November 16, 2024

Even There Your Hand will Guide Me

August 19, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

Dear Lord, how much You love us!  How good and kind and gracious You are to us!  Thank You, Father, for the ways You lead us and take hold of us moment by moment.  Thank You, Lord, for Your promise to never leave us nor forsake us!  Thank You that we know that nothing can ever separate us from Your love, Jesus…nothing, not ever, never.  As the psalmist wrote, “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me…” what better place to ever be than right there—in the palm of Your hand!
Today, as we pursue the things You have placed upon the path You have us on, may we go in peace and confidence resting in the knowledge that Your hand is upon us. we are so very blessed!  We praise and thank You…asking these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional

(He’s The) Anchor Of Hope

August 19, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Marvelous, wonderful, infinite God
Author of all that is good
Faithful Provider and Giver of life
Source of all power and love

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise
Refuge of strength to the end
Righteous Redeemer and mighty to save
He’s the Anchor of Hope for the souls of men

Gracious, compassionate, merciful God
Radiant, holy delight
Beautiful Father, Victorious Son
Source of unchangeable Light

You are Light in the dark
You are healing for the broken heart
You are Hope
You are Lord
You are Life
You are Love that endures

Powerful, constant, unwavering God
Shepherd who comes for the lost
Rock of salvation, remarkable Love
Savior who died on the Cross

Ellie Holcomb
written along with Brown Bannister

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This…all of this!…is our reason for Hope!  Biblically, hope is an assurance, something we depend on and count on happening. To the world, hope is ‘a wing and a prayer.’

HOPE – verb

  1. To entertain or indulge hope; to cherish a desire of good, or of something welcome, with expectation of obtaining it or belief that it is obtainable; to expect; – usually followed by for.  “But I will hope continually.” – Psalm 71:14
  2. To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good; – usually followed by in. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God.” – Psalm 42:11
  3. To desire with expectation, or with belief in the possibility, or prospect of obtaining; to look forward to as a thing that is desirable, with the expectation of obtaining it; to cherish the hopes of.  [Charity] hopeth all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:7

(quoted from Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary)

I would like to encourage you, friends, to grasp this Hope as the Truth!  We are often so good at encouraging others…reminding our brothers and sisters of the Hope they have…speaking to the unsaved and telling them of the Hope they can have.  But speak this Truth to yourself.  Hold to it.  Depend on it.

Your Lord IS your Hope!  He is…

  • the Light in the dark
  • Refuge of strength to the end
  • Healer of your broken heart
  • Rock of salvation
  • Savior Who died on the Cross
  • Anchor of Hope

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise
the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,
so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement
to take hold of the hope set before us.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:17-20

At the foundation of it all: ‘this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…’.   A hope that we have had no part in securing, no part in determining, no part in bringing to pass.  But we do have a part—we simply must hold onto this hope—an Anchor of Hope in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I pray this blessing from 2 Thessalonians 2:16 and 17 for each of you.

“…our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace, <would> comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word” in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Broccoli Salad

August 18, 2015 by

Summertime get-togethers…how many have you gone to or hosted this summer?  This past weekend we celebrated the 80th birthday of my dad, Jack McElroy—{4 great-grandchildren, 10 grandchildren, 4 daughters, 3 sons-in-law, our stepmom, and a few others who love him}.  Our family loves to pitch in and all contribute to the meal.  But this Broccoli-Craisin Salad always seems to be requested.

Recently, I have tweaked the recipe to include (or NOT include) about half of the mayonnaise I originally have made this with and I <shhhh! not everyone knows!> substituted plain Greek yogurt.  It worked amazingly well…and lowered the calories/fat grams by approximately 650 calories (yes, you read that correctly) and 80 grams of fat.  And added a significant hit (about 10-11 grams) of healthy protein.  And, honestly, you could even further reduce the mayo/increase the yogurt because of all the flavor variations in this salad.

This is a beautiful raw salad, a very healthy but oh-so-yummy addition to the array of delicious salads on the picnic table.  It has a slightly smoky (from the bacon), slightly sweet (from the Craisins and honey), slightly tart (from the vinegar), very mellow taste.  I have had MANY supposed broccoli haters be prompted to try just one tiny taste…only to find they enjoy it and come back for more!  We enjoy this salad all year long!  Hoping that your family enjoys it, too!

Broccoli Salad

ingredients:

2 heads broccoli crowns, cut into tiny florets
1/2 pkg Craisins (dried cranberries)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2  cup plain Greek yogurt
3-4 tablespoons honey, warmed
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup roasted/salted sunflower seeds
freshly ground pepper

directions:

  • in a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, honey, and vinegar; set aside
  • in a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. take liquid mixture and pour over broccoli mixture, tossing gently <go ahead!  use your hands!> to thoroughly coat and massage that  broccoli
  • pour the dressed mixture into a large zip-top bag to go into the fridge.  every once in a while, give the bag a flip-over and a couple of squeezes to spread the yumminess all around
  • when ready to go onto the table, pour the salad out into a serving bowl and top with sunflower seeds and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
  • easy-peasy!

notes:

