The Apple of His Eye    1/29/15

                            No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus
                                           Carol Lawrence   (u tube)

                                One of my mom’s favorite songs.

PROMISES OF GOD TO US:

Deuteronomy 35: 10

In a desert land he found him in a barren and howling waste.  He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of His eye.

Do you ever feel that the Lord is directly protecting you ?  You are the apple of His eye!

Psalm 66 :4  All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.

Nehemiah 1: 5 …’I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy

with those who love you and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your

eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant, which I pray before You, now…’

Deuteronomy 7 :21   You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you.

'Who Is This Man Who Commands the Wind?' 1/8/15

Matt.8:23-27

A quick rebuke is spoken - and for a dozen men, the world changes. Their world is a rowboat. Their immediate universe is the Sea of Galilee; and a storm is at its peak. Most of these men are seasoned fishermen and we are told that the severity of the storm was such that they were afraid of drowning.  I can just imagine the boat pitching and rolling with the waves as they bent their backs against the oars, rowing with all their might to reach the shore without success.

All the while, Jesus was sound asleep. In desperation they wake Him up and shout above the howling wind, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!!" As Matthew tells it, Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith (trust) and tells the storm to stop.  And it stopped. Their world is immediately transformed from chaos to order. And they wondered... 'Who is this man who commands the winds?'

When we approach the throne of God, in sweet, sincere abandon and make our requests known unto Him who loves us, a miraculous change occurs: the winds are stilled, the turmoil ceases, the storm stops. The Lord bids us trust Him. Our Gentle Shepherd, Jesus, embraces us and teaches us to wait patiently for His direction. There is a change in our hearts and lives because Jesus is living in us. Old things are passed and new life in Christ begins.

The believer finds a new and sure way of living, a genuine communion with God through Christ: he finds forgiveness and peace, a peace he has never known before. God's Holy Spirit now resides in him and he is given the assurance that no life storm will drown him. What a quiet miracle to bow before Him and sense His love without saying a word! The love of God shatters the dark of night, whatever that darkness may be. Fear and anxiety dissipate and He leads us into the calm and light of His life. What a gift ~ what a treasure is ours!

© October, 2012 Carol Castagna

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD    John 10: 1

THE LORD, OUR HIDING PLACE 1/5/15

     The Lord tells us in Psalm 32:7 that He is our hiding place.  The Psalmist, David, says, "You are  my hiding place.  You shall preserve me from trouble.  You shall surround me with songs of deliverance"...Psalm 32:8:  I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go.  I will guide you with My eye.  Psalm 32: 10:  Mercy shall surround the one who trusts in the Lord.

     What is a hiding place?  A hiding place is a place of refuge, a place where harm cannot enter.  Psalm 9: 9 and 10:  The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble, a refuge for those who ask.  He is always with us, waiting for us to approach Him.  He waits with opened arms to embrace us and give us rest from the weary day's occurrences. When we move in His direction, He sees our steps, our desire to believe and our sincerity of heart.   And those who know Your name will put their trust in You...for You, Lord have not forsaken those who seek You.

     What a comfort!  What great joy!  What hope we have in Him who loves us!  He will be our Hiding place ~ with songs in the background, 'songs of deliverance' for those who move toward Him in prayer, for those who know His name.

 © 10/2012 Carol Castagna

                                                                  

I Love You, Lord a poem

 

I LOVE YOU, LORD

A Prayer Requesting Strength

© October, 2012 Carol Castagna

 

I love You, Lord, for You have loved me with the greatest Love of all

An everlasting love that lifts me up and helps me stand

Be not far from me, Lord

When my way is unclear

One day, we shall see things as they are

That day when we shall see You Face to face

I bless You, Lord, for Your constant abiding in me

For Your hand on my life

Let me continue to rest in Thee

For only then will I have strength

To run the race set before me

Thank you for your love that draws me

Closer to you.

PSALM 23 and JOHN 10: 14, 15, 16

Psalm 23 and John 10: 14, 15, 16

January 5, 2015

PSALM 23

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT.

HE MAKES ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES;

HE LEADS ME BESIDE STILL WATERS;

HE RESTORES MY SOUL;

HE LEADS ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE.

YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE

SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL; FOR YOU ARE

WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME.

YOU PREPARE A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY

ENEMIES; YOU ANOINT MY HEAD WITH OIL.  MY CUP RUNS OVER.

SURELY, GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS

OF MY LIFE AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, FOREVER.

JOHN: 10: 14, 15, 16

I  AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; AND I KNOW MY SHEEP AND AM KNOWN BY MY OWN.  AS THE

FATHER KNOWS ME, EVEN SO I KNOW THE FATHER; AND I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP...

AND OTHER SHEEP I HAVE WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD; THEM ALSO I MUST BRING, AND THEY

WILL HEAR MY VOICE; AND THERE WILL BE ONE FLOCK AND ONE SHEPHERD.

                           VOICE AND PIANO

BIRDS OF THE FIELD 1/2/15

BIRDS OF THE BIBLE  ~ BIRDS WE KNOW AND LOVE

BABY BIRDS

SWEETIE-PIE  AKA MOZART

     I awakened this morning to a sweet serenade of baby birds singing and thought:  'Heaven's symphony must sound something like this!!'  It was soft and serene...peaceful and melodious...The mother had built her nest against our home.

     Above, on his cage, is our cockatiel, Sweetie Pie, seventeen years old, a speaker of words and a whistler of songs:  I now happily add to his introduction:  a composer of music!  He composes his own sweet melodies and we call him Mozart. He can whistle 'The Teddy Bears' Picnic'  and 'Carousel.'  It is amazing what these little birds can learn!  He is absolutely a part of our little family!

     Mozart sings his soft sounds as we listen in astonishment!  He seems to think he's quite the entertainer, stretching his little neck and looking up to the ceiling as he sings.  He appears to wear a look of accomplishment as he whistles and turns from me to my husband!  We think he is rather grand!

     Once, many years ago, when I worked the 3-11 shift on the Addiction Unit at a hospital on the Northeastern coast,  I returned home at around 1:30a.m.  There had been several emergencies and I stayed till things were resolved.  While climbing the stairs, needless to say, I was exhausted and discouraged.  The night had been fraught with near tragedies and people experiencing life-pain.  Suddenly, from the living room, I heard:  ‘JEsus loves YOU; JEsus loves YOU!’  with the exact emphasis and intonations that I verbalized to him.  I must have heard him repeat this a dozen times and his sweet little voice brought tears to my eyes.  Something that I had taught my little bird to say served to comfort me at one of the saddest moments of my life!  And I said:  ‘Thank you, Lord',  as I petted my little bird’s soft head and he just kind of rested lower in my hand, making himself at home in my palm.  I’ll always remember this.

     The Lord mentions birds in the Bible several times.

Mathew 6: 26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?

Psalm 104: 10 and 12, 24 25, 27, 
He sends the springs into the valleys.  They flow among the hills...By them, the birds of the heavens have their home; they sing among the branches...The earth is full of Your possessions...living things both small and great.  These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season.  What You give them, they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.  They shall run and not be weary.  They shall walk and not faint.
Exodus 19:4 ...'and how I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to Myself.'

PRAYER:

Thank you, dear Father, for Your provision, for us and for the creatures of the field and of the air. Thank You for the beauty and joy and oft times comfort that animals bring to us.  Please continue to watch over us as we appreciate your wonderful creations.  In Jesus’ name,  Amen.      © carol castagna 1/2/15

Good Morning, Lord, and Thank You for Another Day...January 1, 2015

It's a brand New Year ~ a new opportunity to unfold a new way to live ~

    Resting in Jesus' love

    Walking in Jesus' light

            Trusting in the power of Jesus' Word... © 1/1/15  carol castagna

  

John 10: 10 "I am come that they might have life ~ and that they might have it more abundantly."

MORNING-SONG PRAISE

This morning, I saw tree branches

With lush leaves

Sweep skyward

‘Till it seemed as though

All in unison had been lifted

By the wind

In praise to Thee

Thank you, Lord

For the peace and quiet

Of  Your gentle Spirit

For the vastness of your love

And for the joy of Your sweet presence

Thank You for Your voice that whispers,

 “Come unto Me.”

carol castagna ©   10/2012