by Sharon O | Feb 15, 2018 | Uncategorized
Another look of love for us to explore is the ways we use the word love.
Often times we find ourselves saying, “I love a good cup of coffee, or I really love good chocolate.”
It makes sense and is perfectly fine to say those comments; but wouldn’t it be better to use a different word than love?
Love is a powerful word.
Couldn’t we use a word like, “I really enjoy a good cup of coffee.” That makes more sense and it’s personal sharing… rather than using a love word loosely.
It tends to minimize the powerful meaning of love.
The first example, “God so LOVED the world that He gave…”
That is meaningful and it is personal. Because He loved us… deep within who He is, He chose to give something personal and meaningful to us.
When I look up the meaning in the dictionary it says:
a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
It is from a heart place where we use the word love.
I would much rather hear someone use descriptive words than the word of love.
The word love is used 686 times in the bible which tells me it is pretty significant to God.
[Psalm 44:26
Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.]
[Psalm 57:10
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.]
[Psalm 59:16
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.]
There are many more examples of LOVE.
I am just sharing a few that bring depth and strength to the word.
[Psalm 66:20
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!]
[Psalm 103:8
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.]
Are you getting the point yet? when we say ‘we love’ something it attaches itself to a commitment.
In relationships if we say we love each other, it says, above everyone else, this is important.
We think of February as the love month but really any month we speak of love in action is a love month.
December could be a love month because we find gifts from our heart for those who we care for.
The whole point of what I am trying to share is this: There are other ways for us to speak of love.
Perhaps we could challenge ourselves to think of descriptive words besides love when sharing with one another; so that we do not minimize the intent of the word.
Just a little something I’ve been thinking about.
by Sharon O | Feb 13, 2018 | Uncategorized
Fourteen years ago our family was blessed beyond our imagination when our daughter gave birth to identical baby girls almost on Valentines day.
Before they were born I remember going to her appointments with her and seeing them ‘on ultrasound’ screen it was so amazing and convinced me firmly to be prolife.
Baby A and Baby B… is what they were referred as and every time we saw them I was reminded of the passage in Psalm 139:
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
I always will remember the appointments when those little babies were watched very closely each week.
Our daughter’s first pregnancy brought us a tiny preemie baby girl weighing only 2 pounds 11 oz.
Now she is a beautiful 18 year old with plans for her life and a determination in her step. She was 5 when the the twins came early too, they weighed 4 pounds 6 oz and four pounds 10 oz.
This was the closest newborn picture I could find, we took them to babies-r-us for a photo shoot.
The one on the left is Hannah and the one on the right is Alexis.
I wish you a wonderful fourteenth birthday girls, our almost Valentine babies.
You are beautiful, amazing and a joy to be with and I thank God always for YOU.
Even though you are identical you each have your own personality and gifts and we are proud of what you have decided for yourselves. I pray that as you grow, you also grow in the Love of God who saw you way before we ever did, and choose to make Him a part of your everyday lives. That is our prayer for you.
by Sharon O | Feb 9, 2018 | Uncategorized
[The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.] Jeremiah 31
I did a word search and the word lovingkindness is in the bible 184 times.
Think HE is making a point with us?
When I meet someone who is kind, gentle and soft in words I am drawn to them because of the nature of who they are and how they respond to others.
I love the word picture of being drawn ‘towards him.’
Definitions:
To cause to move by force or influence in a particular direction. One definition gave the word picture of relating to the stem of a drinking glass that has been formed by stretching from a small mass of molten metal or glass left at the base of the bowl of the vessel. It is molded and shaped by heat and form.
Such a powerful word picture as I am seeing the molten ‘form’ being pulled and shaped by heat it is an amazing thing to watch and observe. So beautiful when it’s finished too.
During this Valentine season we can challenge ourselves to think of love in many areas besides who we live with.
God has been the first Valentine for us, showing us HIS love through the powerful love of Jesus and the Spirit.
