God's Grace.

     God's Grace is Enough

God's grace is enough,

When the mountain is so tall.

God's grace is enough,

When we've given our all.

God's grace is enough,

When all hope seems gone.

God's grace is enough,

When you're waiting for the dawn.

God's grace is enough,

When tears fall hard and fast.

God's grace is enough,

When you feel this can't last.

+

God's grace is enough,

When you feel like running away.

God's grace is enough,

When it seems you have no reason to stay.

 

God's grace is enough,

When you're so tired and weary.

God's grace is enough,

When the path is dark & dreary.

God's grace is enough,

When the battle rages on.

God's grace is enough,

When you're strength is all gone.

God's grace is enough,

And yet it's so much more.

It's endless and overwhelming,

There's always more in store.

        Farewell 2018. Hello 2019. :) So thankful for God's grace. It is written so richly on this past year's pages. It's only by His grace that I'm here. Doing what I love to do. Being where I enjoy to be. Living where I like to live. (most of the time :) Loving the ones I get to love. It's not been a year without challenges but His grace is sufficient & I have been given more than I deserve.

     My desire this coming year is to trust Him more & to be willing to live a life of sacrifice. Keep on keeping on & loving with your heart wide open wherever God has you! 

 

                                                     

                                                          Random Snapshots of 2018 :)

til next year :) blessings to all... ~Rhonda

Delaware Delights and the Desert.

  We just ended week 6 of school today. 😮 Pretty sure I'll blink and this school year will be over. Somehow it seems to be going faster than ever. It of course has not been without its challenging moments and battles, but each day I'm amazed by the gift I've been given of being here. So when the struggles, fears, and doubts come, I try to remember that my God is greater, and His way is perfect!

Delights of Delaware:

The dear friends that I get to do life with here & being able to build on relationships & make new ones.
The gift of teaching, of seeing their faces light up when accomplishment happens, hearing their laughter while playing, listening to their stories and jokes, seeing them make wise choices & enjoying the sound of their happy chatter at the lunch tables. (so on & so forth :)
The gift of living where there is open sky with beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
 Living close to the ocean of course is simply grand. :)
Teaching at the same school as my cousin. (never would have dreamed of that in a 100 years)

Most of all the blessing of being able to do what I've been called to do, and living in a community where my heart is at "home".

Do I miss my friends that live elsewhere? (you betcha) but I know for now this is where I belong. :) So I pray that I'll never lose sight of why I'm here, and will always keep my eyes on the One who is my Best Friend, the One where my heart is truly at HOME.

Thank-you to each one of  y'all who pray for us here at CCS. It truly makes a difference.

        Here are some pics of "my world."

Thankful for sunny days & art class outdoors. :)

I love to stand at oceans shore & hear the thundering breakers roar.

Sunset witnessed from the backyard. :)

God keeps His promises.

Here is a poem I wrote sometime last year... grateful to no longer be in this place, (though still very much in the walking out of the wilderness season) as hard as it was/is finding God's grace in the wilderness has been so amazing! 

Thus says the Lord:

“The people who survived the sword
    found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3     the Lord appeared to him[a] from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." Jeremiah 31:2-3

The Desert

I never would have chosen the desert.
Never would have chosen to feel this way,
To walk with so many questions and doubts,
Never lose the fire that's brighter than day.

I never would have choses the emptiness,
The lack of passion and intimacy with my King.
Never wanted to lose that little girl faith,
Or the sparkle in my eyes or my song to sing.

Never would have chosen to take Him for granted,
To just give in to the lukewarm around me.
I never would have chosen the long way across,
When up ahead, there's nothing that I can see.

Never would have chosen to be so shallow,
Or to just go through the motions of praise.
Never would have chosen to miss His presence,
To wonder if He really has a plan for my days.

Walking with God in the desert is so hard,
It's so quiet, and I can't feel Him with me.
It's lonely and I feel like I'm barely alive,
Will I ever feel Him again personally?

Walking through the desert has left my heart blistered,
It's hard waking up without feeling that River flowing.
It's left me wondering if He's taking care of me,
And the wonder of His love, and His all knowing.

