TTFN, Ta-Ta for Now

So today brings me to the end of my blogging assignment for my professional writing class. I have had a great experience testing the waters of blogging and I have really appreciated all the thoughtful comments that people have posted. Thank you all so much for being my followers throughout this learning experience. Although the assignment is complete as of today, I may decide to keep this blog up and running. However, there will most likely be no more posts between now and May 5th. With the last week of classes approaching next week and finals week following that, I doubt I will have time to post on here. Don't give up on me though. I think I'm hooked and I have a feeling I will be back. Thanks again so much for your support. I am encouraged every time I look at my blog page and see that I have a list of "followers." So...as my Grandpa Smith and I always used to say to each other at the end of a visit, TTFN, Ta-ta for now!

Christians and Social Justice

As I was skimming through the "Recent Update" portion of my Facebook statuses this morning I ran into a post from the organization called Focus on the Family. This is a rather well known organization in the Christian world and it focuses on a great deal on living the Christian life. I stopped to read what the post said and was very interested to find that it was leading me to a blog. Apparently, the president of the organization, Jim Daly, is one of the writers on the panel for the Washington Post/Newsweek blog titled "On Faith." I had never realized this and so I was very interested to see what he had to say. With all that is going on with our government right now I thought that I would pass along Mr. Daly's words of wisdom here. Please enjoy Jim Daly's post on Christians and social justice.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/jim_daly/2010/04/social_justice_about_increasing_righteousness_in_culture.html

Quiet Times and Still Harbors

"that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,"

1 Thessalonians 4:11

This verse was the topic for my weekly devotional this week. I found it ironic that it falls right toward the end of school. I wrote to myself in my devotional notes, "How can I find time for a quiet life in the midst of the end of the semester?" At first I decided that it would be impossible to have a quiet life during this stressful time, but God wouldn't let me end with that. He convicted me that although I cannot get out of any of my obligations for the next three weeks, I can still find a way to live a quiet life. I just need to find (as the book suggests) the small harbors. I need to take advantage of those moments here and there where I have a moment to be quiet and still. It may be for just five minutes before school or it could be only for a half hour at night before I go to bed, but those moments do exist. While I may not be able to live a "quiet life" right now, I can develop quiet moments until God gives me a chance to rest. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that taking these moments of quiet time before God, to refresh myself and just bask in His presence, will probably be one of the most important things when it comes to finishing up a stressful semester. I would encourage all of you to consider the same idea. Even if you cannot back out of your obligations to have a "quiet life" make a few minutes each day just to relax and have a quiet time before God. I hope this blesses you as much I predict it is going to bless me.
God Bless,


Dani ><>

You are Valuable!

I received this devotional in my inbox today and I thought I would pass it along. Sometimes we try so hard to "please God" in order to "win" His love. However, nothing we can do can ever be good enough to warrant God's love...yet He loves us anyway! These two excerpts talk about that very encouraging fact!




Enjoying Peace in His Presence
I love you regardless of how well you are performing. Sometimes you feel uneasy, wondering if you are doing enough to be worthy of My Love. No matter how exemplary your behavior, the answer to that question will always be no. Your performance and My Love are totally different issues, which you need to sort out. I love you with an everlasting Love that flows out from eternity without limits or conditions. I have clothed you in My robe of righteousness, and this is an eternal transaction: Nothing and no one can reverse it. Therefore, your accomplishment as a Christian has no bearing on My Love for you. Even your ability to assess how well you are doing on a given day is flawed. Your limited human perspective and the condition of your body, with its mercurial variations, distort your evaluation.

Bring your performance anxiety to Me, and receive in its place, My Unfailing Love. Try to stay conscious of My loving Presence with you in all that you do , and I will direct your steps.

Jeremiah 31:3; Isaiah 61:10; Psalm 31:16; Psalm 107:8

Excerpted from the devotional book, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.


You Have Value... Just As You Are
With you very own hands you formed me; now breathe your wisdom over me. Psalm 119:73 MSG

Listen closely, Jesus' love does not depend on what we do for him. Not at all. In the eye of the King, you have value simply because you are. You don't have to look nice or perform well, Your value is inborn.

You are valuable...not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are. Remember that.

God takes you however he finds you. No need to clean up or climb up. Just look up.

A Spoonful of Sugar...

I opened up my email today to find the KLOVE verse of the day in my inbox. Upon opening the email, I found the following verse awaiting me: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."~ Proverbs 17:22, NLT I had to chuckle to myself because this is just what God has been showing me today. I woke up this morning (for some unknown reason) feeling very perky and happy! This is not the norm for me as I typically wake up dreading the school day and worrying about all that must be accomplished. So...the day started out on a good foot. As the day has progressed, I have only felt myself becoming more and more joyful! I was perplexed at my own good attitude and wondered to myself, "Is it possible to be this happy and still be in college approaching finals?" A still small voice inside me answered back, "Yes, if God is on your side!" This only increased my level of joy. As I have relished the cheerful heart which God has so blessed me with today, I can really see the truth of the verse in Proverbs. I really do feel more rested, more focused, and more determined. I would encourage all of us to focus on the positives (no matter how small) today. Make a decision to refuse to let little annoyances, or big problems, get you down. I am reminded of the line from a song in Mary Poppins, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down in the most delightful way." Thankfully, the dosage of medicine which comes from a good heart has turned out to taste oh so sweet! Praise God for His love and ask Him to give you a dose of good medicine!

God Bless!

***I will try to post the link to KLOVE's verse of the day in case anyone is interested***

Grace, Grace, God's Grace

Today in my hometown of Douglas, Wyoming there is a funeral taking place at 11:00 in a yellow, brick church, downtown. My trusted pastor will perform the service and many members of the congregation will gather, along with members of the Senior Center, to honor the deceased. However, while funerals may seem like solemn events, we, as Christians, need always remember that outside the doors of the church, high above the sky, way up in heaven, there is a party going on.

The old man from church had lived a rough life. He had done many terrible things and had a reputation that preceded him. One that haunted him. However, this old man came to church with a little old woman whom he had met at the Senior Center. This little old lady didn't seem to care about his past. She just invited him to come to church. Pretty soon the duo was inseparable. They went everywhere together and could always be seen together at church events. Then, one day, this old man accepted Christ. He was able to have his burdens lifted and his sin, which had been as scarlet, washed white as snow. This old man was one of the sincerest embodiments of God's grace that I have ever had the privilege to be witness to. His example shows me that there is no sin too great for God to forgive, no person too far gone for God to reach, and no person to terrible for God to love. The little old lady also seems to have a lesson up her sleeve. She was not judgmental. She didn't care about this man's past. Instead, she befriended him with an honest friendship and brought him to church where he found his salvation. What wonderful examples this little old duo set for me!!

Throw open the church doors and soar high up into heaven. There will be rejoicing and partying at the welcome-home party for one very neat, very grateful, very forgiven, little old man.

"Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18

In honor of John Voltruba

This is a very convicting song by the new band Revive. It deals with the fact that life goes by in a blink. I had some trouble on the school computers posting the video, so I posted the link here in the blog and also on the "Links" sidebar. This is "Blink" by the band Revive. I hope it encourages you to make every moment count!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZGRXmrWCxM