Wednesday's Word - Ponder.....

I've been pondering on a word that I felt God wants me to focus on in 2015.

I truly thought it was "silence"......

or maybe "wisdom"......

or could it be "encourage"?

It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks as I sat thinking once again Monday morning about a specific word.....

and I realized.....

God had already given it to me.....

PONDER!

Oh, how I've always loved that word anyway!

And, I kinda have to be silent to PONDER.....

and often it's best to PONDER than to speak my mind, 

so that's pretty wise, right?

Plus, I can always PONDER ways to be an encouragement to someone else!

I ♥ my word!

How about y'all?
Do you allow God to direct your path to a certain word to ponder on throughout the year?
I'd love to hear what your word is for Twenty-Fifteen!

Breathing in Grace,



Edited to add:
This was written on Monday.
I couldn't sleep Monday night so got up early and sat down in my devotional chair to do a bit of reading.  I was lead to Daniel 8:28 and came across the word "cogitations".....
(in the KJV).
I had never noticed that word before, 
so like most of us would do I "Googled" it!

Definition of cogitation:
the action of thinking deeply about something:
contemplation......
to PONDER.

Yes, I'm going to LOVE seeing how God speaks to me about this word in 2015!!!

Precious Promises......

 These quotes come from the devotional "Our Daily Bread".....

We are not tempted because we are evil,

we are tempted because we are human.

When you draw near to God,

you are sure to be on His side.

Jesus knows you by name,

and longs for you to know Him.

People are to be loved,

not used.

A word of encouragement can make the difference 

between giving up and going on.

No one is more secure,

than those who are in God's hands.

The glory of life is to love,

not to be loved;

to give,

not to get;

to serve, not to be served.

Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer,

except that which lies outside the will of God.

Jesus came to earth for us

so we could to go heaven with Him.

The good news of the gospel is too good to keep to ourselves.

(which is exactly why I write this blog.....;-)

HOPE y'all have a Terrific Tuesday!!!

Breathing in Grace,

If you're a frequent visitor here at Breathing in Grace, or even if this is your first time stumbling upon my blog, I would so very much appreciate if you would leave a comment.
I want to personally visit you and wish you a Happy Twenty-Fifteen!!

Heal Me.....

Breathing in Grace,

SONday Morning Song - I Believe.....

"Believe" is the word I felt God place upon my heart to focus on in 2014.

Did I always do that?

Sadly, no.

I doubted and fretted and tried to do things on my own.

But.....

I NEVER stopped believing that He is exactly who He says He is.....

that He will NEVER change,
nor will He ever forsake me!!!

Pappy and I attended the CHRISTmas Eve service at our church and a young lady sang this song. I knew that God was speaking to me about my word.  During that service, I also experienced an answered prayer.  There was a situation with a certain gentlemen who got angry because he didn't get "his way".  I saw an entirely different man during the service and knew that God had softened his heart.

Ain't God good?

Oh, yes He is!!!

Precious Child how can it be that God's great plan for history 
would send You to the lonely tree 
that You would come for one like me?

I believe in a cross. 
I believe He came for one, 
He came for all.
Heavens child became a man,
gave His life for me, in spite of all I am.
I believe!
I believe!
Oh, I believe!

HOPE y'all had an awesomely blessed CHRISTmas!

Breathing in Grace,

Whatever your hand finds to do.....

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever your hand finds to do, 

do it with all your might.

I'm just now finishing this up.

I think this was one of the most detailed.....

(and sometimes frustrating).....

thing I've every tried to do!

All those itty bitty details and having to layer the felt to make it look 3-D.....

I'm not sure how many times I threw away and started over. :(

I FINALLY found the right size hoop at Jo Ann's yesterday,

so this will be a belated CHRISTmas gift for our daughter!!!

Isn't it awesome what we can discover on Pinterest that people like?!?

(like maybe sand dollar earrings.....;-)

HOPE everybody has a Special Saturday!!!

Breathing in Grace,

Merry CHRISTmas.....

I am thinking of you today, 

because it is Christmas, 

and I wish you happiness. 

And tomorrow, because it will be 

the day after Christmas, 

I will still wish you happiness. 

I may not be able to tell you about it every day, 

because I may be far away or we may be very busy. 

But that makes no difference; 

my thoughts and my wishes 

will be with you just the same. 