The desert has left me void of standing in awe,
I see His beauty yet don't feel much of anything,
The romance with Him seems to be a faded dream,
Will His love ever again make my heart sing?

The desert has made me weary, and worn.
It's left me feeling lifeless inside,
Yet I know that He came to bring life,
And that it is for me that He died.

The desert has blown away the dreams in my heart,
Left me wondering if I'll ever be strong in Him once more,
If He really does care about what I'm facing,
And that He really will bring me safe to Heaven's shore.

I don't want to be lukewarm or to feel this way,
Yet with His help I choose to learn to walk in love.
Patient while He leads me through the desert.
Knowing my Heavenly Father still sees from up above.

Like a horse led by it's master at a gentle walk,
Meanwhile longing to gallop at full spead,
Is a horse who knows that love is kind,
And the Master knows just what it needs.

And in the desert, I find He is here,
Still gently leading me with tender care.
He brings water to my thirsty soul.
Growth to the places that were bare.

So I choose to keep trusting Him,
Knowing that He has good in store.
Grateful for His love and mercy.
His strength, and life evermore.

Keep the faith!

til next time, God's DE girl :)

Just a poem & southern adventures :)

"When Love"

When love leaves your heart in tears,

Brings you face to face with your fears.

When love makes you smile,

And you feel it's worth the while.

When love leaves a wound inside,

Not able to count the tears you cried.

When love makes you laugh from deep within,

You feel like dancing, and have a silly grin.

When love is lost and it dies,

Your heart shatters, and it cries.

When LOVE makes your heart alive,

You feel worth, and you know you'll survive!

When LOVE paid the price for your sin,

It set you free, gave you peace within!

When LOVE found you in the dark,

Held you close and left its mark.

When LOVE loved you despite the mess,

It brought healing, beauty, and thankfulness.

When LOVE did what you couldn't do,

So you could know HE is faithful and true.

When LOVE takes you by the hand,

Just trust in HIM, He cares and understands.

Getting to explore the south & enjoy God's beautiful creation with my sis & dear friend/s. Truly was an incredible weekend. Enjoy the captured memories. :)

Keep seeking God. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Til next time y'all. :) 

In this moment.

PC: Cassie Santiago

"The secret of life is letting go
The secret of love is letting it show
In all that I do, in all that I say
Right here in this moment,
The power of prayer is in a humble cry
The power of change is in givin my life
And laying it down, down at Your feet
Right here in this moment..." Ana Laura

Life has been so full lately. Full of good. Full of hard. Of tears. Of laughter. Of enjoying the incredible beauty God has made. Of trying to sit still behind a desk. Full of dreams. Full of learning and being stretched. Full of seeing God in ways like I've not seen before. Yes, also full of transition. Full of anticipation of what God has in store. Along with sadness of closing yet another chapter. Full of learning to trust God in deeper ways.

Sometimes I get blown away when I think of all that God has given me, all that He's allowed me to experience and has brought me through. Along with those thoughts come regrets, there's still questions of why things happened, shame of the choices I made, wonderings of what if I had known what I know now sooner? Yet if I choose to lay those down, and choose to trust and rest that God still has a plan. He does restore. With Him all things are possible. He can take our greatest sorrows and turn them into our greatest joys. Our weaknesses that we despise and use them to show His strength. The trials to make our faith and trust in Him deeper than before. Our broken dreams and hearts, and mend them in a way that is more beautiful than we can imagine. Sometimes it happens so differently than we think it ever would or could. Yet He sustains. He brings us through for His name sake.

This whole denying myself taking up my cross. Dying to myself. To my dreams. My longings. I know it's a lifelong thing, yet I'm beginning to look at it in ways I've not seen before. The irony is that, dying is part of life. So many examples of that are all around us. Yet I've wrestled with accepting that. I'm not saying I enjoy the dying of my flesh, but I've come to the place that I want it. For it's in that dying that I can truly LIVE.

