My New Blog Address...ipressonward.com

     Hello, All!  I know the offerings have been few and far between lately as far as new posts are concerned.  I have been in the process of transferring my blog to a new website.  I have my own .com address now for you to log into which will take you to a Wordpress account I have secured.  I had set up this website to automatically shift you to my new Wordpress page, but it has ceased to do that for some reason beyond my limited computer knowledge to make it happen.
     Though I do believe that the move is a good one, my biggest fear is that my readers will not be able to find me.  I am writing this to give you my new address and ask you to make the move with me. I am so thankful you take the time to read my posts. Below is my new address. Hope to see you there.  God Bless and as always...To God Be the Glory!

                                                        ipressonward.com

In Quietness and Trust Is Your Strength

     I want to share this passage of scripture from my devotional time this morning.  Praise God, I am closer to understanding and living the reality of this verse.  I regret that so much time has been lost when I did not live what I am about to suggest, much less give this verse great thought.

"This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy
One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." (Isaiah 30:15)

     For much of my life I have been camped out in the "but you would have none of it" portion of this verse. Who has time for rest and quietness anyway?! Oh, my goodness! That is virtually impossible in this day and age...so much to do, so many places to go, overwhelmed with work, with kids. And what about me? When is there ever going to be time for me?  Sound familiar? Of course it does! But do we have an alternative? Absolutely! Will we take the time to explore the alternative?  The answer to that question lies within us.
     What we say we seek... quietness and peace in our souls...is always readily available to us.  But to find this, we must hit the pause button in life and pursue the Lord to secure it. When we carve out those hushed moments in time and seek out our Heavenly Father, He will direct us to the rest and peace that can only be found in Him. This is a respite spent listening for His guidance, asking for His order of priorities in our lives, being open and willing to take His direction.  But what if He leads us to trim down our "To Do" list and cut out some of the many activities we have lined up for ourselves on a daily basis. This question must be answered, "Am I ready to stop the insanity or not?" And how much of what we give up has Heavenly outcomes, anyway?
     I encourage you to move your focus to the repentance, rest, quietness and trust that are found in the salvation of our Sovereign Lord. Possess the strength is yours for the taking! Folks, this is a no-brainer! Take a deep breath, let go and let God.  To God Be the Glory!
 

     
   
   

   
     

The Slow Fade Concept

 

   Just last week, my son pointed out that we had web worms on a tree outside our kitchen window. He, to my surprise, used his phone to Google web worms and proceeded to show me a gallery of about thirty pictures portraying the possible toll they could take on my tree, the one in which all the birds love to take shelter from the weather (and my incessant photography). Let me interject here that though these pictures warranted attention, the fact that Ben had researched this on his own was the most impressive!

     That was twelve days ago. The two nests of web worms causing Ben's concern has multiplied to ten. Insidiously they are spreading, encompassing more and more of the tree.  I am becoming concerned that Ben's photo gallery could include my tree as slowly but surely they are taking it over.  

     No doubt you are wondering where in the world I am going with all this talk of web worms! And here is your answer. The scenario playing out in my back yard is the perfect illustration for a song that always give me pause when I hear it, bringing me to take inventory of my own life. The name of the song is "Slow Fade."  I am including the link below so that you can listen to it. Please do! The song speaks to the slow disintegration of our standards, our morals, our Christian principles, often so slow that we don't realize it is happening until there is a price to pay. These are the words to the chorus:

                              It's a slow fade when you give yourself away.

                              It's a slow fade when black and white are turn to gray

                              And thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

                              When you give yourself away

                              People never crumble in a day 

                              Families never crumble in a day

                              It's a slow fade.

      The more flooded our society becomes with temptations to compromise, the farther out we are swept away from the Solid Rock on which we should stand.The erosion is often so deceptive, so slow that before we are realize it we've crossed a line we never thought possible. A compromise here, one there, and Satan has you exactly where he wants you...out of  with God and feeling there is no way back. Through the blood of Jesus and the grace of God there is always a way back to the arms of your Heavenly Father, but often there are consequences that must be dealt with. Keep your eyes on Jesus as you engage in the battles against temptations you will encounter. 1 Peter 5:8 says this, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

     Hopefully, the web worm parallel makes some sense to you now.  Don't forget to click on the link. Be vigilant! To God Be the glory!

                                              Slow Fade--Casting Crowns 

God's Team Player

     A smile crossed my face this past weekend when I captured this picture. The cap on the left belongs to my husband, Eddy, an Ole Miss Rebel fan to the core. The cap on the right is worn by my daughter, Miriam, who equally shares his passion and and loves sports in general.  I love the fact that she and her dad have found something over which they have bonded. She and I have our areas of common interests, and the "Wide World of Sports" belongs to them!
     While watching a football game with them, I was, as always, impressed by the amount of teamwork and effort that goes into playing sports in general. These guys have committed their all to the game through practices, workouts, and studying plays. They all have a common goal...that of winning!  For this they willingly sacrifice on a daily basis. No pain, no gain.
     What would our churches be like if we borrowed even a bit of the resolve, the "dug in" mentality that these players possess? How could the kingdom of God be affected? What would it look like if we were all on team "Jesus" with the common objective of winning people for the Lord? What if everyday we were practicing what we hear on Sunday, acting on the Biblical commandments of our head coach in Heaven, studying our playbook, the Bible. What if "winning" meant the salvation of lost souls otherwise bound for Hell?
     The temptation to be a spectator woos us all, however.  Watching is so much easier than being in the game...less sacrifice, less one on one interaction. Folks, if you only take a moment to process the world situation today, you would see that Heaven needs more players in action, in the game, who are willing to make a positive impact. However, acting as arm chair quarterbacks is the manageable path taken by so many.  The road taken by Jesus, the example he set for us as Christians is far from that of a lifelong "tailgating" atmosphere before the game. On Earth, He lived a life of intention...that of saving sinners like you and me. You have to be in the game, not a spectator.
     Are you ready to be a dedicated participant, to practice, to build up your spiritual muscles in God's word, to reap eternal victories as you represent His team? Don't forget the role teammates have of encouraging one other, and holding each other accountable. Highly important! We will all need this when the battles are difficult. There are no bowl and championship games in Heaven, but remember this. "Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on the Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8) No trophy can compare to that! Get off the sidelines and out of the recliner, sign up, and see who you can take to heaven with you. To God Be The Glory!
 