Everlasting means: lasting forever, continuing for an indefinitely long time, incessant, constantly occurring, never coming to an end.
So God in his perfect love for us draws us towards him with a constant never changing always forming everlasting love. Isn’t that a wonderful promise and concept?
It’s not hard to imagine His love, for it has been a choice from HIM that was purposeful.
Just like us going to the store and purchasing a card for our loved one, on a much more powerful way God chose to draw us close to HIM because of His love.
The word kindness is in the bible 44 times.
Micah 6:8
[He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?]
It’s not about us, it all about Him.
by Sharon O | Feb 3, 2018 | Uncategorized
Let’s take another look at the love chapter in 1st Corinthians chapter 13.
[If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.]
Have you ever met someone who professed to have ‘special gifts’ from the Holy Spirit but as you watched them in their lives you questioned their motives?
That is what this is talking about. IT Is JUST Noise… and there has been a lot of noise lately in our world from those who say ‘they love’.
[2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.]
We have at times seen someone with prophetic gifts that healed others or told others about their lives but we also in turn must look at their ‘fruit’ of their lives. Without love it is just performance.
[3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.]
Again if we do not see the actions that match the behavior it is nothing… empty.
[4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.]
Have you ever met someone with great patience and kindness? if they spoke of ‘God’s love you would listen?’ Pride cannot stand in the same room as gentle love.
[5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.]
Have you met someone who often talks down to others? It is not a good witness for sure.
[7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.]
If someone truly cares for relationships this is true. ALWAYS 4 times… in love.
[But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.]
Eventually these manifestations of the Spirit will go away.
[9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.}
When completeness comes, we will not need anything else.
[11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.]
This is maturity… leaving behind the childish ways.
[12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.]
This is a bit of a mystery to me, I think it means we will be fully known in heaven.
[13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.]
It all boils down to this.
If we don’t have genuine love for one another it doesn’t matter what words we say, our truth will be known.
The greatest of these is love, so let us love in word and deed so that others will hear and see our truth and pray that they will know we are Christians by our love.
by Sharon O | Feb 1, 2018 | Uncategorized
Today is February 1st, what we know as the month of relationship and love.
It’s the word we think of when we see February on the calendar.
We also know that Valentines day is one of the most marketed holidays starting just as soon as Christmas ends.
When I used to work at a florist the days were crazy right before the 14th..
I often told my husband to not get me anything just because Hallmark says he should, or the calendar reminders.
I would rather have something when I am not expecting it, not even planning it.
It is way more intentional to give a random ‘thoughtful’ card then a guilt producing ‘need to get it done’ gift.
I think the word of God in the Bible tells us a lot about love and what is expected of us.
Actually there are a few but the one I want to focus on is in 1st Corinthians of the New Testament.
The Excellence of Love ~ 1st Corinthians ~
13 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The greatest of these is love.
I wish we all could fully grasp the fact that the world is watching us if we say we are believers.
Love is powerful on many levels. Read the above again, slowly.
The word ‘if’ is used 8 times, which tells me it is a mandate or condition of heart.
If I say this, then this is what you will expect of me.
The other half of that is the ‘but do not have’ statement.
This is definitely something for us to think about.
by Sharon O | Jan 31, 2018 | Uncategorized
The intentional gift of friendship is something we don’t often give ourselves.
Sometimes it happens without a plan when we meet someone new.
Sometimes it happens as we allow the phone calls and visits to encourage our new friendship.
It was a bible study I believe which brought us together. She came in and sat by me.
She was wanting a group to join and reached out with questions and commitment to the study.
It has been over thirty six years since that first day in church.
In the beginning we grew in friendship as our children would play together and we would chat over coffee.
Our sons were close in age, and they would often play cops and robbers and shoot with their imaginary guns as they ran around her basement or back yard.
Her boys always thought it was funny that my son would only shoot at the sky.
