"Painting Pictures of Egypt" by Sara Groves

Here's one of my all time favourite songs by Sara Groves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC9cKaELnG8&noredirect=1

I love the verse,

But the places that used to fit me, cannot hold the things I've learned...and those roads were closed off to me, while my back was turned...

We just need to keep pressing on, and looking forwards... the past is the past. We don't want to go back, despite it being familiar...and we have an Awesome Father who gently closes the roads while we're not looking - because if he didn't, we would want to keep returning to the past....and that's not where the blessings are :)

Navigation: S \ Sara Groves \ Painting Pictures Of Egypt  I don’t want to leave here I don’t want to stay It feels like pinching to me either way The places I long for the most Are the places where I’ve been They are calling after me like a long lost friend It’s not about losing faith It’s not about trust It’s all about comfortable When you move so much The place I was wasn’t perfect But I had found a way to live It wasn’t milk or honey But then neither is this CHORUS: I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt Leaving out what it lacked The future seems so hard And I want to go back But the places that used to fit me Cannot hold the things I"ve learned And those roads closed off to me While my back was turned The past is so tangible I know it by heart Familiar things are never easy to discard I was dying for some freedom But now I hesitate to go Caught between the promise And the things I know BRIDGE: If it comes too quick I may not recognize it Is that the reason behind all this time and sand? If it comes too quick I may not appreciate it Is that the reason behind all this time and sand? http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/sara-groves/painting-pictures-of.html

And this one... "Less Like Scars", Sara Groves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CjbCcyIiQw

Just love her lyrics!

"Scars" by Jonny Diaz

I heard this on the radio this morning....just loved the words... such a simple, yet powerful message. Hope you enjoy it :) Never forget that scars do not define you - "They remind us of of where we have been, not where we are".

Scars: Jonny Diaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbqs4vCXiOc

Rally to Make It Real « « everyaustraliancounts.com.au everyaustraliancounts.com.au

I went to this rally today. I accompanied one of my clients who lived in a nursing home for 5 years, even though he was in his early 30s when he moved. He has since moved into a new home with people closer to his age.
It was a huge experience, seeing so many people in wheelchairs and banners, etc. The results will be so worth the effort for these people.

Rally to Make It Real « « everyaustraliancounts.com.au everyaustraliancounts.com.au

Just pray! :s

... ... I don't know what to say... I just know I need to pray... for somebody I have never met.... somebody who I don't even know their name... somebody who is dying... I have no idea what they are like... I just know they have a daughter who I know... and I don't know what to say... God knows who you are...He knows what you need... I pray so much that your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life...if not right now, then soon... before it is too late... you have fought a good fight...hung around longer than expected... and I am praying for you... 

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?

Here is a copy of an email I received today. I have no idea who the author is, but it is such a good read! :)


WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This is the

Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.


Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.


The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how
busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.


Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed.
 "How is it that there is no work going on here? I asked."


 "So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments."


 "How does one acknowledge God's blessings? "I asked.


 "Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord."


 "What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.


 "If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy, and if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."


 "If you woke up this morning with more health than illness.. You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day."


 "If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... You are ahead of 700 million people in the world."


 "If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."


 "If your parents are still alive and still married... you are very rare."


 "If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair......." 


 "Ok," I said. "What now? How can I start?"


 The Angel said, "If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all."
 Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are..........


 ATTN: Acknowledge Dept.
 "Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it."


 If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you not send it on?
 I thank God for everything, especially all my family and friends.


 Just be yourself.
 Everyone else is taken.

Changes....

I'm having an unexpected stirred up time....like I was a happy frog on my lily pad, then out of the blue, other frogs on different lily pads start to say "Hi" and I see their lily pads are different - but they also resemble things I used to desire...things I strived for but could never reach... even though I was told I would be good on those lily pads, the same people refused to make room for me to join them....

It's not that I want to be on those lily pads....it's more of what I can do that is different to my current lily pad. It took 10 years for me to finally feel settled on a lily pad. I tried a few, but none felt right for more than a season. I always wanted more. Now I'm beginning to wonder what else is in the pond that I am yet to discover!

It's also about people....people you used to be close to.... but you just feel like you matter as much to them as a grain of sand. It's not so bad....in a way it's natural to move on... but it's also not right when you feel excluded to the point you feel the door should close, but it can't close under the current circumstances....I hope that makes sense....if not, at least I know what I mean! haha! There are spiritual undercurrents...

The worst part is I have seen it before with the same people....and I didn't think it was right how they treated another member of the group.... now I find myself in that same position. As I said, it's not so bad. It's just that because I've seen it before, I understand it better.....even if it does suck.

Oh well, in order for one door to fully open, sometimes another door needs to close.
I love my new group of friends. My new church family. It feels like family - when we are apart for too long, I miss them. These people understand me. We relate to each other in ways others don't understand.
One thing we can guarantee in life is CHANGE....

I guess while I'm still alive, there will always be more lily pads to discover and explore....in the right seasons :)

Pay Attention to the Signs

Something I noticed this week that made me laugh and sigh...at the same time...

There are major roadworks in the area I live....they have been ongoing for over a year and will hopefully be finished sometime this year...

On Saturday there was a sign stating "Expect long delays", preceding a "Detour" sign. I couldn't believe how many cars ignored the Detour sign and got stuck in the warned 'long delays'!!! There had also been signs up all week suggesting this.

We took the detour, knowing it would be much quicker, even if it was longer....and halfway through, I could see the cars in the far distance, all banked up with nowhere to go....because they ignored the signs!


Needless to say, we were not at all delayed, and went on our merry way... we've lived here long enough to know better :)

Got me thinking....how many times in life do people ignore the warnings....and get caught up in the mess, because they ignored the warnings and the suggested way out/through/over/under....

How many times in life do we suffer the consequences of our own actions....when we should have known better.... when the way to avoid the mess was clearly in front of us, but we chose to ignore it...

Something to think about today;)