"your patience possess your souls" Luke 21:19

I love My Utmost for His Highest and today's really struck me, so I am cut-n-pasting it here:


"your patience possess your souls" Luke 21:19

When a person is born again, there is a period of time when he does not have the same vitality in his thinking or reasoning that he previously had. We must learn to express this new life within us, which comes by forming the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:5 ). Luke 21:19 means that we take possession of our souls through patience. But many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures. Just think what we could be when we are awakened to the truth!

There are certain things in life that we need not pray about— moods, for instance. We will never get rid of moodiness by praying, but we will by kicking it out of our lives. Moods nearly always are rooted in some physical circumstance, not in our true inner self. It is a continual struggle not to listen to the moods which arise as a result of our physical condition, but we must never submit to them for a second. We have to pick ourselves up by the back of the neck and shake ourselves; then we will find that we can do what we believed we were unable to do. The problem that most of us are cursed with is simply that we won’t. The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh.

Rescued into Jesus' arms...

...deep sigh...
One of the sweetest, most lovely of Jesus' servants has died. And though I cannot speak of her without tears, my heart is both sad and relieved. Her rescue from this world, while a relief from the pain of cancer attacking her body, is a great loss to the people living on the Earth still.
This post is like a journal entry for me, I guess, I just need to let all the thoughts out of my heart on this one.
Sandy. She owned the Bible book store in town, The Lighthouse. And at the back of the store she had another business, Hair Success. She was a beautician. So when we needed a book or cd, we went there and when we needed a haircut, we went to Sandy.
It was one of the charms of this small town. She was one of the charms of this small town. A sweet, christian woman giving encouragement, haircuts, and love. Not just sweet people that you know love, but the love of Jesus radiated out of this woman. We fell in love with her the first time we got our haircut there. She is true one. Know what I mean? T.r.u.e. Real. Authentic. Beautiful. An amazing reflection of Jesus. Have you met people like that? They are amazing. Please, Lord, make me like you. When I grow up, I want to be like Jesus.
Not long ago she found out she had cancer. She went through treatments, still working. She stopped treatments, still working. She was in pain, still working. One of the last couple of times we went in, when we were getting ready to leave she spoke some precious, heart-rending words of encouragement over me. She spoke sweet words over me?! Shouldn't I be speaking encouragement to her? She had to sit down in the middle of the haircuts to rest! A.mazing. Strength. Strength of Christ. She never complained. Always smiled.
I WANT TO BE LIKE THAT!
Sorry, I want this to be about her. But, Lord, make me like You! When you meet someone who loves and adores their Savior and His love emanates from them, your inadequacies are glaringly evident. I heard a teaching on the scripture of Jacob wrestling with the Lord, and how he had finally learned not to run away or lie his way out of difficult situations, but he held onto the Lord until he received the blessing. This is where we need to strive to be, go to the Lord and hold on until you get the thing right! Wrestle with the Lord until you get it! Hang on until He changes you and you grow closer to Him and better for it! Lord! Lord...I pray.

Thank You for blessing me with meeting your beautiful servant Sandy.

 I know that You love her abundantly and when she came into your presence You spoke those beautiful words that we long to hear, 

'Well done, good and faithful servant.' 

Oh Lord, those words... 

I thank You again for the lessons of the bible study on Daniel and the understanding of Your delivering us from the 'fires', either by keeping us from it, or bringing us through it or blessedly taking us by it. Your sweet daughter Sandy... You longed to bring her home and finally you were able to wait no longer. 

You rescued her. I love You for it. 

And meanwhile,we are the worse for the wear, we will have her no longer, and oh, my, what a great loss. But we had her and were loved by You through her. May we be better for knowing her, in remembering, she will continue to inspire us to shine our light in the darkness as she did while she was here. And one glorious day we hug on her again, when we finally, blessedly get our call into Your arms, out of this world.
Thank You, Jesus.

New pics

Here is a beautiful close-up of Phoebe's nother lost tooth! 

Scrumptious!

~Goodness, my heart is all tangled up in these four! ~

Such a young man. 

So proud of him! XO Nate!

And this one... about to really grow up on me. Holy cuteness, Batman! And really a wonder to know!