Sunday, May 8, 2016

There's No Love Quite Like A Mother's Love!


After Mother's Day two years ago, my Mom died a few weeks later & three weeks after we celebrated how her life impacted all of our lives, I had neck surgery & two days later back surgery. 

In three days I will have Decompression Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusions on three levels of vertebrae in my lower back & before that happens, I want to honor my Mom's caring love for me by enjoying the animal kingdom displaying a mum's love along with quotes that remind us of the vital role of mothers everywhere to love their children!


"A mother’s love grows by giving." ― Charles Lamb


"Motherhood doesn't have a nationality." ― Melinda Cross


"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." ― Jane Sellmans


"The best academy, a mother's knee." ― James Russell Lowell


"An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest." ― Spanish Proverb


"Men are what their mothers made them." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson


"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." ― Henry Ward Beecher


"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." ― Lin Yutang


"Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother." ― Oprah Winfrey


"A mother is a mother still, the holiest thing alive." ― Samuel Taylor Coleridge


"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." ― Abraham Lincoln


"Mother is far too clever to understand anything she does not like." ― Arnold Bennett


"The only thing a lawyer won't question is the legitimacy of his mother." ― W. C. Fields


"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it." ― Mark Twain


"A mother’s arms are made of tenderness & children sleep soundly in them." ― Victor Hugo


"Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved." ― Erich Fromm


"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." ― Oscar Wilde


"Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world, a mother's love is not." ― James Joyce


"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." ― Theodore Hesburgh


"Mom — the person most likely to write an autobiography & never mention herself." ― Robert Brault


"Mother is the name for GOD in the lips & hearts of little children." ― William Makepeace Thackeray


"A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary." ― Dorothy Canfield Fisher


"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power." ― Maya Angelou


"Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible." — Marion C. Garretty


"When you look into your mothers eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth." — Mitch Albom


"Motherhood is like Albania ― you can't trust the descriptions in the books, you have to go there." ― Marni Jackson


"The tie which links mother & child is of such pure & immaculate strength as to be never violated." ― Washington Irving


"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." ― Cardinal Mermillod


"A man never sees all that his mother has been to him until it's too late to let her know that he sees it." ― W. D. Howells


"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." ― Honore' de Balzac


"Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all." ― Oliver Wendell Holmes


"I remember my mother's prayers & they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." ― Abraham Lincoln


"Motherhood: The most exhausting, emotional, rewarding & life-enhancing journey a woman can take." ― Charlotte Pearson


"I love my mother as the trees love water & sunshine — she helps me grow, prosper, & reach great heights." ― Terri Guillemets


"There is an instinct in a woman to love most her own child — & an instinct to make any child who needs her love, her own." ― Robert Brault


"How beautifully everything is arranged by Nature; as soon as a child enters the world, it finds a mother ready to take care of it." ― Jules Michelet


"Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to become politicians in the process." ― John Fitzgerald Kennedy


"Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown. In my heart it don't mean a thing." ― Toni Morrison


"Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard & planted by the water; it was fruitful & full of branches because of abundant water." — EZEKIEL 19:10


"What is more powerful than the love of a mother? Perhaps only GOD's hand in answering her earnest pleadings on your behalf." ― Richelle E. Goodrich


"By & large, mothers & housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacation-less class." ― Anne Morrow Lindbergh


"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." — Tenneva Jordan


"Education commences at the mother's knee, & every word spoken within hearsay of little children tends toward the formation of character." ― Hosea Ballou


"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things & crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." ― Agatha Christie


"Over the years I have learned that motherhood is much like an austere religious order, the joining of which obligates one to relinquish all claims to personal possessions." ― Nancy Stahl


"The commonest fallacy among women is that simply having children makes one a mother — which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician." ― Sydney J. Harris


"When I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.' Instead I became a painter & wound up as Picasso." ― Pablo Picasso


"A woman has two smiles that an angel might envy, the smile that accepts a lover before words are uttered, & the smile that lights on the first born babe, & assures it of a mother's love." ― Thomas C. Haliburton


"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual & physical education I received from her." ― George Washington


"Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos & threes, by dozens & hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers & sisters, aunts & cousins, comrades & friends — but only one mother in the whole world." ― Kate Douglas Wiggin


"No language can express the power, & beauty, & heroism, & majesty of a mother’s love. It shrinks not where man cowers, & grows stronger where man faints, & over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star." ― Edwin Hubbell Chapin



"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy & sudden, fall upon us when adversity takes the place of prosperity, when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, & endeavor by her kind precepts & counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, & cause peace to return to our hearts." ― Washington Irving


I thank the LORD for my birth mother who I've never met because without you putting me up for adoption, I would not have enjoyed a lifetime with my mother whose parenting prepared me to be a house parent for 10 children at GAP Ministries in Oro Valley, Arizona!


