Dear Jesus...

Every word I need to hear you say it

everyday!

Every hope I need to treasure you give it

everyday!

Every sorrow that makes me cry you take it

everyday!

You make my journey easier

everyday!

The case against wickedness.....

I have been thinking about how evil it is to constantly find fault with someone and look for areas and ways where they don't measure up. I am very tired of this person who looks and looks and looks for things that I do that don't measure up to her impeccable standards. I call her wicked. In the quiet sanctity of my mind I have called her wicked and I have built a case on what wickedness is. I have built a strong case and come to the conclusion that wicked people are far away from God. I have noticed that the closer they imagine themselves to be to God the more wicked they are. Scary thought. I have given up on people who wrap themselves in religiosity. I am wary of them because they have done the most damage to my soul. This year I have vowed to surround myself with people who are wrapped in goodness. I look back and see how the wicked types have gotten angry and fallen away from me and I am better off for it. I believed that lie for too long that just because a person names themself by Christ's name that they are like him. This morning I read Psalm 7. I received comfort. God alone is my judge! He is the only one who can condemn me and He is angry with the wicked every day. I rest my case!

God judgeth the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day. Psalm 7:11 KJV

Respectable men

This morning I was reading Proverbs 31 about the virtuous woman. Today when I read it something caught my eye and challenged me to a new way of thinking. Always before I marveled at this genuinely good woman and made up my mind to imitate her. I read about her husband but I was always so busy pondering her goodness that I never gave him full thought. Today I stopped and thought in depth about what verse 23 says:

***

Her husband is known in the gates,

When he sits among the elders of the land.

***

How could I have missed that? I' have been asking Heavenly Father what exactly constitutes a good man. My heart is unreliable, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. I can make myself believe everything good about anything if I want it bad enough. What I imagined to be a "good" man continuously fell short of Heavenly Father's standard. I have been thinking and thinking about this for quite a few weeks and Heavenly Father was kind enough to show me the wisdom that I needed. My conclusion: A good man is respected. He has the respect of people who are leaders. They value his opinions, his way of dressing, his ethics, his treatment of his family, his standards, what he has to say, everything that he is. They respect him because he is respectable. He has high standards. He is kind. He does not think of his wife as a sex object or a trophy. He respects her. He loves her because she is good. He loves his children. He loves people. He has a job that is respectable and worthy of honor. He works everyday and works hard. He does not expect a woman to carry him. He takes full responsibility for his family. He respects his wife's feelings. He comes home and acknowledges the existence of his children . When he talks to his children and plays with them he is gentle with them and genuinely enjoys interacting with them. He is respectable! I have to face it my standards have been low. I have allowed myself to think highly of men who do not possess even half of these standards. I have smoothed things over in my mind. Fantasized, made myself believe that somehow time will make everything alright. Telling myself "this guy is not so bad he will change if I'm good", as if "good" is contagious and can be caught like an illness. What am I thinking? Heavenly Father's standards are high. They are not caught, happened upon , learned at the last minute. They are lived and most definitely lived more then, "three long weeks". What have I been thinking? This is a matter of happiness or endless disappointment. How could I have missed it seeing that I have read Proverbs 31 so many times? I have come to believe that it has been due to the condition of my heart. I have been deceiving myself and not believing that there could possibly be anyone left who is absolutely respectable. I've been wanting to settle because I have wanted a man right now instead of wanting to wait for Heavenly Father's timing and respectable man. Respectable, that is the standard! Respectable! And in case you are anything like me and need a detailed, exhaustive description of what respectable means here it is straight from Merriam-Webster:

** Respectable
1: worthy of respect : estimable
2: decent or correct in character or behavior : proper

** Respect
1: a relation or reference to a particular thing or situation respect to an earlier plan>
2: an act of giving particular attention : consideration
3 a: high or special regard : esteem b: the quality or state of being esteemed

** Estimable
1: capable of being estimated estimable amount>
2archaic : valuable
3: worthy of esteem

**Proper
1 a: referring to one individual only b: belonging to one : own c: appointed for the liturgy of a particular day d: represented heraldically in natural color
2: belonging characteristically to a species or individual : peculiar
3chiefly dialect : good-looking, handsome
4: very good : excellent
5chiefly British : utter, absolute
6: strictly limited to a specified thing, place, or idea proper>
7 a: strictly accurate : correct barchaic : virtuous, respectable c: strictly decorous : genteel
8: marked by suitability, rightness, or appropriateness : fit

***

**My prayer

Thank you Jesus for leading me down the right path. Thank you for saving me from making the biggest mistake of my life. Help me to wait on the man who is worthy of your respect first of all and then mine and others. Help me to think about truth and purity and respectability instead of fantasizing about castles and knights and white horses. Help me Jesus and save me from myself. Thanks.