I told him never to point at someone, so he pointed upward at the ceiling.
We still laugh at that one, especially when he became a police officer.
Our friendship grew and we not only encouraged each other but prayed for each other and it was good.
There was a season in time where we moved away to different cities and time separated us.
Then the day came when we saw each other again, in the same city and eventually in the same neighborhood.
It was as if no time was lost between us.
Then the day came when her husband passed away. Our long time friend, her long time companion.
Her life changed on that day, it was very sad and life altering for her.
Many Friday nights I would drive over to her home and we would sit together and share.
Through the hard times and the good times, our friendship grew stronger.
Our friendship is a gift we unwrap every time we get together. It is intentional. It is beautiful.
After years of being alone, filled with lots of prayers and tears, the day came when LOVE found her again.
It is amazing and it is what God wanted for her, to be happy, safe and in peace.
We don’t live in the same neighborhood anymore, it is a long drive to visit the very beautiful home they have made together. The drive is intentional. Just like our friendship.
Miles cannot separate us, phone calls that take hours along with handwritten cards in the mail sent with words that say, “I’m thinking of you”, keep our friendship alive and special.
That is the gift of a real friendship. I will always love and value the times we have spent together.
It is always sealed in prayer and encouragement, in hope and in respect.
God designed us to have a heart for each other. I am blessed to have this very special friend in my life.
I am thankful each day and today is her birthday, so my wish for her is; may you have many more.
I send my love to you, Debbie on this very special day of yours. Happy birthday.
by Sharon O | Jan 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
As we come to a closure of the topic of simplify; another area we have not addressed for the new year is calendars.
I am by nature old school meaning I still like paper and pens, calendars that I can open and write in, I am not one to use my phone or computer for day to day events.
I like a small calendar in my purse, I put notes, appointments, phone numbers or shopping lists.
In fact when I got my hair done this last time the one I had was for last year and I didn’t have a space for my next appointment.
My hair dresser had to give me a lesson on how to use my phone one.
She said, “you got a hair cut and a lesson on your phone today.”
The next thing I use a calendar for is to record my testing numbers, since I have to check my blood score every other day I write it down in a new space and record food that might have created a problem for me.
This is my new one for this year. It is small enough to fit in the same basket as my test equipment.
I also have a calendar upstairs in my den so I can keep track of writing projects and or dates when one must be done and submitted. I like to see progress in a paper form and I like to be able to mark it off as finished.
Then I have a calendar in my bathroom on the wall so when I am getting ready for my day it is a reminder of the weeks agenda.
My husband often will say to me, “did you put it in your phone?” My answer will always be no.
I am not wired that way. I have had paper calendars since we have been married and I will always have one.
I even have a hard bound paper address book. Hand written with addresses of loved ones and friends.
Whatever works for you and your home is the best way.
It is more simple I suppose to put it all one space but I like a variety of resources and forms.
It doesn’t matter how old fashioned one is as long as we use the time given to us in a good and positive way.
Do you have a favorite way of keeping track of life’s details?
by Sharon O | Jan 22, 2018 | Uncategorized
A birthday to celebrate for this husband of mine.
We met when we were in high school. I was about 16 he was about 17.
Our first date was a Sadie Hawkins dance at the high school and we got married there.
It’s all a bit too funny now 44 years later.
We dated a off and on for few years before he left to join the navy.
I dated a few others off and on after he left, then after 46 days in the navy he had to come home with a seriously injured knee.
We began dating again and soon would find ourselves planning a wedding.
At ages 18 and 19 we thought we had it all figured out.
Time has a way for us to look back and be thankful of the years we grew up together.
It’s been a long challenging journey of many birthdays spent together.
Today was your 64th.
All day long I kept humming the Beatles tune, “When I’m 64”
When I get older losing my hair, many years from now. Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greeting, or bottle of wine.
They had this song on their Sargent Peppers album.