¡Pura Vida!


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Sunday, March 27, 2016

An Arizona SONrise!

An awesome Arizona sunrise reminds me of a SONrise that is spectacular!


Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key in Miami, Florida was originally built for powerboat racing but the memory I will cherish forever was an  Easter Sunrise Service only a few months before Hurricane Andrew in 1992. As the group Truth sang "Holy of Holies" the sun began rising over Biscayne Bay filling the sky with unforgettable colors.


"Watch the Lamb" by Ray Boltz fills my heart & spirit with tears of gratitude for all that JESUS has done for me & for you!


Daisy's Song" by Dominic Balli expresses beautifully the love JESUS has for you & for me!


"Peace on Earth" by New Zealand's Parachute Band will happen if we allow JESUS to be the Peace in us!

"Let the peace of CHRIST rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." — COLOSSIANS 3:15


"Que la paz de CRISTO reine en vuestros corazones, a la cual en verdad fuisteis llamados en un solo cuerpo; y sed agradecidos." — COLOSENSES 3:15


If we are able to live the truths of "Devoted" by Mynista our journey will be filled with Faith, Hope, Joy, Love, & Peace which will keep us refreshed emotionally, mentally, physically, & spiritually to complete the things that HE created for you & me to do!


"For we are GOD's workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS to do good works, which GOD prepared in advance for us to do." — EPHESIANS 2:10


"Somos hechura de Dios, creados en Cristo Jesús para hacer las buenas obras, que Dios preparó de antemano para que anduviésemos en ellas." — EFESIOS 2:10


"Step by Step" by Rich Mullins is an awesome way to end this entry & I hope you have been blessed & encouraged.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Frustration + Pain = Joy, Love, & Peace!!!

How in the world does frustration plus pain equal joy, love, & peace?


When I'm frustrated &/or in pain, I find quotes & SCRIPTURES that either express how I am feeling &/or let me know how GOD wants me to deal with it. 
Even though I may not have believed the SCRIPTURES were real at that time, I always believe in their eternal truth & that is when I need to press in closer to JESUS.

So, here are some quotes about frustration & pain which express what I'm sure all of us have experienced or felt during our lifetimes.
"Our wounds are often the openings into the best & most beautiful part of us." — David Richo

"Don’t allow your thoughts of frustration to make decisions out of desperation." — DeWayne Owens
"Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart." — Jose N. Harris 

"True belief is movement toward GOD even in the midst of confusion or frustration or fear." — Emily P. Freeman

"It’s a lack of clarity that creates chaos & frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal." — Steve Maraboli

"Failure is an open invitation to improve & engage your frustrations with a refined energy of triumphant effort." — Unarine Ramaru

"Never give a person a piece of your mind when all you really wanted to do was give them a piece of your heart." — Shannon L. Alder

"Frustration is an important directional arrow. It shows you where to go to move forward. And what to move away from." — Julie Connor

"It is okay of airing out your frustration, just don't dwell on them. Find out the cause & find a solution of getting rid of it." — Ann Marie Aguilar

"Writing is wretched, discouraging, physically unhealthy, infinitely frustrating work. And when it all comes together it’s utterly glorious." — Ralph Peter

"Laughter & tears are both responses to frustration & exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning do to do afterward." — Kurt Vonnegut

"Despite our disapproval with what GOD allows us to endure, HE still remains the same GOD that is not interested in our convenience, as much as our character." — Shannon L. Alder

"Pain insists upon being attended to. GOD whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is HIS megaphone to rouse a deaf world." — C.S. Lewis 

"There are moments of frustration in life. You must build good relations to support you in these moments. You must also learn to encourage yourself & decide to stay determined in life." — Lailah Gifty Akita

"Frustration is an interesting emotional state, because it tends to bring out the worst in whoever is frustrated. Frustrated babies tend to throw food & make a mess. Frustrated citizens tend to execute kings & queens & make a democracy. And frustrated moths tend to bang up against lightbulbs & make light fixtures all dusty." — LemonSnicker

"At the least, bear patiently, if thou canst not joyfully. And although thou be very unwilling to hear it, & feel indignation, yet check thyself, & suffer no unadvised word to come forth from thy lips, whereby the little ones may be offended. Soon the storm which hath been raised shall be stilled, & inward grief shall be sweetened by returning grace." — Thomas à Kempis

Have those quotes reminded you of frustration & painful times in your life?

