Darkness or Light?

On the way to see my parents yesterday, I could not help
but notice how dark the sky was.
These pictures do not even come close to what I saw.
There was such a thick darkness, and it seemed to be everywhere.

It made me think of how dark, foreboding, and overpowering,
it can seem in this life sometimes.

I saw the clouds as evil, covering this earth, and
how sometimes we cannot see past it.
The darkness seems to overcome us.

I thought of the word "despair".
How sometimes we despair in the darkness of this world,
and life's circumstances.
How there seems to be no hope in things to come.

Then I noticed the light.
It seemed very far away, but it was there!
And the more I looked, the more light I saw.
I had to look past the overwhelming darkness,
and keep my eyes on the light.

Jesus is the light of the world.
He has overcome the darkness and despair of this world.
Christ gives us the strength to overcome.

" ...in all these things we are more than conquerors
through Christ who strengthens us."
Romans 8:37

Blessings as you reach for His light.
Barbara Jean

He is Risen!!

A reminder of the empty cross and of
Resurrection Sunday.

Christ our Lord has risen today!!
Hallelujah!!!

Resurrection Blessings and His Peace and Grace.

barbara jean

Jesus Gift To Us

A friend sees your flowers,
not your broken down fence.

Jesus sees your beauty,
not the flaws we see in ourselves.

What a beautiful gift.

How wonderful to serve a risen Savior!!

Easter Blessings to all.

Barbara Jean

Struggles, and Hope

This morning I want to share a part of a note a dear friend sent me.
It, and the prayers of my friends, have helped me get over another 'hump' in the daily grind, and struggles of life. I hope it may be a word that will help you too.

"You used the phrase in one of your last emails that you are so tired of struggling....I think that phrase is key. At this point anything that is not an immediate issue, put on the back burner. Make a list your immediate issues on paper. As in getting out of bed, showering, opening the store, etc. If the web site can wait, then let it wait. You are not in a race. There are no winners and losers here.
All struggling does is keep you going in circles, feeling like you're not getting enough done and coming up short at the end of each day exhausted and bereft. Such a vicious circle that we have all gotten stuck in throughout our lives. What I do when I am caught up in 'the circle' is take 2 or 3 giant emotional steps back from the struggling issues and ask God to show me the big picture. This helps me see what I have to do now, today, and what can wait. God will help you do this. Giving us a new perspective, His perspective, is something He delights in doing. Number one it stops the struggles and number two it gives Him and us joy. Ask Him for help making your list and taking some emotional steps backward so you can see the whole picture."

If you have time, here is more that may help. It is was one of the devotions I read this morning. Love how when God has something to say, He tells you more than once, so you get it. =) It is an excerpt from Christ Notes:

"In every situation, there are always two stories—the story you see and the story God sees.

Sometimes life seems to be taking us down a huge detour and everything looks like it's not going our way. In those situations, our life and our story seems to be a disaster.

This is exactly what happened to Joseph, whose story is found in Genesis 37-50. Joseph's brothers jealously hated him and sold him into slavery. Joseph was wrongfully put in prison for raping Potifer's wife, when really he refused to compromise his integrity by sleeping with her. Then, Joseph helped get the chief cupbearer out of jail; however, when the cupbearer had an opportunity to return the favor and get Joseph out of jail, the man forgot about Joseph. Joseph ended up spending thirteen years in jail for something he didn't do.

At this point Joseph's story was going haywire, but God's story was right on track. That's because God had an amazing plan for Joseph's life; God was going to use Joseph to save Egypt and the surrounding lands for seven years of devastating famine. What looked to Joseph like a huge detour was really a great plan of God to provide food for countless people, including the very brothers that had sold Joseph into slavery.

At the end of this, Joseph realized that God had a bigger plan for his life, and after his brothers come to him for food, he tells them: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).

All along, God's story was right on track.

This same principle is also true in the life of Jesus. To the disciples, it looked as those Jesus would be a great king who would rule Israel and return the nation to greatness. They hailed him as a great leader. So, when Jesus was being crucified, the story they saw looked like a major train wreck—this great leader whom they had followed for the past three years was suddenly dead. However, God's story was at its peak—God was in the process of connecting humanity to himself.

There's what you see and what God sees.

When your life seems to be a major disaster; know that God has bigger plans to use your life for great things. The story you see may not reflect the long-term story God has planned. Therefore, trust God, knowing that he works for good in all circumstances (Romans 8:28)."

I hope these are encouraging words that will help you through your day.

blessings

barbara jean

A "new" Book

My newest book.
Bible Symbols or The Bible in Pictures
It has the stories from Old and New Testament.

oops. sideways again.
1908

This wonderful book has 2 pages that tell a Bible Story.

Then usually 2 pages of it in pictures.

I tried to figure out some without reading the story first.
I think it is meant for kids,
cause I could not do them. =)

Can you figure these two pages out?
I thought these were easier.
And here are some of the beautiful pictures.

This will be fun to look through.

Thanks for stopping by

blessings
barbara jean

"Come, Rest" and Prepositional Phrases

"Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."
Matt:11:28

That is from the King James version,
which is how I learned that verse years ago.
When I was 'feeling weary' a few days ago,
I was not only feeling physically weary, but emotionally weary too.
And my brain felt frazzled on top of it all!

That is when I thought of the verse, and several
things about it.
I could not remember where the verse was to share
the reference with you.

First: if I were to try to look it up to share the reference,
how would I find it? Key words, I thought.
Which in my mind broke that verse down to Come, Rest.
Then I realized that all the rest of that verse is prepositional phrases;
phrases that add to the main thought.
(OK I am no English major, or even minor,
so if I do not have my thinking quite right on that,
just come along for the ride anyway.
It is the idea, not the perfection of English I am after here.)

So, how simple is that? COME, REST!

Now what I wondered,
"is that only for physical exhaustion?"
"I'm tired all over Lord."

So I looked up the verse.
(did not find it under "Come, Rest" by the way)

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls."
Matt. 11:28

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on life, religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life.
I'll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

²⁷All things have been entrusted and delivered to Me by My Father; and no one ^[a]fully knows and ^[b]accurately understands the Son except the Father, and no one ^[c]fully knows and ^[d]accurately understands the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son ^[e]deliberately wills to make Him known.

²⁸Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden

and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest.

[I will ^[f]ease and relieve and ^[g]refresh ^[h]your souls.]

²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me,

for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart,

and you will find rest (^[i]relief and ease and refreshment and

^[j]recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.^(A)

^{Come. Rest.}

^{blessings and thanks for coming by}

barbara jean

A Word for Today

Ps 36:9

"For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light."

This morning I thought I would 'study' a different way,
and just look up the first verse that came to mind.
Instantly Ps 36:9 came to mind.
Then, I had to read more of the Psalm.
Here is an encouraging word from the Lord
for our day.

⁵ "Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light."

blessings,
barbara jean