DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn. She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”
A few weeks ago, I was reading the daily post from Pastor Rick Warren, and it touched my heart. He takes a scripture and just brings it to life, so that it means something to me on this day of my life.
One of the most important things that he said was this:
No matter how bad life gets, you can rest in one important truth: God won’t stop loving you.
Have you ever thought that God was just so far away from you that He had turned His back on you? That you thought you had done something so horrible that there was absolutely NO WAY that God could look at you and love you? If that is how you feel just remember:
No matter how bad life gets, you can rest in one important truth: God won’t stop loving you.
Pastor Rick quoted a scripture:
“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are — high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean — nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us” (Romans 8:38-39 TLB).
Pastor Rick went on to say:
That truth should be one of the most important sources of joy in your life!
Isn’t that amazing? And he also went on to say something that just reached out and grabbed me:
But God won’t let go of you — ever. Once you put your hand in his, it’s there to stay.
That is a belief that I’ve held onto my entire life. While Pastor Rick says That’s an unimaginable source of joy for the believer, that is also one of the most important sources of hope (confidence) and strength in my life. I’ve experienced that hope (confidence) and strength in my own life – especially when I was going through cancer (please see my very first post, September 16, 2012, Safe).
God has never let me go – and I’m absolutely convinced that He never will
Looking for love in all the wrong places. Remember that song popular a few years back? The lyrics resonated with millions because they probably did that very thing.
The other day, I looked in hubby’s direction, fist planted on my hip. “You mean you wouldn’t get up in the middle of the night and, knowing that noise scared me, you wouldn’t take care of it?”
“Well,” he paused, “I might have maybe when we first got married. But After 41 years of marriage, I don’t know.”
I tried to give him a hateful look. But he didn’t give me a chance because he gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. “Only kidding,” he said.
Ha! Maybe not. The truth is that through our marriage, our love has changed. It resembled the seasons of the year. Some years saw the freshness of spring as we began a family—joy blended with the exciting stage of parenthood. The summer brought the warmth of affection, particularly when things went well. And even coldness in the winters when we both needed to grow, mature and learn.
Yes, hubby and I have experienced all levels of love, all forms, and in various intensities.
Our love changed because we’re only creatures in the learning mode of life. Not so with Jesus. He loved us even before we could be called His children. He loved us enough to die for us. His love didn’t diminish when we shrugged at His instructions and went our own way. And His love remained constant even when fear threatened to consume us. Could we say Jesus is the only true love, ready to defend us when noises of adversity scare us?
We can count on the fact that His love never changes, never wavers, and, joy of joys—never, ever will it leave us.
And if that weren’t enough, that true love carries the promise that we’ll be filled with the fullness of God. So “…you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).
Father, I praise you because I no longer have to keep looking. Your love is mine. And for me, that’s enough. In Jesus’ name, amen.
We suffer when we are not in control.
It affects our very being.
“Lord, I really wanted a sunny day,
but fog is all I am seeing.”
We are prone to create our own little world.
The old “normal” has to fall apart.
“We can’t go forward, Lord.
unless we have a change of heart.”
Accept the present moment.
Be patient, the red light will change.
God uses those “waiting moments”-
Our circumstances He will arrange.
Religion is one of the safest places
to hide from God.
Ego wants to be in control.
Forget about rituals and man made rules.
Make communing with God your goal.
How comforting to know
God doesn’t love you because you are good.
God loves you because God is good.
That’s why I love Him so.
“We may lawfully pray to be spared the trial. If it comes, there is yet room for the prayer: deliver us from the power of him who is our enemy and Thine.” Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Beloved,
The world holds false perceptions. Do not follow them.
I deliver you from evil as you stay close to me.
You see; I’m not easily ignored.
I want you deeply.
I must have your love and cooperation and oh, then we have a glorious time together.
You are conscious of your own weakness,
It is not your goodness that protects you, but your dependence on Me.
And so as you to stay in the circle of my love and protection,
I reward you by keeping unbelief, bitterness, and despair far from you.
When you let My Holy Spirt guide you every moment.
Your faith is allowed to triumph every hour of every day.
Christmas 2015 I gave my husband a life altering gift and the interesting part is that I gave it to him on a whim. Here is the story.
Our granddaughter loves drawing and painting so each Christmas we give her some form of art supplies. I usually pick them up through out the year when they are on sale. This particular Christmas, I realized that I had more gifts for her than our grandson and we all know that wouldn’t play well. What to do…? Then I remembered that my husband had been taking “night” art classes, as in while he was asleep. Apparently, the voice tone of painter Bob Ross lulled him to sleep. So on aforementioned whim I wrapped the art supplies and put them under the tree.
Christmas morning he was quite surprised when he opened the gift, but he thanked me nicely. Fast forward to January 29, 2016. He was bored and decided to pull out the art supplies and play with them. This is the result.
I think we were both shocked. His success set him on course to actively pursue learning about painting. He watches videos while he is awake! He is also mentored by our friend, DiVoran Lites. I think he is getting better with every painting and sometimes I am stunned when I walk past his open door and see what he is creating. I particularly like this one he painted last week. I am thrilled with his newly discovered talent. He has always wanted to be able to capture life on canvas, but never dreamed he could.
All of this led me to wonder whether our sleep and or dreams do affect our waking life. I am beyond blessed to know without a doubt that God loves me. I have mused in the past on what my parents did to instill this into my heart. Looking back, I think it came to me while I was sleeping. As a small child, I found church service made me sleepy, so I would lay my head in someone’s lap and take a nap while the good news of God’s love and Jesus plan for salvation was spoken. Plus, my parents attended a weekly prayer service that was held in someone’s home. They called them cottage prayer meetings.There would be a lot of singing and praying and I would find an out of the way place, my favorite being under a coffee table, and fall asleep. I have vague memories of feeling the hymns wash over me as I drifted in the half awake/half sleep state.
Science tells us that sleep time is when the body repairs itself. So it stands to reason it can also be a time when our brain carries out its unique functions. Sleep matters and so does what we listen to while we sleep!
I was lonely and wanted children and friends to keep me company. I wanted them to act as my hands and feet on earth.
Creating people is my favorite vocation. I carefully put each baby together in the mother’s womb to fulfill a special purpose. No two are alike, not even twins. The various gifts and talents are boundless.
Some of my people have gifts for music: I want them to compose, sing, and play instruments.
Some are engineers and artisans who know how to put things together, and how to fix them.
Some are caregivers, such as mothers and fathers, teachers, doctors and nurses, administrators and helpers.
Some can draw, some can garden, some will travel and some will stay at home.
Some think they can’t do anything at all, but they always can.
I love you whether you know your place in my plan yet, or not.
If you will let me, I will be delighted to show you what I created you to be.
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Old Things R New 
31 Days of Comfort~Day 24
1 MayPainting and Paraphrase by DiVoran Lites
Day 24
Deliver Us from Evil
Matthew 6:13
Beloved,
“We may lawfully pray to be spared the trial. If it comes, there is yet room for the prayer: deliver us from the power of him who is our enemy and Thine.” Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Beloved,
The world holds false perceptions. Do not follow them.
I deliver you from evil as you stay close to me.
You see; I’m not easily ignored.
I want you deeply.
I must have your love and cooperation and oh, then we have a glorious time together.
You are conscious of your own weakness,
It is not your goodness that protects you, but your dependence on Me.
And so as you to stay in the circle of my love and protection,
I reward you by keeping unbelief, bitterness, and despair far from you.
When you let My Holy Spirt guide you every moment.
Your faith is allowed to triumph every hour of every day.
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Tags: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, God's Love, Matthew 6:13