A life fully alive

Why would a man check out from life being content to live day to day going through the motions of living? Why for that matter would a woman check out? Why would a person choose to live life in discontentment and with a hardened heart than to live life the way God designed, fully alive? God I don't understand. Can a woman whose husband has checked out of life and maybe the marriage, still live a life fully and wonderfully alive? Can she find a way to do that? Can you Father fulfill a woman's heart to be fully alive when her husband is walking dead? Lord show me...teach me, so I can share this with the women in my life.

Lord it appears that the first thing I must do to live life fully alive is to be sure I do not have a hardened heart. Lord I ask you to reveal anything that might hinder me from walking moment by moment each day with you. Is there some area in my life that is not pleasing to you? Father I will take a few minutes to let you speak to my heart.....yes Lord, I hear you. I agree Father and nail that area of my life you just revealed to me to the cross. Thank you Father for forgiving me when you died for me. I trust you Lord to work in my life to direct me away from that area and to help me turn away from it. Lord thank you for speaking to me so that my heart stays tender towards your voice.

The second way to live fully alive is to read God's Word each day. I know Father that you speak to me through your Word. In 1 Corinthians 2 it says's I can know your mind through the Holy Spirit revelation to me. WOW! To think I can know the mind of God is mind boggling to say the least. So let me get this in my thought process, I can know God's will for my life? If I read His Word He will reveal to me His plans for me? So by reading the Bible, I can walk in His will for me because I will be hearing Him speak to me? As I understand this, the answers are a whopping and resounding, YES!

As I come to terms with living fully alive there seems to be a process. First I must have a tender heart through agreeing with God when I do something that is not pleasing to Him and acknowledge and receive His forgiveness which He already paid for when He died for me on the cross. Next, I hear the Holy Spirit speak to me the mind of God by reading His Word which in turn offers me the opportunity to walk with God in fellowship moment by moment with the result of a fully alive life.

Okay..that seems easy enough. I can do that!

It seems to me the reward is worth the cost. I like rewards! It also seems to me it is a choice to walk in this manner as opposed to walking checked out of life with a hardened heart.

Why would I not choose life? Life lived fully alive is my choice. I want all that God has for me, nothing less. What is it you want in life?

Sweet Baby Girl

On October 12Th, 2008 the call came early in the morning hour as my husband and I slept at our little cabin in the north country of Arizona. It is our retreat. We had just arrived the day before and had planned to stay for several days. Little did we know this would be the time. The call came on that Sunday morning to tell us our precious 8 month old grandbaby girl Roselyn Kay Haire had gone to be with Jesus. Even as I type this now tears come too easy. My heart broke that morning and a piece of it went with Roselyn. As we gathered our things quickly and left our retreat and as we we drove through the tall pines and green patches underneath I began to think of Roselyn and what heaven must look like. I took out a pen and paper and wrote this poem trying to imagine Roselyn doing the things a little girl would do in a heavenly place. Once down the hill and at the side of Roselyn lying there so still in her basinet, wrapped in a hand sewn yellow blanket and in the dress already picked for her for this day, I saw the words beauty and perfection. Months earlier those words were placed in my heart for Roselyn but I did not understand until that moment when my eyes fell upon her face. It was in that instant of time I knew she was perfect and she was most certanily beautiful. I do not understand all of these things that life and death have for us on this earth but I do know and am convinced God does and so I leave these things to Him and trust His plan for life and in His plan for death. And so today we celebrate Roselyn's life and we grieve for our loss but rejoice because our hope is in her Creator, Jesus Christ.

An 'Ode To A Grandaughter

Now you are gone
Our sweet baby girl
We will rock you and hold you
And sing you a new song.
And our arms will long
To hold your tiny little frame,
And long to brush our lips across
Your cheek all the same

But we gave you away
The day you were born,
And we will speak
Today of our love.
And our hearts will bear
The scar of how we are torn.

Into God’s arms go,
We offer you, our sweet little girl.
We will remain only a little while to show
The world of your beauty and perfection.

Go dance by the rivers edge
And sing the song of your delight
As you jump around on tippy-toe.
Go run with the children sweet baby girl
Flitting here and froe,
Just like a butterfly,
Don’t be shy
Our sweet baby girl.

Sit in the green grass
Play with the lion and the lamb.
In our hearts we hear the laughter,
We see the sparkle in your eye,
And we sigh.
Because we miss you
You see, sweet little girl.
Our hearts are lifted to a new high
Knowing Jesus in right there by your side.

You are free now, sweet baby girl
And while we may not see you for a while,
We know, one day, in just a little time
We will see you again, when all is fine.

by Cathy Cheshier 10/12/2008

Sunday Community

HIt is early morning, mid-July and hot outside. In Phoenix it is always hot at this time of year even in the morning. It seems the day starts hot and just gets hotter. The TV is on. I am listening to Tiger Woods talk about his golf game and I am reminded that I need to pray God's blessings for his life. It is Sunday morning and soon I will prepare for church. As I type this blog today I can hear my heart long for community. To be involved in community, to share my heart and to hear the heart beats of others, to love and to be loved, just the way I am, yet nudged to work on weak areas and further develop my strengths. John Maxwell in a seminar several years ago encouraged those of us in attendance to work on our strengths. He further went on to say we were not to ignore our weak areas but instead to focus on our strengths. I liked that. Most of time we are told to work on our weak areas. But Maxwell said that if our weakness was a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-10 that if we worked hard we might get that weakness to a 5 or 6. He said instead if we worked on our strengths which might be a 6 or 7 on the scale, we could move that to a 7 or 8. Wow! The Bible says that 'iron sharpens iron' meaning other people in my life smooth me. That way as I am in community I am not only using my strengths and increasing my ability to serve God to a higher degree, I am also smoothing out those weak areas. Seems like community is the answer for me to grow in both my strengths and my weakness.

Pornography

Susie (name has been changed), I got your message today and am so grateful for what God is doing. Please take it slow and continue to know this is a process that will take time. Change for Joe will be the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life but the reward God will give him will be the greatest freedom he will ever experience. God is all about freedom which is why He sent His son to die in our place....so we could be set free! I am so proud of you...your heart is so good and full and rich. Stay focused on yourself working out with Joe what you guys have agreed to in counsel and trust God with the rest. I love you and feel your pain as well as your excitement that the future does not have to look like the past. You have sought wisdom, trusted God in it and endured to maturity in Christ. James 1. I trust one day you will be able to share your story to give hope to so many woman who are suffering under the stigma that they must be silent and endure. We need to address this issue with woman so they can be equipped, just like you to make the right decisions, to act in a forward motion towards healing and freedom.

Desired Love

It is the longing of every heart to be loved, a deep rich thirst quenching love. A love of selfish desire of satisfying depths. A love that goes far beyond outward appearance and inward dysfunctions. A love that listens with admiration and desire. A love with passion and greatness in its ambitions. How can this love be found? Every man, woman and child cries out in their search for the elusive love that for brief moments makes it's human presence known. The longing and pain for lack of this love pushes us to pursue the fleeting glimpses and settle for the moments, precious as they are, yet without lasting fulfillment. Jesus says He is a living water always fresh and satisfying. His love is everlasting without confines or restrictions His love is beyond measure or depth. God says this love can only be found in Him...John 3:16.