Breathing Souls!

   I have been working on memorizing Psalm 103 with 2 sweet ladies! What a blessing for soooooo many reasons. As we memorize we take time to study each verse. We have memorized and discussed the first 12 verses, so I thought this week would be a good time to review..not just the memorizing, but what God has taught us along the way! I came across a verse in The Message recently in Psalm 42. It says, "When my soul is in the dumps I rehearse everything I know about God!" I have realized what a great benefit this is, and why wait til my soul is in the dumps to rehearse!
   As I began reviewing Psalm 103 today, the neatest thing happened. I planned to rethink all that God had already taught me in the first 2 verses, but instead the word "soul" jumped out at me. Bless the Lord, O my SOUL. So I did a little searching.
   The word soul comes from the Hebrew word "Nephesh" and it literally means a breathing creature.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
As I BREATHE I should bless God!
Like I BREATHE prayer, I should BREATHE blessing...(to bless God is to kneel before, worship, and adore Him!)
   The breath of life is a very precious thing to me right now. It is so easy to take breathing for granted. God continues to give Amber the breath of life!!!  I do not take breathing for granted in Ambers life. I wake up every day and say, "Thank you Lord, for life and breath for Amber today!" And I spent this morning asking the Lord, "Oh please Lord, give baby boy Amick the breath of life!"
SOUL...the dictionary definition...a persons total self
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and ALL that is within me bless His holy name! ALL that is within me...my soul....my total self...breathing blessing to God!!

This is the first time I held Amber. Lord willing, within this next week I will be doing the same with my new grand-son! Thank you Lord, for the breath of life for Amber. I praise You, and thank You, and BLESS You, for she is fearfully and wonderfully made. Please breathe the breath of life into baby boy Amick. I trust You with his little life.

 God HAS given me the breath of life today. I will breathe blessing God!

One Touch.....

"But Jesus came over and touched them. "Don't be afraid." When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus."
...Amber touching my face with her precious little fingers
...Mike greeting me out of the shower, wrapping me in my towel, and hugging me long
...Cindee wrapping her arms around me just when I needed it and many years ago how she tenderly took my hand as we wept and prayed
...the way Mikayla runs her fingers through my hair
...Paula and I holding one another and praying
...Peggy's warm and wonderful hugs
...Sara reaching over in church and holding my hand
...Camey's warm embrace having not seeing her in so long
...The way Noah holds me when he knows I'm hurting
...Mom and Dad's hugs whenever I see them

Live simply...Love Generously...Don't be afraid to touch the people you love! (you may never know that it will be like the very touch of Jesus!)
One Touch!...click here..!

Smack Dab in the Middle!

   I usually run in the country. Today I ran in town. As I was running down Market Street in Bloomsburg, I came upon two older ladies who were out for an early morning walk with their dogs. They didnt see me. I ran up behind them and startled them.. The one dog jumped 2 feet in the air, the lady jumped 4..and here we go again with me frightening people and creatures while I'm running!!!

   I apologized, kept running, smiled about the whole scene, and then behind me I heard loud footsteps! Another woman much younger than I, and MUCH faster than I trotted past . We continued to run down River Road....she far ahead of me. The whole picture of the morning played out before me and just made me smile!! The older ladies walking slowly behind me, the younger woman trotting quickly ahead of me..and where am I in this season of life???? Smack dab in the middle!!!! And it is a comfy, enjoyable place to be!!!

My Best Friend

   It is the most precious book I own, or will ever possess.  My Bible.  God's Word.. King James, NIV, New American Standard, The Living Bible, The Amplified Bible.  These versions all occupy a place on my shelf or in my reading basket.  They get used often. One for the comfort of everyday language, another for it's variety of references, and yet another for it's depth and descriptive wordiness.  But none are treasured as much as my New King James.  It is my best friend.  Not because of the version, but because of how God has used it in my life over a specific period of time.  It has been my comfort, my teacher, my joy, my rebuke, my guide, my strength, me rest, my refreshment.  It is my cherished companion.
   I love to hold my Bible in my hands.  The soft leather...beginning to wear where my fingers have held it so often.  The pages...delicate, thin, and silky.  Pages unlike any other book I have ever opened.  I love the way they whisper as I leaf through to find my place.
   Memories flood me as I notice my markings...penciled words reflecting thoughts and feelings of days gone by.  Words in black and red, underlined so that my eyes will rest quickly on them again.  Words of hope, promises of God's faithfulness and unfailing love for me.  How can these words be new every morning when I have read them so many times before?
   The very pages within teach me to not store up treasures on earth.  Don't place value on things that can be purchased, or items that will fade away when I am no longer here.  My Bible was purchased.  It will one day pull apart at the binding.  The leather will be worn, and the pages may tear.  But it is my earthly treasure whose value can never be estimated.  It's words are written in my heart, and all that has been contemplated within the pages will live within me for eternity!  One day, rather than living by faith according to the words in this book, I will realize the reality of all that has been written!

...Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known!...1Corinth. 13:12

   I wrote those words on 1/25/2010. They are penciled in the front of my NKJV Bible.  I was reading them and thinking about them this week, and realized I have a new best friend!!! The Message! Last September I went to a Women's Retreat with my mom at Sandy Cove. The Worship leader used The Message as she spoke.  She read Psalm 100. I loved it. She read other passages...I could relate. While I was at Sandy Cove, I purchased a small copy for myself. I couldn't put it down, and very quickly read through the entire New Testament. It has become my reading Bible. It goes wherever I go....beside me during my quiet times in the morning, to bed with me for reading at night, to the store, to soccer games, when visiting a friend, in the car whenever we go somewhere, with me in a hot bath, and it would go with me in my purse if I had one..ha ha!!

   I love God's Word. I love each and every translation as God has used them in different seasons of my life. I am thankful that during this particular season God has given me a craving for His Word. 

Psalm 63...The Message

God-You're my God!

I cant get enough of You!

I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God,

 traveling across dry and weary deserts.

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,

drinking in Your strength and glory.

In Your generous love I am really living at last!

My lips brim praises like fountains,

I bless You every time I take a breath;

my arms wave like banners of praise to You!

"Bittersweet"

Finished reading a book this week......Bittersweet, by Shauna Niequist
I picked up the book because the review and the theme reminded me alot of One Thousand Gifts , which is my top book choice of the year. The book was not at all what I expected, and very different than One Thousand Gifts, but as I read I jotted notes in the back of things that I wanted to think about. What good is reading if it doesn't initiate change in your life?...So here are my bare thoughts - written for me to ponder, and for you if you care to read!

Quotes I'm Thinking About

...."When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate.  And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow."
..."It's not hard to decide what you want your life to be about.  What's hard is figuring out what you're willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about."
..."I live in daily, honest, intimate community with a small group of people.  I give my time and energy and prayer to my immediate family and close friends.  To a slightly wider circle of people, I give love and friendship..." 
..."Share your life with the people you love...there is really nothing like good friends, the sound of their laughter and the tones of their voices and the things they teach us in the quietest, smallest moments."

Other Thoughts

...Entertain more..I miss having friends and family and food and fellowship around my table often!

...Show grace to others like candy being thrown in a parade...grace, for you, grace for you, more grace for you....

...Think thru life..What am I good at, what do I enjoy, what are the gifts God has given me and what are my priorities in life?  Then organize life to live in light of that!

..."Thin Places" - the place where the passage between heaven and earth is a short one..where God's presence is almost palpable... places when because of circumstances God is very real and His presence is sooo close.

...SAY Something.....When you know someone is hurting dont just say nothing. And DO something - send a note or make a meal or find some way to show love to the people you care for.

...God meets us at the kitchen table! Cook for people, invite them in, laugh and talk and share life with others!

..Watch or read "The Notebook"

...Work harder on my marriage..it is never too late. Dont slide into the routine of being a couple who live together, raise a family together, but dont have a deep level of trust and dont connect deeply with one another. "The best gifts we can give one another are apologies and acceptance!"

...Quit being consumed by things that waste time and are meaningless.

...Who is my "Home Team"???..the people closest to me - close, comfortable relationships that deserve my openness and my time and energy??

...Blueberries...What will MY children and grand-children remember me for?? What do I convey to them about my priorities in life? I want my family to know that I love Christ, that I want them to know HIM intimately. I want them to know that I love them, pray for them, and that they are a priority to me. And I like blueberries, but I love pizza!

...Share my story with others - What has God done in my life and what is He teaching me now?..leave out the cliches and religious talk and just be me!

...What I need most during the bittersweet times of life is the comfort of Christ. Christ IS my comfort!  God IS good.  His simple blessings are many!!...kisses from Amber, dancing with joy at my son's wedding, giggles with my girls, a call from my boys, catching the breeze on the motorcycle with Mike, 2 new daughters , laughing with a friend, good food and warm fellowship, a grandson on the way.....
.....Dont get caught up in the bitter and overlook the sweet!

Lord, teach me to LIVE SIMPLY and LOVE GENEROUSLY!

Satisfying My Thirst!

