ann who?

why don't i blog? i think i have nothing to say. why do i blog? i haven't a clue. that's why i don't do it often or regularly. i'm a better facebooker than blogger. more instant gratification, you think? well, tomorrow my class is doing their chapel presentation about the worthiness of the bible. wonder if i'm preaching to myself? this month's favorite scripture is, "...and be thankful." colossians 3:15b. seems like it should read "and be thankful for cryin' out loud!" reminds me of the best christmas pageant ever. have you read that? the child playing the herald angel says, "HEY! UNTO YOU A SAVIOR IS BORN!" i love reading that out loud to my students each year. so- good reminder. be thankful, ann,for 1.the bible-words to live by and cherish. 2.my savior-where would i be without Him? i'll tell ya where-H-E-double hockey sticks! thankful for keeping up with my kiddos and grands-yes-through facebook. grateful to be teaching in a small Christian school that believes in the beauty of this earth and tries to impart that to its students. hmmm...makes all i the junk i waded through today trying to find a doctor so i could figure out why i keep getting hives pretty minor. thanks God. i needed that.

Where Am I?

Yeah, it's been a while.  (bad blogger!)  Anyway, a moment for the verse under my title.  I heard this many years ago (from my pastor ;) and it stuck with me.  Apparently, back in the day-waaaay back- a ruler would reward a subject by filling his mouth with precious jewels...the wider open the mouth, the greater the reward!  I posted this on facebook yesterday and my wise friend Mary Kathryn commented:  Sweet verses, Annie. We are often like children, with our mouths closed tight against God's incoming fork.  Wow.  She got that right!  We fuss and fume when everything isn't perfect like children who would rather not eat whatever doesn't taste like candy when we all know that a steady diet of candy isn't good in the long run.  You know, I often wonder why the food that's "good" for us couldn't taste like chocolate and the chocolate couldn't taste like Brussels sprouts....why didn't God make it the other way round?  Then it hit me, it's not the the tastes were created backwards...it's that our tastes changed!  What am I saying?  I'm saying that, in Eden (and heaven, I hope) the taste of Brussels sprouts, which will not change, will APPEAL to us like chocolate....or whatever food most delights you, for those bizarro people that don't love chocolate.  (I know you're out there; I just don't know your names.)

This verse also reminds me of the verse "Open my eyes wide, that I might behold wondrous things out of your law."  (psalm 119:18....my pastor did an excellent series on this psalm, btw. You can hear them here:  Immanuel Chapel, 2009 archives  So today, and I hope more often, I'm going to try walking around with my mouth and eyes wide open, spiritually speaking of course, and see how the Lord will see fit to nourish me.  But I still contend that manna tastes like flaked white chocolate.....get used to the idea, people, we're eating it in heaven!

trust in the Lord, and do good. dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. psalm 37:3

this verse has hit me like lightning this week.  trust in the Lord...heard it a million times...so what?  so do good!  ah!  a command!  i see 4 commands in this verse: trust, do good, dwell, and feed.  4 commands; two sentences.  each sentence with a truth about God and an expected response of action on my part because of that truth.  trust God-God is trustworthy.  when we trust, we depend upon, rely upon, put our faith in.  so-God can be trusted to take care of us so that should free us up to do good.  the next sentence is the one that cut me to the quick..  dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.  dwell?  but hold it...i thought i was just a sojourner here...this is not my home...i'm heaven bound.  ah!  but God has put me in just this place for just some purpose (to do good?) and while i am here, i must dwell!  so-what does it mean to dwell?  my dictionary says it is "to make one's home."  home.  home is where the heart is, right?  i think there is a lot about contentment tied up in this.  i think God is calling us to be content (to make one's "home" in) the place He has put us...wherever that may be.  and to do good and not evil all the time we are there.  btw-evil could simply be grumbling about where we are.  this is especially true of me when taken with the next verse- delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  (psalm 37:4)  i tend to think often of where i would rather be and how delightful it would be to be nearer my children/ grandchildren or, in winter, someplace warm and sunny.  so quickly DIScontent!  aren't we all?  if i made a list of my "if onlys" and put it next to my list of "just rights"....well, you get the picture.  the second part of verse 3 tells me God is faithful; He will have his way with me and He wants good for His children.  in that case, i should be eager to trust Him and His word and that should be my delight.  if i can get closer to doing that, i think i will see that i find delight in the land in which i am dwelling.  which, in turn, becomes the desire of my heart.  so that's my goal for this week.  trust.  do good.  dwell!  feed on faithfulness--that is, believe God is who He says He is, and does what He says He will do.  4 commands.  one week.  payoff?  delight. 

nuggets launch

hi there. i just saw julie and julia-good movie, btw. anyway, it got me thinking about blogs and what their use is. i have another blog-but it's pedestrian at best. so, here's my attempt to make blogging meaningful--even though that may be only to myself. my goal is to post about bible verses that are impacting me. no deep theology-just a piece of my soul. off we go.