PERFECTION?!?!

I realize something!...

I want everything to be perfect! I've had this blog, and ~REALLY~ want it to be an instrument through which God's Spirit can flow and touch people...BUT, I've been letting Satan lie to me :(  I haven't been posting all of these wonderful songs God's given me over the years, because I obsess over perfection!

I set-out to record songs (way more often than you would think) sit, play, sing, record it, etc...than when I watch it I think, "Yuck, I sound pitchy" or "Oh my goodness! I act so ridiculous" or "Jeez, my timing is sorta' off" or "I look so stupid!"  and "I have no idea what I'm doing on the guitar!" and so on, and so on,  and so on!

                       

So, PLEASE keep me in your prayers! I know that the songs God has given me are EXACTLY THAT...gifts from God! It says in James 1:17
"Every good and perfect gift is from above". 

I am gonna ~GO FOR IT~

 I don't want to hold back! I'm not trying to impress anyone!These songs have given me hope, love,  joy, encouragement,
 and lots more! If there is the possibility that God might use just one of them to touch just one of you, than I am honored and humbled! I know that THAT puts a smile on my Father's face :)

"Slowin' Down"

Bloopers!...Epic fail!

"Beneath Your Wings"

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW, AND GET A "GLIMPSE" OF ME!...

http://youtu.be/Lft9bjhZuxY

~StormMaker~

In My Father's Arms

This is my sweet, little Juniper Rose.

I walked into the living room, tonight, and saw her in her father's arms. I have to admit...today I was feeling lonely, different, sad,... I turned the corner, and  there it was...the perfect picture of rest, comfort, security, belonging, love...

Recently when I was struggling with the same sort of feelings...rejection, loneliness, like I don't fit-in, just plain sad, etc...  I know the feelings are ridiculous, and know that satan's usually trying to take advantage of my insecurities. So, I started talking to God. He painted a beautiful picture for me and I'll never let go of it...

Imagine the King of All Kings sitting on His throne...mighty, powerful, Holy, everything amazing. How could I even be worthy of smiling at Him?! Oh my gosh, there I am...being ushered in by Jesus. His hands gently nudging me across the throne room floor. I'm like an embarassed little girl . Than Jesus says it!... "Here is Your daughter. Isn't she beautiful?!" I'm not sure if I should be ashamed, or brave enough to jump at Him and get lost in His embrace forever. Jesus, His Only Son, nudges me once more with His gentle hands and it's then that I know... I am His beautiful daughter! He loves me and not the love of anyone else will ever compare to His. In His arms I find where I belong. Because of Jesus, taking me into the throne room, taking me to the Father, making me beautiful... because of Jesus I can rest peacefully in my Father's Arms.

"Thank you Father, for Your Son. Thank you for Your love, and for always being there to wrap Your arms around me. Thank you for never being too busy on Your throne High and Lifted Up; to bend down, pick me up, and let me rest in Your arms."

(God's piecing this together in a song, for me. Hoping It's finished soon, so I can post it.)

"Sweet As Honey"

This is the first song I ever wrote. It makes it sorta' evident that my parents were hippies, and I grew-up listening to Peter, Paul, and Mary...along with other folk music icons!

Lately I've been thinking about what exactly makes a home, a home. Ever been to a house that's full of expensive things, but you don't seem to enjoy being there? I got to thinking...if I took a cardboard box and put lots of fancy, expensive things in it, would I enjoy it more? Take that same cardboard box and put all my special things inside of it, things I love, things that mean something to me...now I'm going to enjoy that box!!! I'd rather be in a cardboard box with the things that matter to me, than live in a mansion without them!

The things that matter to me???...My husband, my children, my Bible, my guitar, gifts my friends and family have made me, little things that remind me of my path through this life and all of God's mercies! It may just be a rock from my "Little Man" or something someone saw and it made them "Think of me"...it's the love behind things that make them matter, not the price tag.

