My Family Rocks by Susan Shull

I don’t mean in the musical sense, although I do have my own “playlist” of tunes passed down the Marrs family tree to my cousins and me. I am already teaching Alivia, Faith and Amy Flo these family favorites, including the famous “Once I Went a Swimmin” which my Aunt Mickey sings while playing the guitar and the harmonica that she wears in a holster-type gadget around her neck.

No, my family aren’t musical rockers, but they do rock babies and sing lullabies. My Grandma Marrs rocked me and my boys while singing “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie” over and over until sleep couldn’t be avoided and we went to sweet dreamland. My mom rocked my boys singing the same song and now she sits in the chair with our newest little granddaughter.

One of my favorite memories of Brock when the boys were little was afternoon naptime. I would pull the rocker up to the east window of our living room and sing him to sleep while looking out and enjoying Gayle and Jesse’s (our neighbors) ever-changing windbreak of trees. It was beautiful in every season. That was such a sweet peaceful time in the midst of crazy days.

Now that I am a Grammie, I want my little granddaughters to know the feeling of contentment and safety that I felt in the arms of my loved ones. The feeling of being totally loved with no need to worry about a thing. The feeling they will always be cared for.

Do you ever wish you could crawl into God’s lap, relax against his strong shoulders, and be told everything would be okay? I have wanted to do that lately. It seems every week I hear very sad stories of the struggles people are facing-with health, with relationships, with money. Unfortunately, I can’t do a thing to help with most of it and it gets to be too much.

As I had surgery to remove the skin cancer from my nose a few days ago, I had quite a bit of time to think. The struggles being faced by members of my earthly family and my Church family kept coming to mind and I wanted to climb in the rocker with God. That is when I was reminded just how very lucky Christians are. The God who created the universe desires a relationship with us. He cares what happens and wants us to bring our worries and concerns to him, so that is what I did.

I pray that instead of trying to carry the burdens of those around me, I will instead turn them over to my God who is big enough and who cares enough to provide comfort and peace to those who need it. The Psalms speak over and over of God being our shelter and I am going to claim that promise. I may not be able to literally crawl into my Heavenly Father’s lap, but I can be comforted every time I come to him in prayer.

Psalm 55:22a Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.

I Didn't by Julie Short

This poem about marriage was inspired by the new movie
"FireProof" which is available on DVD now.




I saw you today
For the first time
In a long time

Only
You were walking away

I’m sure It was something I said
Or didn’t say

Something I did
Or didn’t do

I didn’t treat you with the respect
I would a dear friend

I didn’t try to see you
And your needs

I was only concerned
About my needs.

I didn’t say thank you
I didn’t appreciate you

I didn’t cherish you

I didn’t listen
I didn’t try

I didn’t bring you flowers
Just because

I didn’t surprise you
With something that would
Make You smile

I didn’t sit down beside you
To watch a football game
I didn’t ask about your day

I only
Yelled about the little
Insignificant things.

And
You stood there
all
The time
Just waiting
to be seen.

Your Pain by Julie Short

Today
Suddenly
I was
Able to
Feel
Your pain.

I was so lost
For so long
In my own
Pain

That I couldn’t
Even see
Yours.

I am sickened by
Your burden
Willing to use
All my wishes
To wipe your
Pain away.

It was at that moment
I realized
Why you had to walk away.
You felt my pain.

I want to be there
For you
To
Pray with you
And for you

And let you know
That God doesn’t
Leave us
And He makes
ALL things
Beautiful
In His time.

No Lines by Julie Short

Life can be like paper without lines.
The lines represent our hopes and dreams.
One phone call, one doctors visit, can erase the lines.
Grieving the loss of the lines takes time.

A time of questions, what just happened?
Yesterday, there were lines and today they are gone?
Why were our lines taken?

A time of anger,
other people have their lines
why can’t we have ours?
How can we live,
now that our dreams are wiped away?

How do we even begin to write
on paper without lines?
Where do we put the words?

We stare at the blank page in disbelief.
We somehow feel as if we stare long enough,
the lines will suddenly appear.
Oh how we want the lines back.

More questions.
How can we possibly go on without lines?

After a long walk through grief and disbelief,
we wake up one morning.