      

All We Need If All Was Lost

   

 This morning, on my "sleep in a little" day off, my dog, Max, saw fit to awaken me quite early. With a long "To Do" list already planned for the day, this will most likely work to my advantage. The mornings of late have been cool, with the promise of fall in the air before the heat of the remaining summer days sets in.  Max and I slipped outside on the patio to soak in the beauty of early morning, eat some breakfast, and drink in time alone with God. It was during this time that I was overcome with thankfulness to my Heavenly Father. My family and I are so very blessed. As I sat there, a soft breeze blew, filled with the freshness of a new day. I was not surrounded by smoke from gunfire and explosives as are many in foreign countries.  The birds were singing joyously, gliding on the soft currents of wind. There was no gunfire, no explosions to drown them out.  I had gone to my kitchen and chosen my breakfast from a variety of food available.Today, I will not go hungry as will many.  My home had sheltered me through the night, and I would live in its comfort today, not in a tent fleeing a war torn country, or on the streets. I am so blessed and this morning that reality stopped me in my tracks.

     People, we spend our time running, cramming our days full of busyness that bears no glory for God and gives our minds little time to be reminded of our blessings, to find His peace.  And the sadness of this comes in the reality that we choose to do this to ourselves. With the start of a new school year, I hear parents bemoaning the impossible schedules of children as after school hours are spent running children multiple directions for after school activities. They hardly have time to breathe, much less spend time to set aside praising with God.  A bumblebee working overtime on some potted flowers on my patio was a perfect image of this.  The bee barely paused as he dove furiously into one flower and then the next collecting pollen, living up to the "busy as a bee" cliche'. 

     I challenge you to set aside some precious time today to enter a season of thanksgiving for what we so easily take for granted each day, starting with your first breath this morning and praising from that point on. Pray for our country. Be thankful for the freedom and opportunity it provides. But don't stop there. Pray for those in other countries that are war torn, hungry, disease stricken. Their story could be ours.  Pray for God's direction in sorting out life's priorities.  If the life we are choosing to live leaves us too busy and exhausted for time with Him, folks, we are too busy.  Stop and smell the roses, take a deep breath, and start praising.  

     This verse was in my devotional reading this morning and sparked this train of thought.  ...sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich: having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:10) If everything we have was stripped away, in Christ we possess everything. All the more reason to be thankful for through Christ we have all we need even if all was lost!  To God Be the Glory!        

     

     

A Life Balanced by God

     I recently had the pleasure of photographing a hot air balloon festival hosted by our town. This was my second time to photograph such an event, and thankfully I was a bit more calm this time. My first photo-op years ago found me jittery due to the excitement of it all, like a child who had eaten too much sugar. How often does an occasion like this present itself!
     Something that I have learned from both of these events is that the flight of the balloons rests precariously on the weather, most importantly the wind speed. Too much wind, and the balloons are unable to fly. Little to no wind, and the balloons are equally grounded. I laughingly told one of the pilots that the devil is in the details.  During the festival, both scenarios presented themselves. On the night of the tethered balloon glow, a storm in close proximity brought high winds and lightning, which caused the deflation and storing away of the balloons. The following morning under the cloudless, amazingly blue skies, an attempt at flight was again inhibited.  However, this time it was due to a lack of wind. Though all the balloons ascended, a few caught a good breeze and were able to stay in the air for a short time. The remainder made the majestic climb into the sky followed by a graceful descent due to the lack of air current to propel them upward and onward.

     On one hand there was too much of something and on the other hand there was too little with wind being the culprit in this case. There existed a need for a delicate balance to achieve the most desirable outcome. How often has the scale been tipped one way or the other in the balancing of our lives with its series of  "too much or too little?"  Too much work and not enough time spent with the children. Too little time spent in intimate moments of prayer with my Heavenly Father. Too much time being religious. Too little time being a witness for God outside the church doors. Too much time focusing on my selfish wants, desires, and pain. Too little time easing the pain of others.  Too much of me...too little of God.

   The pictures of these balloons show the beauty that is possible when there is balance. Though some were aloft for only a short time, it was a breathtaking sight to behold. Can you imagine the tranquility experienced by those who were riding, suspended in a cloudless, blue sky? Can you imagine how finding balance in your own life can bring with it a similar sense of harmony and peace?  And what would this search look like?  I believe that it would start with figuratively leaving your balloon rolled up in the truck, not airing it up until you had received flight instructions from the head pilot, Jesus.  He has the flight plan, but we have to check in for directions and be willing to follow the course He has charted for our lives. In Him, we find balance and avoid the self-inflicted extremes which turn our lives into a roller coaster ride. In that balance, the storms will come. The lack of wind may halt much longed for changes, but peace persists because God is in control. He loves us so. Of that we must be certain, grounded.  Examine your life, your priorities, or lack thereof and ask Jesus to help you find a balance that would be pleasing to Him. There you will find peace and joy! To Go Be the Glory!