This weekend, Cletus and I will be heading to Tinley Park for some MMA and Muay Thai action! Yay!! He's finally getting in the ring. Hopefully he and the other dojo peeps will do good, I'm sure they will!
~Peanut
"The difference between try and triumph is a little umph."
-Author Unknown
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Discovery, happiness, and fulfillment
So, there I was last Tuesday night, sitting at a table at church for RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). I'm taking these classes, and am about to be baptized. I wasn't feeling well at all that night. I don't think anything that was said really stuck in my head, except for this reading...here's the link if you don't have time to read it right now: http://www.frpaulnewton.com/ithirstforyou.html It was so profound, and I really felt a connection to it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I Thirst for You
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock …”
And I want you to know that whenever you invite Me, I do come - always, without fail. Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love, and bringing the many gifts of My Spirit. I come with My mercy, with My desire to forgive and heal you, and with a love for you beyond your comprehension - a love every bit as great as the love I have received from the Father ("As much as the Father has loved me, I have loved you..” [Jn. 15:10]). I come - longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up and bind all your wounds. I bring you My light, to dispel your darkness and all your doubts. I come with My power, that I might carry you and all of your burdens; with My grace, to touch your heart and transform your life: and My peace I give to still your soul.
I know you through and through - I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and l have always loved you - even in your wanderings. I know every one of your problems. I know your needs and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you - not for what you have or haven't done - I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image. It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed My Blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life; and I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.
I know what is in your heart - I know your loneliness and all your hurts - the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carried it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. I know especially your need for love - how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasure - with the even greater emptiness of sin. Do you thirst for love? “Come to Me all you who thirst. . .” (Jn. 7:37). I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine - to the point of dying on a cross for you.
I thirst for you. Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe My love for you: I THIRST FOR YOU. I thirst to love you and to be loved by you - that is how precious you are to Me. I THIRST FOR YOU. Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even in all your trials. I THIRST FOR YOU. You must never doubt My mercy, My acceptance of you, My desire to forgive, My longing to bless you and live My life in you. I THIRST FOR YOU. If you feel unimportant in the eyes of the world, that matters not at all. For Me, there is no one any more important in the entire world than you. I THIRST FOR YOU. Open tome, come to Me, thirst for Me, give Me your life - and I will prove to you how important you are to My Heart.
Don't you realize that My Father already has a perfect plan to transform your life, beginning from this moment? Trust in Me. Ask Me every day to enter and take charge of your life - and I will. I promise you before My Father in heaven that I will work miracles in your life. Why would I do this? Because I THIRST FOR YOU. All I ask is that you entrust yourself to Me completely. I will do all the rest.
Even now I behold the place My Father has prepared for you in My Kingdom. Remember that you are a pilgrim in this life, on a journey home. Sin can never satisfy you, or bring the peace you seek. All that you have sought outside of Me has only left you more empty, so do not cling to the things of this life. Above all, do not run from Me when you fall. Come to Me without delay. When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Saviour. There is nothing I cannot forgive and heal: so come now, and unburden your soul.
No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life; there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change: I THIRST FOR YOU -just as you are. You don't need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you. You forget Me, and yet I am seeking you every moment of the day - standing at the door of your heart, and knocking. Do you find this hard to believe? Then look at the cross, look at My Heart that was pierced for you. Have you not understood My cross? Then listen again to the words I spoke there - for they tell you clearly why I endured all this for you: “I THIRST...” (Jn. 19:28).Yes, I thirst for you- as the rest of the psalm-verse I was praying says of Me: “I looked for love, and I found none...” (Ps. 69:20). All your life I have been looking for your love - I have never stopped seeking to love you and be loved by you. You have tried many other things in your search for happiness; why not try opening your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before.
Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit: “No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake. Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved. I stand at the door of your heart and knock ... Open to-Me, for I THIRST FOR YOU…”
This whole experience with RCIA has really opened my eyes. And my heart!!! I have met some really amazing people who I am now more than happy to call my friends. I've never felt more at home than I do at this church. Thank you to all of you, I am forever grateful for all that you have done for me, and for all that you have brought into my life. Thank you.
~Peanut
"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith."
