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Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Saturday 4 September 2010

Spiritual Sundays

Hello my friends~ I hope everyone had a wonderful week.

It has been a busier than normal summer for us this year.
We had company in August and I've been going to physio therapy almost every second day since May. I finished up last Thursday and I'm praying I won't need to go back.

I am also burdened with some family issues which I pray the Lord will see us through. There are so many of us with health problems and other issues that I try to keep my blog as upbeat as possible. I am however going through a bit of a hard time right now myself and I could sure use a touch from the Master's hand!

Life is filled with storms of one kind or another, isn't it? It is wise to prepare for the storms because they will come!

As I was pondering what to share today, my mind kept focusing on another storm which is headed our way. Hurricane Earl could be bad and we are trying to get ourselves prepared for its arrival. We love this little Island on which we live but a hurricane can sure wreak havov here!

Since I couldn't seem to come up with any material of my own I started leafing through "My Daily Bread" and I came across this devotional which I thought was worth sharing. It is penned by Anne Cetas.


STORM CLOUDS AND BLUE SKIES
I was feeling down about some circumstances the other day and wondering how I might lift my spirits. I pulled from my shelf the book, Life Is Like Licking Honey Off a Thorn by Susan Lenzkes, and I read this: "We take the laughter and the tears however they come, and let our God of reality make sense of it."
Lenzkes says some people are optimists who "camp in pleasures and good memories" denying the brokenness. Others are pessimists who "focus on life's losses, losing joy and victory in the process." But people of faith are realists who "receive" it all - all the good and bad of life - and repeatedly choose to know that God really loves us and is constantly at work for our good and His glory.
As I read, I looked outside and noticed dark clouds and a steady rain. A little later, a friendly wind came up and blew the clouds away. Suddenly the skies were bright blue. The storms of life blow in and out like that.
By faith we cling to God's promise of Romans 8:28. And we recall that "our light affliction, which is for the moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" {2 Cor. 4:17}. God loves us, and He's getting us ready for the day when skies will be forever blue.
"Our light affliction....is but for a moment." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17
GOD PROMISES A SAFE LANDING -
BUT NOT NECESSARILY A CALM PASSAGE.


Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you will visit Spiritual Sundays hosted by Charlotte and Ginger. http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/
There you will be encouraged and inspired by the things of our Lord. Have a blessed weekend my friends!

NOTE: Hurricane Earl has arrived and we were without power for about four hours. I will wait until the storm passes before visiting you as we could loose our power again any time! Please pray that we don't receive any damage to our property. Thank you and God bless you!

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

27 comments :

  1. Hope you are safe, dear. If you lost power, it may be awhile before you read your comments!
    I enjoyed both your Pink Saturday and Spiritual Sunday posts. God bless you.

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  2. Sandi we were thinking along the same lines this weekend. I pray that you are feeling better and that the storm dissipates before reaching your island home.

    Blessings and joy,
    Joan

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  3. Hi Sandy,
    Praying that you keep your eye on THE LIGHTHOUSE. At his voice, the winds and the waves obey.

    Be safe,
    Dianne

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  4. This was such a good post and just soo true as well. I am sorry that you are dealing with some issues right now. I think there are hard times for many. I will keep you in prayer, particularily for the coming storm. I loved your pink saturday posts too btw. Blessings, Debbie

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  5. What a great and timely post Sandi and how true! It is so easy to get discouraged when life is not going according to "our" plan and "our" timetable. I am guilty of that myself. Putting it all in the Lord's hands and taking a deep breath is always the right plan at the right time...
    Have a great holiday weekend!
    Tina xo

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  6. Sandi, I will be praying for your property that it will be safe. I will pray for your health and family as well.
    God Bless,
    Ginger

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  7. Thank you, Sandi, for this insightful post. I hope your power is back on soon. I'm also praying for your health and safety.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  8. Sorry to know that things are not going so well for you right now but I love your spirit. Thanks for the good post. My prayers are with you.

