In His Grip Blog

1000 Gifts…cont……:)

trustinghim4ever — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:03:56 +0000

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

So very thankful this evening for so very much!

1000 Gifts continued~

I am thankful for:

57 ) A patio to BBQ under during winter in the Pacific Northwest

58 ) Little out of the way stores that have wonderfully useful supplies….

59) My husband….I know I’ve mentioned him a couple of times already but truly….he is my *happily ever after*

60) The daughters of the King who live at The Harriett House.

61) Coconut Oil

62) Daffodil bulbs attempting to burst through the cold soil…..reminding me that spring is truly on its way.

63) The Bible…..

64) Fresh, clean drinking water

65) Telephones ))

66) Good coffee

67) Good tea….Earl Grey…oh yes….

68) The privilege of prayer

69) Hot water to bathe in….

70) The Willamette Valley….where I live…..breathtakingly beautiful……seriously.

71) 2nd Hand Stores

72) Snail Mail

73) Pastor JD Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe

74) Pastor Jon Courson of Applegate Fellowship in Medford Oregon

75) Corvallis Calvary Chapel

76) Joy!!

77) Peace!!

78) Hope!!

79) Sunshine in winter

80) Friendly business people

81) Some wonderful neighbors

82) Garden Fertilizers

83) Heirloom vegetable seeds

84) Honey…..yes…I love honey….in my tea….on my toast…..such a treat!

85) Popcorn…..now don’t laugh….I bet you are thankful for popcorn too!

86) Rotary Cutters

87) Cutting Mats

88) Cutting rulers

89) Free online quilt block patterns!

90) Coffee Nips

Enjoying the undeserved abundance In His Grip!

Enter Boldly Into the Throne Room of God

trustinghim4ever — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:17:51 +0000

January 29

	And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
	Mark 15:38

In rending the massive veil in the Temple which kept everyone but the high priest from going into the Holy of Holies where the shekinah — the visible presence of God — dwelt, the Father declared, ‘Open House! You can come boldly into My presence anytime you want because the price has been paid once and for all.’ This grace is free, but it’s not cheap. It cost Jesus everything to open the way to the Father. Therefore, don’t sew the veil back up, gang, with legalism, rules, regulations, or expectations. Don’t feel as though you must prove something to God before you can come into His presence to present your petitions or to enjoy His fellowship. Believers do this in subtle ways, like saying, ‘Before we can enter into the glory of God, we must spend time praising Him.’ Not true. The way is open. Nothing else remains to be done. Am I discounting the importance of praise? Of course not. Praise allows us to be refreshed in our knowledge of Who the Lord is and what He’s done. While the Lord is indeed enthroned upon the praises of His people, praise is not a prerequisite to fellowship. Neither is confession. As valid as both of these elements are, we can come boldly into the presence of God not because of our ability to articulate confession or express praise, but solely because of what Jesus did on Calvary.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book “A Days Journey” by Pastor Jon. “A Days Journey” is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament. If you would like your own copy of “A Days Journey” you may click here to go to the SearchLight Store

The More Sure Word of Prophecy~

trustinghim4ever — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:39:16 +0000

This is Pastor JD Farag’s weekly prophecy update….I pray that every person who visits this blog would harken their ears and hearts to these messages…..I am going to admit right here…right now that I am tiring of sounding the clarion call to a world that seems to resent it. When I wrestle with the idea of not sharing these messages….the Lord gently reminds me of this:

John 15:18 KJV

If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.

Ezekiel 12:2

Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

Beloved…..please open your hearts to the Lord of Heaven and Earth…..our redemption draws nigh….

Praying YOU know that you are in IN HIS GRIP tonight~

For the love of Coconut Oil~

trustinghim4ever — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:58:27 +0000

I was introduced to Coconut Oil about 6 years ago…..Oh Em Gee!!!!

It has since become a staple in our home!

We use it for:

1) Cooking (I’ve replaced all other oils except Olive Oil) in our home with this wonderful gift from nature!

2) Baking (I am still learning how to substitute some of our favorite baked goods recipes with Coconut Oil but more and more are being adapted every month)

3) Skin Care (The possibilities here are endless……seriously)

4) Healing wounds…..yes…you read that right……healing wounds.

5) Poison Oak/Poison Ivy

6) Dental/Oral Hygiene

7) Hair Care

The list above is a short list of ways we use Coconut Oil in our home. I’ve got a jar in my kitchen cupboard…..we got a jar in each of our bathrooms…..I carry a tightly lidded container with me in my car at all times.

