N is for NEAR

 

Today is brought to you by the letter N.  

It's another day in the A-Z Challenge and my theme is Attributes of God.

God is NEAR.  

Here is one of my fave Scriptures about God being near to us. 

There have been many times throughout my life....and I'm sure you can relate to this as well...where I have had a broken heart....my first crush in junior high school, my first real break-up as a young adult when I thought he would be "the one".....betrayal of a friend I can no longer trust....betrayal of former  church leaders who just broke our hearts with their responses to things we were alerting them to (this is not the time or space to share that story, but those of my new church leadership know all about it as do my spiritual mentors and  some close friends).....that kind of betrayal leaves us feeling crushed in spirit. 

Maybe you've gone through your own physical or emotional abuse and betrayals.  Maybe you've gone through a painful divorce or have had a child die or a child who no longer speaks with you....there are all kinds of situations that break our hearts. 

Maybe it's the current leadership in our nation or other political shenanigans.

Maybe it's today's culture or things you see happening in your country, state, county, city, suburb. 

 To forgive people who break our hearts takes a lot of inner work.  I can say I have forgiven people who have emotionally wounded me, but it's only because I know God had a better plan for me. And I know His Peace.  But it did take a LOT of work and seemed to take a long time.  

Yet God sees it.  He will bring justice one day if not now. 

Jesus is the Man that this Scripture talks about. 

And He loves us.  He is near to us.....just a whisper or a cry or a shout away.  He doesn't cringe from our pain. Anyone can be near to God if they just reach out. It doesn't matter who you are!  

God is Near. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I'm participating in this week's Hodgepodge.  Head here to jump in. I liked the questions this week and am waiting for someone to call me back before I jump in the shower so here goes.....

1. Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately? 

Yes we do our own.....meaning, Dave does them via Turbo Tax online. He's wicked smart and money savvy so it's always worked for us. Now that the mortgage is paid off and the girls made us empty nesters...and I'm officially retired from teaching...it's even easier and quicker! In fact, this was the first year we got a significant chunk back from both the fed and state! 

Something I've found "taxing" lately:  Listening to the complaints of a friend vs her trying to find the good in a situation.  Also the ridiculous A-Z Challenge I thought I'd finally do this year. Not sure I'd do this again. 

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. 

I tend to start packing 4-5 days before the actual leave time/day.  

I have learned (mainly from traveling to Europe and a plethora of camping trips from 1990-2008) and then packing to live in a cottage for 10 days from (2009-2021) to pack layers. I roll everything into sets.  Examples:  black jeans...lay them out on the bed with both legs together and place a rolled dress tee/shirt in middle with underwear inside the shirt.  Roll up Place in bottom of suitcase. I have a multi-layered suitcase so lighter things/pjs go in the zippered pouch and the middle gets the outfits. The bottom gets the shoes, jacket (usually a denim one and a hiking raincoat).  Roll everything!  You can fit a week's worth of clothing and toiletries into one large suitcase if you roll your stuff. 

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level? 

I used to make grilled cheese for the family for lunches almost every Saturday in the winter months.  Now, Dave and I will occasionally have one on a weekend or sometimes in the winter, on a Friday evening when I've made a pot of homemade tomato basil soup.  If I make grilled cheese in the summer months, I tend to put a slice of tomato and fresh basil leaves on it while cooking.  We really don't eat them that often anymore as I only eat hummus and fruit usually for lunch. 

4. There's a well known quote that says-

'A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John A. Shedd  

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? 

I think it depends on the season you are in.  Example: my 20s were a season of continued growth personally, with education (MS in EdPysch/Special Ed which is one heck of a rigourous year as I had a fellowship with an internship), starting the teaching career, beginning to date seriously, getting engaged, etc etc.   Constant growth emotionally and spiritually for sure. 

Then a period of wonderful honeymoon bliss but again personal growth and spiritual growth. 

During the parenting years, more  growth as a parent working full time, managing the home, etc etc. Learning what works what doesn't. 

Now I'm in a season of more spiritual growth (Because no Christ follower has fully "arrived" ...we are constantly learning and growing through Scripture study, prayer, meditation, church ministries, etc) ...this is a good thing! 

But as for marital growth...we are at such a good place.....Peace, stability, and yes we remain best friends 😊

5. Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

• Daffodils or tulips:  tulips! I mean come on, I live outside Albany NY....we have Tulip Fest soon! Plus mine are finally coming up!
• lemonade or iced tea: decaf, unsweetened sun tea (I love peach) but lemonade is good too and I make my dad's recipe.  Store bought is just SO MUCH sugar!!
• gardening or hiking :  Um. Do you really need to ask? hahah  for those of you who don't come here often: I founded and operate a hiking group for adults ages 21 and older and for a select few families with children, called SoulSteps. We hike from mid-March to mid-December.  I often 1-2 hikes per week June-October and weekly March-May; Nov/Dec. This year, for the first time I'm trying my hand at deck gardening (containers).  I have buttercrunch lettuce coming up!! and I'm growing a type of short sunflowers that do best in pots. We shall see if I'm successful. I'm really not a gardner. 
• ladybugs or butterflies :  Dragonflies.  So butterflies but I like ladybugs, too! 
• umbrella or raincoat: it's NY. Both. but  when hiking, I pack a rolled up very lightweight hiking raincoat. not an umbrella. 😂
• floral patterns or polka dots : floral, but more on the bohemian side. I own several Natural Life pieces of clothing.  Link is here. Highly recommend their stuff if you're into the artsy/1970s/bohemian look like I prefer for spring and summer. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It finally feels like spring here in NYS! 

M is for Mighty

 

Today is the letter M in the A-Z Challenge.  I'm writing on the Attributes of God and so for today, I chose the word MIGHTY.

God is MIGHTY. 

Probably the most "famous", most recognized Scripture about God being Mighty is the prophecy of Isaiah when he talks about Jesus coming to earth (years later!) as being "Mighty God".  It reads like this:  (and yes, Messiah by Handel has a song with this Scripture...you know it as The Hallelujah Chorus). 

Here's a song we sometimes sing in my church: 

God is all powerful and Mighty!!

L is for Love

 

Today's letter is L for the A-Z April Writing Challenge.   Head to this blog to learn more. 

The theme I chose for this challenge, is "The Attributes of God".  

God is Love. 

His love is everlasting and unconditional.  

He loves ALL people and He created us in His image. 

There is nothing you can do to make God stop loving you!

And God wants us  to share His love with others.  He wants us to love our neighbor (anyone who is different from us) as we want to be loved. 

Why is that so hard for people to understand??

And He sent us Jesus, His Son, to experience life as a human here on earth. 

It's because of this, that we celebrate Christmas!

And because of this, that we recognize Good Friday....

....He loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son Jesus on a cross to take away our sins and pay the penalty of that sin.  

And He loves us so much that He made it possible for Jesus to rise from the  dead and live forever!

This is why we have Easter.

And He loves us oh so very much, that He will one day return to this Earth and make all things right and new.  A new heaven and a new earth will happen and for those of us who have a relationship with Him...who know Him by confessing our sins and following His ways, we too will live forever.