Fun!

Bluebonnet season is here!
I wanted to get a new photo for my blog site.

Taking pictures in the Bluebonnets would seem so simple.

But ... it's not.

Waiting for the right flower height,
a sunny day with no rain,
and no wind

can be a feat,
with only about a two week window of opportunity,
to boot.

Texas will seem dry as a bone
until the Bluebonnets come out.
April showers bring April flowers
in Texas,
regardless of what you've heard.

 

The day arrived.

And I thought you might be interested to see the fun

Bluebonnet Bloopers!

 

 

Not quite ready ...
 and are you sure you can't see the Tigger beach towel I'm sitting on?



Not quite ready ... and starting to get a little aggravated here ...
and the sun is so bright.



Oh, the wind ...



Repairing the wind damage ...



The wind again! More aggravated ...

 



Praying for the nightmare to end!

My attitude began going South
and
smelled a little like this ...

 

 

 

but we'll focus on the flower.

And then,

lo and behold,

you finally get a decent picture

but humidity has definitely taken hold ...
and this is partly why people think women in Texas
have big hair.
H-U-M-I-D-I-T-Y

 

 



 

And you realize the first one taken was basically the best.
Why didn't you just stop there?
Mercy.
(the lesson is never learned)
 



First one taken.

**

 

Another funny thing around our household ...

I have a ceramic eagle that I use throughout my book

in reference to a "bad gift."
See below ...

 

I had taken it down for a speaking engagement,

and look what filled its place ...

 



Day 1

Day 2

 



Aslan, our cat, is beginning to become a fixture around here.

 

**

 

Then, this little thing was just inches from me this week,

adding a new dimension to:

"if it had been a snake, it would have bit me!"

It's just a baby diamondback water snack ... I mean snake.

Don't worry ...
it's safe and sound
miles down the road!

**
 

The year's first scorpion was discovered

in Karalee's room.

She slept in Katelyn's room that night!
Unfortunately, it's not safe and sound.
And unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it,
but I do have a picture of the tiniest one we found last year ...
it's so tiny, it's almost cute:

This is a piece of a regular sized paper towel.

  

Oh, and I have a new article out in

WMU's Mission Mosaic magazine

titled,

"Bridging the Gap:

Friendships that Cross Age Lines."

If you'd like to order one,

go here.
I had the sweet chance to write about a very dear friend,
who is like an older sister to me ...

Ronda and me. And this is what humidity does to my hair
when I don't dry it with a hair dryer.

 

We went to Disney back in February.
I never had a chance to post any photos,
so here is my favorite photo ...

Pooh, me, and Tigger (hee, hee!) at the end of a very long day.
The best thing about this photo ... I didn't have to wait in line,
deal with the rain or the wind!

 

Blessings,
Shelli 

 

 





Platform

When my grandmother passed away a year ago,

I knew I had to speak at her funeral.

Knowing it would be difficult,

the temptation came to leave the speaking solely to the pastor.

But God gave me a sweet word over her.

I heard,

and after a brief moment of,

"No, no, no"

and then laughter and smiles,

I had to obey Him.

And I wanted to ...

for Him and her.

 

The funeral came,

and as I got up on that platform to speak -
 

the platform that ...

I had seen and heard my grandfather lead singing from,

teaching me the words to "Heaven Came Down" ...

the platform that ...

I had stood on in a little country church as a child visitor for VBS and

looked out to see and hear my grandmother sitting in the pew singing ...

the platform that ...

is next to the kitchen door that

I had walked through that I had always heard and I know houses the best made

chicken and dumplings that only those precious folks on this side of Heaven
know how to make ...

and oh, my grandmother could make chicken and dumplings ...

that special little church platform -
 

I looked down to see my beloved's precious body laying before me ...

in the precious light pink casket she herself picked out.

 

  

Overwhelm swallowed me,

and tears began to flow.

My heart was broken.

Life would not be the same without her.

My world had changed.

I grasped my face in my hands.

 

Only seconds of quietness passed,

and I heard a voice praying out loud for me.

I knew who it was ...

I knew the voice ...

I didn't even have to look up.

The voice was ...
Mom's.

She began interceding for me.

I listened.

 

Her precious intercession enabled me

to regroup and ...

persevere.
 

 

 

 

I have to add that her sister, Margarett,

sitting beside her,

had near heart failure when Mom broke out in prayer.