If I tried to tell you in this one post all of the wonderful things this oil does……you’d be here all night long…..so I won’t….but I will resource and provide links for you to follow up on and do your own research in the event you are interested in learning more!

Here is one of the ways I used it today…..I made my very own Micro-dermabrasion Solution! YIPPY!! It only took two ingredients! Now….I’ve paid the big bucks for commercial products that left my skin feeling dry….reactive and in some cases raw…..not so with my new recipe!!!

Homemade Microdermabrasion Solution:

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 Tbls. Baking soda

Mix together well. Coconut Oil is solid at room temps of 76 and below…..it liquifies at temps above 76 degrees. What you are looking for with this mixture is not some real precise….it can be a wee bit runny….or it can be slightly pastey…..either way….once it’s on your face….it will soften and proves very workable.

Once mixed….scoop out with clean fingers and begin to rub in light circular motions all over your face…..use it just like you would the commercial products…..rinse with nice warm water and PAT your face dry….don’t wipe of the oil when finished….let your face absorb the remaining oil…..this is heavenly!

Some of the characteristics of this oil will impress even the most hardened cynic……

Coconut Oil is:

1) Anti-viral

2) Anti-fungal

3) Anti-bacterial

4) Anti-microbial

It can be purchased OTC (Over the counter) I get mine at our local health food store but I am now seeing it show up on main stream grocery shelves…..if you live in my neck of the woods…..Fred Meyers is now carrying it in their organic foods section.

It is AFFORDABLE!

We use it every single day….morning and night.

My husband recently used it to rid himself of a bad flare up of poison oak! Poison oak to him is a certain week off work if it isn’t arrested IMMEDIATELY! He brought in a load of wood to burn in our wood stove and 45 minutes later the arm he carried the wood in was inflammed…..se lathered the arm with coconut oil and instantly the itching stopped…..the next morning…all signs of the rash were gone.

I have several stories of my own I could share as well….and I will….in another posting coming your way soon

For now…..I want to encourage you to google the benefits of coconut oil for yourself…..don’t take my word for it….dig in….research….I bet you’ll purchase a case or two before the weekend is out >wink<

Here are a few of my favorite Coconut Oil sites:

http://www.coconutoilbenefits.org/ This site has lots of videos with recipes for different ways to use CO. It also has a wonderful FAQ section.

http://www.coconut-oil-central.com/coconut-oil-benefits.html Another site I visit often to keep up with ongoing research….they are constantly finding more uses for the oil!

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/ Last but not least….my very favorite Coconut Oil information site….this is where Dr. Bruce Fife publishes his own research. I purchased Dr. Fife’s first two books on the Coconut Oil Miracle and I can’t begin to tell you how our lives have improved! When you visit here….be sure to look over the left side menu and sign up for his free E-Newsletter…..you’ll thank me later….:)

Spa La La La La!!!

Blessed to be In His Grip~

The Eyes of the Lord……

trustinghim4ever — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:15:08 +0000

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

Can you even imagine that? I try….but it boggles my mind that the creator of the universe is mindful of me.

I made a card today with the above verse on it……praying that it will be an encouragement to the recipient……

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

Thrilled to be In His Grip today!~

Grandma’s Girls~

trustinghim4ever — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:35:21 +0000

The girls came to stay for a few days this week! We love it when they come to visit…..we had some serious fun this time! They are getting big enough to be able to follow some very simple instructions and our activities during this visit reflected that!

We made Ladybug Cracker Appetizers that we found on the Taste of Home site for grandpa when he got home from work last night. The girls could hardly wait until Grandpa got home so they could show him and eat the treats they made! I was really surprised how little supervising this activity required. I did the cutting but they did all of the assembling and loved every minute of it!

Then we had fun making fish out of socks! Yes….you heard right…..we took brand new socks….stuffed them with tissue paper….fixed a washer in the toe and fished for them! We made fishing poles from glitter batons we bought at the Dollar Tree and attached yarn with a magnet on the end for our *hooks*. Hours of fun for sure!!!

Next time we learn to sew!!! Plastic canvas and yarn to start with……counting the days……

Joyfully In His Grip~

The Last Shall Be First~

trustinghim4ever — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:50:14 +0000

This devotional I am sharing today is not one I’ve written but one that speaks deeply and precisely to a place I’ve been. For the last 5 years, I’ve been home, retired from a life in the business world. I was a marketer….the Lord seemed to be blessing the works of my hands…..but alas…..my gazed dropped at some point during my career and my focus became one of goals and accomplishments rather than of service to Him. Yes….I completely lost sight of the fact that my career was blessed so I could serve Him through it….I worked hard at it so it could serve me….in the end…..I served it……thank you Lord for delivering me from that *pool* of competition…..