It is a great reminder that no matter what age we get it is a good question to ask.
Will you remember me when I’m 64?
Of course is the answer… always of course.
by Sharon O | Jan 19, 2018 | Uncategorized
There are other areas in our lives to simplify; one would be in our faith.
If I am telling someone about God or the stories of his goodness and faithfulness.
I keep it very simple so that the story doesn’t get complicated.
Almost to the point of ‘Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so.’
It doesn’t have to be difficult or intense.
It just has to be real and believable, so the one who is listening can hear the power of the truth.
When our oldest granddaughter was about three years old we were at a church service outside where they were having baptisms. On that Sunday it was a dad baptizing his children which was very tender and sweet.
After the third child was baptized our grand daughter stood up on the chair, started clapping and yelling, “do it again God’s in the water.”
She was ready for an all out revival meeting. It was simple and very real.
It was from her heart and she believed God was there. There was no doubt for her.
Everyone who experienced her energy, saw and heard her excitement.
Isaiah 59:21
[And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and forever.]
That is what I’m talking about.
I don’t bring out 12 steps on how to find your faith, I speak truth from my experiences so that others can hear the truth of what I have known. There is power in a story that is real.
Not too different from those who saw and heard Jesus heal others.
They believed just by seeing, not by rules or ‘how to guides’ on how to believe.
Jeremiah 32:39
[I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their children after them.]
It’s powerful. It moves a hard heart into a softened receptive place within the spirit of the one listening.
Joel 1:3
[Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.]
Matthew 18:2-3
Jesus shared the condition of the hearts of the leaders who were questioning him.
[2 He called a child, whom he put among them, 3 and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”]
He was making a point to them. Children do not question with intense rules. They believe from their heart and from their experience of knowing.
Talk to any little one and they will tell you what they know about Jesus.
It’s very precious to hear their little voices and it’s always very simple.
Psalm 19:7
[The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple.]
Psalm 116:6
[The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.]
Psalm 119:130
[The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.]
Are you getting it yet? Faith is not complicated.
It can be as easy as “Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so.”
Let’s simplify the story so others will believe and know for themselves what is true.
by Sharon O | Jan 17, 2018 | Uncategorized
As we move through this process of simplify, it is important to maintain your goal and decision making.
For instance if my goal is to be healthier in three months, lose a bit of weight and get a better lab test, then I would need to decide what has to take place to accomplish this.
The discipline of doing what needs to be done, writing it down and keeping the task ahead becomes less overwhelming.
Lately I have been going to the store with a list, and I follow it as I shop.
Keeping that task easier removes the wandering around trying to figure out a meal list in the store.
How and what needs to be done in order to accomplish that is just as important as the final outcome.
If I want to have a better organized office space; then I have to focus on how would I do that and what would work more efficiently.
The hardest part for me sometimes is the decision making process and maybe the motivation.
It cannot be another day for me to say, “Oh I have loved this sweater I have had it for 25 years.”
Really? yes I am pretty sure there are those in my closet.
Emotions can’t be a part of this process because it only will bring me to a complete stopping point.
In the past I have said, “If I like a pair of pants I will buy three of the same in different colors.”
Is that even necessary? How many do I need?
Oh and don’t get me started on the paper issues. Bills come in the mail and then get stacked in a disordered pile.
Many people love online bills, I do not. I lose track of them, I want to see them in person, read the print and follow the tracking.
I have them come by mail in paper form then shred them when I am done paying them.
There has to be a system that works. Each of us do many different ways and some may work better than others.
Finding and maintaining your goal will be much easier when trying to do this tough work.
I am going to begin with rooms. Each room will have a unique need, the den is different than a bedroom.
So each will need to be organized in such a way that it is clean and uncluttered at the end of the process.
Are we all ready for this monumental task? If you have already done this, that is awesome.
It is a plan of mine to get this disorganized space finished in less than six months.
That allows a lot of time for purging, destroying and organizing.
