A Smattering of Thought

" The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork ." Psalm 19:1

"I'm redeemed, You set me free!" The music washes over my soul.  Memories of yesterday haunt my heart and I almost stagger under the weight.  I stop and reflect and humbly sit in silence.   I am redeemed.   I ...a sinner, a rebel...am Redeemed.   I AM redeemeed. Not going to be redeemed, not was redeemed, I AM redeemed.   Present tense.   Every second.   Every minute.   Every hour.   Every day.   I stand redeemed. I am REDEEMED.  Just writing the word brings tears to my eyes.   I have been bought with a price.   I have had my evil doings wipe clean.   I have been presented before God pure.   I have been made a new creation.   I have been given right standing with God. Only because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.   Only because from the beginning of creation, I was sought after. Only because His love and justice is far greater than ours will ever be. Only because after I was faced with all these truths, I relented,

Sand flowing through my outstretched hands.  Sunshine splashing across my face. Cool breeze rustling my hair. Giggling kids as they dip their toes  bodies in the water. The swoosh of the football being tossed back and forth. Smatterings of conversations swirling around the air. A splash of color as the sun says goodnight and moon appears. A very very good night!                        As we circled around each other on the sand and shared about God's many blessings in our lives, the following song began to echo in my mind.   Would you be able to name 10,000 reasons why God is deserving of our praise? 10,000 Reasons by Mat Redman [Chorus] Bless the Lord, O my soul O my soul Worship His holy name Sing like never before O my soul I'll worship Your holy name The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning It's time to sing Your song again Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me Let me be singing when the evening comes [Chorus] Bless the Lo

I stumbled upon the above picture while browsing some blogs and was struck by the significance of how often we allow "socially constructed ideas of 'beauty'" to shape our thinking...every day. The mascara that will extend your lashes for miles The lipstick which will improve your pout The shampoo that will give your hair a mirror shine The "maybe she's born with it", "easy, breezy, beautiful", "because I'm worth it" commercials. (note: for the record, I use makeup and hair products, but don't believe these products create my beauty...I like to believe they enhance!  My dad use to say "if the barn needs painting, paint it.") According to the world standards I would not be considered "beautiful."  And in all honesty, I am thankful! Not because I don't want to be beautiful but I want to be considered beautiful because of the right qualities.  I truly desire to be a woman whose fear of