And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  {2 Corinthians 9:8}NKJV

Lately I have been reminding myself to guard my heart from words that others say to me, and the lies that others live as if they are truth. Those of us who love God, and want to walk with Him in every way find it hard to understand the anger and hostility that is ever increasing all around us. We know that the enemy of our souls is in the center of darkness and destruction. So let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your father in heaven. [Matthew 5:16]

Just think on this, God's grace toward us is abounding, more than enough, overflowing and ready for us to take hold of. So, why don't we realize that He has already supplied everything that we need? Oh, the little foxes, that spoil the vine, the necessity of the mundane, the everydayness of life that creeps in to rob us of being in the secret place with our Lord. Where He is, is no darkness, but life everlasting!
 Our prayer and intercession for those who riot, needs to be persistent. The devil is the one who whispers into ears, You have not been treated fairly! Take action! Of course if someone really has been taken advantage of they have every right to take action, but I am speaking of those who kind of go along with the flow of rebellion. Anger has taken hold of them, and they are not listening to the truth of the gospel or of the abundance of love that God has for the broken. Jesus calls out, Come, sit at my feet, I will comfort you, in your distress, and sorrow. I will lift that heaviness that seems to overtake you. I will fill you with peace.

I will sing praises to you among the nations, For your mercy is great above the heavens, And your truth reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens And Your glory above all the earth.   {Psalm108: 3b-5}

Nature always reminds me of God's beauty and goodness to us. It is absolutely amazing to think that Our Lord made everything out of nothing. He called substance into being, as if it always was. How difficult it is for me to try to imagine those things around me, such as the ocean, as not!

This Great Creator God of ours, wraps His loving arms around me, and says "Be still, I have calmed the oceans in your life. My love is greater than any seas that I have made. My plans for you are for good, so rest in my grace."

This is why I praise Him with my whole heart, because He is far greater than the sum of what He created. Can you rest in Him too? There is always room at the cross. The Bible say, "For whosoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved". Tell Him all of your secrets and wrongdoings, and He will pardon. Ask Him to forgive, and He will say, I already have.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.  {Hebrews 12:28}

Can you imagine a wave like this coming down on your life? It could shake things up a bit, to be mild! This is where I'm at,  and maybe a few of those waves have hit me at the same time! Bills to be paid, kids to be schooled, spiritual lives that need to be straightened out, friends who need food, yes really! I love that God does give us more than we can handle, because we have no where to look but up! Do we run into His arms when things are milk-toast? no. Do we cling to His every word and allow Him to touch us deeply when everything is "nice"? no. Do we listen for His voice when everything is as it should be? no.

We can lay everything at His feet when "WE" can't handle the load ourselves. How do we get to this place, I ask myself? Oh, its because I didn't lay it at His feet when it was a tiny problem! I thought I would handle it! God never intended for us to bare the burdens of this life. We were made for the garden, in Genesis, not for this sin-soaked world.That is why even from Genesis God spoke of His Savior who would come to take our heavy loads.God told the serpent, " He, {meaning God's son} will bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." Genesis3: 15b.

God sees the whole picture, and allows us to be squeezed so that only He will come out of us. Do you feel some hardship today? Maybe it has to do with the state of our State, or nation? Yes, it has been backwards for quite some time. God is ever more real and engaged in this earth's follies as He has ever been. He is closer to those who look for Him than ever before. Call upon Him right now!

"Loving God means loving people. You've got to love them both."   {1John4:21b}  MSG

This is my daughter Stephanie a few years ago. I think she is was about 11 years old. She was modeling for an agency in Smithtown, and we were traveling into Manhattan a lot that summer. This is a picture my niece, Kim took of her when we were visiting her in North Carolina; a much better picture with a natural smile.

It's easy to love a beautiful young girl who is sweet and kind, but when she turned 12, it seemed  as if "that"  girl disappeared. Don't get me wrong, " that"girl is in there somewhere. I see glimpses of her occasionally. I love her and tell her so all the time and I really mean it, but sometimes I wish for the girl who freely wrapped her arms around me without pretense. I pray that "that" girl will emerge on the other side of puberty unscathed, or even better!

God knows exactly what He is doing in her life, and how He will shape her for His honor and glory.We prayed for her before she was born. I especially prayed for her while she was in utero, because she was the child that I wasn't sure that I would have. I was 42, and there are 7 years between Stephie and my son Matt. I waited a long time for my second girl, and was wonderfully amazed that God answered my prayer for 2 girls and 2 boys.  I love her more now than when she was just a dream. I love her through all the crazies that girls have in their teens, and believe me, crazy is a calm word for a girl!
Can you love someone today who needs to know someone cares? Can you love a person who doesn't honor this July 4th as an important holiday? Loving God is especially important here on earth. Find those who need to know He cares. Have a safe and happy 4th.   love and Blessings, Ann

                                                                                                                           July 1, 2016

The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:     {Psalm 68:11}



Here we are again, with my little sand piper friend. Do you  see the sunshine on the water? Without the sun the water looks dingy and dark, not lively like in this picture. The Son of God brings light, and joy where there once was only darkness. The only thing that held me back from the light when I was depressed was me own belief. I believed that God's grace was not sufficient to reach me in my dungeon. I chose to believe a lie, because I was so far down, I didn't think God "wanted" to touch me.

God says He will never leave us or forsake us! I knew that scripture, but I thought I was the exception. This was a lie from the enemy of our souls. God's word is to be proclaimed! It is to be respected, and it is strong enough for us to stand on! Proclaim it loud and clear, and then watch and  be amazed with what He will do in your life!  

So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done for you? You call me Lord and Teacher and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet."
{John 13:12-14}

This is a very touching scene. Jesus is demonstrating His love for His disciples, and what love He wants them to have for one another. Serving one another can be messy, unpleasant, and down-right dirty! It is the love that our Father expects us to have. I, for one am not capable of this, and I don't believe you are any more capable then I! Am I right?

We were never meant to live this life on our own, with our own agenda and rules. Our feelings will take us in the wrong direction, and the wrong destination. It is when we yield to the Master's call that we understand what service is all about. Only then can we love the unlovely, pray for the lost and dying, and show the love that is beyond understanding.

 It is very humbling to allow someone to wash your feet. In our culture it is almost unthinkable to have this done for us. What do you think the disciples were feeling, even though foot washing was a common custom?  I will show my love for you my children, by doing the practical, pointing to the future when my blood will be shed to set you free from sin, and express how I want you to love one another as well. Only He could have made something so every day-ish into a multifaceted lesson!

For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour my spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring:     {Isaiah 44:3}


What is the variable in this blessing? What do you need to have before you can be blessed? You need to be dry, not satisfied with everything around you. Thirst can make a person weary. Water is so crucial to a person's well-being, without it everything breaks down. God never pushes Himself on anyone. He desires for us to seek after Him.

Can you lean on Jesus when things seem upside down?  This is the gospel, learning to lean, trust and obey. Can He fill your cup? Absolutely!! All He asks is that we look at His beautiful face, take a long
look, and be refreshed, and set free from these temporal things that only drag us down. He is waiting for you today.