Leslie's Little Devotional

  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. (Psalm 125:2)             Last month I spent several mornings reading various Psalms.   On one of those mornings, I was reading Psalm 125.    As I read verse two, I was struck by the word “surrounds”.   Being a visual person, words and phrases frequently evoke pictures in my mind.   The first image in my mind was a parent’s arms lovingly encircling their child.   God, our loving Father, surrounds us with HIS presence, both now and forevermore!   We are never alone.   HE is always with us.             I realize the truth that HE is always with us isn’t something I hadn’t heard before.   However, the image of a loving God surrounding me in HIS embrace was just what I needed that morning.   As I continued to think about this verse, I wrote down my thoughts, as I often do.   I thought about how, as parents, we surround our children. Randy and I often walked on either side of our childre

Last night before I went to sleep I was spending time with the Lord. Typically my nighttime devotions are spent going over my day with the Lord.   However, last night I felt led to spend the time in praise. As I lay there praising Him I was struck by how small and even inadequate my praises seemed. I wondered if I should get up and stand or maybe fall to my knees. Was laying there praising Him enough? Tears rolled down my cheeks as I offered words or praise. I, a mere human, was talking to Almighty God. I confessed how inadequate I felt to Him. What words are even close to enough to praise the One who spoke the world into existence? How can you articulate how awestruck you are by the One who parted the Red Sea? Thank you is such a small offering to the One who left Heaven to come to earth to pay the highest price for my sin. Being a person who loves words, I lay there composing praise to the best of my ability. I praised Him with psalms of my own making. As I did this, I thought o

Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. (1 Corinthians 9:26)             A couple of years ago we gave our kids a Wii System for Christmas. One of the games we’ve purchased is Wii Fit.   It turns out that I am the one who uses that particular cd the most.   I enjoy “biking” my “mii” around a tropical island while searching for flags and trying to beat my best time. One morning I decided to take a break from “biking”.   As I scrolled through the options, “boxing” caught my eye. Honestly, I was feeling a little lazy that morning and thought that it might be an easier workout.   With remote and nunchuck in hand, I began.   Boxing the air, how difficult can that be?             Twenty minutes later, arms aching and drenched in sweat, I had my answer.   Boxing the air was exhausting! My invisible opponent was unfazed. On the other hand, I desperately needed a shower.   Needless to say, I do not hold high score for Wii boxing

          Have you ever played “Candyland” with your children?   Even if you don’t have children, you’ve likely played a game or two of Candyland at one point or another in your life. Being the mother of five children, I have played my fair share of board games.   I remember my excitement when our first born, Shelby, was old enough to sit down at the table and play a game. It was a great deal more fun than eating the plastic food she prepared for me in her party kitchen.   Not that plastic green beans, rubber French fries and rubber grapes weren’t delicious; I was just ready for something more.           I remember calling my husband at the office to let him know that we were about to begin our first game of Candyland.   An hour later, when he called to see how it went, my reply was, “I’ve been stuck in the Molasses Swamp for twenty minutes!” Over the course of twenty-two years of motherhood, I have spent my fair share of time in the Molasses Swamp, climbing a ladder only to be sen

                Welcome to my blog! This blog has been an idea in my head for many years. Even before blogs existed, I have been blogging. My closet is filled with notebooks I’ve filled with thoughts, devotionals, short stories, poems, songs and an unfinished book.   I also have files and files on our hard drive filled with more of the same.             Several months ago, Randall, my husband came to me and encouraged me to pursue writing on a serious level. He had been praying for me and truly felt led to give me a push to pursue my passion. With his support, along with encouragement from my family and friends, I’m doing just that.   My purpose in blogging is to share what I hope will be encouraging thoughts with you.   It is my prayer that what I write will minister to you.       This blog is more of a “life journal”, filled with experiences I’ve had as a Christian, woman, wife, mother and friend. My hope is that a visit to my blog will feel like a visit to my home.   I promise