Forty Nine Wonderful Years

My how the time flys by.  A marriage made in heaven, I am sure.  We Have experienced so much over this span of time.  Always busy which does make time go so fast. I would advise couples now to use your time wisely.  We sometimes can give time to things that really don’t have any significant importance in eternity. We are at the place now where we are hoping for more time.  We love each other so much we just can’t imagine it could ever end.  I just love the Lord so much I just don’t want to stop serving Him.  I love my Jerry so much I don’t want to leave Him and he feels the same.   We are blessed!!!!I prayed Jerry into my life.  I had been through a very hurtful breakup and was at the point of not trusting anyone.  I had advise from my aunt, that I needed to go and work where the real people were..  I had been in modeling and I guess these people were not real in her eyes.  I asked where are the real people,  she told me they were in a factory.  She and my uncle had spent a major part of their life in the aircraft industry.  Those were the real people.   So I started to look for the real people.  I only found one place that sounded like it might be a factory.  A company making landmines, napalm bombs, Zuni rockets, and on and on it went. All things being made for the Vietnam War.  So I went to apply.  I was hired to be an assembler.  It was so intricate and I was so slow, they quickly moved me to riveting bulkheads. Have you ever heard of Molly the riviter?  I was a slow riveter,  very slow, and scared to death I would be rejected.  I only had nice cloths from my modeling days and really couldn’t afford a new wardrobe so all of these real people looked at me very strangely, even asking me if they could pick up some work cloths for me. So, embarassing  One day  there was A buzz in the building that the plant manager was doing a walk through.  I was trying to rivet as fast as I could, on this very loud machine, and Bam, here comes the plant manager and another really cute gentleman right to my station.  I was shaking in my boots.  The plant manager took me to a nearby office and asked me what on earth was I doing there?  I cried, and said I needed a job, and was told the real people were at factory’s.  He smiled and said do you know how to do anything? I was really shaking by now.  He said do you type?  I said yes I can type.  He than asked me if I would like to take a challenge, to which I said yes.  He then asked me to be His secretary and Off of the factory floor I went.  Not long after that I met my now husband, a plant superintendent.  We fell in love and the rest is history.  But its fun to tell people we met in a bomb factory.    I was so devastated by my other bad experience, I had asked for help and prayer because I felt so lost and violated.   My friend said come over every night on your way home from work and we will pray for the real prince charming to rise up and ask you out.  We prayed every day for 2 weeks and low and behold.  I got the call.  The Lord answered that prayer and so many other prayers through this wonderful man Jerry. He was my Prince Charming. Pray and look for the real people, the ones who are not trying to put out a false persona, and dishonest about who they really were.  Jerry was my REAL Man.   Trust the Lord in everything!!!  You will never regret it.

One Heart

I Love this Photo, taken in the hills around Atascadero, California.  Three of my daughters and I were driving down the road on what we call a girls trip.  Laughing and talking non stop, which is common for us girls.  I have 4 daughters.  While driving I looked to my left and there it was, A huge heart formed by trees growing in a  low spot on a hill.  I of course put on the breaks and grabbed my camera.  This is classic looking thru the lens.  Things speak to me, and I know it is the Lord.  In the foreground of this photo is a vineyard of newly pruned grape vines.    Above them on the hill as a visual aide was this Heart of trees.  To me it looked like the grape vines were a body of believers in a service, the message being One Heart.  It is an important message for all of us who believe.  We need to stand together, and hold tight to what we believe.  Right now the world is coming against all that we value, and stand for.  Hold on tight there are rough roads ahead, we can’t be scattered in what we believe.  The Word of God cannot be compromised.   Hold on tight to the beautiful book, the Bible.

Are You In A Snare?