–  definitely prepare this at least 4 hours beforehand…up to 24 hours or so

–   the biggest hint I can offer to you for this salad is to cut the broccoli florets as small as you possibly can.  consider this a ‘labor of love’ and, oh, so worth it!  this will make it  MUCH more palatable to have little florets in your mouth as you munch on this salad rather than a big chunk of broccoli!  and the chopping can be done ahead of time, even a day or so, and simply stored in the fridge.  honestly, i have been known to sit in front of the television while doing it!  😉

♥     ♥     ♥     ♥     ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Please don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Draw Me Into Your Presence

August 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalms 139:7-10

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Maranatha Singers
written by Teresa Muller
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *
Draw me into Your presence
Draw me into Your presence
Draw me into Your presence
I want to know You

For there’s life in Your presence
There is life in Your presence
There is life in Your presence
I want to know You

Where else could I go
Where else could I hide
For only in Your presence, Lord
Can I find peace of mind

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

This Week…Psalms 139:5 and 6

August 13, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

You hem me in behind and before,
and You lay Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Psalms 139:5 and 6

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

 In His Love Surrounds Us, Tina wrote about what it is like to have God ‘hem us in’ through the examples of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua….

hem:

to surround in a restrictive manner
to confine—usually used with in<hemmed in by enemy troops> (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

If we can follow this, we can see how God covered the Israelites in Egypt.  God worked in the lives of Abraham, Moses and Joshua…God surrounded His people with love and protection. A hemming in for the people…if only they would see and understand.

How often are we like the Israelites?  There can be a blessing waiting for us to grasp…if only we will let down our defenses and kneel before our God in holy reverence.

❦

In Divine Hand, Ann shared about the significance of ‘the hand of God’….

The hand of God signifies-

• the presence of God     • the favor of God     • the availability of God

The hand of God will guide us if we let it do so as we submit ourselves wholly to Him.  Check out the following verses:

Psalm 139 :10
Psalm 23:3
Romans 8:14
Psalm 108:6
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 89:21
Isaiah 19:16
Isaiah 59:1
Deuteronomy 7:8
Isaiah 25:10Acts 4:30

And as Jabez cried out to the God of Israel 1 Chronicles 4:10,

“O Lord that You bless me and enlarge my territory!
Let Your hand be with me and keep me from harm
so that I will be free from pain…
and God granted his request.

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , ,

Can He…Could He…Would He…Yes, He Can

August 13, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Can He (can He save me), could He (could He love me)
Would He (would He take me), did He (did He really)
Can He, could He, would He, yes, He can, He could, He would, and He did
Can He (can He save me), could He (could He love me)
Would He (would He take me), did He (did He really)
Can He, could He, would He, yes, He can, He could, He would, and He did

From the moment I heard about the Lord and His Word
Well, it seemed to be too good to be true
Major questions and doubts I tried to figure it out
But the best that I could do
Was to wander around in the love that I found
Until my questions started answering themselves, singing
Can He, could He, would He, yes, He can, He could, He would, and He did

You can say you don’t know it’s necessarily so
Like somebody said it once in a song
You can think what you choose, but, let me tell you the news
The Lord has loved you all along
So if you’re asking again will the doubts never end,
Simply trust Him and you’ll see for yourself, singing
Can He, could He, would He, yes, He can, He could, He would, and He did

Vocal Union
written by John Chisum, Dwight Liles
*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *
Cute song, yes?  But really these {Can He save me?  Could He love me? Would He take me?  Did He really?} are deep, vital questions!  And we each need to know—that we know—that we know the answers!  Oh, we might be able to say we do…but…are we convinced in our hearts?  The Scriptures give us the Truth to hold onto and treasure in our hearts for those times we may falter.

Can He save me?  Yes, He can…and He did!

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3

For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8 and 9

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

Could He love me?  Yes, He could…and He does!

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world
that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son,
so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
John 3:16 AMP

But God proves His own love for us
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!
Romans 5:8

This is love: not that we loved God,
but that He loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:10

Would He take me?  Yes, He would…and He’ll never leave you!

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
Psalms 103:8-14

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38 and 39

Then Peter opened his mouth and said:
Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive
and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons,
But in every nation he who venerates and has a reverential fear for God,
treating Him with worshipful obedience and living uprightly,
is acceptable to Him and sure of being received and welcomed by Him.
Acts 10:34 and 35

Did He really (do ALL that)?
Yes, He did…and much, much more…and none of that will ever change!

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Can He?  Could He?  Would He?  YES, He can!  He could…He would…and He did!

