God In The Chaos....This Is Only A Test

My "motif" around here is finding God in the chaos of life. Well, boy howdy (as my friend Joanne would say!), have I had an abundance of opportunities to "find" Him lately! Testing ground, indeed!

Yep....I found Him when I had a large stack of bills piled up on my kitchen table, staring at me profusely, waiting to be paid. Not enough funds to pay them within our reach, but He came through as always.

I found Him again while lying in the hospital last week for 24 hours, thinking I was having a heart attack. I think I had a mental breakdown lying in that hospital bed Thursday morning. Turns out, it was only stress and anxiety. Imagine that!!

I most assuredly found Him this past weekend at the wonderful women's retreat I helped plan and was privileged to teach for. It was one of THE most AWESOME experiences in my life...EVER!!!
If you were there, Just know that I love you and enjoyed every last minute spent with you.

I found Him again Monday morning when I woke up with a horrendous toothache, no... make that a horrendous throbbing entire face ache and headache... only to find later that I had an abscessed tooth and needed an emergency root canal that afternoon.

I found Him as I laid in bed for 3 days on pain meds and strong antibiotics, looking back over the past couple of weeks and sensing God's hand protecting me through it all.

Today, I am back to normal, well... as close to normal as I ever get (I can hear you snickering Dana, Julie and Tanya!)...and reflecting on what God has accomplished in my life.

Ironically, I taught at the women's retreat on the subject of God's Peace and God's Provision. Isn't that funny? Leading the sessions was as inspiring to me as it was to the women listening to the words spewing from my mouth. That is, of course, because they were the words God had given me; Not words I had randomly selected within my own ability. He even gave me the extra true life examples (that I COULD have done without) to bring the point home.

Thank You Father for Your unfailing grace, Your timely provision, never a minute too late, and your unending love.You gave me peace in the middle of my chaos (after I had my nervous breakdown) in order that I might serve You better. It was only when I tried to figure everything out for myself, that fear overcame me. May I remember Your wonderful works in the future when I am tempted to fall to the wayside, filled with worry and despair.

May you, my friends, remember that He has it all under control. No matter what you are facing, God has great plans for you and He WILL bring them to fruition!! Walk in His peace today. Read His word and take it into your heart of hearts.

I think I passed the test. Because:

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for what I have not seen.
Amen!

Love and Blessings,
Starr

Teeth Troubles

Teeth. That has been the topic of interest around our house this week.

My six year old lost one yesterday. He looks so cute!

I lost one, too. I don't look so cute.

The Tooth Fairy didn't even pay me a visit. I tried. Put my big, ole ugly tooth under the pillow and everything. Didn't work though.

Austin got a dollar for his tooth falling out. I got nothing but a gaping hole in my mouth and a lot of pain. I've been on pain meds since yesterday afternoon. (Hence this weird post!)

I had an infected tooth and put it off as long as I could due to lack of dental insurance. That left me with no choice but to have it pulled. Bad thing is that it is near the front of my mouth. As a person who struggles with self-esteem, this is NOT good.

I am praying, though, that God will make a way for me to be able to get it fixed. Just so I won't look too goofy. I am scheduled to speak at a women's retreat in three weeks. I'm guessing at least I will probably be able to keep their attention as they gaze into the "big black hole" while I am talking. It will give them something to focus on. Oh my! Pray for me.

Anyway, Austin and I got into an interesting conversation this morning as he climbed into bed with me after his daddy left for work. It went something like this:

Austin: "Tooth feelin' better today, mom?"

Me: "A little."

Austin: "Just do like I do. Put all your food and drink on the other side of your mouth and then it won't hurt so much."

Me: "I'll have to try that. You give great advice for a little guy. Maybe you should grow up and be a dentist."

Austin: "Yeah! That would be great!! Then when you need to get a tooth fixed, you wouldn't have to go all the way to the dentist's office! I could do it for you!!"

Me: "Yeah! Like when you need a haircut, you don't have to go all the way to the salon. I just do it for you here."

Austin: " Well, I think I WILL be a dentist when I grow up. Do I have to go to school for it?"

Me: "Yeah."

Austin: " I don't know. Don't dentists have to pull teeth and see blood and look inside people's gross mouths?"

Me: "Yeah, but they make lots of money."

Austin: "Enough to buy us a really big house?"

Me: "Yes."

Austin: "I don't think I like the blood thing too much. If I go to school to be a dentist, do I get to keep the dentist suit even if I quit being a dentist?"

Me: "I guess."

Austin: "Well, I think I WILL be one!"

I reckon the suit is all that matters, huh? Guess we are all caught up a little in how we look! Just so long as we have a cool "suit", all is well.

I'll be back again tomorrow. Maybe I won't be on meds then and my next post will have a much deeper spiritual meaning. Until then.......