And every opportunity I receive to speak on surviving hardships

and my mom is present,

I am tickled to pieces to caution the audience that ...

she will start praying out loud for me if she has to ...
if I need intercession;

and after all, it's only fair that I caution them.

"If she starts praying out loud,

don't be afraid.

She will do it.

She will do it!"
(Feel free to hear my Texas twang; won't bother me one bit.)

 

And I am tickled to pieces that I can count on her to do just that.

She's my momma of all.

 

***

 

When we are going through that hardship

that hurts so much ...

we don't know how we are going to make it

or how we are going to fare on the other end ...

when that platform hurts so much ...

that platform of loss
that platform of pain
that platform of guilt
that platform of abuse
that platform of blame
that platform of illness
that platform of disease
that platform of heartache
 

when our eyes are swollen from crying,

and we can't seem to lift our faces from our hands ...

we are going to hear our Father's voice.

And we will hear ...

Heaven Came Down.

And we'll listen.

We won't even have to look up.

We'll know it's

Him.

 

 

And we'll be able to regroup and ...

persevere.



Realize

Recent appendicitis afforded me a glorious trip ...

in an ambulance.

The two EMTs were delightful,

handled me with care,
and transferred me from hospital bed to stretcher
as though I weighed no more than a mere leaf.

I wasn't in tremendous pain on the trip

from one hospital ER location to the main hospital.

No major bumps in the road.

The ride was smooth.

The trip was peaceful.

Arriving at the hospital, the red carpet rolled out ...

medical people came from every location to meet me at the door ...

to offer aid ...

to care for me.
I felt so important.

I couldn't offer thanks enough.

 

Weeks later ...

my husband said,

"I had a hard time keeping up with the ambulance."

I said, "What? Really? The sirens weren't on."

 

He said, "The lights were on."

 

I had no idea.

I didn't feel I was an extreme emergency.

I didn't realize they were treating me that way.

In my mind, they were simply driving me to the other location.

Little did I know that the lights were on.

 

Thinking back,

I realized I never felt us stop at an intersection ...

We didn't stop.

We sailed smoothly through every intersection

and didn't stop until we safely reached the main hospital.

It all made sense.

 

***

At Easter ...

we should realize we are important to God.

Much is going on behind the scenes ...

that we may or may never realize.

It may be years before we realize

something God has done on our behalf ...

 

to offer aid

to keep us safe

to handle us with care

to offer peace

to show His love

to make a way

to accomplish His purpose in us

to accomplish His purpose

***

 

Have you ever been given a gift you didn't realize?
You didn't understand?
A dear friend once gave me a gift ...
a bracelet.
And it's one of the sweetest presents

I've ever received ...

handmade and presented, in love, by a dear friend.

However, when I first evaluated it, I didn't realize it ...
I didn't understand it.
 

 

 

 

She quickly explained it to me.
She helped me realize it.
It all made sense.
And she included instructions in the bracelet package ...
to help me always remember.

Start on the left to realize the meaning with me ...

 

There were 3 wise men

who saw a star in the East.

They took 3 gifts to ...
 the King.

He was a Carpenter

and a Fisherman.

He had 12 Disciples that He taught

the Truth.

He shed His blood

on the Cross

and died for our sins.

In 3 days He rose from the dead

and ascended to the Heavens

and now sits at the right hand of God.

And He did all of this for LOVE.

 

This is what Jesus did for you and me.

The Father had the plan ...

The Son carried out the plan ...

It all makes sense ...

 

We were an emergency

and the light was turned on ...

 for us ...

 

to offer aid

to keep us safe

to handle us with care

to offer peace

to show His love

to make a way

to accomplish His purpose in us

to accomplish His purpose

 

Jesus is a beautiful present.

Jesus is the light.
Instructions were left, God's Word,
handmade and presented
by the One
who yearns to be our dearest friend
to help us realize what He did for us and why ...

 

Accept Him.

Seek Him.

Love Him.

Meet with Him.

Sail with Him.

Work with Him.

Roll out the red carpet for Him.

Thank Him.

 

It only makes sense.

 

Celebrate Easter!

He is Risen!
Remember.
Realize.

 



Stiff-hand

God spoke this over my heart recently.

When we give something, someone, or a situation our total focus ...

we are taking our focus off God.

It's a straight ticket ...
a straight spiral down to ...
depression.
And since it does not sound like a tropical location,
I, for one, do not want to go there.

 

My recent appendectomy left me too sick to be there for my cat, Lucy's death.

From lack of strength,
I could barely hold her when she was on her last breath.