Sticking by...

Jesus sticks by. He sticks by through all the darkness and crying and ugliness. He sticks when everyone else runs. He never gets tired of hearing my stories over and over and over again. He never gets tired of the endless questions about the same situation. He never gets tired of me trying to make sense of the messes I have made. We work it out together. He shows me the truth about where I took the wrong step. He does it gently without condemning me. Case at hand, I am reading a book that explains how wonderfully we are made. In my reading of that book I am learning about myself and the choices I have made. I am choosing to make better choices because I see now what my problem is. Truth always frees me. Jesus is the one who encouraged me to read that book. This morning I am feeling free because I have put that heavy baggage down and left it. I can't carry all that stuff anymore. Expectations and "the way things are always done", left behind! Today I am thinking about how wonderful my best friend is. This issue over "do I need this guy or not because he expects me to....", is not causing me anxiety anymore because Jesus showed me the truth about it. He also showed me exactly what to do about it. This morning I woke up thinking about how Jesus is not selfish, he doesn't have a hidden agenda or a twisted reason. This morning I have peace. I couldn't ask for a better best friend.

silly things...

Sometimes I do such silly things. Jesus is still here listening to me giving me good advice and still wanting me to do what he has planned for my life. It's a great plan it brings all sorts of peace of mind and happiness so I'm going along with it but sometimes I will admit I get a little side tracked. I get my mind on silliness and I get stuck and today I was telling Jesus how I need him to help me keep my mind on what's at hand. The things worth thinking about. I am like a goofy child remembering all the places where I jumped in the mud puddles. Thinking about other puddle jumpers, silliness! So today Jesus is going to help me keep my mind on what I need to be doing to get where he has planned for me to go. He's a "mind saver," I am thankful for him!

Jesus open my eyes...

Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, "Oh, master! What shall we do?"
He said, "Don't worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side."
Then Elisha prayed, "O God, open his eyes and let him see."
The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha! II Kings 6: 15-17

I have been acting like Elisha's servant. Today I read this and I am thinking about how my eyes have been gazing at the seemingly impossible instead of the One who makes it all possible. Today I asked Jesus to open my eyes. Today I am choosing to believe that the solution to my "great problem" has already been worked out. Why do I close my eyes when I have known all along that the God of heaven, Creator of all things, has not forgotten me? If I spent more time reading Bible stories like this my eyes would remain open and I would remember that Jesus is faithful!

Jesus my Creator

Friday I took the children to the wildlife ranch. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the animals we saw. There were animals from Africa, India, and England. When we first drove in we immediately noticed a beautiful black swan with a red bill swimming serenely in the pond. On the banks were Emden Geese fussing about like geese do. We went around the bend and there were Gazelle and Red deer, Fallow deer, Blackbuck, Blesbok, Dama Gazelle, Greater Kudus, Impala, Nyala, Red Lechwe, Wildebeest, Sable, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Waterbuck, and Addax. At one point we met up with a cantankerous old Ostrich. She fluffed her feathers up and let us know she was not happy with our disturbing her. Not far down the road from "Cantankerous" we met up with a feisty Emu. Curious bird it was. It got in front of the van as if to block us. Then it raced ahead of the van when I sped up. I stopped and that funny bird came right to my window and looked me right in the eyes. What beautiful green gold eyes they have. I rolled up my window just in case. We had such fun. "Curious" finally let us pass after a time. The children were beside themselves with joy. I began to thank Jesus for creating such beautiful animals. I exclaimed, "Hallelujah!" "Thank you Jesus for giving us such beauty". At that moment I heard little Matthew who was sitting next to me in the front seat began to praise Jesus unashamedly. "Hallelujah!" he exclaimed, "thank you Jesus!" My heart was glad as I heard him enthusiastically continue praising the Lord for His goodness. Remember those Pharisees who confronted Jesus about the children singing praise? "And Jesus said to them, Yes; have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have perfected praise?" Matthew 21:16 Lord Jesus thank you for these precious children you have given me to raise for you. You have filled them with your goodness and it shows. I praise you for creating such wonder for us. I am in awe of you. You are precious beyond measure. Thank you!

