Taveling Light, take 2...The Lord is my Shepherd

"Sheep are dumb!  Have you ever met a sheep trainer?  Ever seen a sheep do tricks?  Know anyone who has taught his sheep to roll over?...No.  Sheep are just too dumb."

"...And defenseless.  They have no fangs or claws.  They can't bite you or outrun you..."(although I have seen them out jump Claude!!!)

"...What's more, sheep are dirty.  A cat can clean itself.  So can a dog.  We even see birds in birdbaths or a bear in a river.  But sheep?  They get dirty and stay that way."  

These are some excerpts from Traveling Light by Max Lucado.  

At first, you read these and think, I'm kinda offended by the fact that I'm being compared to a dumb, defenseless, dirty sheep!  But, in reality, we ARE like sheep!  When it comes to truly knowing what is best for myself, I don't.  When it comes to really fighting the spiritual war (and winning) I can't.  When it comes to washing away my own sin and being made perfect, IMPOSSIBLE!  

I think David, being a shepherd, understood all too well just how much we are like sheep.  We need our shepherd.  We would not survive without Him.  

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Since a picture is worth 1000 words...

WOW!  I love that man!

New haircut...

I went and got my hair cut and highlighted!  OK that was the "highlight" of my day today!

Take a look:

Thanks to Dizzy for the "choppy layers" idea!!!  I think I've finally found a style I like!!!

On a different note, here's my cute dog, Jack-Jack (and my cute hubbie!!!!).

He doesn't hold still very much!  I guess that's a characteristic of a Rat Terrier!

I really thought he was going to hold still for this picture and at the last second, he moved AGAIN!

FINALLY!  Claude had to pick him up and "tease" him with a toy to get him to look at the camera!!!!

Ain't he cute!?!

Traveling Light

I've been reading this book by Max Lucado titled "traveling light".  I must say that this man can write!  He's great at explaining things in layman's terms!  

Anyway, he takes Psalm 23 and breaks it up into individual verses, then he elaborates on them.

For example, David started off with "The Lord...".  OK, why?  To remind us of who God is.  

Bear with me because THIS GETS GOOD!!!  

Taking from Max Lucado's book "...the name I AM sounds strikingly close to the Hebrew verb to be - havah.  It's quite possibly a combination of the present tense form (I AM) and the causative tense (I cause to be).  Yahweh, then seems to mean 'I AM and I CAUSE'.  God is the One Who is and the One Who causes."

So, think about that for a minute.  I don't go around saying "I am."  I always add another word like "I am bored" or I am Sheila".  God doesn't do that.  He plainly states "I AM" and adds nothing else.  He doesn't have to!  

The more I read this book, the more I realized that memorizing Psalm 23 when I was a little girl was good, but I don't think I ever paid attention to what this passage of scripture really says.  So it makes me wonder how many other scriptures I've memorized that I haven't really "learned".  

What about you?

I will be bloggin more about this book as I come across things that jump out at me.  I've already highlighted ALOT of things, but my blog would become a book if I wrote about all of my thoughts on each thing!!!

Til next time...

3 years ago...

Yesterday, December 1st, marks 3 years that we have officially been "North Carolinians"!  I remember it so vividly the day (night actually) that we left.  We packed our Uhaul, went to one last dinner with my parents and my older brother, Murray.  It was my Murray's birthday  My younger brother, Philip, and his wife, Sarah, were too busy that night!  My wonderful sister-in-law chose THAT night to have my niece, Rose!  She was born just before we headed out.  I will never forget those feelings that night.  I was so tired...mentally, physically, emotionally.  I was sure we were suppose to go, but I didn't want to leave my family and friends.  My niece would never know me (not true, but so I thought at the time!).  My nephews would forget me (also, not true!)  I would miss not being able to hang out with my Mom and Dad.  Who would I be able to go shopping with if my Mom and my friend, Cindy, were in Florida and I was 800 miles away?!?  What about the kids at our church that we would be leaving behind?  Who would be there for them when they needed to talk, or cry, or anything else that came with being a kid?

I have never felt so scared in my life!  I just knew that we HAD to go.  God told us to move, He laid the groundwork for everything to fall into place for us.  We had no idea what we were getting into, but we knew we had to go.  

I can honestly say that I have not regretted moving.  I miss my family on a regular basis.  The pictures I get from my Mom and my brother make me yearn to be near the kids.  I know, though, that God has given me so much back for what I felt like I was leaving behind.  I have made wonderful friends here!  Claude was able to be here for his Mom when her husband died.  I never thought I'd ever have kids that I loved as much as the ones we left back in Florida.  I was so wrong (and very glad of it!)  We have a bunch of kids that God's allowed us to be with!  I've been blessed to be able to go back and see everyone on a fairly regular basis!  He's been so good to us!

So, on this anniversary, I am so glad that God moved us here!  

Jeremiah 29:11

"I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".  

AMEN!