We realize that the unthinkable has changed us.
As we walked with God
through the valley,

finally the task of writing
on paper without lines
seems do able

. With Gods strength and guidance
we
pick
up
the
pen.

Love Letters by Donna (Ensign) Woods

We search for LOVE in so many places,
In fame and fortune and people's faces.
LOVE is spoken in every language,
Not subject to time or age.
We hunger and thirst for it,
Longing fills heart, mind and spirit.
This longing can only be satisfied
By Father, God so glorified !
Faith, hope and LOVE these three
But the greatest is LOVE for you and me.
God sends LOVE letters all our days
In a multitude of awesome ways.
LOVE leters in a majestic sunset
Breathtaking mountains we can't forget.
LOVE letters pulsating from the seas,
With salty caresses from ocean breeze.
Brids sing melodies of LOVE
Passion's seranade from God above.
LOVE letters without end
From Father, Savior, Friend.
LOVE letters in a dew drop kiss
Gentle whispers we must not miss.
The breath of Heaven makes flowers dance
....A LOVE letter...not "luck" or "chance"
His signature found on butterfly wings,
His LOVE song written as songbird sings.
Have you opened His LOVE letter today ??
He sends so many your way.
Open His LOVE letters one by one,
Especially the one about His Son.
He nailed that LOVE letter to a tree,
So we'd know His LOVE for you and me.
I believe each word He said
He signed each LOVE letter.....in blood red !!!

Fear Not by Tana LeMay

Today, I listened to a portion of Focus on the Family’s daily broadcast. It was about dealing with the financial crisis, but a lot of what they spoke about could be applied to other stressors in our lives. The guest (I can’t remember his name) said the bible tells us 80 times to "not fear". He thinks that means God doesn't want us to live in fear (said tongue in cheek).

The guest mentioned the scripture below as his foundation when he's dealing with issues. I hope these words will encourage you today and in the weeks to come.

Psalm 73:23-28 (New International Version)
23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

The Focus broadcast can be access from their website http://www.family.org/.

God Loves YOU! by Theresa Zuber

I have three children. Although each is different, I love them all. They in turn love me. How did this come to be? First, I cared for them when they were small; when they were too tiny to even understand what love is. As they grew, they began to understand that they were dependent on me for their needs. But they also loved to be near me, to have me hold them and to spend time with them. They grew to love me. You see, no one explained love to them, they just loved naturally. They loved because they were shown love, experienced love, and lived love.

Your heavenly Father has created you. He loved you before your mother ever saw your face. He has formed you, taken care of you, showered you with love, and met your needs. As you have grown in His love, have you returned that love to Him? God desires a relationship with YOU and you alone. Oh, He also desires a relationship with me, but I cannot give Him what you can.

Should I be satisfied if only two of my children returned my love? Would I not be empty and heartbroken if the third child ignored my existence? Or perhaps acknowledged me but his or her words were empty of meaning – empty of love; a half-hearted attempt at a relationship. I desire a special relationship with each of my children.

Much in the same way, God desires a special relationship with each of us. No one else can fill that special place in God’s heart that is YOU-shaped. Take a look at your relationship with the Creator. He’s waiting just for you.

Isaiah 49:15-16 (TM) "Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you—never. Look, I've written your names on the backs of my hands.”

Love Everyone by Joyce Schafer

In 1 John 20-21 it reads: If anyone says "I love God" yet hates his brother he is a liar. For anyone who does not love my brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

It is so easy to love someone we care about and who treats us nicely but it is so hard to love someone when they treat us badly. I struggled with this until one of my Christian mentors explained to me that while we should love everyone that does not mean we have to approve of everything they do. In other words we should love the sinner but not the sin.

We all have people in our lives who push our buttons. Some of them even do it on purpose. How do we love these people but not allow them to tear us down? Another of my wise mentors gave me this advice "Pray for them." Is this easy? No, it is not but if Jesus could pray for the sinners who nailed him to the cross surely I can pray for someone who hurt my feelings.

Above all surround yourself with Christian mentors. These are the friends that give you not only the advice you want to hear but also the advice you need to hear.

May you know God more this New Year by Julie Short

A New Year. Ugh, another year to struggle and hurt. Another year without Kyra.