But life went on.
The world didn't stand still.

A few days later,
I was stronger,

and I got to thinking about her ...
the whole situation.

 

I started bawling.

I wanted to.

I wanted to dive right into the situation.

I wanted to give it my total focus.
And get out of my way.
Don't dare hold me back.

 

I looked at myself in the mirror and said:

"Shelli, WHAT are you doing?

What ARE you doing?"

I realized.

 

You see, it starts out so innocent.

I began to ask,
"Why couldn't she have lived until I was stronger?"

"Why couldn't I have had just one more good day with her?"
"Why couldn't I have been there for her passing?"

(And this can be applied to my grandmother's passing a year ago, as well) 

 

And it goes from an innocent
"why?"

 - to -

"WHY?"
with a stiff hand ...
and ...

a glare in our eye and a grit in our teeth.

Matthew 6: 19-21, 24 says:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where moth and rust do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
...
No one can serve two masters.

Either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to one and despise the other."

 

If our thoughts and our talk are consumed with
our problems,
leaving God out of the equation,
we've been robbed.

Why?

God's Word says we can't love both.

If we give our hardships total focus

- the love -

more than likely, we will despise God for them.
 

 And though our total focus on our hardships
may not be intentional love;

we are undeniably showing them,
by total focus,
the love.

 

We must have proper balance ...

 

for sanity ...

for peace of mind ...
for obedience ...
for protection ...
for trust ...
for love ...

We must focus on God

and purpose to see our hardships
... in His light
... in His hand.

 

 

Sticks



"Hobbies?" asked our daughter.

"Yes, many older people get a hobby of some sort when they retire."

(And we mull over a list of assorted hobbies and

examples our older friends have displayed.)
 

"Dad already has a hobby," she exclaimed.

"What?"

"Pick up sticks."

We laughed ourselves silly!

 

Five ... Six ... Pick up sticks.

(Go ahead and sing!)

 

She was so cute and accurate.

We have many trees on our property.

 

Limbs are continually falling ... big ones ...
 

 

and small ones ...

 

 

And it's not uncommon to see my husband walking with a stick,

an armful of wood,

or driving the lawn mower with the trailer full of wood.

Sometimes my daughter drives the mower

and points out sticks for my husband to pick up.

And they have a glorious time doing that!

 

Picking up the big sticks - logs - can hurt.

They hurt the back.

They hurt the gut.

And there are ones called "widow-makers" ...

if they fall on you,

they kill you.

And gloves are necessity because of snakes.

Yes, walking the property takes alertness and caution.

 

They take all the sticks - wood - to a burn pile.

Huge ones that lap over the pit ...

and small ones.

And when that pile gets really big, we burn it.

That is a great time for S'mores!

And that is a great time to call friends over.

 

But it reminded me of all the sticks we pick up ...

All the sticks we carry and never lay down ...

 

Sticks of fear ...
Sticks of regret ...

Sticks of failure ...

Sticks of ugliness ...

Sticks of resentment ...
Sticks of abandonment ...

Sticks of discouragement ...

 



“Come to me,

all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11: 28-29

 

Seven ... Eight ... Lay them straight.

 

What sticks have we unintentionally picked up?

What sticks are we carrying?

What sticks need to be laid down?

We must lay them straight.

 

Take those sticks to the burn pile.

Refuse to let them hurt your gut.

Don't let them kill you.

Lay them straight down.

Burn them.

Take them to God.

Call Family-in-Christ and celebrate.
 

Rest.

Nine ... Ten ... Begin Again.

Thank you, Father God, for new beginnings.

(Caution: Picking them up again will only cause burn. Resist.)

Cross references:

1. Matthew 11:27 : S Mt 28:18
2. Matthew 11:27 : S Jn 3:35
3. Matthew 11:27 : Jn 10:15; 17:25, 26
4. Matthew 11:28 : Jn 7:37
5. Matthew 11:28 : Ex 33:14
6. Matthew 11:29 : Jn 13:15; Php 2:5; 1Pe 2:21; 1Jn 2:6
7. Matthew 11:29 : Ps 116:7; Jer 6:16

 

Spiders

 

"The cupboard under the stairs was full of them,"

I heard my daughter reading from Harry Potter.
(hear the British accent there)

Then ...

"Mom! Harry had to sleep with spiders!"
She laughed and had the heebie jeebies simultaneously.

I grinned, then said:

"We all do!