I Thirst for You
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock …”
(Rev. 3:20)
It is true. I stand at the door of your heart, day and night. Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be Me, I am there. I await even the smallest sign of your response, even the least whispered invitation that will allow Me to enter.
And I want you to know that whenever you invite Me, I do come - always, without fail. Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love, and bringing the many gifts of My Spirit. I come with My mercy, with My desire to forgive and heal you, and with a love for you beyond your comprehension - a love every bit as great as the love I have received from the Father ("As much as the Father has loved me, I have loved you..” [Jn. 15:10]). I come - longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up and bind all your wounds. I bring you My light, to dispel your darkness and all your doubts. I come with My power, that I might carry you and all of your burdens; with My grace, to touch your heart and transform your life: and My peace I give to still your soul.
I know you through and through - I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and l have always loved you - even in your wanderings. I know every one of your problems. I know your needs and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you - not for what you have or haven't done - I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image. It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed My Blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life; and I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.
I know what is in your heart - I know your loneliness and all your hurts - the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carried it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. I know especially your need for love - how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasure - with the even greater emptiness of sin. Do you thirst for love? “Come to Me all you who thirst. . .” (Jn. 7:37). I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine - to the point of dying on a cross for you.
I thirst for you. Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe My love for you: I THIRST FOR YOU. I thirst to love you and to be loved by you - that is how precious you are to Me. I THIRST FOR YOU. Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even in all your trials. I THIRST FOR YOU. You must never doubt My mercy, My acceptance of you, My desire to forgive, My longing to bless you and live My life in you. I THIRST FOR YOU. If you feel unimportant in the eyes of the world, that matters not at all. For Me, there is no one any more important in the entire world than you. I THIRST FOR YOU. Open tome, come to Me, thirst for Me, give Me your life - and I will prove to you how important you are to My Heart.
Don't you realize that My Father already has a perfect plan to transform your life, beginning from this moment? Trust in Me. Ask Me every day to enter and take charge of your life - and I will. I promise you before My Father in heaven that I will work miracles in your life. Why would I do this? Because I THIRST FOR YOU. All I ask is that you entrust yourself to Me completely. I will do all the rest.
Even now I behold the place My Father has prepared for you in My Kingdom. Remember that you are a pilgrim in this life, on a journey home. Sin can never satisfy you, or bring the peace you seek. All that you have sought outside of Me has only left you more empty, so do not cling to the things of this life. Above all, do not run from Me when you fall. Come to Me without delay. When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Saviour. There is nothing I cannot forgive and heal: so come now, and unburden your soul.
No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life; there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change: I THIRST FOR YOU -just as you are. You don't need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you. You forget Me, and yet I am seeking you every moment of the day - standing at the door of your heart, and knocking. Do you find this hard to believe? Then look at the cross, look at My Heart that was pierced for you. Have you not understood My cross? Then listen again to the words I spoke there - for they tell you clearly why I endured all this for you: “I THIRST...” (Jn. 19:28).Yes, I thirst for you- as the rest of the psalm-verse I was praying says of Me: “I looked for love, and I found none...” (Ps. 69:20). All your life I have been looking for your love - I have never stopped seeking to love you and be loved by you. You have tried many other things in your search for happiness; why not try opening your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before.
Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit: “No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake. Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved. I stand at the door of your heart and knock ... Open to-Me, for I THIRST FOR YOU…”
This whole experience with RCIA has really opened my eyes. And my heart!!! I have met some really amazing people who I am now more than happy to call my friends. I've never felt more at home than I do at this church. Thank you to all of you, I am forever grateful for all that you have done for me, and for all that you have brought into my life. Thank you.
~Peanut
"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith."
-Author Unknown
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Hehehee
Check out my new clock :-) I know, I'm a nerd...
4 days to go until I get baptized too! Yay!!!
~Peanut
"Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out."
-Michael Burke
4 days to go until I get baptized too! Yay!!!
~Peanut
"Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out."
-Michael Burke
Monday, March 10, 2008
One Wonderful Year
Well, today marks mine and Cletus' anniversary. We met 1 year ago today, and who would have thought we would be buying a house, engaged and planning a wedding right now!! What a year it has been. We've had rough times and arguments and stuff, but the way I feel when I'm with him is more than enough to get me through any day. He makes me feel like there is no one else around, even if we're in a room full of people. I love him with all of my heart and soul. I can't wait to make the man that looks sexy in jeans and an t-shirt, or all dressed up, my husband next year.