     Why do I so often question God...about soooo many things? I dont have a book or a guide for the summer Bible Study I am leading. We are studying the Psalms and looking for specific things that we can learn about God...such as God is faithful, He is merciful, He is compassionate, He is to be feared, He is my counselor, He provides for me, He is king, Lord, my friend, my Father, etc, etc.. Each week I have had to ask the Lords direction for what Psalm to study next...boy is this teaching me to depend on Him! Last week the only Psalm that kept coming to mind was Psalm 23.  The shepherd Psalm.  I know it by heart. We all do. It is so familiar and we even discussed it in our first study....so WHY Lord, are You directing us to study it again!???
    Today I came to..."He leads me beside quiet waters". For me that is a picture of rest.  A cool, quiet, peaceful stream. But why would a shepherd lead his sheep to the still waters? Because the sheep are thirsty. And so are we.  Thirsty for water these days, because it is 95+ degrees for days on end!...But even if we dont realize it,we are thirsty for so much more.  We are thirsty spiritually.  We try hard to fill that void in life with so many things...pleasures and relationships and distractions of all sorts.  But what we really thirst for is God....what I really need most is God.
     My favorite Psalm is Psalm 63 because God used it in my life when I was terribly hungry and thirsty. He showed me that what I really needed most was Him.

Psalm 63:1-5...

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You;

My soul thirst for You; my flesh longs for You

in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see You power and Your glory.

Becaue Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips!

Why did God lead me to study Psalm 23 this week?  Because He is my shepherd, and I needed to be reminded that He is the one who gives me rest and quenches my thirst. He does that each and every day thru His Word....and it is much more satisfying than a cold glass of ice water on a 95 degree day!

Matthew 5:6...Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled!

John 6:35...Jesus said, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me shall never hunger, and He who believes in Me shall never thirst."
Do you know my Jesus???? I would be glad to tell you about Him! Its going to be a hot one today! I know you will be thirsty...Jesus is the only true thirst quencher I know!....Reminds me of a song....
click below for a listen...:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlDe0E0nhBs

Looney-Bird Lewellyns!

The Lewellyn families have always been bird lovers!!  As far back as I can recall, my family has owned birds of all kinds!!  Parakeets, Love-birds, Doves, Pigeons, Mynah Birds, Crows!, Parrots, Cockatoos, and probably others! Some might say we are a bit Looney over birds!!  My earliest memories are of my grand father...Pappy Floyd..who had many birds!  He had a sun-room type addition on the back of his home in Sherwood Village that was home to quite a menagerie of birds!
Pap-pap spent much of his day caring for and talking to and loving his family of birds.  He trained them to talk, raised some to sell to pet shops, could be found feeding them from his mouth to theirs, and sometimes had wounds on his lips and arms and hands from their "love" bites!!  We chuckle because as grand-children began to enter the Lewellyn family, Pappy Floyd talked to them just like he did his parrots!!The following photo and large article were published in the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise about my Pappy Floyd on July 6, 1990.

I can remember my dad telling us stories of birds they owned when he was small.  One particular bird would be outside while my dad and brother played army!  The bird would make the sound of a gun shooting and say..."uhhhhhhhhhh, gottcha!!"  That has always made me laugh as I picture it!!
Somewhere along the way mys sister Cate got the bird bug!! She has a beautiful jungle-like atmosphere on the back patio of her home in Texas...and it is filled with birds who chatter and sing and call the dog and cry and laugh and add fun to her home!  Here is Eli enjoying one of her birds!

Cates bird Dobie is famous for singing the Sponge Bob song!! Dobie is an African Grey Parrot! Check it out....at 1min 30 seconds she sings the song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UX1t9n7IXw
And here Cate is with some of her sweeties!

Dad got the love for birds too.  He raised Homing pigeons, and I can remember watching dad release them and waiting for them to return home! We had many birds over the years..dirty as they are, they are fun! Dad would train many of them to talk by recording something he wanted to teach them, and playing it over and over on a tape recorder thru an earphone that was attached to the birds cage.   Dad recently purchased a Double Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot!  Her name is Harriet. She is young and by far the best talker I have ever seen in the family! When she came to dads home a few months ago she would call..."Lester!!" (who was her previous owner), say, "Back to work", "Hello Harriet", goodbye Harriet, I love you, cried like a baby,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okwQFYCRToE
and a few other things including singing "I'm a Yankee Doodle Parrot!"

Recently Dad has taught her to sing Jesus Loves Me, play Peek-a-boo, talk when she wants a bite of food, say "will ya look at that!", and much much more.  Harriet loves Sara and will dance and chase Sara around the kitchen table.  And Harriet also loves to play cards!!  Amber enjoyed meeting Harriet for the first time when she was visiting in May! And on that same visit Harriet surprised Schuyler by flying and landing on her head!! WE missed the picture of that one...Skyes expression was priceless!!!

 

Monday is laundry day at my parents house, and Harriets favorite day! She likes noise and talks the entire time the washer and dryer are running! And here is Harriet hamming it up at dinner time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1DnC6DZCvI

Little by little Harriet is learning to trust Dad, and can often be found snuggled up around Dads neck or giving him gentle kisses! 

These videos do not do justice, as Harriet talks sooooo much more than you have seen here!! I am sure there will be videos to come as we capture Harriet saying new things!!