We just don't always see them.
We don't always realize they're there."
(and her daddy just killed a spider in her room the previous day)

 

 

Oh, spiders are definitely there,
especially when you live in Texas.
They are in every corner, in the garage, dangling out of trees ...
What would we do without the exterminator?
 

Before submitting my book to the publisher,

I was working hard in our office.
I edited until my eyes were literally bruised.

Barefoot in summer,
I had one leg propped up on the chair I was sitting in.

As soon as I put my foot down on the hardwood floor ...

tinge of pain.

I looked down to see the culprit,

but my reading glasses made for minimal visibility.
My first thought: scorpion?

I yanked my glasses off, looked down ...

and there was a squashed spider.

Huge.
It was a suicide biter ...
it chose to bite me and take a foot on the way down over life.
In that whole room ...
the spider had to be right under where my foot would touch down ...
are you kidding me?
What are the odds?

Chills went up and down my spine.

I grabbed the squashed spider up in a napkin

and walked limping out the house to the back property to show my husband,

milking out the injury for all it was worth.

Tingles went all over my foot and lower leg.

We googled it and found it named: "Rabid Wolf Spider."

And it was poisonous.

 

I had just had an encounter with an eerie computer virus

while trying to get my book to the publisher ...

heard an eerie laugh come across my computer speaker

sounding like what I would envision - the devil himself.

That incident led me to pen "his viral voice" in my book when mentioning the enemy.

And now, a spider bite.

 

The enemy is so there.
 He'll bite you and take a foot on the way down over life.

We may not see him,

but he's there to whisper into our ears with his viral voice ...
Poison -
 

Our failures

Our shortcomings

Our past

You should have ...

You should have been ...

You can't do this ...
You don't deserve this ...
You will not do this ...

 

Oh, the critter's there ...
he's there ...

hiding under the bed ...

hiding in the corners ...

brazen enough to be right under our feet,

at our fingertips,

and crawling over us in our sleep.

 

When you give that spider your total focus,
when you sit down beside him,

you'll be looking straight at arachnophobia.

You'll be fearful.

Peace will be absent.
Tangled ...
Ensnared ...
 

We can't give the enemy our total focus.
God deserves our total focus,

and we'd better not lend it to anything or anyone else ...

especially not the spider.

 

Oh, the spider is there all right.

But more importantly ...

God is there.
Focus.

Focus on God.

Replace the enemy's lies with God's Word - the truth.

 

When God offers so much wonderful ...
(Yes, I'm using "wonderful" as a noun ... wink!)
 

 

Basket of assorted cat toys.

Why would we focus on that one?

 

 



 

Mind what you see, what you read, what you hear, what you touch ...
Oh, be careful.
Focus on God.

That is the Raid - the exterminator - that will knock out
that spider, that prowler, that intruder

and squash him like the bug he is. 

 

Don't leave your intentions hollow
When temptation comes to wallow
Focus on the ONE to FOLLOW 

 

Unexpected

 

Forgive me.
It's unexpectedly been a while since I've written.

I unexpectedly found myself in the ER for an emergency appendectomy.

My appendix was spreading infection throughout my abdomen,
and it hadn't even ruptured.

That was totally unexpected.
I was unaware an appendix could do that.
Going in, all I knew was that there was a "soft mass" visible,
and something was blocking the view of my appendix.
Well, you know where my mind went.
But my precious surgeon put my mind at ease by stating,
"Shelli, this is not cancer;
this is your appendix spreading infection."
Praising the Lord she was right.
And what do you do when your anesthesiologist tells you to
think of the best dream ever? ...
Pray.
Waking to hear an infection from my appendix
was blocking the view of my appendix and
displacing minor organs was truly good news.

Recovery?
I've always heard people say:
it's harder to recover from surgery the older you get ...

They are right.

 

 

About to enter an ambulance to be transferred to the main hospital ...
an unexpectedly pleasant ride.

Arriving home from the hospital,
I was unexpectedly greeted at the mailbox by a copy of my cover story in
WMU's Mission Mosaic magazine.
It had escaped my memory due to sickness.
My article is titled Cultivating Faithfulness: WMU in the Philippines.
If you'd like a copy, it is the April 2014 edition.
Go here to order.

