Why Shoulder that Burden?

It is a gray Friday morning... lots to get done today!  I am helping with a Mother and Daughter Event at our church tonight, so I have a few last minute things to get done for that. I am helping my friend, Ruth, with the card making "station"... very simple cards... I will post them later.

I went on a "hike" last week while I was gone to Heart Quest. I had a backpack on my back that was probably a little too heavy... in fact when I had help getting the pack on I almost fell over backwards.  It would have been funny... lying flat on my back... sometimes that can be the best place to hear from God!!!  Anyway, as I was walking in the woods my shoulders starting to really hurt... it was a heavy load to be carrying on my shoulders.  It was at that point I felt God say to me, "why do you insist on carrying all the 'weight' on your shoulders when I will carry it for you?"  That is a great question... why do I do that when His promises are so clear???

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

Do you have a burden you are carrying today... Papa God is ready to take it from you, but you have to let it go first.

Here is another shot I took last week on my hike... thought the birch trees made a neat "frame" for the quiet, calm lake.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Glory...

I am back! I got back on Sunday afternoon after spending 6 days with Papa God in the "wilderness," so to speak.  When people asked me what Heart Quest is, before I would say it is like a retreat, but now I know it is not a retreat... I would call it more like a "charge"... there was no retreating involved!  It was life changing for me... so much has been lifted off my heart... I am choosing not to pick up any of that "junk" again... I will live in the freedom Christ died to give me.

This is a pic I took on a hike through the woods at Rockwell Lodge where I was last week. It is an ok picture but it reminded me of something I wrote in my journal a few days back and I thought I would share it with you... I have thought a lot about the word, "glory," lately.  The word in itself is a beautiful word to me. When I think of Christ's glory... I picture Him standing with this beautiful light shining from around Him... like when you look at the sun and put your hand up to shade some of the brightness but there are always those beams of light escaping around your hand. It is like Jesus is eclipsing the glorious Light from behind Him.  Christ is standing between me and that Light to protect my human eyes from the glorious light of God.  The old song, "O That Will Be Glory for Me," just came to my mind... the words, "when by His grace I shall look on His face... that will be glory for me."

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."  I Corinthians 3:18

Thanks for stopping to welcome me home.  with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Rejoicing in Truth...

I am leaving this afternoon for my Heart Quest... I am very excited, but also a little nervous... I so hate not knowing what to expect, but what I do know is that just through my 30-day prep... God has revealed so much to me.  I still am having trouble taking it all in... I am so thankful for journaling... that way the devil cannot take that revelation in Truth away with his lies... I am rejoicing in Truth.  I will be spending the next 5 1/2 days with some wonderful women, but more importantly with endless time with my Papa.  How much better can that get???

"And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:10-11

A mini card (3x2) for all you princesses!

Have a good week... I know I will... oh if you would say a prayer or two for me... that would be so appreciated.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

My Heart Rejoiced...

It has been a busy week... I am trying to get everything done before we go away tomorrow... Luke and I and some friends are going to Boyne for the weekend... hoping for a nice relaxing weekend.  Then next Tuesday I leave for Heart Quest... the time has come so fast... I'm a little excited... a little anxious... a little nervous, but not too much... I am sure the nervousness will come on Monday, but maybe not????

I went into my craft room/office to straighten up a little tonight and saw my new Medalion stamp from SU and it was calling out to me.  So I had to take a few minutes to make it feel welcomed and here is what I came up with... I also used my new Selabration set, Whimsical Words, and SU DP but I can't remember the name of the paper.

Luv those little colored half pearls.

 It was a gorgeous day today and this sunset was the beautiful finish to this day...

"Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;

Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope." Acts 2:26

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Beautiful...

Hope your week is going good... I have been a little less than motivated this week... we were so spoiled with the nice weather last week and now this week... cold, damp, rainy... yuck, but I know we need the rain... so I am thankful for God's raindrops.

I have been very preoccupied with my prep for Heart Quest... it is less than 2 weeks when I go.  I can't even begin to tell you what God is doing in me right now.  I have said many times before I am a crybaby, but the way Papa is opening up my heart through this prep... I didn't know the meaning of the word, crybaby!  I know I have a sensitive heart... but even when your heart is sensitive there can still be hard, stoney places in there... God is doing a "gravel-ectomy," on me, so to speak... LOL!  And yes, even though I hate to admit it... all the other people that have gone to HQ and said every Christian woman should go... they were right! Do you hear me ladies... I said you were RIGHT!

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26

I have a little bit of spring for you today... my laptop had snowflakes on it through the winter, but I thought it was time to "spring it up"... vinyl does a great job for this!

I know it is a little cartoon-like, but it makes me happy to see it... and a good reminder of the beauty God has put into all of us in the world. "beautiful" was cut on my Cricut, the rest were punches.

Off to help with ladies' ministry stuff at church and then Bible study. Thanks for stopping.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Garment of Praise...

We have had a few just glorious days this week... better weather than we had all last summer in northern Michigan.  Thank You, Lord.  The day before Easter... so how will you be celebrating the joy of our risen Lord this weekend? I will be serving in the information center for first service and Luke is serving as service director for both services... we will worship together singing praises to our Lord in the 2nd.  Then we really have no plans... that is one thing that is hard about living so far away... missing out on family gatherings, but it will be good... Luke and I have each other... I do enjoy his company!!!

Here is a magnetic bookmark I made for a friend.  That verse speaks volumes to me... how God could take my brokeness and make it beautiful again.  The sadness from Christ dying for my sin and then the JOY that came on that glorious resurrection morning... clothing me in His righteousness... freeing me from the weight of sin and condemnation.  Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Happy Easter my blogging friends!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

He Loves Me...

I am overcome today with such awe... trying to grasp the great love my Heavenly Papa has for me... how could He love me this much???

I found an iron-on at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago... of course I am not one to wear t-shirts with writing on them, but when I saw this I just had to make me a tee with it… I added a little more rhinestone bling and voila! Oh, and the tee was only $5 at JcP... luv a bargain!

   "Love sent the Savior to die in my stead

Why should He love me so?

Meekly to Calvary’s cross He was led.

Why should He love me so?"

—Harkness

with a grateFUL HEART, carin