May 2, 2026

Job’s Wife, It was Hard Work

August 8, 2014 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Many of you know the story of Job….  He is going about his life and all is going well. He is blameless and upright and loves God. Then the enemy goes to God and says that Job is only blameless and a follower because his life is so perfect. Like, who wouldn’t be, right? But his God knew better and He allowed some pretty awful things happen to him. He lost his land and his livestock and his money. He watched his children die and he pretty much lost it all.

Job grieves after these tragedies and then…falls to the ground and worships God! After his health goes down , and he’s in so much pain, his wife enters the story. In Job 2:9 she says to him,”Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.” Now, she is who most of us can relate to. I mean, I totally get his wife. Even though I know I belong to God, and I do love Him with all that I am, I do understand being so overwhelmed and broken in my circumstances that my faith has been drained and I have really been upset with God.

We as Christians (those who have matured or have just became one) understand that trials and struggles will come, as Philippians 1:29 says “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.” Yes, we are promised suffering. But we are also promised an abundant life.  And though it hurts, we know the end result is a life with Him forever. The most important thing is for Him to be glorified and for others to see how amazing He really is. And He promises in Romans 8:28 that all things will work together for good! (Look that verse up and underline it!)

Back to Job’s story….  God blessed the latter part of his days. His future held so many blessings, he couldn’t even count them. What a promise and a hope to hold onto! It’s hard when you are going through such difficult things to actually fall to the ground in worship.  We may be more like Job’s wife and want to curse God. Or naybe tell Him that we could write the story so much better and the pain would be so much less but we would make sure He got the glory, right?  Wrong! Sometimes the only way He is glorified is to see Him working in a life that is at the end of the human rope. Nothing and no one can do anything to make it better—then God steps in and saves us. No other way but Him.

I can tell you that I have lived through seven years of hard and I am just now seeing the ‘why’ of it. I cannot say that I understand it, but I can say that I totally trust Him. Others will know for sure that it is nothing that we (our family) have done, only our God. But we did believe…and we did keep walking when we really just wanted to stay in bed…and we did keep thanking Him for what He was doing in our lives. Some days all I could say was Mark 9:24, “I believe, help my unbelief.”

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

If this is you today, and you’re really wanting to fall on the floor and cry, remember that God is sovereign and He knows what He is doing. If you could see the end of your story, you wouldn’t change a thing. And most of all, He will get the glory and others will come to know Him, through you! And if you are one that doesn’t know Him, please ask Him today to be Lord of your life. All you have to do is pray this simple prayer:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner and I need forgiveness. I know that I need a Savior. I believe that You sent Your Son to die on the Cross to save me from my sins. I want Him to come into my heart today and be my Lord. I want to walk with You through this life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Celebration

August 7, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His— His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.

Psalms 100:1-5 HCSB

How wonderful and glorious is the Lord our God!  Each morning is a new day, a new opportunity to praise His name and to celebrate His Creation.  How many times have we strayed and He has welcomed us back with open, loving arms?  Just like the prodigal son, God loves us so very much! Please enjoy this song!

I Will Enter His Gates

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord had made
I will rejoice for He has made me glad
He has made me glad
He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad
He has made me glad
He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad

–  Leona Von Brethorst, 1976 Maranatha Music  –

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

I’ll Do My Best For You

August 7, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Love
I’ll love
I’ll love You, Lord
Forever

I’ll do my best
I’ll do my best
Oh, I’ll do my best for You
Oh, oh, oh
I’ll do my best
I’ll do my best
Oh, I’ll do my best for You

Serve
I’ll serve
I’ll serve You, Lord
Forever

Praise
I’ll praise
I’ll praise You, Lord
Forever

I’ll love
I’ll serve
I’ll praise You, Lord
Forever

I’ll do my best
I’ll do my best
I’ll do my best
Oh, I’ll do my best for You
Oh, oh, oh
I’ll do my best
I’ll do my best
Oh, I’ll do my best for You

 Jamie Statema, Jason Folkmann and Andy Selness  aka, The GoFish Guys

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

littlebluetoothspkr

We (meaning the grandkids and I!) have been getting our groove on recently since we purchased an adorable little bluetooth speaker.  (At least ‘til the speaker or the device we are using loses it charge!)  😉  Of course, they each have their favorites! But this little song from the GoFish Guys seems to be popular on everyone’s playlist!

