I'M STILL HERE

I haven't been on blogger very much in the last couple of weeks. I have slowly been winding down into a state of exhaustion. I have not been to work for the past few days. I will be seeing my doctor this morning to find out what's going on. If you can think of a symptoms, physical or mental, I have it, except no fever, no water rentions and no chest pains. My gut tells me I have been driving myself beyond my limits and everything is going on strike.
The little lady in this picture is running circles around me in that picture. If that gives you any indication of where I am. 

Please don't abandon me, I am just incapacitated at the moment. I covet your prayers because I know God and what He can do. I know that the prayers of His people accomplish much. I have been able to keep Daily Grace current. I praise the Lord for that.

Love you all and hope to be up and running soon.

Dr. Bobbi

TRUE WORSHIP

Do we seek to worship the Lord or do we seek the Lord for a blessing? I find at times that I read the different worship posts and am so blessed by them. Rather than reading with a spirit of worship, I read with a spirit of "did that bless me or not?" I am determined to spend time reading the worship posts with a spirit of true worship with an open heart that draws me closer to Him and allows His blessings to flow through me to others, not just stop with me so I can go away blessed.

I had no idea what I was going to write when I opened this New Post page, but I knew it was for Weekend of Worship and Spiritual Sundays. That's what came out of my heart. Here is an Oswald Chambers devotion that speaks of this very thing. I just happened onto it a few minutes ago. God bless you all, Bobbi

WORSHIP GOD WITH THE BEST

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful
what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing
from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate
before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act
of worship. If you hoard a thing of blessing for yourself, it will
turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded
[Exodus 16]. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for
yourself, it has to be given back to Him that he may make it a
blessing to others.

- Oswald Chambers, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST, Barbour &
Company (http://www.barbourbooks.com/). Selected mostly from talks
given during the years 1911-1915, these devotionals were first
published in 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Co., renewed in 1963 by
Oswald Chambers Publication Association, Ltd.

Weekends of Worship click here.

Spiritual Sundays click here.

MAKING THE WORD MY OWN

When we read the Word of God, it is relevant to each of us in our personal lives and our personal relationship to Jesus Christ. Sometimes as we read, we fail to make the words our own and instead we understand the passages as general to all mankind or all Christians. While the Word is meant for all, God desires us to identify with His Word and make it our own. The following passage from Ephesians describes our condition before we were saved and the result of our salvation through faith. Read the passage from the Word here. If you prefer another translation, feel free to get your Bible and read it from there. After reading this passage, we will personalize it and make it our own.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

1. "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2. in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--3. among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4. But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5. even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--6. and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7. so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9. not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." 

To personalize this passage, replace "you" with "I", "me", or "my". As you do this, notice what you are reading, the words. Allow the Lord to speak to you. As you read, you can freely worship and know that the marvelous grace and mercy of God is meant for YOU. I will personalize the passage so you can experience personally what God has done. 

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)


1. "And I was dead in the trespasses and sins 2. in which I once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--3. among whom I once lived in the passions of my flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and was by nature a child of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4. But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved me, 5. even when I was dead in my trespasses, made me alive together with Christ--by grace I have been saved--6. and raised me up with him and seated me with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7. so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward me in Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace I have been saved through faith. And this is not my own doing; it is the gift of God, 9. not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10. For I am his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that I should walk in them."

What an awesome gift of love and grace my God showed to ME!

THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD

Being a part of Blogger world is an awesome experience. I am meeting some wonderful people and some precious brothers and sisters in Christ. I write my 3 blogs because God moves me to do so. It is by His grace and mercy that I live and breathe.


One of my brother's in Christ, Stan Butler @ According To The Book honored me by awarding me and 14 others out of his 700+ followers with The Versatile Blogger award. Thank you, Stan, and God bless you richly. Now it's my turn to share this award with 15 of my followers who follow one or more of my three blogs: Inside the Shrink, Daily Grace, and Psychobabble. This is not going to be easy. I value each and every one of my followers and readers.


The rules for this award are that when you receive this award, you must share seven things about yourself and then pass it on to fifteen blog's (that's a lot) you've recently discovered you enjoy! So here goes the seven things about myself:


1) God Almighty is 1st in my life. I am a born again, Spirit filled Christian and have been since July 1975. My desire is to share the Gospel with all I meet and to have them know Him as their Saviour.


2) I treasure my family: My husband of 24 years, my 2 sons and their wives, my 3 step-children and their spouses, my 9 step-grandchildren, my soon to arrive grandson (August 5th), and my 2 great-step-granchildren.


3) I am a Missouri licensed Clinical Psychologist and practice as a Christian Psychologist. God called me to this work at the age of 15. Every day is like having church in my office. Praise God.


4) I am an aspiring and inspired writer. I have 4 WIPS (works in progress). 1. A one-year devotional of Daily Grace  2 & 3: Christian non-fiction "How To Overcome Adveristy" and "Walking In the Aftermath of Reaping What Should Have Never Been Sown." 4. Christian stories for children that I co-author with my precious friend.

