Tag Archive | Praise

Just Like That We’re Home

Wow…who would have thought a phone call could create such a drastic change in our life?

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In September 2011 we made the decision to sell our home so we listed our place and within 30 days…It was sold! We packed up all our belongings and moved the necessities into our motor home and everything else into storage…We were going to build a house!!!

We got busy… got a survey, found our builder, created the plans, took the plans to the architect, got pre-approved for financing, and ordered an appraisal. During all this Richard was out and about driving around (waiting for me to get off work) when he ended up in a neighborhood several of our friends either currently live in or use to live in. As he was driving past one of our favorite houses he noticed a “For Sale” sign in the front yard but it also had on it “Contract Pending”. As he drove past the house the owner was in the front yard and stopped Richard to see if he needed help finding someon…Richard said “No, I was driving around waiting for wife to get off work.” Then Richard told the owner of the house we had friends that once lived in his house and that our children play there when they were little girls. He also shared with the owner how much we loved his home and inquired if the contract on the house was solid. The owner said it didn’t look like the financing was going to go thru. So, Richard left his name and phone number with the owner and said, “call me if the contract falls thru, we really love this house and would be interested in taking a look at it”.

We continued moving forward with plans to build. We met with the lender and they were making preparations to get the appraisal on our house plans. The day after meeting with the lender I arrived at work to find a voice mail on my phone. It went something like this…

Lee Ann, this is Carol. I understand you and Richard are interested in our old place. The funding did not go through and the contract expires today. If you are interested in the place, I need to know today.

Wow…my head was spinning! What to do…What to do.

First person I called was my daughter Brandi and talked to her since our plans were to build on their ranch. She said, “Mom, you have always loved that house…Go For It”. Then, I called Richard and asked him if he was interested in looking at it. His response was, “I will meet you there at lunch”.

So, for lunch on Thursday I met my Daughter, Granddaughter and husband and we viewed the house and signed a contract. In the contract we requested to keep the fridge, washer and dryer, along with all the curtains and…lease the house until it closed. The sellers agreed to the terms and just like that…We had a contract!

On Friday, I called the lender and asked if the house plans had been faxed to the appraiser’s office. She said, “no, they are laying on my desk in front of me to be sent”. I asked her to switch gears because we were going to purchase a home.

Exactly one week later, the movers delivered our furniture to the house. Our things were set up, boxes unpacked, and the house was decorated…

JUST LIKE THAT WE’RE HOME!!!

We so enjoy our new place! The house is perfect for our lifestyle with plenty of room to entertain. Open concept, lots of windows, 3 acres, a pool with cabana, and a workout room off the 3 car garage. I am now 10 minutes from my job and 5 minutes from local shops and grocery store.

Today, I am right where God wants me. He opened the door, provided the path, and cleared the way. EVERYTHING fell right into place and…

JUST LIKE THAT WE’RE HOME!!!

Love Lee ♥

A Burning Heart

Jan24

I frequently come in from work after dark and last night was no different. As I pull through the gate and made my way down the drive toward home I saw a yellow-orange glow. Then, the closer I got the bigger the glow got.

YES…That man of mine had built a fire!!!

We love to sit out in the evenings around the fire pit and discuss the events of our day. However, last night the discussion was delay a bit as our daughter had walked over to enjoy the fire with us. At some point in the conversation she realized she got a little chilled and decided to stand and move closer to the fire. As she stood over the fire watching it burn, she exclaimed…”Cheyenne come look…There is a burning heart inside the log”. Cheyenne reluctantly got up off the ground where she was playing with her dog and walked over to take a look. Then I heard “Wow…that is cool mom”. While their excitement peaked my interest, it wasn’t peaked enough to cause me to hoist myself up out of the chair I had waited for all day .

After the girls headed home and Richard and I shared the highlights of our day while Richard “tinkers” with the fire. As he looked into the fire he said, “You really should come see this burning heart. The girls weren’t kidding it is really beautiful”. Now for Richard to tell me it was beautiful, I knew I needed to take a look. Looking down into the hollow log the opposite end of the log was shaped like a heart and the embers were glowing with brilliant color…vibrant oranges, deep blue reds, and brilliant yellows.

