REMEMBER GOD

Howdy!!! HAPPY MAY Ladies!!!! 

Happy Birthday to all of the May babies among us, both mamas and kiddos! Cheers to you all!!! Have awesome, amazing celebrations!!! I hope the Lord blesses you all to see many more blessed, beautiful years on His incredible earth!!!!

Amsterdam is beautiful!!! It simply is b-e-a-u-tiful! I enjoyed the pigeon filled plazas, the gurgling, bubbling, pristine fountains, the vibrant, fragrant tulips everywhere, and cute, quaint boat houses that dotted the canal moorings. 

I enjoyed the bustling cafes that offered an abundance of cheeses alongside salted herring. Deep- fried white fish and 'stroopwafles' (a tasty waffle cookie) were also very appetizing. Here's a word from the wise: Don't travel to the Netherlands on an empty stomach!

I always enjoy the adventure of finding Ronald's Golden Arches on foreign soil. For some strange reason, Value Meals taste better overseas. Yum yum! Go figure! It could be simple nostalgia but my taste buds always detect more. (Side note: I didn't enjoy being charged to use the restroom in McDonalds but I figured that it would be 5 star and worth every Euro. Again, it was more than simple nostalgia, even with toileting- oops! TMI! But, a great travel tidbit is a great travel tidbit).

The other fast food joints were cutting edge; they had automated dispensing machines like our typical American vending machines. With the click of a button, a robotized machine would hurl a burger and fries through a contraception and viola (pardon my French LOL! Hahahahaha!), you could lift a small door and lunch was served.

Amsterdam was soooo cool. The only thing that rivaled the abundance of pigeons in the city was the number of museums, statues, and memorials. The Dutch took painstaking effort to document and celebrate their culture and history. No one could visit all of the museums and historic sites on one trip alone.

Sisters, God calls us to remember the great things that He has done for us!!!! The Heavens glorify God!!! He has done GREAT, GREAT things for us! The earth is a 'museum' that showcases God's majestic splendor.

We are humans. At the peak of our lives, our brilliance and our memory is but vanity. We are very forgetful, like sheep. However, our Good Shepherd knows our nature so He daily reminds us to seek Him and partake of His goodness. The Lord daily leads us to still waters and green pastures. But, en route to those waters and pastures, He gently and consistently beckons us to remember His goodness, grace, and mercy and ALL of the times He has protected us and provided for us.

The Lord wants us to have a 'mental museum' of His goodness and greatness in order to jog our memory when we feel defeated or desperate. At other times, the Lord has called His children to establish physical memorials to remind them (and us) of His power, provision, and protection.

Often we remember our hurts and hang ups, maybe even our defeats and despair. Our setbacks and shortcomings can be quickly recalled. It's astounding to consider how many Americans, especially Texans, that "remember the Alamo," but can barely tell you about the Texans amazing, retaliatory victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Let's consider the following verses:

Joshua 4:6-8 KJV
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

En route to the Promised Land, the Children of Israel approached the Jordan River. It appeared that there was NO WAY across it. The Lord commanded Joshua to have the priests that carried the ark of covenant to advance to the river. As the feet of the priests touched the river, the Lord stretched back the water to form a dry path on the river bed. The priest maintained holding the ark, to keep the water repelled, as all of the Children of Israel passed safely through the Jordan River.

Before closing the path, Joshua commanded one man from every tribe to gather a stone from the river bed. Each stone was carried to the location where they lodged just over The Jordan. The stones were set up in a memorial to remind the Children of Israel and future generations of God's goodness.

The stones were a physical reminder that the same God that parted the Red Sea for their safe escape from Pharaoh's ensuing army was the same God that parted the Jordan River for their passage into the Promised Land. God wanted the Children of Israel (and us) to remember that NOTHING is too hard, too impossible, too big, too wide, or too defeating for Him.

Ladies, it's awesome to journal about God's goodness. It's so refreshing and renewing to look back and see God's hand in our lives. For some, it's easier to document miracles, blessings, and testimonies with photographs. Just figure out what works BEST for you and yours and DO IT! God wants to be remembered!!! Remembering God's goodness is for His glory and our edification.

There are no shortage of modern holidays.

Pancake Day! Jellybean Day! Donut Day! Left-Handers Day! Mother's Day! Father's Day! Sibling Day!....

Some holidays are very significant and others are rather bizarre if not comical. Engage the holiday-making habit. Try creating a holiday with your children. Sit down and think of an obstacle that God overcame for you all. Discuss it and plan a day of observance and celebration!!! Maybe the day will become an annual tradition for your family. On that day, worship the Lord and celebrate being an overcomer.

Go forth and make your family holiday happen! Because of God, we can be thankful for soooooooo much! We have sooooooooo much to remember about our Lord!

Fight forward!

Spread some hope to the hopeless!

Love, blessings, and hugs