Welcome to my blog. I hope that the pictures, poetry and devotional writings will inspire and encourage you. Your comments are welcomed.







Thursday, November 25, 2010

Yearning



Water, moving so pure and free,
 just as my spirit yearns to be.
Where have you come from,
where will you go?
Ever moving onward,
whether fast or slow.
God leads you along your way,
 and oh, even me, how I pray!

As the deer pants for the water brooks,  
so pants my soul for you, O God.
      Psalm 42:1

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Loss of a Loved One

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in it’s time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts…”

From the time we are born into this world, our spirit begins it's eternal journey. Our body is perishable like the caterpillar, which is born in a body that lives by eating, working to eat, sleeping and then it starts all over again.  Ecclesiastes 2:24 – “Nothing is better for a man that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor.”

Like the caterpillar, we change when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. Our spirit and soul is no longer moving towards an eternal perishing but towards an eternal life. II Timothy 2:19 – “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

As Christians, our eternal life does not begin at death but at the time we accept Jesus as our salvation. We are sealed just as the caterpillar seals himself into his cocoon until it’s time; we are sealed until our time of release when our body perishes and ceases to live in this world, but our spirit continues it's Journey of Life. The one you miss terribly has been freed from the cocoon of this world and has been transformed into a beautiful new glorified body just as a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly.

Nehemiah 8:10 - “Do not sorrow, for the Joy of the Lord is your strength.” As you look at this scripture, the words read; “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.” Receive your strength from the Lord’s Joy. It gives Joy to the Lord to bring one of His children home. Let His Joy be your strength and to comfort you during your loss. "To everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die."  

He truly has made everything beautiful in it’s time - even death.   

Donna Marie

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Psalm 91

This week's Sunday School lesson is from Psalm 91, the psalm of protection. The writer emphasizes God's protection and grace. As I studied and prepared for this week's lesson, I found myself reflecting on the grace and protection that I have received throughout my own life.

I will never forget my first encounter with Jesus. I was six years old and in a bible school program where we were being taught Jesus Loves Me and other children's songs with sign language. I had spent many Sunday school mornings coloring pictures of Jesus while my teacher shared the stories of Him from the bible. As I learned these songs and the sign language in preparation for the program that we would perform, I felt like I was singing to and for Jesus. While standing on the platform at the front of the church on the day of the performance, and at some point during the program, I silently and with all of my heart told Jesus that I loved Him. At that very moment, in an almost audible voice, I heard Him say, "I love you too and you belong to me."

John 10:27-28; "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

As a small child with a heart of innocence, I heard the Shepherd's voice and with that came the fullness of His mercy, His grace and His protection for eternity. As I grew up and became a teenager, I left church and allowed worldly influences into my life. For years I felt that I was in a constant Tug-of-War game between Satan and Jesus. I knew who Jesus was and I knew that I was living a sinful life, but I couldn't seem to get out of the game. Jesus never gave up on me. He was always there with me, loving me with the fullness of His grace and mercy because I belonged to Him. Satan pulled and tugged for many years, but he could not snatch me out of the hand that I had been given to when I first gave my heart to Jesus.

Psalm 91:14; "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he hath known my name."

I was almost forty years old, when I returned to attending church again. One night during a revival, I walked down the aisle and totally surrendered my life. I committed it to the one who delivered me and set me on high because I knew His name. I now live Psalm 91. I dwell in that secret place of the most High and I abide in the shadow of the Almighty, because Jesus is the secret place and the shadow. He is my refuge and my fortress and in Him, I fully trust. He delivered me from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence. He covers me with his feathers of protection and His truth is my shield and buckler. I have no need to fear, because  He is my refuge and my habitation. No evil shall befall me or plague come near my home for He has given his angels instructions to watch over me at all times because I set my love upon Him and He delivered me. I knew His name, I called upon Him and He delivered me and has honored me with salvation and eternal life.

I am so thankful for Jesus and His love and protection. It is priceless to me. It doesn't matter what I did or the choices I made before, what matters is what He did for me and "the choice" I made to accept Him.

If you have never made that choice, do it now -
Jesus, I have read this testimony of you and your love. I want you to love me and to be my protector too. I have sinned but I am asking you now to come into my life and reveal yourself and your love to me. Be my shepherd, let me hear your voice, so that I too may love you and know you and receive salvation and eternal life. Amen.


