And He shall Direct thy Paths

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

It shall be health to thy naval, and marrow to thy bones."

Proverbs 3:5-8

"Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

Let thy fountains be disperesed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins."

Proverbs 5:15-18,20-22

Dear friends, I'm not sure if these verses will hold any special blessing for you but I found tremendous leading and healing in them. God bless you today as you allow him to make you shining lights!

With love,

Frannie

Loving God

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."

There are moments in my life when the above verse is my rock, my anchor and my stay. Whenever I catch myself veering off course this command can stop me in my tracks. "Love the LORD your God;" Love. With all my heart. And soul. And mind. And strength.

Love. One would think love wouldn't/shouldn't be so hard. One would think love shouldn't be forced, cohered, chosen. But for me there are days when loving is the last thing I (ashamedly) want to do. Why? Because sometimes love is hard . . . and scary. To love the Lord with all my heart costs a lot; infact, it costs me everything. It requires a turning away from my flesh. It commands a single focus. It demands my trust.

Ooo, trust. Trust in God's sovereign character and power; trust that I am perfectly and wonderfully made (blemishes and all). Trust that He wanted me and still wants me just as I am. Trust that He will never leave me and that He will finish His work in me. For me, trusting equates a letting go of my plans.

But oh the joy of trust--the beauty, peace and contentment which flows in is unfathomable. The relationship between Papa and daughter, Lord and bond-servant, Friend and friend grows.  And that's where I am--a six year old Christian still learning to delight herself in her Lord . . . while finding him incredibly faithful, holy, and good. I stop and think of Hebrews 12:22:

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem . . ."

What a beautiful place to be. 

Open my Mouth . . . That I may be Mean?

I sit among the pansies, a grey and blue sky, and a gentle breeze . . . thinking. I have a passion for various things but one of the greatest is for upright living and truth; this passion is so strong I sometimes forget the importance of  relationship with Christ. There is something in me which yearns to be holy and when I lose focus I try to seek holiness on my own. I've found time again this pursuit is madness, folly, and empty.

My passion for truth can be so strong that I can also forget the importance of relationships with friends and family. Instead of the hurting soul, a seeking sibling, a lost stranger I see the an opportunity to share wit, opinions and, of course, truth. In my defense, my desire for sharing the truth is not to crush, out-wit, or destroy; I share because I care. I share with the hope of their restoration, healing, and freedom. But oh, knowing how to share is a problem. Speaking truth when I am full of pride (or 'just a little"), anger, or disappointment seems to breed misunderstandings, wounded spirits, and spoiled relationships. But I say, "he or she needs to hear the truth--only then can they walk in freedom and holiness!" Yes, truth sets one free and God created us humans to share and care. So what can I do?

Take some of my own medicine. I try to speak truth from God's Word but maybe I need to stop speaking and listen from the very One I quote. Does a harsh tongue or an angry spirit work the righteousness of God? Does sharing the truth without love bring restoration? Can I speak good words and yet be full of pride? Can pride avoid a fall? No.

¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"

Ephesians 4:15

"⁴Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"

Hebrews 12:14

So here I sit; my companions of chirping frogs, wind-blown pansies, and closing sunlight all confirm to me one thing: God is good and I am so thankful He takes the time to teach silly ol' me.

With love from your growing sister in Christ,
Frannie

A Promise and a Tag

Greetings of love to you in the name of Jesus!

 I hope this finds everyone very well; we've been enjoying a burst of lovely springtime weather. I so enjoy hearing spring peepers peep, birds sing, and the smell of freshly mowed grass. While watching some children today I had one of those moments . . . a moment of  "aha." I had a brief peek into the joys of motherhood and it was so sweet. I was sitting on a beach towel with a one year old and eight year old and Dakota, the teddy-bear giant of a Pyranesse. And the four year-old? he was enjoying driving about in his battery operated Jeep . . . going over mulch piles was his idea of great entertaiment. Just a small, quick moment but one of promise and joy.

On a seperate note Vickie from no Longer Afraid has tagged me; thanks Vickie for thinking of me. How fun!

Ten Things I've Done This Year

1.  Began singing in our church's choir

2.  Laughed and learned with several dear ladies in Beth Moore's James: Mercy Triumphs

Right here

3. Unpacked more boxes for my room since our last move . . . while finding out that I have too much

4. Actually enjoyed my math class. Finding solutions and simplyfying equations is quite enjoyable when I'm not crying :)

 here

5.  Had the blessing of sharing Ghana with my church family

6. Began teaching Sunday School--1st and 2nd graders sharing their stories, making me laugh, ad eager to learn about Jesus

7. House sat for the first time

8. Turned another year older

9. Began reading Operation World

10. Undertaken Bible memorization . . . its going painfully slow yet the more I dedicate to it the more I'll reap

Ten Things I Want to Do This Year

1. Continue diligently in my Bible memorization

2. Work in the garden with my family . . . my first garden!

here

3. Finish this semester whole-heartedly

4. Hold another tea party with the little women in my area

here

5. Continue making friends with my Indian neighbor

6. Learn Spanish with my Rosetta Stone

7. Lord willing, go with my church to Texas' border and work short term with a mission group

8. Make this with my Sunday School class

And here

9. Attend a Bible school with my brother . . . a long-held, dear hope of mine :)

10. Make myself a willing, joyful servant around home

I hope you all have a blessed Thursday!

Frannie

The Brightened Moment of a Blogger

And then it hit me . . .

            “Beauty is as beauty does.”

This amazing thing called the world wide web has thousands of blogs waiting to be discovered; blogs written by delightfully sweet Christian maidens pouring out their hearts and lives. Lives full of beautiful things like vintage fashion, homemade bread recipes, splendid giveaways, literary talent resembling Austin, and a photography eye to boot. They’re witty, html-learned, well read, and to be embarassingly honest, incredibly intimidating.

Despair and a hollow sense of short-coming wash over me; what in the world can one offer when so many web addresses house such inspiring and lovely people? How can one compete when so many of her companion’s type out such pretty lives and design such fanciful headers?

Companions. A moment of lapse brightens my blog related dilemma and I’m reminded of who I fret against. Christian maidens. Maidens who are journaling their way through life hoping to accomplish the same thing I am: to encourage and bless. Beautiful maidens living their lives while seeking to glorify God with their feminine tastes and dreams; in the most simplest of titles, they are my fellow laborers in Christ; my companions.

I know my admiration (and occasional drooling spell) will not end with this discovery but my envy will. Instead competition I’ll offer praise and in place of despair I will provide thanksgiving. Because, “beauty is as beauty does,” and so many of you do many beautiful things.

Your blogging co-laborer in Christ,

Frannie