Let me just say...I have 5 children, 2 cats (4 new kittens as of last night!), and a big dog! Okay, all that being said, our home is a little less than 800 sq. ft.!!! I mean it redefines the term ~small~. People think I'm silly and being modest when I say how little our house is...then they come visit! What never ceases to amaze me, though, is how many people love being here in the middle of my "Crammed Chaos". How do other people feel "Peace" and "Joy" in my little "Cardboard Box"?!!! Pondering that causes me to ask, what is so cozy about my LITTLE SPACE? Well, It's like that cardboard box...the one filled with lots of special things. The most special thing I've got in this box is God's love! So no matter how tiny, how loud, how messy, or how cheap our cardboard boxes are...make sure God's love is there, and light will beam from every crack, crevice, and corner! Light that gives the greatest warmth to a home!..Light that offers hope and healing from inside even a "Cardboard box"!!!

Be blessed in your home and may others be blessed there, too.

AROMAS

Oh, the smell!!!

It occurred to me, this morning, (as

I was smelling the cinnamon in 

 my coffee) that smells totally ~DO~

something for me!... For all of us women, right?! I sleep in my husband's t-shirts because the smell of him is comforting :)

Each day I carefully choose which oil, or perfume, I wear based upon how I feel (or want to feel).

I sniff my babies ...

 

and their toes,

 

 the night air when I step outside,...

And we all know how a simple candle can make us feel soothed, relaxed, energized, and much much more...

... I even wrote my very first song inspired by the sweet, sweet smell of honey I was putting in my tea!

If you wanna' listen, here it is...

Okay, now, back to the moment with my coffee cup, again!!! After all the thoughts of things I enjoy smelling, a worship song came to mind..."Let our voices rise like incense, let them be as sweet perfume..." Hmmmm, I wonder... are there smells that actually ~DO~ something for God! Could I actually smell pleasing to God? " So, I head over to the computer and begin to search "aroma"  on http://www.biblegateway.com/

~WOW~

ya' know, I found the word "aroma" 39 times in the Old Testament! Each pertaining to sacrifices/offerings, and the aromas being pleasing (or not) to the Lord! My voice is rising like incense, a sacrifice/offering to the Lord. Imagine that!... MY VOICE a pleasing aroma to  God!...  

I wonder what it ~Does~ for Him?!

Do I see my worship as a real sacrifice/offering for Him? When I worship is it centered around me, or Him? How often do we look for some "Good Worship", in a church service, so that we will "Get something out of it" like the feeling from being in His presence. Don't get me wrong... that feeling is undeniably incomparable to any other!!!... but,  maybe from now on we should be wondering... "What is my Savior getting out of it?".  Does my worship smell as good, to God, as my coffee does to me....

Is my song as pleasing to Jesus, as the smell of lavender is to me...

"We bring the sacrifice of praise into the House of the Lord"

 "Let our voices rise like incense, let it be as sweet perfume" 

 (Hope I smell good)

UNDER MY KITCHEN SINK...

Okay, so I have this Bible verse which I painted, under my kitchen sink, when we first moved into our house. Of course, it's painted THERE, since that is where I spend most of my time :)

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

EVERYONE WANTS TO SUCCEED!

Something I love about this verse, is that it doesn't say ~DO~ whatever the Lord says, and your plans will succeed. I don't know about you, but I'm not always sure what He wants me to do. Obviously, if we do what the Lord says, we succeed, but yet it says ~COMMIT~ to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.  So, I looked-up the word commit in the dictionary, and the definition is "To consign; entrust." Then searched for consign... "To set apart, as for a special use or purpose." Hmmm, now, entrust..."To give over (something) to another for care, protection, or performance."

So, if we ...

~set apart whatever we do for the Lord's use/give what we're doing over to Him for His purpose... than our plans will succeed~

It has to do with our INTENTIONS! How many times have we been unsure and asking God to show us what He wants us to do?! Even better yet, how many times have we SINCERELY THOUGHT we knew what God wanted, and been wrong :(

 He knows our intentions :)

He knows whether we are truly seeking Him, and His ways, or whether we are seeking our own way. He knows when we want HIM to be glorified or when WE are seeking glory.

I think this is exciting! It takes so much pressure off! Thinking that I have to be perfect is horrifying!!! But, doing what is right, is "Setting apart, whatever we are doing, for the Lord's use/giving what we are doing, over to Him for His purpose"! It's our intentions that matter, not our perfection!

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Proverbs 16:3