Thursday, January 12, 2012

You Can't Always Get What You Want

So far away
 mourning a loss alone
 like I was on the other side of the universe
away from all the others who are mourning the same loss
but with different relationships to him
wanting to be there
 to comfort
 other
comforting & supporting each other.
Here I am  alone,
Tears streaming down my face
out of control
until ...

The Lord puts a song on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX20vnf5hH4
"I Have Been There"
I realized then
 I am far from
 alone
I am in the presents of the Lord!
With his warm embarrass
squeezing me tight
I feel peace
and realize than ...
You can't always get what you want,
but you always ...
get what you need

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Our Ways Are Not His Ways...

I am reminded today of my Grandma's hand. She was born without fingers on her left hand.
I have an image of her going up to heaven like this:

God says to Grandma, "Here are all your tears that you have cried thought out your life in these two buckets. All your pain and sorrow... all your joy and laughter. You are to carry them to me on your way up."

Grandma takes the buckets. Each in one hand,. She gets to heaven and hands the Lord the buckets but the one from her left hand was almost empty because she didn't have the strength to hold it upright and was pouring it out all the way to heaven! She says "Father, I am so sorry. I couldn't carry the other bucket upright and spilled most of the tears out on the way." The Lord says, "That was my plan. Look behind you"... all the way to heaven was a path of beautiful flowers that lined the path to heaven from her imperfect hand. Her tears were watering his seeds. God makes beauty from ashes.

Psalm 40:2 says:
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mere, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Isiah 64:8 says:
"Lord,  you are our Father, we are the clay, you are the potter, we are the work of your hands."

Next time there is a trial in your life, and you think the crack will never heal, maybe it isn't suppose to. Maybe God will use that crack for a greater purpose.

Our ways are not His ways.
His plan is unfolding perfectly ... and you're a part of it!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

I am reminded of a precious gift I have been given today...

Happy Sunday and Happy New Year!

What is important to you?

 Love is to me... but after 52 years of what I thought was love, was not it at all!

Try substituting the word "Love" for "Loyalty" ... THAT is what love really is.

A.W.Tozer once wrote:
We do not believe we are as dear to God as He says we are. We do not believe we are as precious or that He desires us as much as He says He does. The enemy of man's soul has sold this lie to us to not only beat us down, but to also keep us from the loving fellowship of God's presence. He cares not a whit for us, but his hatred of God drives him to do all his power to deny God that which rightfully belongs to Him. If everybody could suddenly have a baptism of pure cheerful belief that God wants and desires us to worship, admire and praise Him, it could transform us overnight into the most radiantly happy people in the world. We would finally discover our purpose; that God delights in us, and longs for our fellowship.

Find the "loyalty" in your heart and love the way we were designed to love and delight in it!

For those reading this blog, please make me accountable...

Friday, December 2, 2011

There is Nothing that is Going to Happen to You Today, that God Doesn't Already Know About

Do you ever wonder why some people get bombarded with trials in their life, and others don't?
I thought about this today and wonder how certain people can handle things better than others.

Let's think about people who run marathons for a minute.They have to train for years to prepare for that one marathon day. The training ... exercise ... stretches, etc .... they have to equip themselves or they won't be able to handle it.

 Kind of like a rubber band. As long as you keep stretching it out, it will continue to work fine.
But once you leave it in the draw for a few years &  then take it out to use, it breaks because it lost all its elasticity.

This seems to be the same theory as the trials we face in our lives, and the timing of them. All of our life we are given little crumbs of trials that prepares us for a bigger one (like exercises I guess you would say) but the people that can't handle their trials are people who don't look at the trial  as a learning experience or  an exercise and grow from it. This is how God works. He equips certain people in their life's for the trials that He already knows about. It is up to us to learn or grow from them to prepare us for the next one ... and there will be a next one!

With Gods grace, we can get through them.
Here is a song for you   http://youtu.be/uHdcyue0bSw

Saturday, November 19, 2011

up and Running

I have been working overtime on my greeting cards and I am excited to let you know I have been accepted! There are a few for now, but more are being reviewed, so check back often.

I also wanted to let you know that I will personally design a card just for your special needs. Just email me the image you like and what you would like written on the outside image and I will take care of it for you. You can personalize the inside of the card yourself at no extra cost. The quality is the best I have seen out there. The prices are running under $2.00 each! Better than what is out there in the stores... that's for sure.

While your there, make sure you copy and paste my home page to your favorites and stock up on your cards while the sale is still going on. http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/visualinspirations

There are some incredible artist on there. Here is one for example. Her work is so amazing. Come check it out.
<a href="http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/lighting-the-way-534182?pid=534182&gcu=57774468429"><img src="http://images.greetingcarduniverse.com/images/csphoto/1107/00/00/13/33/63/534182_shadow.jpg" border="0"></a>

When your shopping this Christmas, remember to support the little guys!

Peace

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Im Back!

Sorry... had writers mental block for about three months but I'm back now!

Been very busy lately with starting new projects and juggling old projects that I have had in the works for a while now. One project I started is a putting up and designing a new site for my greeting cards. You can find the link here. <a href="http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/visualinspirations">
border=0></a>

It's new so check back often. The cards have to go through a screening process and they take a little while, but I should have more very soon, but for now, please feel free to stop by and check it out. Let me know your thoughts.

My other project that has been in the works is my picture book. I just sent off to the senior editor of "Random House." I went to a conference in Oakland and had the unique opportunity to spend time asking questions about my story, along with other great speakers who gave some wonderful advice. We'll just have to see how it pans out. I am hopeful that it is the right hands and they take it on, but if not, I will go on looking for the next prospect.

We're getting into the busy holiday season now, but keep in mind, do what you love to do, stay focused on what is important in your life, and don't get caught up in the "Hustle and Bustle" of Christmas. Remember what we are celebrating and let the joy fill your your hearts and your homes.

God bless,
Rhonda

Friday, August 19, 2011

For Every Calm in Your Life, There Has to be a Storm

I personally like when a storm comes before the calm; I can appreciate the calm abundantly. In a storm I am also complaisant knowing there is a calm coming.

Storms aren't a bad thing when you look at the reasoning behind them. They are like my cracked theory. When you are cracked, or in a storm, you are being formed. When you aren't being formed, you aren't growing. When you aren't growing, you are basically useless. When you are useless, you get depressed.

What would you rather be?