Road Trip!

Last Saturday my hubby gets me up at the crack of dawn and tells me I have 15 mins to get ready.  I am like ok .....
He then gets our youngest up (he's now 16) and tells us that we are going on a day road trip and I should bring my camera. I am like cool!!!! I can get some great fall shots. 

Well Hubby had something else in mind, drive 4.5 hrs to his brothers new house just to see how long it will take.
I didn't get any fall shots on the way there. 
 I was kind of bummed it was a great drive
and a perfect day for picture taking.

My B.I.L. just moved to a new town in southern Oregon and asked us if we wanted to go for a short drive and see some sights and to see where he is now working. 
I said sure! Hubby rolled his eyes. 
My S.I.L. giggled and
Johnny our youngest is like sure what ever.

So here is a few "fall" pictures of the Rouge River near my B.I.L. house.

As you can see fall is just starting in Oregon.  The trees are just starting to turn to their fall colors & 

 the river was beautiful!

The boys, (Larry my hubby, Johnny, and Bobby my B.I.L.) got adventurous whileLiz (my S.I.L.)and me  snapped pictures of them.

Johnny on a rock.

 (Left to Right) Johnny, Larry &; Bobby

 Larry, Johnny, & Bobby

I took this picture on the "fall scenery" setting of my Nikon camera. It being only a couple of months old I am still learning how to use all of the cool features.

After a very brief tour we had to leave
and head down the road towards home.  
We had a choice of taking I-5 Freeway or the back route which is the way we got there. Both would take about the same length of time but the freeway route would take us near my M.I.L. and S.I.L. & her family. (They live 50 feet from each other on the same property)

 We took the freeway.

A mile or two down the freeway from Bobby and Liz's house, I asked Hubby to stop off at a store for some gum.  Knowing we were in the middle of no where, basically, we knew that this could turn into a small adventure and it did.

 (Johnny took this picture with my camera as we were driving down the road back to the freeway)

The lady at the above store told us about this

museum just down the road just before the Cover Bridge. I said cool lets go check it out.

(Yes I am a picture junky I love snapping photo's!) 

The museum was closing but the one lane covered bridge wasn't!   My poor husband, I made him take a 15min detour on a 4.5 hour drive home

just so I can take pictures. 

After we got on the freeway we stopped at my favorite ice cream mom and pop stand to be slightly disappointed that they no longer had my

Chocolate Cheese Cake Ice cream.

  Ok so the last time I was there and

had that flavor was around 1988!

An hour or so down the road from there just outside of Cottage Grove Oregon, the sky was beautiful.

I made, yes made!

 my husband pull over along the freeway for me just so I could get these two amazing

 shots of the sky!

Isn't God's handy work just amazing!

James 1:17 (KJV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Even on this short road trip God was with us showing us He is the creator!

It was only like two mins from the first shot to the second shot that's how quickly the sun was setting. I had to wait for a break in traffic so I didn't get cars in the picture, not easy on a busy four lane freeway.

We had decided to stop off at M.I.L./S.I.L. & her family's house on the way thru. It was a 20 mile detour for a hour and a half visit but I am glad we did.

Taking road trips and seeing family is one of my favorite things to do.  I saw a lot of pretty country that we hardly ever get to see. And we surprised our family by popping in even though it was a very quick trip.

What a long day!  We left our house be 8am

and got home around midnight. 

I am so glad we made the trip!

I want to encourage you if to go for a road trip and really look at what God has done for us. 

Open your heart and your eyes

and look at what God has to show you. 

Prayerfully Yours

Debbi

Weeding My Garden of Life.

So this woman's bible study I am doing hasn't been easy.  This week God has asked me to "Weed My Garden", by replacing negative thoughts(weeds) with positive thoughts (flower seeds).   

 Weeding my garden is easy.

It is keeping the weeds out that is the hard part. 

Most gardeners knows this but

in order to have a weed free flower garden

you have to get to the deep roots so that

the weeds don't grow back. 

If you remove only part of the root the weed still grows and then becomes a problem again and again.

Same in life, if you only deal with the surface issue the root problem is still there.   But I don't have a green thumb and it takes me longer to

really have a weed free garden. 

This bible study is taking me back on a journey that I thought I had conquered. 

 I thought I had gotten to the root of

issues from my past.