We are greatly loved!

Have you ever really thought about how greatly loved we are? Think about it. The Great Creator of all things sent the only son He had to this dark earth to save us. Who are we? Dusty little disrespectful children who think we know the best way to go. Who is He? A Father who greatly loves us. When I think about it I tremble and the tears come because it's an overwhelming thought to be loved so much. Thank you Heavenly Father, thank you Jesus. Help me to love.

Why?

I never ceased to be amazed by religious people. People who follow a set of rigid rules made by man to earn their spot in the heaven they have imagined and yet they have a hard time doing what Jesus asks. They seem to miss that part altogether. They can tell you about all the laws and traditions set up by the people at the church that they go to. They can even show you how they keep all those laws and traditions. Jesus sums up all the foolishness in one simple verse.

" If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands."John 14:15

Why is that so hard? All week I have been subjected to the torture of people of traditions and man made rules trying to convince me that their way to heaven is the only way. I am desperately done with all of it. My heart aches because no-one wants to talk about Jesus. Why is that?

I'm tired of the things that distract me...

Today something happened to me-- something good. I am sick and tired of the things that have been distracting me. The castle building in my mind, the foolish things I want, questioning the faithfulness of Jesus, making myself look good in my mind-- I'm sick of it. Jesus and I had a talk and he encouraged my heart with Isaiah 17. At first I was scared to read it. It is a warning, a big warning for me to take to heart. It is easy to get distracted. I hear the lies that the enemy breathes out of his mouth about my precious Jesus. Lies, sugar coated lies, I am sick of them. Distractions, anything and everything to separate me from the one who loves me most. I am sick of the distractions and myself. Jesus help me!

***

Isaiah 17:7-11

7-8Yes, the Day is coming when people will notice The One Who Made Them, take a long hard look at The Holy of Israel. They'll lose interest in all the stuff they've made—altars and monuments and rituals, their homemade, handmade religion—however impressive it is.
9And yes, the Day is coming when their fortress cities will be abandoned —the very same cities that the Hivites and Amorites abandoned when Israel invaded! And the country will be empty, desolate.
You Have Forgotten God 10-11And why? Because you have forgotten God-Your-Salvation, not remembered your Rock-of-Refuge.And so, even though you are very religious, planting all sorts of bushes and herbs and trees to honor and influence your fertility gods,And even though you make them grow so well, bursting with buds and sprouts and blossoms,Nothing will come of them. Instead of a harvest you'll get nothing but grief and pain, pain, pain.

Thank you my precious Jesus!

Thank you Jesus for leaving there and coming here to save us from this ugly dark place that we live in. Thank you for walking down here in the dirt with us and showing us that light can shine in darkness. Thank you for giving us hope and being gracious and loving us no matter what. Thank you for doing it with joy! I love you so much-- so very much! Thank you!

I feel like singing like Mary!

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

from: Luke 1

Overwhelmed!

Today I cried and cried with thankfulness and gratefulness to the Lord. I stood by the sliding glass door that looks out into the yard and I was overwhelmed with the goodness of Jesus and I broke into tears and cried. Last night I went to a church I have never been to before and three precious women laid hands on me and prayed for me and something happened to me. Something good--something very good! A huge weight dropped off of me. The thing that was hindering me for a long time is gone. I am overwhelmed. My heart is so full of gratefulness. I have been thinking all day about how wonderful Jesus is. How much adventure he has called me to. Choosing him as my best friend is the best decision I ever made. I am not tied down. I am free. Free to do what Heavenly Father has called me to do. Free to live. Free to breathe. Free to be who I am because of him. Unordinary! I am overwhelmed by the goodness of Jesus!

