Peace and Prayer

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren,

 whatever things are true,

 whatever things are noble

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely,

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue

and if there is anything praiseworthy----

meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:7-8 NKJV

"Peace guards hearts and minds

and

causes God to bring peace out of chaos."

Beth Moore

"I want first of all . . . to be at peace with myself.

I want a singleness of eye,

a purity of intention,

a central core to my life  . . .

I want, in fact

----to borrow from the language of the saints----

to live 'in grace' as much of the time as possible."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"To know God as He really is

----in His essential nature and character----

is to arrive at a citadel of peace

that circumstances may storm,

but can never capture."

Catherine Marshall

"In the center of a hurricane there is absolute quiet and peace.

There is no safer place than in the center of the will of God."

Corrie ten Boom

Today's Prayer of Grace:

Dear Lord, let me accept the peace and abundance

that You offer through Your Son Jesus.

You are the Giver of all things good, Father,

and You give me peace when I draw close to You.

Help me to trust Your will,

to follow Your commands,

and to accept Your peace,

today

and

forever.

Amen

Dear friends: I made it home safely last night.

I am missing those adorable and delightful Texas grandchildren.

But I have a peacefulness in my heart

 that I did not have when I headed out there.

There is a simplicity and order to my daughter and son-in-law's

way of living

that fosters contentment and peace.

Their foundation is one of scripture;

their lives are God-centered

and that shows in all they do.

It is not about being good or bad;

instead it is about  being obedient or disobedient.

So when one of the children is acting up,

he/she is not bad, but disobedient--

kind of puts our own behavior in perspective,

doesn't it?

It takes out the condemnation

and replaces it with conviction--

the conviction of our behavior

in light of what God wants from us--

this in turn leads into a more willing obedience.

I learned a lot.

Now I will meditate on those lessons

and hopefully, in the future, share them.

I miss Abby's squeals and Aaron's "Grandma, watch this!"

but last night I was thankful to curl up in the strong, loving arms of my husband,

while two cats crowded close, purring their welcome.

Blessings, friends as we navigate this new week and all its challenges.

Photos are from my favorite spot around here---

that area of countryside on the western edge of my small town

in Southeastern Ohio.