January 25

	But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
	Mark 10:31

This statement runs cross-current to that which our culture propagates. Our society is becoming increasingly competitive in its orientation. And yet those who win society’s competition seem to be increasingly disillusioned with the prize. That is, people who get to the top often find the top isn’t what they thought it would be. This explains why top athletes, for example, often find themselves being sucked in to the drug scene. They got the prize — but the prize was too small.Jesus comes on the scene and calls us away from competition. How does this work out practically? In your mind’s eye, travel back two thousand years ago to a place called Bethesda where you see hundreds of people with all sorts of physical ailments positioned around a pool of water. Why are they there? The understanding of the day was that the first one in the water after an angel supposedly stirred it would be healed. Consequently, these blind, lame, hurting people jockeyed for position in order that they might be first in the pool. But what does Jesus do when He arrives at Bethesda? He finds a lame man seemingly at the back of the pack and says, ‘Do you want to be made whole?’ ‘I have no man to help me into the water,’ the man answers. ‘I don’t have a network. I don’t have the skills. My college education is outdated. I don’t have connections. How can I compete in this culture? I have no one to help me.’ This man had no stock options. He wasn’t a member of the health club, not on the city softball team. He wasn’t competitive, yet it was he and he alone who captured Jesus’ attention that day. ‘Arise,’ Jesus said. ‘Take up your bed. I’m freeing you from this pool of competition.’ And the man was healed (John 5:8-9). I believe Jesus says the same thing to us today. Maybe you’ve been jockeying, struggling, planning, conniving, attempting to get the edge, to make it happen, to get ahead financially, relationally, or even in ministry. If so, I encourage you to take a mental trip to Bethesda and be reminded again that the paradox of the Kingdom is that the first shall be last and the last first.

Humbly In His Grip~

Developing my new habit~

trustinghim4ever — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:58:54 +0000

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

If you’ve read this blog in the early days of this month…..you are aware that I accepted a challenge to document 1000 Gifts this year. There are no real rules as to how a person can document their gratitude….just that they do! The objective is to develop an *attitude of gratitude*. The challenger, Ann VosKamp suggests we document 3 gifts a day. Sometimes there are days that go by that I don’t get on the computer long enough to write a blog entry so I will take this opportunity tonight to document several of my gifts! These are gifts that I HAVE, not gifts I am seeking, want or asking God for.

My goodness….there are so many!

1000 Gifts~

21. A comfortable, dependable car.

22. A wonderful bed to rest in.

23. I am so thankful for the gift of my home.

24. Good health

25. My husbands good health

26. A godly husband

27. So many good friends, near and far

28. Everyone who’s last names are: Sweet, Wells, Irving, Vert, TenEyck, Gerig, Godfrey, Champagne, Baer, Kneiling…..there’s more >wink

29. Our wood stove

30. Clothes to wear

31. Abundant and good food to eat

32. A washer and dryer that works to help lighten my load

33. A dishwasher that does the same

34. For a heart of flesh…..(the Lord exchanged my heart of stone for this heart that can now feel both joy and pain….

35. For the courage God has blessed me with to share His goodness

36. For a deep hunger to know Him more intimately. I know this is a gift because there is no good thing in me except Him….His Spirit draws me…

37. Evergreen trees

38. This computer

39. Chocolate chip cookies

40. My new set of dishes from my mother in law after she moved into the retirement home she now lives in. I’ve never had a matching set of dishes before….clearly….all was ok in my world but what a delight to have dishes that match!

41. Warm comfortable slippers

42. My oversized blue fleece turtleneck…..it’s like wearing a blanket…

43. For the book series I am reading by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins: The Stories of John, Mark, Luke and Matthew.

44. The ability to create with paper, fabric, clay…..

45. Yogurt

46. Lip balm

47. Love

48. For those people who choose to believe in the best in me

49. For those in my life who are not afraid to speak truth to me…..

50. Forgiveness

51. The laughter of my children

52. The laughter of their children

53. For the Hope Christ has given me….

54. The ability to teach

55. Good good books

56. Good worship music

Truly grateful to be in His grip tonight~

Am I a sin-sniffer?

trustinghim4ever — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:48:51 +0000

Matthew 7:5

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Recently I was visiting with a dear sister in the Lord who happens to be related to me! We love to share about what the Lord is doing in our lives with one another……the fellowship is so so sweet! We were talking about how much we learn from our children and she told me a story about her sweet daughter.

