The day with dianne Louise

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT When a whole lot of ingredients are sitting on the kitchen bench, some may not know what on earth could come from them. Only a cook would know, and only a particular  cook would know what to do with them. To the initiated an artichoke would look weird and not palatable. Some mushrooms are weird and uninviting, nori looks weird and only a Japanese person would call it that, or perhaps a Korean would.  The rest of us would say it was seaweed and to the person who has never had sushi it would look unappetizing.  The Lord takes all that happens in our lives and uses them to make us into a person who conquers, creates, and collaborates with Him. He is able to take dirt, and make a man, surely He can take disaster, and make a trophy.amem!

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT Everything working together means thr good and the bad. I am reminded of the process of painting a picture. Another person may walk by an unfinished painting and knock it, causing damage to the picture. The artist being a master painter corrects the damage by over-painting an area with a new layer of paint, and even a new image. The Lord is ultimately in control, and knows what the final picture will be. We may think we know, but only He definitely knows. We may think we mess things up irrevocably,  but He knows more. My favourite paintings, as an artist, are ones I know I have over-painted with a better, more pleasing picture. Hidden underneath are old designs.the old add dimension to the new.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22‭-‬23 NLT The Lord 's greatest desire is to see people come to know Him. Today I help care for a tribe of children whilst their mothers went to a women's convention. I was asked to share my testimony, which I did, and then I asked the children who had Invited Jesus Into their hearts, a few hands were raised. One young girl noticed her friend had her hand up, and so she did also. Therefore, I asked them all to pray a prayer after me inviting Jesus into their hearts. I knew this would give this little lady a chance to make the change. I pray my efforts were blessed and I see her in glory. This is my greatest desire. Amen!

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22‭-‬23 NLT I am grateful that the sun comes up fresh each new day. As the sun rises in the east the western sky blushes with joy, and glory descends upon the earth.  Each new day my God has fresh presence and revelation for me. All I have to do is rise expectantly and receive. Amen!

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. Mark 8:35 Letting go is part of trust, part of adventure.  I have always loved adventure from when I was young. However, it seems to have increased as I age, not decrease as it does for many my age. Letting go and letting God is where dynamic things happen.  Don't attempt to control the narrative.  Let go and let God! Amen!

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. Mark 8:35 NLT There are 50-70,000 Christians in jail in North Korea, in fact there are Christians in jail in the West for standing up for the gospel. It can be a costly exercise. However, the West is predominantly free, and in need of laying down its life for Jesus. Hanging on to our lives is where we are unwilling to give our all to Jesus, we like our comfort too much. We are happy to go to church,  perhaps read our bible even, but lay down our lives, no! Unfortunately this is what we are required to do. Jesus said: pick up your cross, and follow Me! The proble with the unwilling  attitude is we will lose, perhaps for all eternity.  Better to pay the price and yield. Amen!

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up Proverbs 12:25 NLT How desperately we long for encouragement.  Giving praise when praise is due is a good start. Being able to see when praise is due is better. We have the power to lift up and tear down, may we lift up, as this build people up. Tomorrow night I will spend time with little people, I am helping with the creche and children's church during  a women's conference. Little people are the best! A seed of encouragement will help a little person as they grow. It is much better than weeds. Tolerating children is the pits, loving them, on the other hand is the best. Amen!