Donna Marie

Monday, November 15, 2010

Moutain Lillies

My son, Joseph, and his wife, Missy, just returned from their honeymoon in Pigeon Forge. Ronnie, Bobby and I were there this past Spring. As we were driving through the mountains towards our destination, a bright orange plant along the side of the road caught my attention and curiosity. We stopped for me to get a closer look and to my surprise this strange plant was a lilly. It was growing wild but, unlike daylillies that I am familiar with, it didn't grow tall with it's face towards the sun. It hung it's head low, so I reached down and gently lifted the flower to get a picture. Inspired by God's word, I wrote a poem to capture my awe at His beauty.


In humility with head hung low, not allowing your beauty to show.
A brief moment is all it took to draw me back for a closer look.
Oh, the thing that God can build on the side of a mountain or in a
field, wild Lilies growing free, finely clothed for you and me.  


"Consider the Lillies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Luke 12:27

Donna Marie

Jan's Ponderings

If you visit my blog, be sure to also visit my friend, Jan of Jan's Ponderings. Jan and I work together and she inspired me to begin blogging. She is a beautiful person, inside and out. Jan is currently writing about faith on her blog and I think you will find her writings powerfuly uplifting and encouraging.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Mr. BoBo

Our church held it's annual fish fry this afternoon. While my husband was busy frying fish and my son was playing football with friends, I decided to get my exercise in for the day.

I strolled out the driveway and began walking. Just down the road from the church and past a few houses at the top of a hill is the church's cemetery. When I arrived, I noticed a man who looked as if he was picking up trash and cleaning around some of the plots. I walked through the gate and up the hill to where my aunt's graveside service had been held just a few weeks ago.  The man lifted his head and waved. As I waved in return, he began to walk towards me asking about a broken flower arrangement he had found. We introduced ourselves and talked a few minutes. I learned that his name was Mr. BoBo and that he was returning home tonight to North Georgia. I told him about our fish fry and invited him to stop by and eat before leaving. I said goodbye and began walking again.

Mr. BoBo, as it is spelled on his drivers license which he showed me later, arrived at the church before I did. He gave one of the deacons a donation and began to prepare a himself a plate. Everyone else was still visiting with each other. No one knew who this stranger was or why he had suddenly shown up.

As I arrived, I explained how I had met him on my walk and invited him to join us. Later, when everyone had fixed a plate and was eating, Mr. BoBo asked if he could have some more. I tried to explain that we had plenty and he was welcomed to eat more, but he insisted that he always gave a donation at such church gatherings. He pulled some ones out of his wallet and laid them down on the table and began to prepare a second plate of southern fried catfish, french fries, fried pickles, coleslaw, huspuppies and tea to drink.

When cleaning up had begun and members were leaving, Mr. Bobo came and shook my hand. He told me thank you for inviting him to come eat. I walked with him and said goodbye. Later while driving home with my family, I thought about the words of Jesus from Mathew 25:35. "for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in"

Suddenly, I felt so ashamed that we allowed a stranger to give a donation for his food and drink when we and others ate freely. I had not wanted to offend him, after all he wasn't paying us for the food, but was giving to the church.

Would Jesus still consider this evening of sharing with a stranger an act of love and kindness? Hmmn. I believe that He looks into the heart and knows it's true intentions. Regardless of whatever was said or done later, when the invitation was extended it was truly a "love thy neighbor" act of kindness.

Thank you Mr. Bobo for helping me to put "love thy neighbor" into practice today. I do hope you arrived home safely tonight and perhaps we'll meet again someday.

Donna Marie

Friday, November 12, 2010

"Love Thy Neighbor"

One day as Jesus was teaching, a Pharisee asked Him, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law.”

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

How can you love your neighbor as your love yourself if you lie to yourself about your own sin?  Do you cheat yourself or rob yourself of God’s love by your own disobedience? Have you cursed yourself by your own thoughts and words? 

Micah 6:8
“He has shown you, O man what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Justice, mercy and humility is the attitude of true worship. Only Jesus can give a person the ability to walk in the fullness of these virtues. Without them, can we truly love the Lord God with all of our heart, soul and mind?  

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Is how you treat others really the way that you want to treat yourself? If not, pray this prayer:

Jesus, Come into my life and forgive me of my sin and disobedience. Guide my thoughts and words. Show me how to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you and with others.  In your precious name, Amen.

As we love Jesus, we will love ourself and our neighbor.

Donna Marie