..more than all I ask or imagine!

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Ephesians 3:20 "More than all I ask or imagine", I like that part. I like that part because I have a great imagination. I can imagine all kinds of good things. Today I went for a walk with the children and I thanked Jesus all the way there and back. I thanked him and Heavenly Father for being so gracious to me and listening to me and answering me and for giving me such a wonderful life. When I got home and put those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips on the table for those hungry children, I sat down. I sat down and I imagined a room full of gentlemen sitting around a large conference table haggling over how much they were going to pay me for my work. And I imagined Jesus and Father encouraging them, whispering, "pay her a good wage," "offer her a good contract." You see it is grand to imagine and then I read in Ephesians that Jesus can do more then I can ask or imagine. Well in that case imagine what I just imagined and then imagine even better then that till you can't imagine anymore, and that won't even be the beginning of what Father and Jesus can do. Whew!!! We are blessed beyond measure to have such goodness on our side! I have asked I have imagined and now I am waiting. I am going to get a happy surprise! Watch and see!

Saying good things to Jesus...

Today when I'm walking with the children I am going to say good things to Heavenly Father and Jesus. I am going to thank them for helping me all the time in every way. I have been having doubts and thinking about the most stupid scenarios of foolishness one could ever imagine. I woke up this morning feeling defeated already because I want perfection in my life. I don't want to keep doing stupid things. I beat myself up so bad that I can barely go on. Sometimes I think I am so bad that I don't even want to go on. Today once again I pleaded for deliverance. I pleaded for Jesus to set me free from this prison of sin and doubt. I pleaded for the chains to be broken. I pleaded like Paul and Silas did while they were praising the Lord in prison. It is time for me to stop doubting! It is time for me to praise! Time for me to say good things to Heavenly Father and Jesus! Time for me to sing and praise and hope and believe that this prison is going to be a thing of the past! The doors are going to open! These chains that are holding me are going to break off! The Lord is going to lead me out of this mess. Watch and see!

.

"Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!" Acts 16:25,26 (New Living Translation)

Confessions of a worrying woman....

Today I wasted a lot of time worrying. Worrying and beating myself up about decisions I have made in the past. Worrying and fretting and anxiously trying to reason out situations in my mind as if I can fix any of them. I worked myself into an emotional state complete with tears and extreme grief of spirit. I told myself that I had a right to grieve over my situation. Poor Jesus he had to witness me in that state of complete distrust and forgetfulness. I acted as though Heavenly Father had left and Jesus was no longer listening. I feel foolish writing this. I will tell you something about Jesus. He does not condemn me when I act like this , he lovingly waits for me to calm down so that I can hear what he has to say to my heart. That is what happened today. I did not get an answer till close to this afternoon because I was worrying out loud and I couldn't hear him. The answer came so softly. On top of that I received an email from a true friend who told me to stop thinking useless thoughts and go on in the grace of Jesus. I can't believe I am sharing this with the world but here it is. Tonight I received a devotional from Internet cafe and what do you think the scripture was?

Philippians 4:6-9

-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Jesus comforted me on every side. He said encouraging things to my heart. He sent me messages of peace through my precious friend and through the Internet cafe. He did not forget me. He patiently listened even when I was tempted to believe he was not listening. He listened and he answered me despite my doubting. In all my anxiousness Jesus never condemns me. We are best friends forever I'm sure you can see why! My prayer: Jesus please help me think about good things, wonderful things, things that make me happy. Help me to think only good when I think of people. Jesus take this silly worry and give me peace of mind. Help me to believe that I can trust you with my life and everything in it, even the messes. Thank you Jesus. **C

My Passion

I am believing Jesus for the near impossible in the eyes of some. Because I believe he is Jehovah-jireh I don't think anything is too hard for him. He is my provider. So much for that doubting stuff. I am going to post some adoption tickers for the 4 children that I want to adopt. Four you say?, yes 4! I am believing Jesus for 4 children because I can! I am the nanny to 4 children and I enjoy every minute of it, why not be the mother to 4 more? I have 3 biological children all grown up and one son adopted from Romania, he's grown up also. I am starting over because I am young, full of energy, and because Jesus told me I can. In his time I am going to get Jamie Elizabeth from an orphanage in Siberia and two 5 year old girls Hannah and Sarah from the St Petersburg area and one Indian Prince named Joshua Naresh. He is 5 years old also. I have made tickers to celebrate their homecoming and show that I believe!







