m not always crazy about what I sense He’s telling me to do...Oftentimes, I would seek God for the larger plans in life, convinced that if I figured out what He wanted me to do then I could become the person He created me to be, and fulfill the calling He had for me...Have you ever thought: “If only God would show me what job to take; what man to marry; what church to attend; what ministry to serve in — then my life would be complete and I could trust Him with my whole heart?”  The problem is, sometimes we get a glimpse of where God wants us to go and then assume we know how to get there...Or we get a peek at what He wants us to do and think we know how He wants us to do it. How many times have I made that mistake and then wondered why I wasn’t getting anywhere?  Over time, God has taught me that He wants my spiritual ears more than my spiritual efforts...He wants daily dependence, interaction and intimacy with me. And He is more concerned with my character than what I schedule for Him on my calendar...Like Jesus, we will discover God’s purpose for our lives through dependent hearts that seek to listen to His — day by day, moment by moment. Let’s position our hearts, minds and souls to hear Him speak to us today." 

Enchanted Forests, lunch with my bestest friend, and a quiet evening...

Glue gun +Headbands + Faux flowers galore + Giggly girls = All made for a great way to spend a Saturday morning

The theme:  Enchanted Forest...complete with fairy dust, enchanted trees, sparkly wings, fairy wands, and a delightful day for a delightful 7-year old who informed me, "I don't feel any older, Miss Angie."  :) 

After the birthday festivities, I got to spend some quality time with my bestest friend.  I have had the blessing of seeing this friend twice in the past six days and I cannot begin to put into words how truly thankful and blessed I feel about being the given the gift of her precious time.  She is such an encouragement.  I don't have to weigh words -- I can just say whatever I am thinking/feeling and she doesn't judge me for just being me.  For this -- I am truly blessed. 

After lunch, we helped out another friend for a few hours...continuing our conversation from lunch.  Again -- I never ever fear with her that she is going to criticize my tears.  We have a safety in our friendship because we know that no matter what, we are going to be there for one another.  It's an amazing security. 

Before we parted ways, my encourager said, "I want you to go home, eat some soup, put on your jammies, and watch one of the early episodes of The Office.  I want you to laugh and relax."  I weighed the repercussions of canceling my plans -- (Yes, plural and totally on accident) -- one of the individuals has a terrible habit of cancelling plans on me and seemingly not feeling bad about it - which is fine.  I've come to expect no follow-through with this particular person thus leaving me free to create a Plan B with each Plan A that we create.  It's kind of fun.  And it does help me not to get torqued.  I don't expect follow through...  It's easier that way.  The second set of plans was with my crafty friend...who actually was totally fine with the cancellation.  She said, "Angie, I thought about ALL that you were doing today and I decided that we shouldn't get together tonight."  I interjected, "This time change...and it being sooo dark out right now at 7:10 -- it makes me want to crawl under the covers and go to bed." 

Needless to say -- watched the Dundies, donned flannel jammies, some homemade soup, and sparkly Christmas lights...I've had the most relaxing sort of Saturday evening.  Tomorrow begins Mission's Conference until Wednesday and then two free evenings...and then it's off to Georgia to spend a week with my brother and parents!!!  I cannot believe it will be happening in 7 more wake-ups/sleeps!!!!  Where did this last year go?  I just don't understand...

Today I had a most-wonderful day at work...

I began the day with a super-sweet pumpkin spice latte which made me sad because it was the kind of sweet that sends you over-the-edge.  And let's be honest...caffeine plus sugar = not a good combo for the girl with curly hair.  Just sayin'....  But on a happy note, my hospitalized co-worker (and how can this be a "happy note" is what you are saying, right?  See -- I know you.  I get you!)...anyway, my hospitalized co-worker requested a tall coffee with soy milk...who am I to deny the invalid the beloved beverage before he's about to under-go serious back surgery.  What kind of friend would I be?  While at Starbucks tonight, I asked the barista if it was possible to un-sweeten a pumpkin spice latte.  Her reply, "Sure!  We don't have to add all that pumpkin and sugar!  Just order a grande with two pumps!"  I wanted to jump up and down and holler!  What wonderful news!  No worries - I did not jump.  I did not holler.  I just politely said, "Thank you.  You've just made my day.  Actually you've just made my autumn!"  She laughed and said, "I do what I can!" 

Sooo regarding the invalid....  Do you remember yesterday's post about me looking for someone to be a blessing too?  Well, this has turned out to be my daily prayer.  There are plenty of people that the Lord puts in my pathway each day...and of those people, there is atleast one that needs encouragement and I want to look for the one that needs it.  Wanna hear about yesterday's second person that needed my encouragement?  I kind of failed this second test...well, more like D-.  I was at Hilander in the U-Scan area.  Now before I tell you the story -- if you are not sure how to use these devices, please, PUH-LEASE...do not attempt to use them during the rush-hour-gotta-get-home-and-make-supper-crowd....and certainly don't cut infront of the girl with curly hair and then proceed to not use the machine correctly.  The good part of the story was I still had that hymn, Make Me A Blessing, stuck in my head and I just kind-of sang it a little louder but still under my breath.  A dear elderly woman cut infront of me...and then shoved her two items in the plastic sack before scanning...then she went and removed one of them.  The computer didn't understand the weight and then the removal of the weight.  It kept giving her an audible error message.  I'm standing at the "Please Wait for The Next Check-Out" sign and thinking, Lord, I really don't want to take the "high-road" here.  I want to stand here and enjoy watching this pan out.  It wasn't that the Lord spoke audibly back...but He did remind me in a still, small voice..."Would you like someone treating your Grandma like you are treating this woman?  Maybe she didn't see you standing here."  I felt convicted and asked forgiveness for my bad attitude and then I summoned the clerk at the desk.  Once the whole situation was explained, the clerk was able to help the elderly lady -- who by this point kept saying LOUDLY, "There is something wrong with this machine!  This machine is awful!"  Honey, it ain't the machine...just sayin'...

Today I again prayed, Lord, make me a blessing.  Put someone in my path that needs You!  Someone that needs to see You and Your power.  The answer came when I discovered that my co-worker is having back surgery tomorrow.  They admitted him today to prep him and keep an eye on him.  He's never ever had surgery.  He is terrified.  First of all - to have surgery in general.  And secondly because it's back surgery and close to his spine.  I sent him an email and told him that I would be praying for him...praying for the doctors and the nurses as they care for him.  I told him that God has everything in control.  He admitted to me tonight that he doesn't like this "not being in control."  I felt prompted to reply, "None of us are in control."  Maybe this trial will bring forth some life-changing decisions in his life. 

I couldn't help but think, as I left the hospital, it must be un-nerving for a non-believer.  Who/what do they put their faith in?  Science?  Technology?  I have a relationship with a HEAVENLY FATHER Who loves me. Who cares for me.  Who wants to know me better.  Who wants to be with ME!  I actually read today, "If God had a fridge, He would want your artwork put on display.  If God had a wallet, He would want your picture in it." 

What an amazing thought.  What an amazing day.  What an amazing Heavenly Father!

~ Angie

P.S. Today's verse that spoke volumes to me and brought me great reassurance...Proverbs 6:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."  I've heard this verse time and time-again...but today it really stuck.  I get it.  Maybe what I thought I desired all along really wasn't a true desire of my heart...then I began to pray, Search my heart, Lord.