Her daughter came home from an event with friends and declared that one of her friends was “just a sin sniffer”! My friend and I unraveled in laughter over the cuteness of this statement her daughter made…we laughed hard! I tell you though….since that conversation…the Holy Spirit has not left me alone concerning this topic! Every single time I find myself tempted to judge a conversation I might be having, or watching someone go through a challenging time….the minute I begin to think *Well that’s not the way I would do that*……the faithful Hound of Heaven pricks my conscience and my neck bows in repentance.

I am all grown up physically…..but spiritually, I continue to grow in God’s grace. I wonder why I am so tempted to compare my walk with that of others around me….I wonder why it’s easier for me to see the error of ways in others. I can learn from others mistakes but I think it’s deeper than that. I’ve grown up in a world that judges ones life by accomplishments that can be measured….accomplishments that can been seen, felt and touched. Learning to be content with the *fruit* that is being grown by the Master Gardner of my life has been foreign to me.

Dear Lord~ Teach me to *see* others through Your eyes…..eyes that see the promises, potential and possibilities that have been woven into the precious people you have brought into my life. Change my heart oh God….make it ever new….help me support people to grow to their FULL potential in You! In Jesus name Amen…..

1 Corinthians 2:2

‘For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified’

In His Gracious Grip~

Listening to and Honoring God’s Word~

trustinghim4ever — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:54:40 +0000

Acts 13:48a

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;

I ran a day care while my children were younger. I rarely let the children play out in the front yard because we had a wonderful and beautiful fenced backyard for them to play in. One day, some of the older children, and by older I mean, the 8-10 year olds were petitioning me to let them play out in the front yard. Against my better judgement….I allowed two of the older boys out to play in the front yard. There were other children in the neighborhood shooting hoops, riding skateboards and such, so I didn’t think the idea was all that bad. We live on a street that is one short block long with no through streets on either end so traffic was not a real concern. The boys were elated! I ran down a list of rules to follow…they nodded their heads to each and every one of them…..they promised to honor my word…….were good to go!

Thrilled with their new found freedom…..the day ended….their parents came for them and all seemed well. Later that evening we heard a knock on the door. It was our neighbor Ron from across the street. He had come to let me know that the front seat of his car had been filled with pine cones and dirt clods. Apparently he had left the passenger side window down all day long (it was mid-summer). Ron told us that after interviewing some of the other neighborhood boys that he was reasonably convinced that the offender lived in our house.

Now…I have 3 boys of my own…..quite a bit older than the two that begged for their freedom that day. Our own boys all had solid safety nets…..two of them were at work and the other was away at summer camp. Uh-oh…..the list of suspects had been narrowed down to only two. Michael and Josh.

After hearing Ron and chatting with him a bit….I told him that we would get to the bottom of the mystery the next day…..and we did. The boys arrived and ate breakfast. I began to tell them about neighbor Ron and his complaint. Immediately Michael said….It was Josh! Josh began to whimper and offered a full fledged confession.

I walked hand in hand with Josh over to Ron’s house…..he knocked on the door and asked to speak to Ron. Ron came to the door…..(he is a giant of a man, standing 6’6″ tall) Trembling and voice shaking…Josh squeaked out his apology. Ron forgave him and put him to work cleaning up the mess. Hard lesson learned for a young man. Years later….after Josh graduated from high school….he and his parents came for dinner. He shared that he had never forgotten that lesson and his parents shared that it had a huge impact on him going forward as well!

I am telling a story about a young man named Josh who didn’t honor my words…..and the consequences he paid for not doing so……but when I read the verse above…..I have to notice how very much like Josh I am! The Lord instructs me in His Word to do things His way and so often I don’t…..often times with disastrous consequences.

Food for thought:

Scripture is the Lord’s word of instruction. When you read scripture and hear the Lord’s voice are you “glad”? What have you read or heard recently that has been difficult to do or apply? Did you do it your way or the Lord’s? What was the result? Will you “honor” the Lord’s Word? In what area is the Lord instructing you today? Will you listen and apply what you have learned? Or, will you continue in your own way? The way of the follower of Christ is to listen for and do God’s will.