These are the things Jesus and I need to do in the next few months. #1 secure a good contract. #2 make arrangements for a homestudy and sign contracts with adoption agencies and pay the money. #3 go look at that fine house that is for sale behind this one and make an offer. #4 fill out the immigration paper work. #5 see the tax man. #6 visit the docter. #6 buy house, furnish it finish homestudy. #7 put dossier together get apostilles and other legal stamps and signatures. #8 pay more money. #9 pay more money. #10 reserve airline tickets, plan for trip, and pay more money, bring children home. YaY!!!

All consuming vision...

That treasured thing I gave up back in February, well I took it back for awhile. That treasured thing that I wanted so bad that I gave up to give all my time to this new assignment Jesus gave me to complete. That treasure started interfering again because I kept thinking about it. I kept thinking about him. Men can throw us women off completely at times. I gave the whole relationship to Jesus and I tried real hard to forget about him and go on. Everyday I kept thinking and I kept asking Jesus to help me keep my mind on other things. Jesus helped me by reminding me of the street children and orphans I had vision for in the past. He reminded me that I didn't think about them anymore. He asked me why I didn't believe anymore for the vision that he gave me. The vision where I take care of street children and adopt children from orphanages. The vision where I go and take or send supplies and money and things that the children need to the safe houses in India or the orphanages in Russia. The vision that before took up all my thoughts and energy, that vision. The vision that I put on hold and forgot about when I met that man and started dreaming about him instead. I believe he is a good man but he is not what I need right now. Friendship is what I want but somehow our hearts got twined around each other real tight and I don't exactly know what else to do but let this whole relationship go and devote myself to what Jesus has called me to do at this time. I laid my Issac on the alter so to speak. I almost know how Abraham felt. To give Yahweh the only son ,the child he loved and counted dear. To lay Issac his only child on the alter and offer him to Yahweh. Abraham did it he laid him down and gave him up and right at the final moment Yahweh stopped him and let him keep Issac. This man I love he is the only man I have ever loved. I do not want to love any other man. I have not let myself love any other man. I have laid my only love on the alter. The only man I ever felt like I would marry without a second thought, that man. I gave him up to Yahweh with this prayer, "Yahweh I give you this man. I want to do the thing you have called me to do. Because of this assignment I have accepted from you if I don't get to love him and marry him please send him a good wife that loves Jesus that will love him and his children also. Take good care of him, give him grace because I love his soul and his children and I want them all to be saved and live with you one day." The hardest prayer I have ever prayed! The ultimate prayer of letting go. The prayer where I asked Yahweh to give my treasure to another if that's what it takes to fulfill the vision Jehovah breathed into my life. There is pain my soul, I am missing him. I am hoping beyond all hope that there is a ram in the thicket and that I will get my beloved back. I am hoping like Abraham that Jehovah-jireh will provide a lamb. I have peace even with this pain. I have peace and freedom to dream and believe the vision. When that first child comes home from the orphanage, when another safe house is opened, when those supplies are safely inside the walls of the places where they need to be I will have more joy then I will know what to do with. I will celebrate , write about it, and tell everyone that Jesus is faithful and that the things He asks us to do are the things that lead to true happiness!

Jesus why?

Why do I keep searching?
when you are here with me
some days I search
it's a habit I think
because if I remember
how good you are to me
searching is stupid
what exactly am I looking for?
Jesus why do you keep waiting for me?
when I run off searching
you see me being habitually stupid
but you never call me that
you just wait
and call me precious one...
why?

Waiting...

i am waiting but i am not good at it
i will get better!
i've been reasoning things out
i can't see to the end of the road
Jesus can
i can't even see the next step at times
Jesus always can
sometimes i'm too scared to look down the road
Jesus is never afraid!
so what is my problem with waiting
as if what i want is going to be good for me
if I could see like Jesus sees
i would wait.....

...my mess fixer....

