Easter Blessings

Happy Easter!  "Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!' "  Luke 24:1~6

The angels in this passage from the Bible assure us of this truth with the evidence of the Resurrection!  Another passage found in John, chapter 20 shares the good news of Mary seeing Jesus also.  His words were "Peace to You!  As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."  What a glorious day Easter is for Believers of Jesus Christ, Our Lord!  He was sent in love and parted in love and forgiveness for those who crucified Him.  The key word here is "believe" as FAITH unlocks our understanding of Scripture and releases the Spirit's activity in our lives and allows us to truly understand His great love for all people as He willingly went to the Cross.  Faith, like love can unlock the Power of God in our lives. Yes.....the stone rolled away and Christ Arose and offers new life!!!

Precious thoughts to ponder........
Believe in the miracles of Jesus!
Understand the glory of God is truly and graciously revealed to those who believe!
Recognize that God's Word brings blessing to you personally, your family, and others!
Pray and expect God to fill your soul with joy and good!
Humbly seek the Father for the grace to live in Him!

In prayer......I ask for His greatest blessings upon your life!

The Wedding in May

These beautiful pictures are where Kara and Phil will be married on May 22, 2010!  Okay.....that is the easy part!  Now, as the Mother of the Bride, I find myself waking up every morning thinking about what we are doing for the special day!  I get anxious like any mother of the bride but my spirit must be quietened by the Holy Spirit!  He reminds me daily of HIS FAITHFULNESS with this family and HIS GOODNESS!  Kara is so in love with Phil, and so happy and so sweet about everything.  She is never demanding or asking for anything except for it to be a wonderful experience for Phil's family (they're all from England!), our family and our precious friends and loved ones.  Life is but a vapor and I realize THAT more everyday, so I ask that if you read this, would you please offer a prayer for us that our Glorious God will be glorified in this wedding and this marriage between Kara and Phil.  Enjoy your children today, invest in their hearts and souls, invest in their dreams, listen to them, reward them with your honesty and faithfulness.  Invest in their education and their value and worth as a human being.  Share your love of the Lord with them daily! Travel with them.......even if it's to a park for a picnic.  I promise as the Word promises......this investment will not return to you void.......it will be immeasurably more than you could ever hope for or imagine.  Blessings to you today! 

Happy Birthday....Clayton Coulter

Today is the day eight years ago on a beautiful afternoon that God blessed our family with this very special child.  He is special to his Mother, his Daddy, his sisters, Ava and Olivia, and to both sets of grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins and friends and family!  

Bouquets Throughout the Year

The time of the year has come.....YEAH.....Springtime! Thoughts turn eagerly toward planting flowers and making sure every corner of the yard is beautiful.  That is, if you enjoy flowers and gardening, or at least the beauty that they bring.  A home benefits from the presence of flowers.  There is just something about a fresh bouquet of your favorite flower whether it be a rose, a peony, a tulip or countless others.  Spring is the busiest time of year in any flower garden.  Flowering trees and shrubs come back to life, crocuses, early tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and liy of the valley are all making their annual appearance and roses are not far behind.  These beautiful pink roses in the pictures above, have been in my kitchen two and a half weeks~I am not kidding!  I bought them two and half weeks ago on a Friday morning, knowing that Steven and Rebekah were coming for the weekend, and they are still just a beautiful!  I have been calling them my miracle roses.  Now, I am just waiting to see how long they last!  They remind me that God allows a moment or memory to linger that is beautiful, long after the moment is over.  Our hearts have to be ready though to recieve the miracle and the blessing that God has brought or is bringing.  He is always at work in our lives. God's covenant to us is a covenant for abundant life.  From the very beginning of time, in the first garden, Scripture shows us that God wanted us to be happy and prosperous.  In Genesis we are told that God made everything and declared it to be good.  Then He gave this beautiful, plentiful Earth to Adam.  God's plan from the beginning was for man to be enriched and to have a prosperous, abundant life.  This time of year as we approach Easter, our glorious reason to celebrate as Christians, we can see in the miracle of flowers blossoming from the soil that new life is real.  Jesus offers new life and a new birth and peace and joy!  Now that is a miracle!  A miracle that is daily being lived out in the life of countless Believers around the world! I pray that you humbly seek to live your life for HIM!  I will too..... Enjoy your day......nothing touches you or me that has not first passed through His Hands!  Psalm 42:2  declares,  "As the deer pants for water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.!"  As the life of the deer and even my roses depends upon water, so our lives depend upon God and His glory and grace!

Blessings From Above

Psalm 143:8 "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust:  Cause me to know the way in which I should walk.  For I lift up my soul to You." 

Psalm 145:1-2 "I will extol You, my God, O King:  And I will bless Your name forever and ever.  Every day I will bless You and I will praise Your name forever and ever."

Psalm 51:15 "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise."

To bless, to thank, to praise, to kneel down in reverence to our Lord is such a privilege for a Believer.  It takes time outside of our normal routine to stop and focus on the One who causes the day to dawn and the morning to break in freshness and newness.  Every morning the sky brightens with hope for a day that we can break forth in praise to our Creator!  In the Old Testament, time and time again we are told of one who got down on his or her knees when preparing to pray or recieve words of blessing, whether to God in Heaven, or to the king on his throne.  From God's side, He is the Blesser, the One who gives the capactity for living a full, rich life.  In the garden of Eden, the first action of God the Creator to the newly created man and woman was to bless them.  Genesis 1:28.  In the beginning of your day, my hope for you is that You find the joy of knowing that God desires to bless, guide, and always love you!  When you spend time with the One who loves you unconditionally and desires to bless you in unexpected ways, you are filled to go out and be a blessing to others.

An Ocean View.......to inspire you!

Spring is just around the corner and this beautiful outdoor room should inspire us!  The designer, published in House Beautiful, used this beautiful ocean view framing it, almost like a phototgraph.  The seating arrangement creates a cozy atmosphere by placing the two sofa's so closely together!  I love it!  It's time to begin thinking about being outdoors~God gave us the four seasons and each one has its own special purpose.  The winter months give us days and evenings to be inside more..... but Spring is my favorite.  The budding flowers, beautiful green sprouts on trees, and little birds and animals coming out of winter hiding!  New life and new beginnings are offered daily to us for God has a plan for your life each and every day!  Great is Thy faithfulness......Thank you Lord for your glory and grace.

"For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11