I love you Cletus :-)
~Peanut
"Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."
-Hoosier Farmer
I love you Cletus :-)
~Peanut
"Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."
-Hoosier Farmer
Friday, March 7, 2008
I would like to have one question answered…
What’s with all the negativity, lack of respect, and lack of common courtesy? I can remember when people would say ‘thank you’ for opening the door for them, or actually say ‘excuse me’ when they practically run you over in the store. I remember when people would actually stop to help when someone was in trouble. Hell…I remember when people didn’t have to be AFRAID to help people out!!! But lately, it seems as though people just don’t care.
Let’s talk common courtesy. Just yesterday, I was walking through Target, and 3 people plowed by me without even a second glance. There was one lady though, that actually said ‘oh, excuse me dear’ or something along those lines. WOW!!! Someone actually said excuse me!!! I am so used to being the one who practically gets run over, then when the person gets by me and is still within earshot I say ‘excuse you’. Then you get the people that don’t move when you say ‘excuse me’. Like they’re the most important person in the world, and no one else matters…whatever…you’re no better than anyone else in the room. Now, I left work early on Wednesday because I wasn’t feeling well. When I pulled into my apartment complex, there was a woman in a minivan stuck in her parking space because of all the snow. I went to grab my stuff and head inside, but I changed my mind and went to help her out. So here’s me…4”heels, dress pants, sick as a dog, digging snow out from under her tires, and pushing her out.
Now on to the negativity. Why do people have to take a very happy experience and turn it negative? If there’s a party being planned, and 100 people are invited with the ‘admission’ being a dish to pass, don’t whine and complain about having to cook for ‘all those people’. Your dish doesn’t have to feed everyone, just needs to be available if people would like to sample it. Besides, if you’re just going to complain about it, give a gift to the person that the party is for, and don’t make anything!!! Back off a bit, and just don’t participate!!! No one wants to hear your negativity anymore than they want to hear that their pet just died or something.
What’s the definition of respect? Well, one I found was “High or special regard”. With that in mind…if someone says ‘hey, don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of it this afternoon or tomorrow’, what would you do? I would leave it alone. If the person specifically said ‘don’t worry about it’ I wouldn’t touch it! Oh well…maybe I’m just weird…
What are your thoughts?
**sigh**
~Peanut
“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”-Malcolm S. Forbes
Let’s talk common courtesy. Just yesterday, I was walking through Target, and 3 people plowed by me without even a second glance. There was one lady though, that actually said ‘oh, excuse me dear’ or something along those lines. WOW!!! Someone actually said excuse me!!! I am so used to being the one who practically gets run over, then when the person gets by me and is still within earshot I say ‘excuse you’. Then you get the people that don’t move when you say ‘excuse me’. Like they’re the most important person in the world, and no one else matters…whatever…you’re no better than anyone else in the room. Now, I left work early on Wednesday because I wasn’t feeling well. When I pulled into my apartment complex, there was a woman in a minivan stuck in her parking space because of all the snow. I went to grab my stuff and head inside, but I changed my mind and went to help her out. So here’s me…4”heels, dress pants, sick as a dog, digging snow out from under her tires, and pushing her out.
Now on to the negativity. Why do people have to take a very happy experience and turn it negative? If there’s a party being planned, and 100 people are invited with the ‘admission’ being a dish to pass, don’t whine and complain about having to cook for ‘all those people’. Your dish doesn’t have to feed everyone, just needs to be available if people would like to sample it. Besides, if you’re just going to complain about it, give a gift to the person that the party is for, and don’t make anything!!! Back off a bit, and just don’t participate!!! No one wants to hear your negativity anymore than they want to hear that their pet just died or something.
What’s the definition of respect? Well, one I found was “High or special regard”. With that in mind…if someone says ‘hey, don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of it this afternoon or tomorrow’, what would you do? I would leave it alone. If the person specifically said ‘don’t worry about it’ I wouldn’t touch it! Oh well…maybe I’m just weird…
What are your thoughts?
**sigh**
~Peanut
“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”-Malcolm S. Forbes
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