Or have they only intensified the frustrations & pain you are currently experiencing on a daily basis?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, keep on reading as the following SCRIPTURES will encourage & help you to allow the LORD to fill you with HIS joy, love, & peace.

"Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest." — JOB 30:17

"My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body." — PSALM 38:7

"As for me, afflicted & in pain — may YOUR salvation, GOD, protect me." — PSALM 69:29

"Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart." — ECCLESIASTES 7:3

"I would still have this consolation — my joy in unrelenting pain — that I had not denied the words of the HOLY ONE." — JOB 6:10

"HE will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." — REVELATION 21:4

"We glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; & character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because GOD's love has been poured out into our hearts through the HOLY SPIRIT, who has been given to us." — ROMANS 5:3-5

"The LORD is faithful, & HE will strengthen you & protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the LORD that you are doing & will continue to do the things we command. May the LORD direct your hearts into GOD's love & CHRIST's perseverance." — 2 THESSALONIANS 3:3-5

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of GOD to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the ONE who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay & brought into the freedom & glory of the children of GOD." — ROMANS 8:18-21

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage & anger, brawling & slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind & compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in CHRIST GOD forgave you." — EPHESIANS 4:29-32

"Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders & the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on JESUS, the pioneer & perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before HIM HE endured the cross, scorning its shame, & sat down at the right hand of the throne of GOD. Consider HIM who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary & lose heart." — HEBREWS 12:1-3

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers & sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature & complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask GOD, who gives generously to all without finding fault, & it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe & not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown & tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the LORD. Such a person is double-minded & unstable in all they do." — JAMES 1:2-8

"HIS divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of HIM who called us by HIS own glory & goodness. Through these HE has given us HIS very great & precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; & to goodness, knowledge; & to knowledge, self-control; & to self-control, perseverance; & to perseverance, godliness; & to godliness, mutual affection; & to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective & unproductive in your knowledge of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. But whoever does not have them is short-sighted & blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers & sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling & election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, & you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our LORD & SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST." — 2 PETER 1:3-11

How are you feeling now?

I have found that a good cry is exactly what I need sometimes & if you think that you might need to do that, take a peek at "CRY!" which I originally posted on my birthday in 2013.

Before my wife & I made the decision to answer the LORD's call on our lives to become house parents at an emergency children's shelter in Key West, Florida I wrote "HOME!" on May 5, 2013 & we're still house parents but we're now in Oro Valley, Arizona & sometimes when I wonder if I'm making a difference, I read what I wrote about providing a home filled with joy, love, & peace.

While I was living in Miami, Florida in the early 1990's, there was a lot of frustration & pain that I encountered on a daily basis but "In The Midst of a Miami Storm" the HOLY SPIRIT took what looked horrible or unfair to most people & made HIS supernatural joy, love, & peace real to some people who weren't even looking for HIM!

So, how do I know beyond doubt that Frustration + Pain = Joy, Love, & Peace?

If I take my frustrations & pain & seek JESUS in spite of how much anger I may be feeling or how horrifically excruciating the pain is, HE will fill me with HIS supernatural Joy, Love, & Peace!

Is that enough?

It's more than enough & several years ago, the LORD prompted me to find 72 SCRIPTURE passages & they are "Promises from the LORD" for you & for me!

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Sunday, February 14, 2016

Your DIVINE Valentine!


A Valentine may play a love song for you, but GOD sings you the sweetest love song in the universe.

"The LORD your GOD wins victory after victory and is always with you. HE celebrates and sings because of you, and HE will refresh your life with HIS love."  ZEPHANIAH 3:17

A Valentine may give you flowers, but GOD sent you the most beautiful rose of all, JESUS.

"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." — SONG OF SOLOMON 2:1

A Valentine may take you out to dinner, but GOD has invited you to the most amazing feast ever given.

"Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the LAMB!" — REVELATION 19:9

A Valentine may bring you chocolate, but GOD provides you with something even sweeter, HIS WORD.

"How sweet are YOUR WORDS to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" — PSALM 119:103

A Valentine may be far away, but GOD is always with you.