But as I continue on this journey I am realizing

 I only pulled at the weeds

and never really got to the root. 

 I also have wondered if my life is ever going to be a weed free garden for Christ.

I doubt it as I am a Born Again sinner who is saved only by the Grace of God.   I will strive to become a better Christian woman. And I will diligently pluck the weeds of my garden to get to the root of God's plan.

My weed's right now have to deal with self image negative thoughts about me,

and how the world is seeing me.  

Where is this weed coming from well The drugs I take to combat Behcet's is making my hair thin quickly, I have sores all over my body and to combat that flair
I took prednisone a steroid which made
 me gain 15 lbs in one week. 

 I see myself as frumpy, plain and fat. This is a weed with deep roots.
 The root is from the words from my childhood that have come back to haunt me again. 
 My mind is telling me that I am ugly, worthless.
From the the words of family, peers, and outside influances I hear over and over again
I am not beautiful to anyone including God.

How do I get rid of these negative weeds and replace them with flowers?   I am seeking God's words. 

Psalm 51:6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.Psalm 45:11 The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

1 Peter 3:3-4  (NIV)

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

 

Remebering all the time that I am God's daughter, His princess not mans princess.  Seeking God first and putting away the harmful thoughts. 

Romans 7:22 -23 (NIV)

For in my inner being I delight in God's law;

²³but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members

This is a battle but that battle was won on the Cross!

I pray that you seek to weed your garden too. I pray that your weed roots aren't as deep as mine and if they are I pray God's grace and mercy
while you pluck at these issues.  Seek God first!


Prayerfully Your Sister In Christ
Debbi



Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV)

Now for a little humor!





Maxine’s Wise Words

When God Takes Us To Places Where We Don't Want to Go.

When God takes us to places where we don't want to go we have three choices.
1) Do nothing and ignore God's Calling
2) Go Blindingly along with God's Calling
3) Pray and tell God your Honest feelings about where He is calling too.

Now there may be more choices I haven't seen yet but these are the three I commonly choose.

I don't suggest #1 although I have been known to take that path (a lot) . 
 This path is a rocky rough road with many pot holes and pitfalls.
It also takes us away from God for not doing what God asks! This is sin!

2) Is great! If you are planted strongly in relationship and you understand God's plan, blindly walking in Faith is a great adventure. I have done this too. His blessing and rewards to those who are obedient to
His calling are beyond mans expectations.
 This will make you grow in leaps and bounds with your spiritual walk.

But lets face it we are human, I am human and this isn't a path I take often enough.
So our next option:

3) Is OK when done with the right heart set. When we approach God in loving submissive heart telling
Him our fears on where He wants us to go and asking for His guidance is OK. 
Demanding explanation from God, and having a bitter heart isn't the answer. 
This is almost going back to #1 to me
It is a matter of where your heart is and how you handle Gods calling.   This is where I am today.

God has called me to do a bible study on an issue I thought that I had handled.  I don't.  After reading the first chapter of the book I finding it hard to continue on.  So I am Choosing #3 with the right Heart set.

I am asking God to guide me through this as I am struggling with where He is calling me.
I am asking that He provide a safe path for me.  That He leads me,  not my mind.

I am also struggling with my outside appearance these days! Behcet's disease causes sores and skin ulcerations and they have ended up on my face.  Now it just looks like I got a bad case of acne. But I also have sores elsewhere on my body, my hair is falling out and is very thin from the medications,
 and the steroids led me to gain some more unwanted weight.
 All this has to do with why I am struggling with this women's bible study.
 The two are going hand in hand and I so my heart,
and physical appearance are butting heads with my mind.  
I want to follow God's Will and His plan for my life. I just need more of Him in getting through this struggle.

It is OK not to go blindly following God's will with the correct heart set exspecially when we are being tested.
The more we lean on God, The more we learn to trust His Will. 
He is a loving God. He is slow to anger yet quick to comfort.
Talk to Him. Although He knows our struggles He wants to hear it from us personally.

God, Guide me through these struggles.
Help me get past the outside body issues.
 Help me see Your Will in these things.  
Help me grow past the outward stuff so that my inner beauty can shine through.
Show me how You want me to get through this bible study.
Guide me down this path so that I may grow to who you want me to be.   Amen



Prayerfully Your Sister In Christ !
Debbi