Blessings,
Starr

Change

Change.

Change is often Exciting.

Change is often Intimidating.

Change is often Unexpected.

Change is Always Inevitable.

Even so, I don't usually adapt well to it; Not a good trait for me to exhibit, because My family is facing quite a few changes. Some good. Some we aren't sure are good at all.

For this one thing though, I am forever thankful: Jesus Christ is ALWAYS the same (Hebrews 13:8).

He is my strength when I am weak.

He is my refuge when I am afraid.

He is my constant in this world of change.

I am glad I have Him to hold on to when change sneaks up on me when I least expect it.

Otherwise, I would go into a tailspin. I would lose control. I would hide in fear.

Funny how you think some things will always be a certain way, then they up and, you know..... change.

Please pray for my family as we face a world of new opportunities. Some we are excited about. Some we are leery to step into. Some things we are reluctant to let go of.

One thing I know is that God is in complete control of our lives. We want Him to be. We would not have it any other way. Because, after all, He NEVER changes!!!

Moments Filled With Beauty

My garden is not without a few weeds here and there, but to me, it is beautiful. I am inspired every day when I walk outside to water my plants and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. Maybe it is just because my marigolds are the most low maintenance thing in my life right now!


When I planted my flowers this spring, I wanted my garden to be a place of inspiration to all who walk past it. Since I teach piano lessons in my home and also operate a beauty salon in my basement, there are a lot of individuals who have the opportunity to see my garden on their way into my house. Why not take advantage of that and bathe each one of them in God's Word?



Psalm 34 verses 1-3 are some of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. Here is what it says in The Amplified:


v1) I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.


v2) My life makes it's boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad.


v3) O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.



You wouldn't believe how many conversations about our Lord have sprung up from the vision people get of my garden! Isn't it wonderful? They see, they get inspired, they get joy-filled, they smile!

We bless Him together as we learn music. We boast of His goodness and loving-kindness as we explore new hairstyles. He is magnified in my home as I greet my visitors. What a perfect way to bring to fruition Psalm 34!



I have a calendar that I turn over every day. On the pages are inspirational words that touch my heart as I begin each new morning. Today, the words inspired me to take some photographs of my garden and share them with you.



Under each photo, I will place a caption from my calendar's verse today. I hope you are inspired just as my other visitors are as you, too, enjoy my garden of "smiles".

I Wish You

Some Quiet Time For Dreaming

An Unexpected Pleasure

Moments Filled With Beauty

May You Have A Day To Treasure!

Do All The Good You Can, By All The Means You Can

In All The Ways You Can, In All The Places You Can

At All The Times You Can, To All The People You Can

As Long As Ever You Can!

From My home to yours, Have a beautiful day in Jesus!

Love and Blessings,

Starr

Visit From An Old Friend

It's been two weeks since my six year old left to spend some time with my parents at the beach. The house has been so quiet. My eighteen year old son and my husband are both gone to work all day every day. I can't even remember the last time I had so much time alone. I sure miss my little guy, but I have become reacquainted with myself.

It's like meeting up with an old friend I haven't seen in years. I've missed her! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed spending time with her. She loves the Lord so much and we have had some enlightening conversations with and about Him. Together, we have discovered a fresh perspective on life.

She is quite humorous, too. I think her witty personality had gotten buried under a pile of junk since I'd last seen her, but it has emerged from the rubble and her joy is now shining through!

That long lost friend of mine is fun to be with. She likes to do all the things I enjoy, but haven't gotten around to in a while.

She likes to read...alot.

She likes to take long, quiet walks and talk to Jesus.

She likes to sit on the deck every morning, read her Bible, and eat a cup of strawberry yogurt.

She likes to play with her cat and her two dogs. (They have missed her, too.)

She likes to take an afternoon nap.

She adores her husband and lavishes him with attention.

She likes to light candles and watch television in the dark.

She likes to hang out with her girlfriends and giggle.

She likes to walk through the house singing at the top of her lungs.

She likes to dance when no one is looking.

She likes to visit the coffee shop and leisurely savor a grande decaf white chocolate caramel with whipped cream.

She likes to garden.

She likes to do "girly stuff" like polish her toenails and try on all the clothes in her closet.

She can even laugh at herself. (She is blond, you know, so she gets plenty of opportunities for that!)

She is just a big old kid at heart.

Now that our friendship has blossomed once again, I pray that we will never grow apart as we did before. I believe I will have a fuller, happier existence if I stay in touch with her this time.

My dear husband and I will be heading to the coast this week to reclaim our little beach bum. I cannot wait to grab his little self and squeeze real tight!

Oh yeah, and I'm taking my old friend with me. I think he will like her.



Thought for the day: I have to live with myself, so I want to be fit for myself to know.
Anonymous


Love and Blessings,
Starr