Thinking on these things . . .

My girlfriend sent me an "Treat Yourself Cupcake Kit". In it is everything I need - cute fluted ramekins, special individual cupcake mixes, frosting, sprinkles and even candles! I am never more that 30 seconds away from a fresh baked cupcake! Hooray! We've been talking about the need to celebrate every day or if not to celebrate the entire day to at least find something in the day worth celebrating. As a planner I am always aware of what is coming up next but in looking ahead I tend to lose the present. This is it. This is life. I need to stop waiting for it to start and realize that I'm in the middle of it right now! How I spend my hours today will add up to how my life is spent for life is made up of what I do with my hours. We of course do not know how many hours we have left, whether it be hundreds or thousands or merely dozens. We have all experienced either with ourselves or those we love the sudden heart attack, accident or injury that in an instant changed the

" They were not thirsty when He led them through the desert . He divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink." Isaiah 48:12 They should have been thirsty. They were going through a desert! But they were not thirsty because God was leading them through this desolate place. Where God leads He provides. When He leads through desolate places, He satisfies our needs. The provision for our needs may come from unexpected places - in this case He split open a rock and water gushed out for his children but the bottom line is that they were not thirsty; their needs were met. I find amazing comfort in this simple sentence. I know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and He's promised to meet my needs (Phil. 4:13) therefore whatever desolate place I am in, He can satisfy my thirst there. If He has lead me to a dry and barren place He will provide for me and I, also, will be not thirsty. The Lord will guide you continually, watering your lif

I have a cold and have decided they are the paper cuts of illnesses; they're bothersome, annoying and get no respect whatsoever! The most wonderful part about my cold though is rediscovering the power of a nap. When I finally decide I have no energy to do any more, I surrender to sleep. My heavy eyelids close and everything else spins away and I fall deeply into a warm cocooned place. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be that long and twenty minutes later I'll wake up amazed at how much better I feel. Ah, the restorative powers of sleep! Psalms 37:7 encourages us to take advantage of a time of stillness pertaining to our hearts as well as it says "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him." The word rest here means to be still, silent, to be quiet and at peace. Our lives are filled with the things that wear us down and make us miserable and these things to others might be like a paper cut or a cold; not that big of a deal but they are exhausting us. Is there a