Are you in a snare.  A snare is a type of a trap used to catch birds and wild fowl.  This is one of my many favorite scriptures.  Satan our enemy is the fowler and is constantly setting traps for us.  Some times the traps  very hard .  Ones that are virtually impossible to get out of.  Our leg is stuck and for all we are worth we can’t shake it off.  Traps of past hurts that we are just not willing to shake off and move on.  So we stay hurt, and our life has far less potential as we wallow in the mire and hurt.  This can cause roots of bitterness that will grow deeper and even cause hatred of  that situation or person.  That trap in a nut shell is unforgiveness. We have to forgive. Not just the unsaved fall into this, the Christian also cultivates bitter roots.  So hard to shake.  However, our help is in the name of the Lord!!  We have been set free!   That trap of depression can’t hold us!  The trap of drugs and alcohol can’t  hang on to our Leg.  We can shake free.  The trap of self doubt is a bad one for many, but we are free, the snare is broken.  I love Taylor Swifts song, Shake It Off.  I don’t know the rest of the words to this song, I just hear shake it off.  Some thing that I have been known to say.  We just have to let it go, the trap is open, why are we just standing in the trap.   Walk out and don’t look back .{The birds in the above photo are Sand Hill Cranes}.  They stand very tall and are beautiful birds.

United We Stand?

In all of my life, I have never seen such a great divide in our beautiful country.  It is so important to keep informed so that we might pray for those in office standing for Godly governing.  When I watch some of the things happening in our beautiful part of the world, I can’t help but worry about some of the critical things that are being decided .  We must Humble ourselves and pray for this Land we call Home. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will Lift you up. James 4:10.   We as Christians need to humble ourself and pray our leaders to be like-minded for Good.  There are also many in Government that need to have a little humbling.  We all need to humble ourselves in order to see a change and healing in our Land.  Lets Pray and See! We will all be lifted up.

Call Unto Me

These stairs reminded me of the potential of calling on the Lord.  Of course we know He is there whenever we call on Him.  In fact He is waiting for that call.  But there are so many things at the top of the stairs that we know not because we never called on Him.  I love Looking Thru The Lens With The Lord because He has shown me so many things that I would have never seen without looking with Him.  We often pray when on a trip and ask the Lord to show us His creation and the beauty of His World, and He does.  The photo today was taken in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  He shows us things in many different ways as we call on Him.  I once had a very bad fear of Cancer and always thought it was something that I just couldn’t do.  He has shown me otherwise.  Not only can I do it but He is using me as I fight this disease.  Really I never Dreamed I could do this, but I  am.  It something I knew not until I called on Him.

 

I Am His Sheep

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have no doubt..Today was a life changing day for me.  I recently wrote a blog called Nothing Can Separate Us.  After going thru a very bad sick spell and also knowledge that cancer was winning.  I was so sick from the Chemo and mental anguish of dealing with Letting go, or fighting on, letting go would mean no Chemo.  I had a oncology appt. today and had prayed long and hard about what I was going to do.  I have never had a Chemo break other than a week if I went on a trip.  I refused Chemo for 8 weeks.  I wanted to get strong again and make that decision when I was ready to fight.  I prayed all the way to the Dr. and Asked for the Lord to hold my right hand and go with me to this meeting. {I am continually with thee; thou hast Holden my by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Psalm 73: 23&24}  He was there and helped me express myself that I wanted to try to live. I feel I’m not quite ready to go yet.  Even though I know a wonderful place with Jesus  is waiting for me.   The Lord did everything for this old sheep.  As the picture above shows he cares for the young and the old ones.  A wonderful friend gave me this picture years ago It’s in an antique frame and It really spoke to me today.  Thank you Patti the Lord used that beautiful gift today.  I had both the PA and the doctor with me today.  Doctor explained that this is a brand new drug that is different in the way it fights cancer than any I have taken.  I have taken and failed,(had progression) with 7 chemo’s in four and a half years.  I with the Lords help agreed to take that Chemo again.  But doctor said this time we will start every other day instead of every day and see if my body will adjust to it.  Then we will try to gradually raise the dose.  I feel like this is the answer for now and the heavy weight has been lifted and I have been given more life.  I hugged my doctor and PA who I love so much, and then Jesus and I walked out the door and I praised Him all the way home.  He was sitting on my right side in the car and held my right hand.  Thank You Lord for your faithfulness.

