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May 16th, 2012 dsisler

This is the 109th blog post for Full Measure of Joy. I’ve enjoyed each post that I’ve written. I’ve gained great insight of the process and the development of this huge explosion of internet creativity.
I will be making a change to my blog. Not the type of posts. Not the frequency of posts. Not the look of the blog. But the labels. How I categorize each blog.
After all these writings, I’ve discovered that all of them fall into nine categories. You will be able to search for a post by these categories. These are the labels I’ve chosen with the verse of Scripture to back it up.
Seeing God
“Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf.” (Psalm 66:5)
Knowing God
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
Loving God
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
Serving God
“It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:24b)
Trusting God
“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Psalm 62:8)
Remembering God
“They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.” (Psalm 78:35)
Seeking God
“Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.” (Psalm 119:2)
Praising God
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”(Psalm 146:1-2)
Asking God
“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10)
Over the next few days, you’ll begin to see the change. I am excited for this change. I suspect I’ve missed a category or two and will probably continue to add more as I go through each blog post.
Do you think I’ve missed one? If so, let me know. I’d be happy to hear what you have to say.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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Building a Doll House: Following the Directions – Chapter 5

May 15th, 2012 dsisler

NOTE: If you missed Chapters 1-4 of Building a Doll House, you can find it in the column under “blog archive” to the right.
After opening the doll house kit and marking each piece, Mason read through the directions. It didn’t take long for him to figure out that the given directions were not very good.
Mason knew he would be frustrated if he had use this set of instructions. So he searched the internet to find anything that might help work through this process. He found an excellent online resource that gave some excellent instructions. And there were pictures!

He quickly bookmarked the website and referred to it quite often.

We don’t always get the best instructions for many products in our world. Whether they only include pictures, difficult words, or confusing language, directions can make putting something together difficult.
God knows how important good instructions can be. Scripture is filled with advice when it comes to this topic.
God asks that we listen to instruction. We would be wise to listen and accept instruction, whether it is His or from a wise person.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8)
“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” (Proverbs 4:13)
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” (Proverbs 19:20)
Some benefits of listening to God’s instructions can be seen in these verses.
“Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.” (Proverbs 8:33)
“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20)
“When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; when a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.” (Proverbs 21:11)
By following God’s direction, He leads us in the way we should go.
“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” (Psalm 119:35)
“A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24)
“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
There is no doubt about it, when we listen to God’s instruction, accept what He has asked, learn from what He has to say, and allow God to lead us throughout our lives, we will be wise, prosper and gain knowledge. Why then is it so difficult to do?
Because we want to get involved. We want to change the instructions. We think we know better than God and tweak the directions. Sometimes a little. Sometimes a lot. These are the times we get ourselves into trouble.
The online dollhouse instructions proved to be invaluable to us as we worked on Joy’s dollhouse. On multiple occasions, we were thankful that someone had taken the time to document their own journey for others to learn from. That is exactly what God has provided for us. Pages and pages filled with good advice and instruction.
It’s all there for your use. Why not pick up God’s instruction manual and see what He has to say to you today?
“Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 23:12)
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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I Know

May 14th, 2012 dsisler

I always thought I was an average or below average student in high school. Recently I needed my high school transcripts for a job application. When I saw my grades, I was amazed. They were actually better than average. Yes, there were a few poor grades, but the rest were certainly nothing for me to be ashamed of.
Now I won’t claim to be brilliant or super intelligent, but I do know a few things. Especially when it comes to the subjects that I excelled in through high school and college. Home economics, business, music, and the Bible are topics that I still enjoy studying and developing.
There are some things I know from Scripture as well. If we look at the book of Romans, Paul shares some of the “we knows.” Let’s look at them.
Romans 3:17 “The way of peace they do not know.”In my sin I cannot know peace, but through Jesus and forgiveness of my sin, I can know peace.
Romans 3:19 “Now we know that whatever the law says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.” I can only find righteousness through Jesus, not the law. I am accountable to God.
Romans 6:6-7 “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” I’ve put aside the life of sin because I don’t have to be a slave to sin any longer.
Romans 7:14 “We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.” I can be rebellious and because of that rebellion, I can be considered unspiritual.
Romans 7:18 “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” I can’t seem to do what is right all the time. I want to, but just can’t seem to do so.
Romans 8:22 “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Creation awaits the future glory that we are also waiting for. When there is no longer any decay, destruction, or death.
Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” We do not always know what to pray, but the Holy Spirit does.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God is at work in me. Making me a better person, because I love Him and am living according to His guidelines.
Even though my sinful nature is still part of my life, God is working on me. He is creating a new creation within me. By reading the entire book of Romans, we can see the progression through leading to this very point.
I know sinful nature is within me. I know I want to do the right thing, but sometimes I allow that sinful nature to take a lead role. I know I cannot live by the law, because I am not righteous. I know it’s only through Jesus and His grace that I can am made righteous. I know I must crucify my sinful nature daily. I know I long for my future home. I know that God’s Holy Spirit is at work in my life. I know that I am not the person I was when I started on this journey.
Sometimes making a list puts everything into perspective. It certainly does in this situation. It helps me to realize what I do know, where I fit in to what I know, and how God can change me because of what I know. I love being in the know.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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Gobbledygook

