Directions

Psalm 119:57-64

{Lord, you are mine!
I promise to obey your words!
With all my heart I want your blessings.
Be merciful as you promised.
I pondered the direction of my life,
and I turned to follow your laws.
I will hurry, without delay,
to obey your commands.
Evil people try to drag me into sin,
but I am firmly anchored to your instructions.
I rise at midnight to thank you
for your just regulations.
I am a friend to anyone who fears you—
anyone who obeys your commandments.
O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth;
teach me your decrees.}

Having such a wonderful God is such a blessing. He gives me a fellow Christian at work + sends me to a great school with awesome people + gives me a job at the school + blesses me with a new awesome roomate + many more things.

When we follow his commands (directions) it brings us blessings.

God's Boundaries

Jeremiah 5:22
"Have you no respect for me?
Why don’t you tremble in my presence?
I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline
as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.
The waves may toss and roar,
but they can never pass the boundaries I set."

Our God is All-Powerful. He places boundaries around us because he knows we aren't ready for what is behind it.. and he takes them away because he knows that we can handle it to become stronger and learn more.

Knowledge a rare jewel.

Proverbs 20:15 (NIV)
"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel"

Proverbs 13:14
"The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain; those who accept it avoid the snares of death"

Makes me think of college at IWU! :-)

Psalm 32:8-9

"The Lord says; 'I will guide you along the best path for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep under control."

Part of a poem I wrote:

God why can't you give me a clue?
This clue I will so longingly pursue!
I want to skip the hard rotten times
I just want to hear those joyful chimes!

This I have learned from many days
of me waiting on you to act
it's not only you that does stuff...
it's me that should learn how to react
to these seperate thoughts that keep coming my way
to these several things that have lead me astray
the only way I can learn this
is by watching for things that bewareingly are amiss
these things should not be in my brain
so my authentic can no longer be stained

Do you need to wear a bit and bridle. Does God need to say "WOOOOAAAAH!!! Hold on!!"

My Disability

2 Corinthians 9:12-10

He told me, "My grace is enough it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness." Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size - abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become." ~ The Message

This verse first made me think of finding a photograph that displayed a handicap of some sort... but then I remembered a favorite TV show I use to watch called Sue Thomas F B eye. She was deaf and had a dog that helped her. Buuut she also because of her disability she had a better ability to read people's mouths. This came in handy when undercover.

God can definitely use our weaknesses and he can make our weaknesses make us look stronger.

Foundation Stone

2 Timothy 2:19
"But God's truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription 'The Lord knows who are his' and 'all who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil'."

I never knew that those signs on buildings that dedicated the building to a person was called a foundation stone. I flickr'ed for a picture and that is what I saw. Pretty neat.

Just Imagine God's house with a foundation stone. Where is God's house? Is it the temple? Our bodies are his temple. Just image a placement of a sign or seal engraved on you that says "The Lord knows who are His".

Pretty neat.

Sunrise

Psalm 143:8-10

{Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I run to you to hide me.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.}

In the morning when I rise give me Jesus. Just like the sun is faithful to rise over the earth.

A Seal of God's Love

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (NLT

{Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
Love flashes like fire,
the brightest kind of flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
nor can rivers drown it.}

Isaiah 43:1-2

{But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.}

Seal my Heart oh God. Fill it with your everlasting love, with your jealous love.

This is a love letter from God to you. It is filled with passages from the Bible. Imagine it is the letter that is sealed by the king in the picture:
http://www.fathersloveletter.com/text.html

Wrinkled Hands

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others."

{Me holding Grandpa V's hand. He was a hard worker. A Dairy Farmer.}

A post from my mom on facebook:

Lois Vlietstra Ailes

I remember taking this picture. Hannah was about 2 months old and my dad about 85 years old. Yes, he was a very hard worker and it showed in his hands that milked cows, drove tractors, repaired anything, did fieldwork that fed the cows, did countless farm chores, and yet had time to put in vegetable/flower gardens for my mom and hold his grandchildren's hands. Those hands gave me white, Dutch mints and played with my hands during our church services making me laugh, a definite no-no in our church. He listened to religious radio programing at night in his chair (probably where this picture was taken) after a busy day from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the farm. Through all this, good and bad times on the farm, his dedication to God was the center and foundation for his life. His hands were folded at the end of each evening in prayer as he and my mom knelt together in front of their bed.