Revive Me

My eyes need revival, my ears need revival, and my heart needs revival.  Wow, I have many needs.  I see so many worthless things as I travel thru life, particularly now that I am the old seeing the new.  New styles, New ideas about morals.  Who ever dreamed gangster would be something we would want to look like.  There is gangster music, cloths, hand signs.  All pretty much accepted by out youth today.  We once thought girls showing it all were skanky, now its in style.  Movies are PG, R, or XXX.  And no one seems to thing this is bad.  They are evil, vulgar language  or just plain perverse. PG Leaves it up to the parents, all don’t do good parental guiding. So then what?  Our young ones are seeing things they shouldn’t.  It hurts their young developing minds.   I guess I can give Super Hero’s a pass and our G rated movies.  Keep your eyes from looking at worthless things, it will revive you.  We hear a lot of worthless things as well.  T.V. doesn’t put up many limits in their presentations.  Cursing, normalizing abnormal behavior.   Our beautiful music is being pumped in the kids heads in every sexual way possible. If you ever happen to hear it you might be shocked at what the kids are hearing.  Please pay attention to what we and our kids hear.  Lastly I don’t know about you, but my heart needs reviving just from what I see and hear.  I get so upset. I want to change it all. I can’t, but we all can. Ask the Lord to revive your heart and your kids heart and all who need the Lord revive them, they are probably broken from all of the worldly tearing down that we are all experiencing.  Please Lord, Revive us.

Carved On The Palm Of His Hand

 I am a collector of Cameo’s, they have always been very precious to me.  The Cameo’s above are carved in lava.  If you take a real cameo, usually shell or stone; and put it under a magnifying glass you can see each tiny movement of the artists tool.  They basically are little pieces of art.  They are to be treasured as a part of our history, little artifacts they are.  I love these images so beautifully carved because the scripture tells us that the  Lord has carved us upon the palms of His hands.  Our image is continually before Him. Isaiah 49:16  That is about as intimate as you can get.  He loves us so much .  I envision  that when we pray He hears our voice and looks at his hands.  That’s not too hard for me to imagine when we see how far man has gone with technology.  Just think about the capabilities of the one who created it all.  I hope thid little message from Darlene makes your day as you see Him gazing at His hands, looking at you.

Seek and Wait

 

I took this photo on a beautiful early morning on Kanipali Beach in Maui.  When we travel, I love to get up early when everything is quiet and the day is cool and fresh.  Every day we are given is such a blessing.  I spotted this man at the ocean’s edge in deep thought as he watched the waves come in.   I wondered what he might be thinking, or praying.  What a perfect place to seek the Lord one might say, I thought it.  However any place is the perfect place to seek the Lord.  He wants to hear from us on our bed, cleaning the house, doing our daily walks even when we are at our desk at work. I do admit Maui is kinda perfect!  He wants to do good for us. Sometimes we have to wait, and be patient, but He is faithful.  Seek Him and wait and see what happens!  As you do this your relationship with the Lord will grow, and grow.  What can be better than that?

Lead Me To The Rock

 

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my  prayer.  From the end of the earth will I cry  unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  The Lord is  our  Rock and he is so much higher than Us. Sometimes we need to be led.  Things can get so desperate, we need someone to lead us to the Lord. It might feel like our prayers are not being heard , and of course the enemy of our souls would  love us to believe that.  This is how we as Christians can serve the Lord.  We can be that one to calmly, sweetly break through the fog of distress and get you back to the Rock who was there all the time.  We can feel very small at times like this and often need a hand to hold us up.  Nothing changed.  Jesus was always there but sometimes needs someone to be His hand extended.  If you look very hard in the above photo, there is a mountain goat.  So tiny he is standing on that Rock.  If you know anyone  who is  feeling tiny, trying to find the Rock, reach out and show the way.