I asked them “What does it mean to ‘do my best’ for God?”  Kaylie Joy responded, “Welllllll, I guess it means to obey Him…the best I can.”  Levi, singing away (with his voice AND his body!), “obey my dad and mom…and you, too, TaTa!”  And when I prompted Elijah, a man of few words, singing “Do you want to want to love God forever?” he signed ‘LOVE’ right back to me.

And I thought to myself that from their perspective, it is pretty darn simple.  But sometime it gets rather complicated for me.   At times, I am tempted to think that my efforts, my good works, my trying hard are the things that i should be doing to do my bestfor my God.  (Ummmm…no.)  I was convicted in my heart…as I realized it is no more complicated for me (a follower of Jesus Christ for almost 35 years) than for children who have just begun a relationship with Him.  The motivation for doing my best for God is LOVE—His love for me and me proving my love for Him!

His love for us (oh-how-He-loves-us-so! ) is unconditional.  We cannot earn…or do anything to provoke Him to love us.  He simply DOES love us.

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

And our love for Him  is proven or shown by our adherence to His commands.

But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
1 John 2:5

By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and observe His commandments.
1 John 5:2

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome.
Verse 3

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments….
2 John 1:6

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 14:15

So ‘doing my best’ for God is much more about loving Him and wanting to live in such a way that proves my love!  Whether I am serving Him, praising Him, or loving others…it is all to say ‘I love You, Lord!’  And any good works that I do, as I endeavor to do my best for Him, are all for His glory!

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God!
1 Corinthians 10:31

To the praise of the glory of His grace, where in He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:6

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

I Believe You CAN Get Off the Roller Coaster of Eating and Bingeing

August 6, 2014 by

 

roller coaster capture


My client Jan (not her real name) once said, “I do good for two weeks and then I fall off the wagon. I am eating well and then I get invited to dinner with friends, go on vacation, or attend a baby shower and it all goes downhill. It feels like…

“I am on a roller coaster of eating and bingeing.”

So why do Jan (and so many others) fall into this trap?

  1. She was trying to follow a meal plan that is unrealistic to follow; and had not learned how or what to eat if she needed to deviate from the plan.
  2. She attempted to cut ALL sugar and carbohydrates and then binged because she did not know how to eat them responsibly.
  3. She was attempting to eat healthy for one reason only—just to lose weight—which led to giving up because she no longer cared.

In a recent article, A nation of weight watchers: Is our obsession with thin making us fat?, Siri Steinmo, a health psychology practitioner said, “If you spend your life dieting and bingeing, you fall into the eat, repent, repeat cycle.  You don’t eat any carbs all week and then at the weekend have the ‘what the hell effect’ and then you’re repenting again and hating yourself throughout the whole cycle.  This is something women identify with more than men, but men are also under a lot of pressure with body image.”

Boy, did he get it right on the money!  Often times I am asked if I write meal plans and the answer is “no.”  I teach women how to incorporate healthy eating habits and live in the real world as well as how to budget in their favorite foods instead of bingeing one day a week until the point of nausea.

For example, here are two strategies I teach my clients:

  • How to budget in an occasional favorite food, and make allowance for it in other places.
  • How to follow the healthy plate design whether preparing quick healthy meals at home or dining out.

I believe if you can make 2-3 healthy behaviors a HABIT, you can get off of the roller coaster of eating and bingeing. For today, begin with just one new habit.

