Delight is also a Verb

de·light

  [dih-lahyt] –noun- a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment, joy, rapture

verb - to have great pleasure; take pleasure

For years - I guess most of my life - I have only thought of the word "delight" as a noun, or only as a verb in a Biblical context.

Psalm 18:19
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me

Psalm 111:2
Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

So a couple of weeks ago I was catching up on my dvr'd programs. I am not an everyday Oprah fan - but have decided to record the programs that interest me during her last year. This show had Susan Boyle, Jackie Evancho and Debbie Boone. I had tuned in to hear the incredible voices and stories of Susan Boyle and Jackie Evancho. What a surprise when I listened to the interview with Debbie Boone. Now how does Debbie Boone look like she does when we are the same age????

Rosemary Clooney, was Debbie's mother-in-law. When Oprah asked her what kind of grandmother Rosemary was Debbie's immediate response was that Rosemary "delighted in her children". That statement really impacted me - more of an epiphany moment. What a powerful verb!!! WHO do I delight in. I delight in my family - my husband, my children, my son-in-law, my family that I grew up with, my kindred spirits and my grandson. My grandson...he has brought a whole new definition to this word - "delight". Collin brings me great pleasure. He takes me to a happy place. I only pray that I do that for my God.

Waterways and Trees

I borrowed this from Kaiti's FB post after she finished reading South of Broad, by Pat Conroy. One of the best reads from last year - and I had forgotten how this passage spoke to me. We are salt waterways, but what kind of tree are we or do we need to be???

You can bury all the streams and creeks you want to, but salt waterways remember where they came from." "...the palmetto tree has more natural flexibility and can bend all the way to the ground and still survive, but an oak knows only how to stand firm against the amazing blasts of wind, and makes itself susceptible to the perils of uprooting." - Pat Conroy

Shifting Gears

This was in my email this morning. I love Holly's writing and wanted to share it. I need to learn to shift gears. I so feel like I am in a very different and new season of my life - for so many reasons. I know that many of you are in the very same place. New jobs, new ministries, new friends, sadness, new physical challenges, changes, dealing with our adult children, dealing with relationships, new life in your families - everything is changing so quickly. Last night I was able to spend time loving, eating, praying and laughing with some very dear friends. I was reminded me of how very precious this life is - and how quickly any of our circumstances and places in life can change. Today my prayers are with the Wilcox family as they walk through a very different season in their lives. I pray that God will place his power of healing on Kristin, and supply strength to each in her family. May we be there to help them shift to an easier gear. K Heart to Heart with Holley

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When you're looking for a little more joy... Posted: 11 Oct 2010 04:22 PM PDT This morning my husband and I set our for a bike ride. A brilliant blue sky hung above us and the first kiss of fall found its way onto our cheeks as we began to zig-zag down the trail. Biking hasn't always been easy for me (okay, never). I do enjoy it—especially on flat pavement. But we live in a hilly part of the country and every ride is full of ups and downs (anyone else feel a spiritual analogy coming on?). My husband is a great biker and my big break through came when he taught me how to use my gears. You see, I had been doing everything in the hardest gear. I was showing off, really. I thought if I could tackle the biggest, baddest hill in that gear then I must be good. But that's just silly. And I understood why when I learned you can make it easier to pedal just by a little flick of your fingers. Now my gear fits the terrain...I can adapt, shift, make the most of of where I am at the moment. And when I flip it into just the right gear and it feels a little bit like flying...I feel JOY. God has been given me some "gear lessons" in the rest of my life the last few months too. As on my mountain bike, I can be a bit intense. I think, "I'll just do it all in the hardest gear. That will prove what a good little Christian I am." Can anyone say "craziness"? Instead the One Who Loves Me is gently showing me how to shift, adapt, allow seasons of rest with seasons of pushing hard. It has changed everything for me. And when I flip my heart into just the right gear with Him and it feels a little bit like flying...I feel JOY. What helps you find a little more joy? by Holley Gerth

Where Do I Start????

There is so much to catch up on. For the past 7 months I have had writer's block, reader's block and just didn't need to be spending time here. I found that I have really missed so many friends - new and old who blog and share their lives. I have missed the friends here that I kept up with and prayed for. So, I am back and will gradually catch up on what has really been going on for the past 7 months -so much - so very much!!!! But for today - I have been watching the weather channel off and on all day. Worrying and praying for our friends along the Carolina coast. Watching the warnings and Jim Cantore coverage has really thrown me back over 20 years to a Thursday night - Sept. 21 when we were listening to reports about Hurricane Hugo, and wondering where it was going. That was a night that changed all of us forever. So tonight, we are praying for the folks and friends who live along the outerbanksof NC. Praying that when they wake up in the morning -they will be safe. Don't ever underestimate the fury of the storm!!!!

We're Back

After a long break - mostly due to reader's block and writer's block, we're back. Back - only to find that aliens had hijacked my blog with no posts even visible and bizarre ads all over the place. So after 2 days - it's back up in a simple format and officially "under construction" again. I have missed my old and new friends and can't wait to catch up with each of you. See you again and SOON!!! Very soon!!!!

Protect Our Loved Ones

Psalm 91 (New International Version)

Psalm 91

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ^a]">[a]

² I will say ^b]">[b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."