Oh. Yes. He. Did.  (Don’t ever forget that!)   ♥

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I Will Trust You, Lord

August 12, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Sometimes my little heart can’t understand
What’s in Your will, what’s in Your plan
So many times I’m tempted to ask You why
But I can never forget it for long
Lord, what You do could not be wrong
So I believe You, even when I must cry

Do I trust You, Lord
Does the river flow
Do I trust You, Lord
Does the north wind blow
You can see my heart
You can read my mind
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love
Do I trust You, Lord
Do I trust You

I know the answers, I’ve given them all
But suddenly now, I feel so small
Shaken down to the cavity in my soul
I know the doctrine and theology
But right now they don’t mean much to me
This time there’s only one thing I’ve got to know

Do I trust You, Lord
Does the robin sing
Do I trust You, Lord
Does it rain in spring
You can see my heart
You can read my mind
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love
Do I trust You, Lord
Do I trust You

I will trust You, Lord, when I don’t know why
I will trust You, Lord, ’til the day I die
I will trust You, Lord, when I’m blind with pain
You were God before, and You’ll never change
I will trust You
I will trust You
I will trust You, Lord

Twila Paris
singer/songwriter
*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *
I sing this song, often, when I am tempted to doubt and to waffle in my trust in my God.  It encourages me and spurs me on to stand on His promises and choose to continue to trust.  And I trust (a tiny pun!) that it is not just my heart that is stirred up thinking about this trust issue…yes?  But here is where I stand and I am not moving:  God is worthy of my completely and totally trusting Him with my life.  Our God is absolutely trustworthy and He will never let us down!

Throughout the Scriptures, we find promise after promise as well as testimony upon testimony directing us to see His trustworthiness and faithfulness.  God’s people, throughout time, have shown incredible faith and trust in their God.  The psalmist gives praise time and time again to the One Whom he trusted with his life.  Psalm 40 contains some of my most favorite words of confession acknowledging my trust in our great God.

I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord;
and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.
And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many shall see and fear and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord.
Blessed is the <wo>man who makes the Lord <her> refuge and trust….
Psalms 40:1-4

As you read the following Scriptures, hear the praises and the struggles of others who have gone before us who have made the choice to trust God.

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace
whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You,
because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
So trust in the Lord
(commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever;
for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].
Isaiah 26:3 and 4 AMP

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And I have no delight or desire on earth besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock
and firm Strength of my heart and my Portion forever.
But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God
and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.
Psalms 73:25-26, 28

Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails.
Do not hide Your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.
Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.
Psalms 143:7-9

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5 and 6

When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?
Psalms 56:3 and 4
click here to read all of Psalm 56

As Holy Spirit-led women, we strongly desire to obey God and put our hope/trust in Him.   We follow the example given to us in 1 Peter 3 of women who trust God:

Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart
with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very valuable in God’s eyes.
For in the past, the holy women who put their hope in God
also beautified themselves in this way, submitting to their own husbands,
just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.
You have become her children when you do what is good
and are not frightened by anything alarming.
verses 4-6

In closing, here’s something to ask ourselves…
“When others think of me, am I a woman whose life reflects a heart that trusts God?  Is there an outer beauty that is the result of a submitted, grateful, yielded, trusting spirit that shows on my face?  Or is it the ‘worry lines’ and chapped, bitten lips or nails that show the lack of resting/trusting in my God?”
I would love it if you would share your thoughts….

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mango Lassi

August 11, 2015 by

This past weekend, my sister and niece were visiting from Minnesota <happy me!>.  On Sunday, rather than cooking another meal together, we decided to treat ourselves to some yummy Indian take-out…yup!  (Actually, Amy “treated” us all!)

So I wanted to add a couple of special beverages and decided on these lovely shakes and a big pitcher of iced sweet&spicy chai tea.  They turned out to add just that extra touch to our smorgasbord (I know, I know…crossing cultures here!) of delightful Indian curries, chickpea salad, lovely appetizers…and, of course, a pile of naan to scoop it all together!  According to Wikipedia, a lassi is a traditional, yogurt-based drink and is popular in India.

Whether you enjoy this beverage to cool yourself on a hot summer’s day or, as we did, to accompany some hot & spicy Indian food—this is refreshing and delicious.  And it fits perfectly into our POV—healthy but oh-so-yummy!  I used a few ripe mangoes as the base for ours, but this would be equally delightful prepared with strawberries, or papaya, or bananas!  Enjoy!

2015-08-10 16.29.24

Mango Lassi

(this makes enough for (4) four tall glassfuls)

ingredients:

2 large mangoes, pitted&peeled – cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
8 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sweetened almond milk (or regular milk)
2 tablespoons honey
dash or two of ground cardamom
1 cup ice cubes

directions:

  • place mango and milk into blender; puree
  • add balance of ingredients; blend thoroughly ’til ice is crushed and all is frothy

♥     ♥     ♥     ♥     ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Your Hand Is Upon Me

August 11, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Psalms 139:5 and 6

Dear Lord, such a picture that is—‘enclosed…behind and before’…with ‘Your hand upon me’!!  Truly that IS too wonderful for me…and if I did not read it in Your Holy Word quite possibly I wouldn’t believe it.  You are such an awesome God!  You remind us in the most tender ways of Your great love and care for us.  We are held in Your hand and protected, provided for, guided, loved.  Lord, help us to hold this vision—this Truth—in our minds and hearts so that when those times of worry and doubt and fear come (and they do!) we will be drawn quickly back to You and Your providential lovingkindness.  Thank You, dear Father, thank You!  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.  <3

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Who Am I?

August 9, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 You hem me in behind and before,
and You lay Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Psalms 139:5 and 6

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever-wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I’m calling
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling
And You’ve told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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