May 13th, 2012 dsisler

I am reading a text book on writing that my Dad recently gave me. I can honestly say that there is more to this writing skill than I ever dreamed. I’ve learned a great deal already!
I came across the section about gobbledygook. Yes, there is such a word and it pertains to writing!

 “Gobbledygook is writing that suffers from an overdose of traits guaranteed to make it stuffy, pretentious, and wordy.”[i]It is an attempt to make writing sound better than it is by adding words to give it a “fuller” feel.
If you have ever read a legal document, you’ve read gobbledygook.
Jesus had something to say about gobbledygook. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
This verse is in a section where Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer (Matthew 6:5-15). His model prayer follows.
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed by your name,
Your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
This prayer spoken by Jesus gives us the purest, most concise way to pray to our heavenly Father.
When we get rid of all the over used words, traditional phrases, and church jargon, we can get to the heart of prayer—sharing our hearts with our Father.
Entering God’s presence with our souls bared is where Jesus wants to meet us. Getting down to the real issues, using real, honest words with our God is where He will reward us.
And when we are to the point where we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit steps in for us. Romans 8:26-27 tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
Even when words cannot express what’s on our hearts or our emotions, God will hear us.
Gobbledygook has no place in our conversation with God. Pure, simple words are all He desires from us. With that, I’m done!
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna

[i]Alred, Brusaw, Oliu. The Business Writer’s Handbook. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2000. p. 271.
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A Lovely Rainbow

May 12th, 2012 dsisler

A few days ago, Mom had to spend a night in the hospital. We received a call that the lab results showed her hemoglobin was low, so off we went. The good news was that it was a false reading. The lab result was inaccurate.
After arriving at the hospital and getting Mom settled, I went to get dinner in the cafeteria to bring back to her room. I rounded a corner on the 6thfloor and was greeted with a surprise.
It had been sprinkling. The windows were covered with little droplets. But through the large bank of windows in the opposite direction was a rainbow and I could see both ends! And then, not only was there one rainbow, but two!
As I returned to Mom’s room, the double rainbow filled the window in her room. What an encouragement it was to her.
At that moment, I remembered God’s promise to Noah when He placed the first rainbow in the sky. Genesis 9:12-17 gives the account of that promise God made to man and earth.
Then I did a search on promises that God made and these verses interested me.
2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through hi the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” The promises that God made were fulfilled with Jesus and because of Jesus we can say “yes” and “amen” to them all.
God also promised to be with us. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Regardless of where we go (including the hospital), we can be strong, courageous, fearless, and encouraged because He is there.
And then we see the promise of great mercy and love in Palm 25:6. “Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.” God will not forget His long-standing promises of great mercy and love for us.
These promises are such a reassurance when we face situations that don’t fit into our schedule, are not welcomed, or filled with the unknown. But with God, we can face them with confidence in His promises.
Through the 24-hour stay in the hospital, I was encouraged to know that God was with us. He may not have placed the double rainbow in the sky for me or Mom, but I took it as a reminder to trust Him with all of it.
God’s promises are for us to claim. If we neglect to do so, we are missing a wonderful gift that God has given. Let’s determine to look for those “rainbows” in our lives and remember His promises.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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    "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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