In Good Health,
Crystal

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

A Call To Praise

August 6, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Psalm 100 AMP
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing!
Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God!
It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]!
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering
and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him,
bless and affectionately praise His name!
For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting,
His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

Psalm 100 is a psalm of praise.  It calls us to “Make a joyful noise to the Lord.”  We are to “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving” in our hearts and enter into “His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”  We can praise God anytime, anywhere, publicly or privately, silently or aloud.  Praise is to be offered with gladness, willingly and not grudgingly.  We are to offer it because we want to, and because He is God our Creator and the Lord of All.

You may be thinking “Well that’s all well and good…but you don’t know my story, my circumstances, my life right now.  There isn’t much to be thankful for!”  True, I don’t.  We all have issues.  But, if you are reading this right now, you are still breathing, right?  God holds our breath in His hands.  As Acts 17:25b (AMP) states: “…it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all.”  Praise Him for that.  Since you are reading this, you can still see, right?  Praise Him for that.  And if you are still reading this, your brain stills work, right?  Praise Him for that.

Okay, you get my point.  At this point I am preaching to myself as much as anyone.  So let’s stop focusing on what is wrong and what we DON’T have and, instead, offer up praise to God for what is right and all we DO have.

It may be a challenge for you to praise Him right now.  At times it has been for me.  Think of it as a sacrifice, an offering.  We are no longer required to offer sacrifices to God since Christ became our ultimate Sacrifice.  Hebrews 13:15 (HCSB) puts it like this: “Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.”  Praise reminds us we owe God everything.  If we chose to willingly offer Him praise, even in the most difficult of times, think of how much it pleases God.  And, best of all, it reminds us of the life to come.  As Isaiah 35:10 (HCSB) puts it:

…and the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy. Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.

And, oh! what a day that will be!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for everything.  All we are, all we have, all the blessings You have bestowed upon us.  Let us never take them for granted.  May we always praise Your Holy name with gladness and joy in our hearts—no matter the circumstances. Thank You for all that has been, will be, and is to come.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen – so be it!

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We Are

August 6, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Every secret, every shame
Every fear, every pain
Live inside the dark
But that’s not who we are
We are children of the day

So wake up sleeper, lift your head
We were meant for more than this
Fight the shadows, conquer death
Make the most of the time we have left

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
And we gotta, we gotta, we gotta
Let the light shine

We are called to spread the news
To tell the world the simple truth
Jesus came to save
There’s freedom in His name
So let His love break through

So let your light shine brighter
We are the light 
Jesus
You are the light
We will lift You high
And shine, shine, shine 

Performed by Kari Jobe
Songwriters: James Tealy, Chuck Butler, Hilary McBride, Ed Cash

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

God calls us to let our little lights shine wherever we go, and proclaim the Good News and the glorious things He has done in our lives (and continues to do….)

In the same way, let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 ESV

What does it mean to “…let your light shine…”? I love this explanation from In The Workplace.com

“In the Bible, light is used to represent God or God’s truth. It is contrasted to darkness, which represents the evil in the world or the false system of Satan. Our “light” in this sense is our “good works.”
They are to shine in the world in such a way that others will see them and give credit or glory to God. This is to be true in all areas of our lives.
The truth is that we let our light shine the brightest when the contrast is the greatest. In order for light to be noticed, it must shine in darkness. When you turn on a powerful flashlight on a sunny day, it can hardly be seen, but in the dark of the night, it is a bright beacon. So it is with us. When we do the works of righteousness in church, they are good but they don’t stand out as the same acts would outside the church. Remember we said that the scripture doesn’t apply only to the marketplace, but that it does include it.
Our light shines when we act or react to life in ways that contrast to the ways of the world. Jesus said that He is “the Light of the world” (John 8:12). His life contrasted sharply with the lives of the Pharisees and the other religious leaders. The things He said and the things He did were in stark contrast to the acts of the others. His “Light” shone brightly. The people could easily see a difference between Him and the others. They could see it in His acts and they could hear it in His words.”

go here for the entire article.