As I stood and stared into the log, I couldn’t help but think…

Wow…I could see the glow of burning heart from the road but it wasn’t until I got close that I could see the buried embers and feel the intense warmth of the burning heart.

You know…it is very much the same with Jesus. From a distance we know He is there…but it is not until we get close enough to Him that we are able to see His “Burning Heart”

David Crowder says it best!!!

“How He Loves”

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us.

He Loves Us With His Burning Heart!!!

Love Lee ♥

What A Mess

Sep20

Recently we put our home on the market so we could pursue our lifelong dream of building a house. Whoop Whoop….

Who knew selling a house could be so much work? How on earth did all this stuff get into my closets? Where did all this dust come from? These are the questions that kept going through my mind as I was getting the house ready to put on the market.

All the time I was cleaning I kept saying…

What A Mess!

Then it dawned on me, our lives become much the same. Before we even realize it our lives become cluttered with negative thoughts and emotions, stress, illness, unhealthy habits, white lies…Hmmm wait, let’s just call it what it is…SIN

As with keeping up a house so to avoid clutter, dust, and depreciation, we must perform routine maintenance on our lives. And, just as there are times we are forced to ask for help around the house,we must call on the name of Jesus; an ever-present help in time of need for a Spiritual cleaning.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Confessing our sins is our Spiritual house cleaning…What is it that is cluttering up your Spiritual Life? It’s time to clean it up so we no longer have to say…

What A Mess

Love Lee ♥

There Is A Way Out

Sep18

Are you feeling trapped by circumstances beyond your control? Perhaps you can’t make your bills, the kids are out of control, or you are forced to deal with difficult people.

There is a way out!!!

The trap in which we are held prisoner is our mindset. We allow our perceptions to set our limits…Often times we perceive the situation to be worse than it is because we cannot recognize it for what it is.

The Way Out is to Change Your Mindset

Rather than view everything as negative we can choose to view each and everything we endure as our Testimony. Our very own story of how God has been so good to us. Think about it…Would you be able to truly testify of God’s goodness if you never had those difficult challenges in life?

I like to view the adversity as “Walking Out My Testimony”.

I could not testify to God’s provision if I did not know financial ruin.
I could not testify to God’s healing hand if I did not almost died from Lyme’s Disease
I could not testify to God’s comfort if I did not loose a loved one
I could not testify to God’s grace if I did not sin
I could not testify to God’s peace of mind if I did not have to trust Him with my children
I could not testify to God’s love if I had not felt what it was like to be unloved
I could not testify to God’s understanding if I have not been misunderstood
I could not testify to God’s companionship if I had not know what it was like to be alone and without a friend

You see every form of adversity is part of my testimony if I believe God is with me and believe…

There Is A Way Out…

He is my Way Out no matter the circumstance!!!

Love Lee ♥

It’s A Heart Condition

Sep13

A little girl goes to the doctor’s office for her pre-school check-up. The doctor walks in and introduces himself. He proceeds to listen to her heart and lungs. As he lays his stethoscope on her chest, he gasps and says, “Is that Barney I hear walking around in your heart?”. The little girl looks up with a big smile and replies, “No Silly, that’s Jesus in my heart…Barney’s on my underwear!”.

I love that…no inhabitions!!! Her response was so matter-of-fact and with such conviction. We as adults could learn so much from this little girl.

Often the external display of behaviors, conversations, and associations do not indicate Jesus is anywhere near our hearts. Often we exhibit negative responses based on emotion. Below are some examples of negative emotions and the underlying cause(s).

Emotion/ Underlying Source

Fear: Aversion
Anger: Displeasure or Hostility
Guilt: Inadequacy
Depression: Pessimistic
Pride: Exaggerated elevation of one’s self
Jealousy: Threatened
Self Pity: Inability to cope
Anxiety: Overwhelming apprehension
Resentment: persistent ill will
Envy: Hyper awareness of what others have coupled with an unhealthy desire
Frustration: Unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs

So, when talking with an angry person who is frustrated you are better able to recognize you are really speaking with a displeased person with unfulfilled needs.

