The Dragonfly and the Long Golf Shot...

It doesn't take much to make my heart happy, but to watch my son, Garrett, participate in Special Olympics just makes me beyond grateful and excited. Golf is one of the sports he loves and does well playing. This past Wednesday, he hit 145yards, then his coach and partner, Mark English, hit the ball with Garrett putting the ball right into the hole (The orange ball is another teammate's). He got a three on that hole! I was praising God on the course! So much for the quiet code on the course lol.  I was so happy for the whole team for doing well. 

It was leaving hole three that I noticed a dragonfly. As I walked the course, it was flying around me. I stopped, teasing it to see if it would move away, but it didn't. I have photograph after photograph of the dragonfly landing when I stopped and flying in swirls as I walked. If I sped up, the dragonfly sped up; if I slowed down, he slowed down. It was hole eight, I didn't see him anymore.

The dragonfly made me think of my walk of faith. I have opportunities to praise, encourage and disciple those around me and afar. Then in my own personal walk with God, I have to be encouraged, discipled and that is the job of the Holy Spirit. Just like that dragonfly, He came when I trusted Christ and put all my faith in Him, to teach me, lead me and surround me. When I stop, He is there; when I run; He is there to convict and bring me back to center; when I walk, He is there to go beside me and sometimes pave the way over the spots I may need help with. I am never alone when it comes to the Trinity of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit. As a believer, I am so thankful.

This hope we have in faith is one that we can find in creation so when you are feeling discourage or, encouraged, look out in front of you or out the window, He is there. "In the beginning, He created..." a world for us to see, to be loved and to be real. What is your surrounded hope? Him. It is there even when you think it is hidden, it could be found in something as small as a dragonfly.

Soar in the Hope of faith, Hugs, Rita

Knowing Him is showing yourself grateful...

Gratitude is a written choice of formulas consisting of words said sometimes through numb lips, hearts that can't feel and minds that are distracted and driven in multiple directions. Then the Word is open and none of it makes sense, but you keep reading and never stop rejoicing, making a list of all the things thankful. That was me in 2014 and then into 2015, one word at a time and literally one step at a time. I didn't understand what was happening in my life, my home or my family. Two relationships were drifting away from God's plan and His Word, the world was pulling them contrary to God's Word and leading them to live separate from the plan He had for family, home and even church. We were living the precepts and now I know that even more. 

In 2014, I had surgery on both feet leaving me feet up, bed ridden most of the year. I downloaded audio books, picked up Bible Studies, revisited old ones, then took index cards and wrote out scriptures, recopied notes from my old tattered Bible to a newer one I had been given years earlier and kept in the Word. I found writing down three things I was thankful for went from lists of grass, trees, even tears to attributes of God and His creation. I grew tremendously in Him that year.

"After many days..." as in the Word when Elijah confronted Ahab, God was allowing a life-experience come my way. The world, the enemy, divided our home and in 2015, I was faced with learning all things with Him by my side. He placed so many amazing godly people in my life from that day forward who carried me through the hard days. On day one, the Holy Spirit lead me to have one hour in the morning and one hour at night with God. I did. Using several devotional books, I opened the Word and a notebook and read, wrote and prayed. I wrote out my prayers and read even when nothing made sense. Faithful. Committed. 

God was and has been true to me as a Father and a friend. He led me within hours of my experience to a church family who has taught me indepth Bible study, how to tithe, lead my home, how to share my faith/story and there I was discipled. I didn't date, I devoted my time to know Him, learn His character and trust what a godly person really looked like and was from without and within, btw there is no straddling the fence, either you know Him or you don't. 

Experiencing God is not only a Bible Study but something you do on a daily basis that when a crises or joy comes, you continue walking the walk of faith, love and joy in Him regardless. You are obedient, filled with hope and continue to love. My "why story" is so much more then can be written here, but knowing Him is showing myself through gratitude, rejoicing, loving and being happy. I am continuously happy, living and breathing. It is a choice anyone can make.

How different would all our lives be if we went to sleep and woke thinking of three things we were thankful for or three people we were thankful for? How about if we were sitting, waiting for...whatever...breathing in our nose and out our mouth, focusing on gratefulness of things and people that influenced our morning or afternoon. Stepping it up and sending them a card to let them know, but not sign it?!  See what you can do to change your life with gratitude and change someone else's life!

Hugs, Rita

Walking the pavement of Birmingham...

It isn't often I get to Birmingham, Alabama, but when I do, I love taking a stroll down some of the downtown streets before eating at one of my favorite fish restaurants. This particular photograph was taken about 6th downtown. I love the tall old medical buildings and apartments. Thinking about all the history that has happened there. I remember the fish restaurant when it was a hole in the wall shop and people would wrap around the block. Then they moved into a larger facility to accommodate the growing population. There were no coffee shops or small eateries lining the first floor of the popular lofts near the ball field when my oldest son spent much of his first years of life at Children's hospital. Then parking was limited when the eye foundation was our home three morning a week the year I turned eighteen with a damaged cornea. Many changes, all for the better, for this amazing city that doesn't sleep to the people that have walked these exact streets then and now. All because God is a gracious, loving and protective Father that is always love and good and in turn does the same for us.

Psalm 121:8 says that...

...the Lord will watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore. 

He will yours too. The thing is sometimes we read these verses and it says "coming" and "going". Eventually we will come home and our going will be less because we are home. This home will be the rest place of peace, joy and gratitude of living in His grace, His salvation. It would sound so much more natural to say, going and coming, but He didn't say it that way. Once we are home, knowing Him through His amazing salvation, we are resting forever in the knowledge of His eternal security and love. Because of that salvation and knowledge, I want to serve Him, love Him, know Him and be obedient in all things.

Thus, His ultimate protection will be with me, guarding me within and without. I am forever grateful. My Father who is looking after me, loved me so much that He sent His son to a cross, rose on the third day and went to Heaven and one day I will be with Him (John 14). Changes come to a city, but the heart of the pavement and the people remain the same because they have come home and reside in this place.

Hugs, Rita