"I am with you always." — MATTHEW 28:20

A Valentine may give you something, but GOD has given you everything.

"GOD gives us richly all things to enjoy." — 1 TIMOTHY 6:17

A Valentine may love you for a lifetime, but GOD loved you before you were born and will love you for all eternity!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." — JEREMIAH 1:5

"I have loved you with an everlasting love . . . with loving-kindness I have drawn you." — JEREMIAH 31:3

I hope you enjoy this song/video that gets to the heart of the matter of WHO we should all fall in love with! 

"Love Song for a SAVIOR" by Jars of Clay  

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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Desert Rose

Even in the most barren & harsh land, you may bloom like a desert rose!



Recently my spirit was stirred to share a few quotes, thoughts, SCRIPTURES, & videos that will help me to grow into a better person no matter what circumstances are around me so I may walk in that which I was created to do! 

“We are GOD’s workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS to do good works, which HE prepared in advance for us to do.” — EPHESIANS 2:10

We all have purposes we don't know about & we must desire to discover them!

“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.” — PROVERBS 20:5


I hope & pray that my life will be so filled with the LORD’s presence that others may feel safe & refreshed.

“Each one will be like a shelter from the wind & refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert & the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.” — ISAIAH 32:2

“Sometimes I go to GOD & say, GOD, if YOU never answer another prayer while I live on this earth, I will still worship YOU as long as I live & in the ages to come for what YOU have done already. GOD’s already put me so far in debt that if I were to live one million millenniums I couldn’t pay HIM for what He’s done for me.” A.W. Tozer 


"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." — Jim Elliot, One of 5 missionaries that were killed by the Auca AKA Waodani Indians.

Edward McCully, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Peter Fleming, & Roger Youderian were speared to death on Palm Beach in the jungle of Ecuador in 1956.


"FATHER make me a crisis man. Bring those I come into contact with to decision. Make me not a milepost on a single road. Make me a fork, that men must choose one way or the other when facing CHRIST in me." — Jim Elliot

“You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living & enduring word of GOD.” — 1 PETER 1:23


“We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of GOD, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.” — Brother Lawrence


“Give generously to them & do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your GOD will bless you in all your work & in everything you put your hand to.” — DEUTERONOMY 15:10


“We love because HE first loved us.” — 1 JOHN 4:19


“The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help. But God charges no one with wrongdoing.” — JOB 24:12


“GOD is spirit, & HIS worshippers must worship in the SPIRIT & in truth.” — JOHN 4:24


“Exalt the LORD our GOD & worship at HIS footstool; HE is holy.” — PSALM 99:5


“The ADVOCATE, the HOLY SPIRIT, whom the FATHER will send in MY name, will teach you all things & will remind you of everything I have said to you.” — JOHN 14:26


“Brothers & sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that JESUS died & rose again, & so we believe that GOD will bring with JESUS those who have fallen asleep in HIM. According to the LORD’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the LORD, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the LORD HIMSELF will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel & with the trumpet call of GOD, & the dead in CHRIST will rise first. After that, we who are still alive & are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. And so we will be with the LORD for ever.” — 1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-17


“HE is your praise; HE is your GOD, who performed for you those great & awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” — DEUTERONOMY 10:21


“Exalt the LORD our GOD & worship at HIS holy mountain, for the LORD our GOD is holy.” — PSALM 99:9


“It doesn't matter what you did or where you were...it matters where you are and what you're doing. Get out there! Sing the song in your heart and NEVER let anyone shut you up!” — Steve Maraboli


“May the GOD of hope fill you with all joy & peace as you trust in HIM, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT.” — ROMANS 15:13


Sometimes, the LORD seems to be silent in the midst of tragedies & when we don't understand that, we still need to cry out to HIM in prayer!

“GOD, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O GOD.” — PSALM 83


“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the LORD’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to GOD.” — 2 CORINTHIANS 9:12


“You're not broken beyond repair there is hope. There is a GOD who knows all the pain you endure & will heal, protect & rejuvenate you.” — Pauline Seaport


This next song/video has been a prayer of mine for many years when I feel so far from being who the LORD wants me to be!


May the LORD help my life to be full of HIS life!

"But thanks be to GOD, who always leads us as captives in CHRIST's triumphal procession & uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of HIM everywhere. For we are to GOD the pleasing aroma of CHRIST among those who are being saved & those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?" — 2 CORINTHIANS 2:14-16



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