 

After arriving home from the hospital,
our beloved cat, Lucy, unexpectedly took a turn for the worse.
Oh, her health had been steadily declining,
but the timing seemed so horrid.
I was sick several days prior to surgery,
and I could tell she wasn't feeling well either.
Her eyes squinted. She was probably in pain.
She followed me everywhere, and she always wanted in my lap.
It got to the point if I went to another room,
I'd carry her with me.
She would just follow anyway.
I knew her strength was diminishing.
I was too weak to go to the vet with my family to have her put to sleep;
and I couldn't even walk out for her funeral that day.
My heart was broken.
I did not expect to love her so much.
But she had really grown on me.
I feel her brother, Aslan, is lost without her for the time being.
But I am so thankful to God for our precious eight years with her.




Lucy is the calico. Her brother, Aslan, is the orange tabby.

My baby girl also turned 14 after I came home from the hospital.
This was not unexpected,
but I had expected to plan a party for her.
I had to release my expectations
and allow my other daughter and my husband to take over all birthday preparations!
 That was not easy.
But I had no choice.
And she was a darling.

 

 

I spoke at a ladies' retreat this last weekend on surviving hardships.
After surgery, I didn't do much of anything or go hardly anywhere until the retreat ...
except for doctor appointments.
I knew I had to save my energy and be well.
God showed up as expected, but the degree of His love is always a little unexpected.
And then you smile and remember His faithfulness.

My mother and my oldest daughter went with me to help me out.
My daughter unexpectedly won the grand door prize of ...
a night for two at the hotel I spoke at!
Woohoo!
She says she is taking me with her ...
a night out for mom and daughter
when I am better.

I could never have made it through this time without God's love,
my beloved family, and the body of Christ.
You never expect to have to depend on people this much,
but what a blessing when they come through in such an amazing way.
And I'm so grateful.

 

 

Anything unexpected in your life?

Voice

The girls and I have been studying active and passive voice today.

I love teaching them because the truth is ...

I have much to learn.

 

Active voice is when the subject is doing the action.

Passive voice is when the subject is receiving the action.

Example:
The cat bit Shelli. (active)
Shelli was bit by the cat. (passive)
Whether the subject or object, Shelli has been injured.

 

Sometimes it feels like life is spinning out of control.

Sometimes it feels like we can only take what comes.

Sometimes it feels like we are stuck in a passive world.

Sometimes it feels like we have no voice.

 

When your household remains sick for a lengthy time ...

When a pet begins losing weight and a reason never seems to come ...

When the household chores never seem to end ...

When you keep forgetting that one grocery item ...

When you wish you could see your loved one who is moving just once more ...

When necessity takes over and the things you desire to do are set aside ...

When you just can't seem to catch up ....

 

But one thing I've learned through the years ...

We can't look through our own eyes.

We must see through eternal eyes.

 

So when life feels rough ...
You feel lowly ...

You don't know which way to turn ...

You feel like you are just inches from drowning ...

And that time is slipping like sand through your hands ...

 

 

Remember Someone has your back.

 

 

When God is on your heart's throne ...

Relax.

Because God is active.

He is not passive.

God is ...

 

God is good ... to you.

God is loving ... to you.

God is caring ... to you.

God is forgiving ... to you.

God is teaching ... you.

God is working all things together for good ... for you.

God is a mighty warrior ... for you.

God is a shield ... for you.

God is a voice ... for you.

God is ...

And that list and action never ends.
 

GOD IS GOOD

That goodness seems to encapsulate everything that

God is.

 

God loves you.
You are loved by God.
You are the active subject and object of God's affection.

Receive.

 

And use your precious voice to ...

Praise Him

Thank Him

Brag on Him

Voice, "I love you."

 



Deception

But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed

I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.

Jonah 2:9 

 

When our daughter Karalee was tiny, we met my husband for a lunch date.

Outside his workplace in the car, we waited for his grand arrival.

Since he was active duty in the U.S. Air Force, he proudly sported his military camouflage uniform. Karalee couldn’t wait for her daddy to walk out.

The problem was … she was looking to identify him by his uniform.

I couldn’t help but get tickled and even a tiny bit embarrassed because
every man who came out wearing a uniform was
her daddy!

A man would walk out of the building, and she’d shout, “Daddy!” Not “daddy.”

The next man would walk out, and again she would shout, “Daddy!” Not “daddy.”

Only one of those men walking out was her daddy,

but she was so easily, unintentionally deceived.

 

Notice in this verse Jonah adds, “Salvation comes from the Lord.”

God spoke hugely to me on this aspect. I suddenly realized:

We often look to idols to save us.

Like Eve, we are deceived.

We exchange God’s salvation for hopes of an idol’s salvation.