I don’t make New Years resolutions. I just try to be farther along my walk with God than I was the year before. Last New Years it was close. I struggled the whole year and then at the end of the year I took a leap. This year I feel like I journeyed far until around October and then I sat down and cried.

As this New Year approached I felt led to read Ephesians again. I read the first two chapters. This time as I read I saw something that I hadn’t really grasped before. Paul wrote such beautiful, passionate, encouraging words to others. He wanted them to know God more. Paul was in prison. I don’t know about you but if I were in prison I would be writing asking people to pray for me. But instead Paul said, “Wow! You are growing in your faith. Keep growing in the Lord. In fact, I am praying for you that you may know God more.”

There comes a time in grief where you need to re-invest in life. No one can tell another person when that time has come. But, hopefully we will listen to God and hear Him calling us on. My hope for this year is that I will spend more time praying for you to know God more, than I do praying for myself.

What a way to start a new year. Paul is a perfect example, as he sat in prison he prayed that others would know God more. What is your prayer for the New Year?

Read Ephesians 1:1-23 (Below are verses 11-19)
11In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.
15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

The New Year by Donna (Ensign) Woods

New Years Eve with family and friends
...Thanking God for the blessings He sends.

Celebrate the future on that January day,
As 2008 fades away...

Making plans...excitement grows
Hopes and dreams...only tomorrow knows.

Looking back at the year gone by
Memories make us smile...and sometimes cry.

A time for New Year's resolutions
...Trusting God with all solutions...

GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU IN 2009

A New Day by Tana LeMay

The start of a new year is seen by many as a time for new beginnings, a chance for a fresh start. Many celebrate the turning of the annual calendar with a list of resolutions. I have rarely made a list for myself. Not surprising for someone who hates the interview question, “Please share with me your 5 and 10 year goals”. I’d rather approach life day by day. Don’t get me wrong – goals and dreams are important. It’s healthy to have something to reach for, to look forward to. However, when it comes to making changes in my life, I have found applying them day by day works best for me. Even then it’s a struggle. In spite of my desire to make these changes, each day I find myself slipping into accustomed habits and attitudes. Paul writes of the same struggle in Romans 7 when he said the things he wants to do, he doesn’t and the things he doesn’t want to do, he does.

Several months ago, someone in my ABF class said he makes an effort to live each day intentionally. That statement really struck me. And it led me to ask myself, how does a person live intentionally? I’ve come to believe it is with a fresh start each day, asking for God’s guidance through the struggles and challenges of the day and keeping His perspective at the forefront. I must remember to celebrate with Him my successes (which come through Him). And when I fail, I must ask for His forgiveness and continued help.

I have to remind myself I haven’t arrived yet. The race is still ongoing and Jesus is waiting for me, and you, at the finish line – crown in hand. Some day, I want to say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. “ 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Commitments not Resolutions by Joyce Schafer

My dictionary defines resolution as “a formal proposal” while the definition for commitment is “a pledge.” This year I am making commitments to God.
Commitment #1 Pray first then act I have a tendency to act first and then only after I make a mess of things ask God for help. This year I am going to consciously try to pray first before I do and say the things that get me into trouble.

Commitment #2 Let Go and Let God I am a control freak. I keep forgetting I am not the one in control. God is. I need to let go and let God take control of my life. I know he can do a much better job than I can.

Commitment #3 Worry Less I waste too much time and energy worrying about the "what ifs and should haves" in my life. This year I am going to give God my worries and try not to keep taking them back.

Commitment#4 My body is God's temple and I should treat it accordingly My First Place group teaches placing God first in all areas of our lives-spiritually, mentally and physically. I will commit to studying God's word, exercising and eating healthy. I will not allow anyone -especially myself-to dishonor God's temple.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.

Forever Mine by Donna (Ensign) Woods

Every day is a fresh new start,
With a new song to bless my heart.
I must not dwell upon days gone by
Or sad songs that make me cry.
But remembering sweet tunes of yesterday
And the many smiles along the way.
Within the heart-beat of my song
The hands of time, forever strong.
My song of hope will open the door
As I hear the music on tomorrow's shore.
Not being consumed by the past
Or lured by a future to come at last.
Each day...a new page in time
Writing the song...Forever Mine.