 The lesson of loss is one I sense God is trying to teach me during this season. Of how to let go. To say "good-bye". The truth of joy and sadness all mixed together, yet not allowing the grieving to color the beauty in life. Not saying there's not a time to cry, because there is. I guess I've lived a lot of my life with "good-byes" over and over til sometimes I would go numb. Or I would just feel sad and hurt so much inside that even though I wanted to enjoy this moment, I was still allowing it to color everything around me.I guess He's teaching me and I'm slowly learning the acceptance of losing and gaining all at the same time. Not dimming down my excitement, yet also not numbing the pain. Of allowing the tears to flow, yet waking up the next day and enjoying the gift of this moment He's given me.

If you haven't heard... Lord willing I'll be leaving the beautiful South and be moving a little farther North (though technically still in the south) in about 10 weeks. :) :,( Thus this post and the random, ramblings of Rhonda.
       May you experience the love of Christ in this moment. His joy in every season.

                            Til next time, God's southern girl

No One Else.

Once upon a time a high school girl wrote this poem. She entered it at the ACE school convention & actually received a ribbon. She was quite nervous, for although she enjoys writing, her writing skills lack as far as perfect grammer are concerned. Not to mention, she felt quite vulnerable in being judged, but it all worked out. She still writes today, though sometimes she misses what she had then when she wrote.
    Now once again reading over the words, she realized that even though at a much different place in her journey. A place where she's wondering if her relationship with Christ really will once again be as strong & sweet, she still can't deny the truth of the words she wrote back then. For nothing can separate her from His love. That (even in the midst of all the other things she's struggling with to know) she knows still is just a true today as it was then. & she is so thankful for that love. A love that many a times overwhelms her & she has a hard time daring to believe that it really is true, but deep down inside she knows it is. A love she knows she doesn't deserve, yet is so freely lavished on her. A love that is freely given to & lavished on you too. Embrace it, dance in it.. allow Jesus to show you what love really is.

No One Else

No one else means so much to me,

Loves me more than anyone.

No one else gave His life for me,

It was God's only Son.

No one else can bring me joy,

Quite like He does,

No one else can give me peace,

Except the Great I Am, & I Was.

No one else always walks with me,

Through the darkest night.

No one else always holds my hand,

Shelters me in His arms safe & tight.

No one else carries me through the hard times,

And makes me strong when I am weak.

No one else makes my heart sing,

Shows me how to be gentle & meek.

No one else saved me from sin,

Gave me life and set me free.

No one else can change my heart,

Let it feel true liberty.

No one else can give me hope,

Paint beautiful sunsets in the sky.

No one else can deliver me,

Knows the answers to my why's.

No one else but JESUS,

Forgives and forgets my sins.

No one else can cleanse my life,

Make me whole & pure within.

                                      dedicated to: the One who never left my side.

                                

                                         Some sunshine for your day... cause photo shoots with a friend & her dog are happy memories made indeed. 😊  NC & it's dear people may just have made their way into my heart. Random fact: I don't even like dogs that much. 😮 Though I must admit they make great photo props & really are wonderufl creatures (just not my favorite).

til next time,  God's southern girl. 

Wrestling with God.

Living with unanswered questions.
Praying for victories to be won.
Feeling like you're not heard,
And maybe you're too far gone.

Trying to cling to the Truth that someday these lies in my head will be destroyed.
That Jesus really does have the power to cleanse me from all sin.
Choosing to hope that someday I'll know His presence more real than anything else.
That I won't need to fight so many weary battles within.

Believing that He really can break the curse of the past,
Heal the wounds that have festered deep inside my heart.
Trusting that someday His light will shine through forever,
That He'll restore all that has been ripped and broken apart.

Heaven feels so far away these days, and the world is getting darker.
I know God is real. That His love for me hasn't changed, yet I feel so alone.
How do I reach out and touch Him, how do I know His heart is still for me?
Oh how I long to see Him, and to dance before His great throne.

I know He's preparing a place for His children, yes His Bride.
Yet how do I keep my treasure in a place I've never been?
How do I keep my affections, my hopes, my dreams, my life
Always and only surrendered to and placed completely in Him?