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world:
he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12 KJV

Our lives should shine with the light of Christ.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Heavenly Father, thank You for this Word today.  Help us by Your strength to be the people whose lives shine the light of You into the darkness in the lives of those around us.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!!!

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

Thankful For the Past

August 5, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
Psalm 100:4

Recently, while sitting in my room, I began to do a reflection of my current life—the relationships I have, the job(s), the decisions that need to be made, and the character flaws that need fixing.  I found myself wishing that I could go back in time and deal with the problems of previous times; you know the problems that I now know exactly how to deal with.  In that moment I laughed at myself.  Every season we enter has its benefits and its trials and seasons are constantly changing. What’s important to remember about each season of our lives is to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

I was informed that this devotional is the one year anniversary of the Seeking Him devotional blog.  I’m actually very surprised…it doesn’t seem like a year has passed.  Looking back, I can see how I’ve grown and changed.  I can see things in me that are still the same that I would love to change but, overall, I’m moving forward.  And I think this is what God wants us to do—move forward and be thankful while doing so.  I find it difficult to move forward when I am regretting or disappointed about something in the past. When I address the situation and let God shed light on it, I find that I am more capable of thanking Him for the learning experience.  Paul said it like this in Philippians 3:13 and 14,

But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.
I press toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We have so much going on around us and so much that we want to accomplish or to make different.  We have lives we want to live and dreams we want to come to pass.  If done correctly, the past is a good place for us to learn how to improve our present and our future.  For this reason I feel we should be thankful to God that we have a past to say that we made it through.  Without a past there is no present.  Nobody’s past is perfect.  There are things in my past that I don’t feel I should have ever had to deal with, but God says, “… if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, thank You for where I have been, because I would not be the person I am today without my past. You are an all-knowing God and You guide my future. Thank You for being so amazing!  Amen.

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

How Sweet The Sound-Citizens Way

August 5, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Yea though I walk through the valley
I know that You are always right beside me
And I will fear no evil
You’re my Rock
And my Strength
You comfort me

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
I hear You singing over me
I once was lost but now I’m found
And it’s beautiful
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
It covers every part of me
My soul is silent
I am found
And it’s a beautiful sound

You carry me through the waters
Where Your peace clears away all my sorrow
And nothing can separate us from Your love
Oh, Your love it will always be

You were healing in the pain
You were shelter in the storm
Hallelujah You restore my soul

Songwriters: Josh Calhoun, Ben Calhoun
Performed by Citizens Way

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I have walked through the valley and right now it seems like I’ll be here for a while.  There is an empty parking space in the driveway and a room that has been cleaned out.  I moved my oldest baby girl to another state to start the journey that God has for her.  But, as a mom, I have mixed emotions yet He sustains me and walks with me.  The 23rd Psalm is one of His greatest promises and one that I cling to during this hard time of change. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

I love how the songwriters put the Scriptures and the hymn “Amazing Grace” together and share such hope with us as listeners.  Can’t you just picture God singing over you?  ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, I hear You singing over me. I once was lost but now I’m found…’ and it is a beautiful sound.  He does carry us through the waters and gives us peace that passes all understanding. And no matter what we go through or what we have done, nothing can separate us from God’s love and His grace.  There is healing in the pain, through Him and there is shelter from the storms, in Him.  Isaiah 43:2 NIV says,

When you go through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

I pray today, as you listen to this song, that you feel the hope and the love and His amazing grace washing over you.  You are His and He cherishes you and wants to be with you. He is able to carry you through anything and will keep you from harm.  Just trust Him and thank Him for the miracles and blessings that are yours…you just have to ask.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let us pray: Dearest Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for always walking beside us and protecting us from so much. Thank You for carrying us when we are too weak or sad to really walk through it alone, and thank You that we never have to be alone. You sing over us and love us so much. Your Word is our rock and full of promises that we can hold on to when this world is coming at us. Thank You for the healing and for the shelter and for being our strength. We love You! In Jesus’ name, amen!

 

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

Fruit Parfaits (to go!)

