Gray: Security

I'm not quite sure why...but gray is "security." I love gray--it's a wonderful accent, and I love silver jewelry. I don't think I questioned any of the other colors/qualities, but gray=security made me stop and think.

Then I realized that I do think of gray as cozy
   ~like my fleece blanket
     ~like a rainy fall day shrouded in mist
       (while I'm inside reading a book, of course :)
       ~like the quiet early morning or hushed twilight shadows...
But maybe that's just me. :)

Anyway, gray is security, and this is what came to mind first.

I am the Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd lays down

His life for the sheep.

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd,

who does not own the sheep,

sees the wolf coming and

leaves the sheep and flees,

and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
He flees because he is a hired hand

and cares nothing for the sheep.

I am the Good Shepherd.

I know My own and My own know Me,

just as the Father knows Me

and I know the Father;

and I lay down My life for the sheep.

My sheep hear My voice,

and I know them, and they follow Me.
I give them eternal life,

and they will never perish,

and no one

will snatch them out of My hand.

My Father,

who has given them to Me,

is greater than all,

and no one is able to snatch them

out of the Father's hand.

{John 10:11-15; 27-29}

Black: Mystery

Mystery.

What are you doing tomorrow? What do you think you’re going to do tomorrow?  It never goes exactly as planned, we know that…and yet we still assume “that will happen” or “we’ll have time for that.”

“Do not boast about tomorrow,” Proverbs 27:1 warns; “for you do not know what a day may bring.”

I had plans—a blog post that wasn’t written (it’s still floating around my brain…maybe someday :) ). A Saturday work shift that I got covered at the last minute while I took a trip to the local CVS clinic. Halfway through my antibiotic and a few naps later, I am on my way to feeling normal. None of that was planned this week.

There’s also the bigger plans—going back to school in person. I wasn’t expecting them to drop my major. I wasn’t expecting not to get the job (and the financial aid) at school. I wasn’t expecting God to change my direction.

Now I’m staying home, working the same job I’ve been at for 6 years, “digging in deep” in ministry at my church, taking classes online through Northland International University. I didn’t plan on any of that. Honestly, it doesn't look as easy or as fun as my plan. My plan looked solid and scheduled; I have no idea where God’s plan will take me.

But guess what—I also didn’t plan on the awesome summer I had. I helped out with VBS, and was able to be a part of both our church’s teen and junior camps. I didn’t plan on receiving a scholarship through work—and then after I’d registered for classes, realizing the college gave me their scholarship for online students, as well. I wasn’t planning to be so humbled and awed by the work of God, by His endless mercy and grace.

I’ve struggled with the change of plans. It was a dying to self and accepting God’s better ways.  It is a dying to self and accepting God’s better ways every day…every moment.

What does Tomorrow hold? What do a hundred Tomorrows hold?

Praise God I don’t know about tomorrow. But I praise God He knows—because His plan is far better than anything I could ever dream of. We can embrace the mystery of tomorrow because God is already there.

Brown: Endurance

My purple wisdom posts are up and dated accordingly. :) 

This week is brown; and, since it wasn't one of my sister's colors, I got to pick it out myself (a color always has several qualities connected to it). Endurance is the quality that caught my attention. So far it's been interesting to think about the various aspects/situations that warrent endurance and see it in Scripture. Stay tuned!

(And I actually don't have a brown text color...so however it shows up for you, this was the closest to brown I could get!)

Pink: Friendship

"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." {James 4:4}

"You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"--and he was called a friend of God." {James 2:22-23}

What am I willing to do to be God's friend?

What am I willing not to do to be God's friend?

Is God enough for me?

((Remember that salvation is by grace alone...but don't forget we are called to live in a certain way.))

I'm Back . . .

It was another camp week for me--this time junior camp with five 9-11 year old girls in a week that not only set the record for the hottest day of junior camp ever, but also had us shivering in our sweaters as we came in from the rain. All-in-all, lots of fun. :)

I had hoped to schedule some posts ahead of time, not wanting to miss either purple or wisdom, but coming back from teen camp having caught a certain loved person's cold :), and working, and trying to get stuff done...extra blogging didn't happen.

I hope to post-date some wisdom posts, Lord-willing, as well as put together some for this week--which, in case you wanted to know is pink ~ friendship.

But because I was sad when I realized I didn't even put up my purple-framed picture, purple goes up today. :)

Happy August!

Living Wisely

"Look carefully then how you walk,

not as unwise but as wise..."

{Ephesians 5:15}

How do I live?

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

{Colossians 3:16-17}

Walking in Wisdom

"Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another,

they are without understanding."

{II Corinthians 10:12}

What does my interaction

with others look like?

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving

side by side for the faith of the gospel..."

{Philippians 1:27}