Hmmm…this insight might just put a whole new spin on what you hear that person saying. While you can’t change the circumstances that lead to the negative emotion from this person, we just might be able to have more compassion towards them when interacting with them.

In addition, if you recognize you might possess these emotions you should consider trying to find the source and begin to work through the issues.

When conscious of these emotions we can be somewhat in control of our interactions and reactions. We can adjust our responses and conversations to cater to our audience. What we need to remember is we live for an audience of One. We should speak and live to bring to honor and glory to Him…Father God.

It’s A Heart Condition

So, I ask you my friend…

What condition is your heart in? & Who is that I hear walking around in your heart?

Are you speaking to others and responding to others while bringing Glory and Honor to Your Father?

I have some work to do…How about you?

Love Lee ♥

Trusting His Heart

Sep6

It has been a week…

We have been reminded life is fleeting and we are only promised the here and now. With Richard’s mother in ICU fighting for life, our grandson lost his half-brother in a car wreck today, and my loss of a beloved pet our hearts are hurting.

When life doesn’t make sense or seem fair and we feel all alone we have to learn to trust His heart…

This song is so incredibly perfect for where we are in our lives today…Listen closely to the words of this song. When everything in our world falls apart we have to…

Trust His Heart

Love Lee ♥

The Power of Words

Sep1

As I was writing a Happy Birthday greeting on my friend’s Facebook Wall this morning, I began to think of how much power words hold and the affect they can have on a person. Think about it: Words spoken by

God created the earth and everything placed on it
Political leaders can begin and end wars
Teachers educate the world
Preachers encourage a congregation
News anchors provide updates on events occurring around the world
Spouses make or break a marriage
Parents influence the future of their children
Grandparents are cherished for a life time

And Words Spoken By You Have the Power to Encourage Everyone You Encounter Today!!!

The Power of Words…

What Will You Say Today?

Love Lee ♥

Amazed

Aug17

God is so incredibly awesome and I will sing this song to Him all my days!!!

He has orchestrated my life so beautifully and I know…

He Has A Plan

Amazed

You dance over me
While I am unaware
You sing all around
But I never hear the sound

Lord I’m amazed by You
Lord I’m amazed by You
Lord I’m amazed by You
How You love me

How wide
How deep
How great
Is Your love for me

How wide, O how wide Lord
How deep, O how deep Lord
How great, O how great
Is Your love for me

Lord I’m amazed, amazed by You
Lord I’m amazed, amazed by You
Lord I’m amazed, amazed by You
How You love me

Thank You Lord for Loving Me…

Love Lee ♥

Just Keep Dancing

May11

David danced before the LORD with all his might; II Samuel 6:14

One of my favorite television shows to watch is “Dancing With the Stars”. I love seeing the contestants start of with minimal skill then as the weeks go by they transform into skilled dancers with precision, poise, gracefulness, and moves that I could not even dream of being able to perform…

This show reminds me much of life. We start out clumsy and easily frustrated but as we face greater challenges we begin to handle them with more poise and tolerance.

Does it happen over night? No!
Will we miss steps? Yes!
Will those we must dance with irritate us? Absolutely!

But…it is so important we remember…whether we are tired, sore, frustrated, challenged, or even tempted to quit we must …

JUST KEEP DANCING

Love Lee ♥

Go The Extra Mile

May10

Living a life of service is not easy. Even in our jobs we tend to lose focus of the fact we are ministering spirits…Ministering God’s Grace in various forms. In a recent encounter, I was reminded of the difference one can make for another human being just by going the extra mile…

Do you find people have become a bother to you?
Are you tired of the interruptions people cause?
Are you irritated by others?
Do you find it an inconvenience to assist someone in need?
Do you find yourself saying “That’s not my job”

Trust me…If you feel people are an inconvenience or a burden they know how you feel!!!

Perhaps…it is time to get back to the basics of Christianity…

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:9-11

It is often refered to as customer service but I like to think of it as Christianity…Treating others as you would like to be treated. We must treat people with love and respect…You have the power to make a difference in someone’s life by going the extra mile.