Why is He still faithful, when I've been such an unfaithful Bride?
How comes He still fills my life with good things even though,
I've questioned His goodness, doubted His care, and chose despair over hope?
I'll never be able to fully grasp, why He still loves me so.

I never dreamed that my relationship with Jesus would be like this,
When once upon it was so real, so intimate and close.
Yet I still long to sit as His feet once more, wash His feet with my tears.
Am I truly living for what matters the most?

How can I keep quiet when I see deception all around,
Is my silence costing the eternity of those I love?
When does one speak of things they know, but don't understand?
Sometimes it's hard to hear the whisper from up above.

So many shades of grey, and what really does matter?
Is love without obedience love at all?
Am I actually seeking God's kingdom first,
Truly heeding to my Master's call?

I know His return is drawing closer day by day,
I see it in the news, in the eyes of people I meet.
How do I not grow weary in showing His love,
To the people in my life and the people on the street?

He's promised to give His Holy Spirit to comfort us,
Yet sometimes in the wilderness it's silent and still.
How long must I wander in this desert of learning,
Wondering if I am still in the center of His will?

Just like Moses in the wilderness and yes David too,
I must choose to keep walking in obedience and "blind" faith,
Keep praising Him with my whole heart and soul.
Knowing He is good, and He's got everything in His control.


    So this past Sunday I heard a sermon where the preacher said that his biggest battles were with God not the devil. That good and bad run on parallel tracks and usually arrive at about the same time. So even though in some ways my life has been rather calm these last few weeks, inside there's been a lot going on (guess the poem speaks for that :) a lot of questions, of what's next? What is the reason that God has me here? (I may never know that answer, and that's okay) How do I dream again? Why am I so focused on temporary things? On things that used to not even matter to me. How do I get back to hearing strongly the heartbeat of my Heavenly Father? One thing I do know. I pray that with His help I'll remain faithful to Him, to His calling on my life and that someday I'll hear Him say "Welcome Home Rhonda welcome home" (pretty sure those will be the some of the sweetest words my ears and heart will ever hear) cause right now I miss home (my precious family, & my dear friends all over the world) and I don't even know where home is. (on this earth that is)

                           til next time, God's nomad
P.s. Don't get me wrong. I have so much to be thankful. So much I am thankful for, yet I long for more. More of Christ. More of love triumphing over sin. More of good over evil. More of forgiveness instead of hate. More words of life instead curses. More of truth instead of lies. & yes, a place that I can call my own "home". Yet I'll cling to the promise that His ways are perfect, even if it means not ever really having a home on this earth. Guess I am a pilgrim & stranger after all. =)

What I don't Know.

But This I Know…

Don't know what trials I will face,

Or the valleys I will walk through,

One thing I do know,

My God is faithful and true.

I don't know what mountains I'll climb,

Or what wonders I will get to see,

But this I know in my heart,

That JESUS will be there with me.

Don't know the different roads I'll walk,

Or the the adventures that will unfold,

But this I know, God will lead me til,

I reach those beautiful streets of gold.

Don't know all the battles I'll fight,

Or the decisions I'll have to make.

But I know that it's worth dying,

For the Gospel and Jesus' sake.

I don't know if I'll see another day,

Or if I'll get to live another year,

But I know Jesus has redeemed me,

And that perfect love casts out fear.

I don't know the joys that may come,

Or the dreams that may come true.

But I do know, God's way is perfect,

And that He loves me and you.

There's a lot of things I don't know,

And things that I cannot see.

Yet this I know, I can trust God.

And that Jesus died to set us free.

As 2018 unfolds may you depend fully on God, always seeking first His kingdom, not growing weary, keep fighting the good fight, walk by faith, take up your cross and follow Christ no matter the cost, seek truth in His Word, embrace His promises, ask Him to fill you with His Spirit, look up because your redemption draweth nigh, love God with all your heart, soul, mind & strength, love your neighbor and the least of these.

There's a lot my heavy heart could write at the moment but I'll leave that for another time. May you always know God's faithfulness in the unknown, may you always trust His goodness, and rest in His love for you.

Til next time, God's nomad :)