Whatever joy or success comes to you 

will make me glad. 

Clear through the year. . . 

I wish you the Spirit of Christmas.  

 ~~~Henry van Dyke~~~

My sincere HOPE is that each of you has the most blessed CHRISTmas ever!

Breathing in Grace,

Wednesday's Word - Praise.....

AMEN.....
and AMEN!!!

HOPE y'all have a wonderful CHRISTmas Eve!

Breathing in Grace,

Willing Vessels Outreach Ministries (WVOM).....

During this season of giving and being kind-hearted and thinking of others.....
(I know this is something that we should do every day),

I want to share with you a local ministry that is near and dear to our hearts.

Two years ago when Pappy started his current job,

he met a fellow driver named Mr. Perry Williams.

Once they got to know each other better,

it was realized just what an amazing singing voice Mr. Perry has.....

(click here to listen to some of the songs he's written,

and some of his favorites)

and also that he is head of a ministry named.....

Willing Vessels Outreach Ministries, Inc.

Here was a statement that Mr. Perry made to me via text recently.....

"we visit people who have absolutely nothing, 

so when you have nothing,

anything is something."

If you find it in your heart to give to this special cause,

I know the money would be put to good use and for a worthy cause!

Merry CHRISTmas, Everybody!

Breathing in Grace,

The Twelve Days of CHRISTmas.....

On the first day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Salvation full and free.

On the second day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Everlasting life, and Salvation full and free.

On the third day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Peace in my Heart,

Everlasting Life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the fourth day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Love for all men;

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the fifth day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting Life, an

Salvation full and free.

On the sixth day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Power from on high,

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting Life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the seventh day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

A Body Glorified,

Power from on high,

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting Life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the eighth day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

A Robe and a Crown,

A Body Glorified,

Power from on high,

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting Life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the ninth day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Mansions above,

A Robe and a Crown,

A body Glorified,

Power from on high,

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting Life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the tenth day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Streets of pure gold,

Mansions above,

A Robe and a Crown,

A Body Glorified,

Power from on high,

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting Life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

A thousand songs to sing,

Streets of pure gold,

Mansions above,

A Robe and a Crown,

A Body Glorified,

Power from on high,

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting Life, and

Salvation full and free.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, JESUS gave to me

Eternity that's free

A thousand songs to sing,

Streets of pure gold,

Mansions above,

A Robe and A Crown,

A Body Glorified,

Power from on high,

Joy for my soul,

Love for all men,

Peace in my heart,

Everlasting life and

Salvation full and free!

~~~~Inspiration Daily~~~~

Breathing in Grace,

SONday Morning Song - Mary, Did You Know.....

This is one of my favorite CHRISTmas songs,

and this rendition is awesome!

Merry CHRISTmas, Sweet Readers!!!

Breathing in Grace,

Friday Foto.....

I love this old barn/shed that's located on the back of the property where we get water.

Happy Friday, Everybody.

HOPE you a great weekend!

Breathing in Grace,

Jesus Is Alive.....

After hearing a sweet young man.....

(well, he's young to me)

sing this song SONday morning at church,

it's a new favorite this CHRISTmas season!

Breathing in Grace,

Wednesday's Word - Inspiration.....

This word just came to me yesterday, somewhat out of the blue.

Although, I always like to think God gives me the word He wants shared.

As I kind of pondered on that word,

people in my life who have been a great inspiration to me came to mind.

One of them is my friend, Teresa, who passed away earlier this year.

I had the privilege of sharing her testimony with a lady who was helping me out at the bank yesterday and how Teresa said that "God is going to heal me of this cancer, or take me home.  Either way, I'm a winner."

What about you?

Is there someone in your life who has been a real inspiration?

Breathing in Grace,

Three in One.....

The Trinity.....

it's somehow difficult to explain that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all the same.....

yet, they are separate.

To the non-Christian, this probably makes absolutely no sense at all.

Even to us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.....

well, for me anyway.....

it can be confusing if we try to get somebody else to understand.

Several years ago, I heard a minister explain it so well,

so I thought I would share it to you.

Let's take Pappy for instance.

He's a man.....

but he's also a husband, a Dad, and a Grandfather.

That statement just settled into my heart and gave me such a better understanding of the Trinity.....

Three in One!

(also, the book "The Shack"  by William Paul Young really helped, too.