Im so tired of fighting these demons
trying to get it perfect....
trying to fix it
myself
I'm so tired...
tired...
tired...
this past week I did something
I gave this mess up
this mess
big mess
that I make of things
I gave it up to the mess fixer
he promised to fix it for me
he promised
he took it
he's fixing it!

Jesus help me wait....

I am here
waiting anxiously for something I think I want
something I think I need
and Jesus is telling me not to be anxious for anything
he's telling me to wait
wait on him
to work things out
to put things together
to work all things for my good
because I have been called
to do the things he has planned for me

Jesus help me to wait
take this anxiousness away
give me peace about everything

Jesus, please can I have it?
if it's best for me please?
okay I will wait.....:)

Sin and my best friend...

sometimes i wonder why you put up with me

I have this besetting sin

that keeps besetting me

and you keep loving me

and encouraging me

to do better next time

I cant figure out for the life of me

why you don't kick me to the curb

and give up on me

like everybody else

this thing shames me

makes me afraid to talk to you again

makes me want to die

because I enjoy it too much

so why do you keep on loving me?

why are you still my best friend?

i wish you would just hate me

i wish you would just leave me

to die

so I could pay for this sin

i know you can't

because you tell me all the time

you absolutely love me

I will never figure it out

this love you have for me

I will never figure out

why

you still want to be

my best friend

I gave my most treasured thing to Jesus finally!

Today is my birthday. This is the birthday I have waited a very long time for. When I was a little girl I looked forward to this birthday. Way back then I purposed in my heart that this would be the birthday that began the rest of my life. This would be the birthday where something great happened and I would finally be where I was supposed to be. I think my best friend had something to do with that purpose in my heart so long ago. Here I am. I have finally figured things out. I am where I'm supposed to be! This past week has been one of turmoil. I had to make some big decisions. I cried and discussed and pleaded and held on and Jesus kept holding out his hand so I could give him my most treasured thing. I held on as long as I could but I eventually surrendered it. I had always wondered if it came down to it would I choose Jesus first over everything I really, really wanted. Now I know that the answer is yes! I'm happy today because the pressure of holding on is gone and I am in for a nice adventure. Here I am with my best friend doing things in his time and I can say that I am truly at peace! I never dreamed that I could be so at peace about the whole thing. Now I know the meaning of: "Pursue first, the kingdom of heaven and the right things of Jesus and all these other things will be added to you." Right now I have decided to hang out with my best friend and help him first. The other thing I want to do is a good thing but it will have to wait. It's Jesus and me! I'm happy!

Psalm 11

1The LORD is my fortress!

Don't say to me,

"Escape like a bird

to the mountains!"

2You tell me, "Watch out!

Those evil people

have put

their arrows on their bows,

and they are standing

in the shadows,

aiming at good people.

3What can an honest person do

when everything crumbles?"

4The LORD is sitting

in his sacred temple

on his throne in heaven.

He knows everything we do

because he sees us all.

5The LORD tests honest people,

but despises those

who are cruel

and love violence.

6He will send fiery coals and flaming sulfur

down on the wicked,

and they will drink nothing

but a scorching wind.

7The LORD always does right

and wants justice done.

Everyone who does right

will see his face.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

To my best friend Jesus

Jesus I want to thank you for helping me today and always. Thank you for holding me together. Thank you for giving me hope against all hopelessness. I am so happy so very happy. You have blessed me beyond measure and I see another blessing coming a very big one and my heart is overwhelmed with your goodness. This year you saved my life when I was actually dying. You taught me to open my hands and give you things that were harmful to me. You replaced my broken treasures with rare jewels, people who love you with all their heart and soul. People who give me so much joy that I can't imagine life without them. Thank you! My heart sings every morning. You have given me a job that I absolutely love. I am so happy about my job, thank you! When I think about how you forgive me for all the stupid things I do; and never condemn me for any of them, I am in awe of you. You absolutely love me and I know it all the time, thank you! How you could leave that wonderful place called heaven and come down here and dwell among us in this darkness to save our dusty bodies I will never be able to understand. You are my hope. Thank you for holding me together. You give me joy. You love me no matter what. You gave up your life so that you could save mine. I am in awe of you. Thank you my precious Jesus, thank you!