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  9. Hi Sandi,
    I hope all goes well for you and your family.
    Thank you for your prayers for Mom-I am happy she is improving.
    That is a handsome little grandson with the pink cheeks.
    It seems Earl has been kind to us!

    Take care,
    Carolyn

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  10. Hi Sandi,

    God knows how much we need Him. I hope he hears my prayers. Thank you for reminding me to "Let Go and Let God" today.

    xo Cathy

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  11. Would you like your prayers to be more powerful? Pray the Scriptures. Hebrews 4:12 says that God's Word is alive and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. When we speak and pray the Scriptures, we are coming into agreement with God, and His power is released to answer our prayers.
    I will keep you in my prayers too.
    Peace & Blessings,
    Virginia

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  12. Oh, I really enjoyed this post today Sandi. I now have another book to add to my list for reading and a quote that I will tuck away. God bless...and sure hope you are okay after the storm.

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  13. Oh my HOPE you all are safe and sound and that God is leading you peacefully along your path. Life can be very tough, but God is good always!
    Hugs,
    Olivia

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  14. Hello Sandi, I'm still making my Pink Saturday visits. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment. Love your pink post this week, I also love your spiritual post, how true this is. I'm praying that you will be safe from the storm. It looks to be fazing out so I hope it does.
    Blessings, Shirl
    Shirls Rose Cottage

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  15. our God is faithful and will see you through your difficult times. praying for you!!

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  16. Hi Sandi, Wonderful post, I hope by the time you read your comments the storm has passed and everything is safe.
    Take care.

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  17. *hugs*
    I'm thinking about you and hoping your weather has improved and that EARL has left...and that there isn't major damage in your area.

    I hope you feel better physically and that you can step off the path that has been giving you some stress and has been testing you....and you'll find peace and happy thoughts coming your way.

    Judi

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  18. Good Morning Sandi Sweetie...
    I am praying for each of you on your small island to weather the storm with no major issues. As Dianne said, "keep you eye on The Lighthouse."

    I so enjoyed your share this morning. Such good scriptures you shared. I too will be writing a couple down for reminders through the week. Whatever your needs are Sandi I will adding you to my prayer list, and praying that God lifts your burdens and brings sunshine back to the Rose Chintz Cottage.

    Many hugs sweetie and much love, Sherry

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  19. Hope that you are safe throughout the storm. Thank you for sharing such a lovely post.
    God Bless,
    Kim

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  20. I pray you are protected from the hurricane and its' dangers. I pray that you would receive total healing and that the difficulties in your life will be worked out for your good and God's glory. Thank you for sharing the devotional. It is something we all need to remember since we all experience trials. God bless.

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  21. We will all pray for safety for you folks on the coast. I enjoyed your post...very fitting for the last few years for me. Thank you!

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  22. I haven't heard about this hurricane. I will have to go and turn on my cable and see what I can find out. We have had some bad rains over here and parts of the state Victoria have been flooded. I do hope that you and everyone else in the paths of these storms are safe and sound now.

    Take care.

    Blessings and best wishes,
    Natasha.

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  23. I admire you, Sandi. It's hard for me to keep an upbeat blog when I'm pressed in from all sides and have to take a stand against it all. May God bless you and protect you from the enemy as well as the elements of nature. Praying that this week brings you an abundance of blessings from the Lord!

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  24. I hope your power is restored now. Hurricanes are no fun.

    Happy Labor Day, Sandi.

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  25. Trials are definitely hard but growth and reliance on the Lord is a great reward. Keep your praise music on loud, and if the power goes out again...sing louder!
    Carrie

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  26. Thanks you for the encouragement, Dear. I'm so glad the storm weakened. Praying God will meet all your needs ~ Blessings ~

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I am delighted to have you visit me and I read every comment. Please forgive me for not being able to visit you all as there are so many of you lovely bloggy friends now. I will visit as much as possible. I wish you a day filled with JOY!

Also, due to the amount of spam I've been getting, I have had to set Comment Moderation. ~ Sandi

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