It's not for everybody, because some people just wouldn't understand the portrayal of the Three.....

but since I'm such a visual person, it helped me tremendously)

Breathing in Grace,

SONday Morning Song - O, Holy Night.....

Today, our daughter and son-in-law celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary.
It was such a beautiful ceremony.
Jess asked me to be her matron of honor,
because in her words I was her best friend!
(still makes me tear up to ponder on that memory)

The minister who performed the ceremony was also a family friend.....
with an awesome singing voice.....
and he sang this song at their wedding!!!

Sweet memories!

Happy, happy anniversary to our kids!!

Breathing in Grace,

Whatever your hand finds to do.....

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever your hand finds to do, 

do it with all your might.

(cell phone pics, so not very good quality)

Since HOPE is my favorite word,

I couldn't pass up these stove eye covers

(2 in a pack at Dollar Tree).

I simply used a dab of hot glue here and there and attached the smaller one to a grapevine wreath I already had on hand.

A hat a lady from church asked I make for her Mom.....

with me as the "model"!!!

;-)

A sweet friend of Jess' who adopted a little boy.....

who by the way is named Silas David.....

asked for a dinosaur hat for her Silas!

A friend of mine who loves all things Mickey Mouse hinted for and got this for CHRISTmas.....

As you can tell, I've been kinda busy!!!

So what about you?

What have your hands been finding to do this CHRISTmas season?

Hope everybody has a Special Saturday!

Breathing in Grace,

Friday Fotos.....

I don't do quite as much decorating as I used to.

I actually am planning to go through all my seasonal decorations next summer and donate a lot of them.

(because they're stored in our cold basement)

Pappy bought this little nativity set at a yard sale just for our grand kiddos!

I saw them rearranging it when they were here last night!

This is on top of an old dresser that sits inside our front door.

It was actually my Mom and Dad's first bedroom suite,

and I refinished it many years ago.

The "hurricanes" were made from vases and candle holders purchased at the Dollar Tree and glued together with E6000 glue.

My sis-in-law gave me the rusty "peace".

And, that ship in the background.....

my precious brother made that just for me when he was just a teenager!

This nativity is one of my very favorite CHRISTmas decorations.

Pappy and I bought it the first CHRISTmas after we were married.....

thirty-eight years ago.

It's "Home Interior".

See that stable?

My Daddy and Pappy made that out of paneling that looks like barn wood.

I hot glued Spanish moss to the top.

It just means so much to me knowing my Daddy had his hands on it,

since this will be his 20th year actually celebrating CHRISTmas in heaven.

So, that's that about that.....

a little saying my Mammie used to quote.

HOPE y'all have a Fantastic Friday!

Breathing in Grace,

Do it anyway.....

We went to hear our daughter speak Tuesday night at a homeless shelter.....

a half-way house of sorts where people who are "down on their luck" can live until they get back on their feet.  This has been a ministry of hers for several years and was actually where we spent Thanksgiving Day with her and her hubby and the grand-kiddos this year.  She talked about Jesus and her love for Him and what an awesome God we serve and how He deserves our openness and honesty and praise and everything we do should be to glorify His Name.

As she poured out her heart to this room full of people.....

people from all walks of life.....

a diverse group with various skin colors and ages.....

I found myself looking around to get the reactions of those listening.

My eyes came to rest on a couple just in front of us.....

who were trying their best not to listen.

The lady actually had her head laid down on the table in her arms.

And, the man kept his head low as he stared at his wife,

trying his very best not to even glance at our daughter.

My heart ached for them because I knew in my heart of hearts that this couple need HIM.   

I couldn't help but wonder what they had experienced in their lifetime.

What had happened to possibly harden them and make them be so unreceptive of God's Word?  Had they gone through something that made them wonder how the loving God that our daughter spoke of could have allowed them to experience whatever had hardened their hearts?

(Romans 8:28)

The only good in us is Christ living in us,

if we've heeded that calling He gives us to come and accept Him.

(Romans 3:10)

When we share our love of Him with someone who hasn't had that experience....

then, it's often like two opposite ends of a magnet.

You know what I mean?

When you try to put those ends together,

they repel each other and you can even feel the tension as they try to push away from one another.

So what do we do when we are met with this type of reaction as we try to share the love of God with others?

We keep on doing it anyway!

(Isaiah 53:3)

Breathing in Grace,