The sad part is an idol can never save; only God can save.

We elevate things or people to a position only God deserves and look to those things to somehow save us.

In turn, we place our faith and trust in them.

 

            God certainly gained my attention through this,

and maybe He gained yours, as well.

Is there anything you unintentionally place above God for salvation?

Is there something you are clinging too tightly in your hand?

 

There are many possibilities–family, relationships, desire to be married, money, higher education, new job, success, affirmation, weight loss, physical healing;

the list is endless.

Remember, these things are not bad.

They are all good things; but never look to them for salvation.

Remove them from your heart’s pedestal;

keep them in proper perspective.
Hold them loosely.

 

An idol is really Satan’s lie.

We unintentionally step on that spiral down

when we buy into the lie that anything other than God can save.

We soon realize we’ve been robbed by Satan. Deceived.

But make no mistake–Satan is intentional.

Never forget there is only one Savior.  

 

And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;

for I am God, and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:21-22

 

Do not be deceived.

Turn to God; He promises to grant strength and comfort. He will save.

He will change us from the inside out and give us

a glimpse of what it is like to know

 true love, loyalty, and faithfulness.

Put Him above all else, and we will be miraculously transformed.

Let us take ourselves and our problems out of our own mental spotlight.

Let’s hop right out of the equation.

Let us give God His deserving place–first place. 

 

 

Paraphrased excerpt taken from: A Gift Worth Keeping: It Goes with my Décor!
By Shelli Littleton

Copyright 2013



(in)courage

The heat is intolerable.

Her face is flushed.

Her little cheeks look like lollipops, white with red centers.

And the little stick supporting that lollipop is nearly collapsing from over use.  

 

Layer after layer has been peeled away.

 

That baby girl is a cancer survivor.

Our baby girl.

I am a guest writer on Dayspring's (in)courage website today.

Be blessed! 

Head over to (in)courage to read more!

 

 

 



Champions

Our dear friends are moving.

I am heart-broken.

Yet, I'm so excited for them (I can't quite use an exclamation point yet).

They aren't moving to another city or another state.

They are moving overseas.

 

They are brave.

And they take the truth:
"I can do all things through Christ"

And clasp it in their precious, moldable hands.

 

We had one last weekend together.

We possibly won't see them for two to three years.

Our kids have grown up together.

She has three boys; I have two girls

But they love each other with a love I have yet to see among most kids.

Our girls cry their hearts out when they have to be separated.

 

And my friend ...

I was determined I didn't need a friend when God brought her into my life.

I determined I only needed Jesus.

And He blessed me with her ...

Just because He can.

 

This post is to say a temporary goodbye

To the most precious family I never tire of ...

To the ones who love me when I say ridiculous things ...

To the ones who love me when I don't know what I think about anything ...

To the ones who love me unconditionally in spite of me.

To the ones who love me even when I spit on their French fries.

Because ...

They have a Jesus kind of love.

 

Their path won't be easy.

But God will bless them in the journey ...

Just because He can.

Trust God's path to victory!

Run like the champions you are through Christ.

And meet Him at the throne to receive the victor's crown.

 

My precious friends. They are like my little brother and little sister. Aren't they gorgeous?! 

Me with my "little sister" ... she is ten years younger than I am, but that didn't phase her one bit!

Our kids ... my girls, her boys.

Good friends.

Our whole gang!

Our whole silly gang!



Choose

When pain pierces into your heart and your head

And sadly, you see where your choices have led

And undoubtedly, you have made your own bed

And you wonder about shelter or will you be fed

And you're tired of a hand out and begging for bread

And you grow weary of tears from living with dread

And being surrounded by the living dead

And you're tired of happiness dependent on meds

And you're tired of finances forever written in red
And you're tired of two steps backwards, only one step ahead

And you're tired of being tired, no strength, not a shred
And you're tired of hanging on by a very thin thread

And you're contemplating relief from a cartridge of lead

 

Choose Jesus instead
 

Born in a lowly manger bed

The disciples He led

5,000 He fed
A price on His head

Sweat drops of red

Up to Calvary was led

Suffered and bled
His blood freely shed
Punished for sin in our stead

Rose 3 days from the dead

The Bridegroom to wed

Our daily bread
Who hates sin, every shred

Who loves you, every thread

Will judge the living and dead
 

Jesus ...

No more tears, no more dread
You will not be misled

And everybody said?



Amen.

By Shelli Littleton Copyright 2014