5) I crave and cling to the Word of God. I study and read the Bible every day. My prayer life is a consant ongoing conversation with the Lord.


6) I am in love with my 4 year old little female ShihTzu, Indivi (short for individual). I love every dog. I am a dog lover. I understand dogs. They like me. That's just the way it is.


7) I love getting out on the lake in our boat during the warm months. I love writing and reading. I have crocheted for over 30 years now. (I had to teach myself because I'm left handed.) I enjoy music and singing. I am 5'10" tall and have natural curly blonde hair (ok, I get it hightlighted). I am so blessed. God is so awesome!




Here are the fifteen blog's that I nominate for this award!
Right click on the award... Save picture as...then "copy and paste" to your blog.

1.   Patty Ann        http://pttyann.wordpress.com/

2.   Alleluiabelle    http://alleluiabelle.blogspot.com/

3.   Triumphant Victorious Reminders    http://triumphantvictoriousreminders.blogspot.com/

4.   DeanO     http://doubletakecreations.blogspot.com/

5.   Steve     http://rejoicinginhishope.blogspot.com/

6.   Velvet Over Steel     http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/

7.   RCUBES     http://offthebeatentrek.blogspot.com/

8.  Doris Plaster    http://doris-socialworker.blogspot.com/

9.  Jack Foster     http://mrbiblehead.blogspot.com/

10. Lynda Young    http://lyndayoung.blogspot.com/

11. Steve Hawley      http://stevehawley.blogspot.com/

12. Deb    http://dtrant.blogspot.com/

13. Elaine Jany Barbanti     http://jesuscristoemminhavida.blogspot.com/

14. Grandma L     http://petpeevesandotherrantings.blogspot.com/

15. Roland D. Yeomans     http://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/

IN THE GARDEN

I have been in church where the worship is contemporary. I find it very uplifting and condusive to worship. I enjoy the music worship times so very much. But there is that part of me that yearns to return the days when we sang the great hymns of the church. One of my very favorites, which there are many, is In The Garden. I thought it would be good to share this God breathed hymn with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that you will make a trip as you watch and listen, back to the garden where only you and the Lord visit. God bless.

Lyrics | Brad Paisley lyrics - In The Garden lyrics

SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS

Visit the site and enjoy

the uplifting sites that

participate in the great

blog gathering. God

will bless you

QUIET PLEASE

For the past several months I have become so aware of the amount of stress that noise creates for me. It seems there is seldom a time or place that is free of noise. White noise can even create stress. I've tried to make some changes to reduce the amount of stress I experience and I believe it has had a positive effect. There are some noises over which I have no control, but for the ones I do, I have deleted them from my daily life. Some of those noises I have eliminated are:

1. I do not turn on my car stereo when I drive.

2. I turn off the vent fan as soon as I step out of the shower.

3. I mute the TV when no one else is in the room watching it.

4. I keep the sound turned off on my computer.

There are several more I just can't think of them at the moment. But each of these makes a difference in my level of stress.

I especially enjoy getting up early in the morning before my husband and dog are up. The quiet is very calming and peaceful. I enjoy going to bed at night when it's dark and quiet.

A Quiet Place.....

Went for a walk along a dirt road,

kicking pebbles as I went along.

After a while I could see in the distance,

trees surrounding a lake peaceful and strong.

Continued walking closer to the lake,

looking around for a quiet place.

Too many problems, nerves on edge,

slow down, relax, unwind, not race.

A spot to sit under a willow tree,

lean back, relax enjoy the day.

A gentle breeze passing overhead,

lost, but will I find my way?

Opaque clouds all sizes and shapes

slowly, silently floating above.

If I open my eyes what will I see,

a horseshoe, seashell, maybe a dove.

Slapping bouncing rocks in its way,

sound of water not moving fast.

Air smells so clean, pure, untouched,

a pebble over the water I cast.

Lean over to see all the wet stones,

reach in, feels cool, refreshing to touch.

Opening my eyes, must have been a dream,

surely I did not sleep too much.

Written by:

Karen Palumbo

Here are some scriptures that speak of quietness and that give me peace: (ESV)

"He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside STILL waters." Psalm 23:2

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a might one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will QUIET you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17

"First of all, the, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and QUIET life, godly and dignified in every way." 1 Timothy 2:1,2

"But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and QUIET spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:4

"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; in QUIETNESS and in trust shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15

"And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, QUIETNESS and trust forever." Isaiah 32:17

When you stop to think about it, the world is a very noisy place. Some people really like the hubbub and the action with sound. Are you one of those? Or are you like me, preferring quiet times? We all experience both and maybe prefer one or the other at different times, but overall, most of us lean toward one or the other. Which way do you lean: toward the noisy life or toward the quiet times and places?