Tag Archive | Worship

Craving More

So you say to yourself, “I will have just a small bite of that cake or pie. Just a sliver…” Then as you finish that sliver you find yourself wanting more?

It is human nature to crave those things in life that evoke pleasure and comfort; those things that satisfy our fleshly desires. How often is it though that we have to make ourselves eat those things that bring healing and health to our bodies? I struggle in this area!

My daughter Brandi has taught me so much about clean eating; organic and all natural foods. I watch her prepare her meals adding only the freshest and healthiest ingredients which I might add taste incredible! So, why is it I find myself craving those foods which are unhealthy and un-natural? Because those foods are satisfying, familiar and comforting. They are the foods associated with an emotion embedded deep within the fibers of my being. I am working on that…I am trying to teach my body to crave what it needs for health and well-being…

So, what about Spiritual food? Why is it we find it so easy to digest a book or magazine over the Word of God? Why is it we find it a challenge to pick up our Bibles and feed ourselves the pure and natural food for our souls?

Whether it is food for the body or food for the soul…We eat what makes us “feel good”…Not always what we need. Now don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of scriptures in the Bible that make me feel comforted, peaceful, and loved…those are not the scriptures I am referring to. It is those scriptures that pierce the core of my being with conviction. These scriptures much like the healthy foods…once devoured and digested begin to bring about results…

Sparkling eyes
Glowing Skin
A Healthy Heart
Deeper Breaths
Stronger muscles
Over-all sense of well-being

Then, before we know it, We find ourselves…

Craving More!

This song says it all for me…

As the Deer Pants for the Water (Click to Listen)

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 ♥

A Trip To The Pig Pen

Sep23

I love the story of the prodigal son. Here is a young man who has it all…a home, wealth, food, and his father’s love. He becomes discontent and restless so he goes to his father and asks for his inheritance early. The father grants his son’s wishes and the son takes the money and runs.

The little party animal goes out and squanders away all the money his father gave him. With no money he is forced to go to work for a pig farmer. While working for the pig farmer he doesn’t even make enough money to buy food. He is forced to eat the same food the pigs eat.

After living in this state for a while he decides to go back home. He felt certain being a servant for his father would be better than working for the pig farmer. So he heads home…

As he approaches his father’s place, his dad sees him and runs out to greet him. His dad embraces him and welcomes him home. Not as a servant but as a son.

This young man like many of us, we don’t recognize what we have and are never satisfied so we go out and experiment to find those things and people who bring us “happiness”. Sometimes it just takes a…

A Trip To The Pig Pen

For us to change our mindset and recognize how truly blessed we are!!!

PS: For you parents who have kids in the “Pig Pen” you hold on to the promises of God…They will return home!!!

Love Lee ♥

Living a Cookie Cutter Life

Sep21

Lately our lives have been consumed with looking at house plans. This is it… our shot to get what we want. As I look through the plans I have discovered often the exterior of the home is different but the floor plan is the same or the floor plan is different but the exterior has been changed. Then I think to myself “didn’t I just look at that one?”

Looking at house plans reminds me of people. We often times look for what is popular, in-style, or what other’s think and incorporate those looks, characteristics, or whatever into our lives. So much so we lose track of who we are. I call this…

Living a Cookie Cutter Life

Cookie cutter lives is a life where we do, say, and live just like the next person. There is nothing to set us apart from the rest of the world. We do not live life to its fullest because we are so busy trying to be like the next person or fitting in.

What a tragedy…

Over the past six years I have learned to embrace my uniqueness. I don’t want to be like everyone else. I want to live a life set apart; one that is my own, led by my Father, unique, and distinctive.

My Father created me to be me…Not you, my mother, my sister, or my best friend…ME!!!

I celebrate the “me”, He created me to be and NO more…

Living a Cookie Cutter Life

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5

God is not a respecter of persons…He set you apart too!

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 ♥

Getting Those Brownie Points

Sep16

You know, for years I worked myself to near death trying to obtain ‘Brownie Points”. Whether it was to gain favor with another individual or God, to be accepted, to be noticed, or just because it was expected, I thought I had to “do” something. No let’s get real…I thought I had to do EVERYTHING!!!

But then I realized…

Brownie Points Were Getting Me No Where!

God’s word says…

“not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5

Wow How Liberating!!!

I realized, I didn’t have to work for it…I am accepted and have approval because He has shown me mercy!

Now, I perform for an audience of one. I am now able to ask myself. What would God want me to do and no longer worry about doing EVERYTHING to gain those…

Brownie Points

Love Lee ♥

The Ultimate Friend Request

Sep15

I love it when I open Facebook and find a notification of a friend request. It is especially sweet when it is someone I have been friends with forever but have lost touch with.

I am of the belief …Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life and everyone is a friend, until they prove otherwise. Often the value of friendship is understated…

Friendship Provides:

Companionship
Conversation
A Helping Hand
Laughter
Advice

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. Sometimes you pick your friends, sometimes they pick you!

When my best friend sent me a friend request it didn’t come via Facebook, email, or a phone call. It came via a gift of love!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

I am a Friend of God…He Calls Me Friend!!!

He has also sent you…

The Ultimate Friend Request

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 ♥

He Knows My Name

Aug31

There is so much comfort in being called by name..

Having lived in Brazoria County all our lives it was rare we could go to the grocery store for a gallon of milk and make it back home (a few blocks away) in less than an hour. You see, every time, it seems as though we would run into someone we knew and would end up talking for a good while. In-fact, I can’t think of a time I went to the store there wasn’t someone to call me by name.

I will never forget when we moved from Brazoria County to Fort Worth…we found ourselves in a town where we did not know a soul. I sitting in Long John Silvers one day and right in the middle of our meal, I broke down into tears. When Richard asked me what was wrong, my reply was, “No one knows my name”.

While living in Fort Worth, I experienced some very lonely times with minimal contact with family and friends. However, it was during those times I realized “He Knows My Name”!!! In-fact, he knows everything about me. He knew me while I was still in my mother’s womb and He loves me…

Today, I am not alone because…