August 4, 2014 by

Here in our little village, we have a community park which fronts on the river which runs through the village.  Twice each week during the summer season, free concerts are held in the bandshell!  This week the Schenectady Pipe Band was scheduled to play!  Oh, I just love bagpipe&drums!!!  (How about you?)  So Robert asked if I would like to go…ummm, let me think…YES!

I thought that he would love it if I made some kind of sweet treat to bring along and enjoy out under the stars listening to stirring bagpipes!  Originally I was planning on making some cookies (his favs!) but we had an abundance of gorgeous berries this week. So then I got ready to make a berry crisp…all yummy warm berry sweetness with a healthy topping of cinnamon-y crunchiness!  But THEN I was talking with my daughter, kassia, about the trendiness of mason jars filled with salads, and suppers…and desserts! My mind was made up—Fruit and Cake Parfaits!

2014-07-31 18.51.46

These were super simple to put together.  I prepared all the components earlier in the day: an easy-peasy yellow sheet cake (gluten free, of course), a berry compote, and homemade whipped cream.  After supper, all that was needed was to layer it all up into mason jars, cap ‘em off, and put them into my picnic basket!  I hope you give these a try!  They would be a great dessert to bring along to a bbq, or picnic…or how about taking them to the drive-in?  Enjoy!

Fruit and Cake Parfaits…to go!

components:
mason (or Ball) canning jars2014-08-03 21.13.26
yellow cake or angel food cake
fresh fruit
whipped cream

note: quantities are at your discretion! For our parfaits, I used a ‘manly’ quart-size jar and a pint-size jar for me. I would suggest “wide mouth” jars, too (much easier to spoon out the yumminess!).

cake component:

  • I simply baked up a plain yellow cake (use a mix…go right ahead!)
  • when thoroughly cooled, cut up into small cubes

fruit component:2014-07-31 14.55.43

  • we had strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cut up peaches
  • sprinkle sugar (I used coconut sugar) over the fruit and gently combine
  • proportions: 1 tablespoon sugar to 1 cup fruit (I used 3 cups of fruit)
  • set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes (or up to 2-3 hours) to allow the sugar to draw out the moisture from the fruit creating a syrup

whipped cream component:

  • please indulge and make your own whipped cream
  • I used a half-pint container of heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, and 2 teaspoons of confectioners (10X) sugar

to assemble:
in this order—cake cubes, macerated fruit, whipped cream—fill up your jars; done!  oh…if taking along with you…don’t forget the spoons!!!  Enjoy!

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

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

♥  coleen

 

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

The Shepherd and His Sheep

August 4, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Have you ever noticed that you are put in other people’s lives for a reason?  My mother always believed that God put her with my father because she has vision problems and he can see (and now I that I am married can see her point).  My father was put with her because he has hearing loss, and she can hear.  In September they will have been married for 36 years.  Now that is a long time by today’s standards!   As for me and my husband, he lays something down, and I can usually tell him right where it is.  The same goes when I lay something down. My husband knows my moods, and I know his.  We have only been married for a few years, but we are still learning about each other.

I am the good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me,
just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15

The Lord is our Shepherd.  He created us.  God knew who we were and where we were going before we were even born.  He knows us better than we do ourselves. That is why our prayers are answered the way that they are when we pray.  We may pray for something, but God may not think that an affirmative answer would be beneficial to us.  God then tells us ‘No.’ for our own good because He knows us.

When we accept Christ into our hearts, we begin to know our heavenly Father.  He knew us before we even turned from our sin and returned to Him.  When Christ went to the Cross, He already knew who He was dying for that day.  He knew us before we were even twinkles in our parents’ eyes. God knows who His sheep are even before they walk this Earth.  God had plans for all of eternity even before He created Adam and Eve.  He already knew who we would be.  It is part of our responsibility to know Him better.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father, You knew us before You wove us together in our mothers’ wombs.  We are Your children, and You know us like parents know their children. Thank You for giving us the gift of eternal life through the gift of Your Holy Son.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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