Trusting in Him

Psalm 37:8b says, "Do not fret--it leads only to evil."

Websters says the meaning of fretting is becomes vexed or worried.

All the verses in the first two posts lead us now to a decision--the decision of TRUST.

Here are links to the first two posts--

Are You Hurting?

Do You Know Anyone Who Wouldn't Like This?


Will we choose to accept by faith the truth of the previous scriptures, especially Romans 8:28.

Wow!  Do we really believe that?  That fretting leads only to evil.
But honestly.............think about it.  Can you think of one single solitary time in your life when becoming vexed or worrying added any "good" to your life?

It is one thing to take common sense precautions about the things that we have some control over but to deliberately stew and worry over something over which we have no control is not pleasing to our Lord. 

In fact, not only is it not pleasing to Him, He truly wants us to be "worry-free."  He wants to carry all of our burdens for us, He sincerely wants us to cast all of our care upon Him. 

And He is just the One who can handle it---

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Will we always trust perfectly--no, we won't but most of us can improve in this area.

So trusting God comes back to the very first verse we started with--we have now made a complete circle.

The first verse was

Hebrews 11:6a--"Without faith it is impossible to please God."

When we, through faith, place our trust in God, He is pleased and we are worry-free.  What better combination for basking in the embrace of each other's company.

Enjoy Him my friend.  He is waiting to draw near to you as you draw near to Him.  There is no substitute for His precious Holy Spirit.

All my love,
Dianne



© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Just Checking In

Just wanted to check in with you.

 I am so sorry but am not going to be able to get the next post (in the series) up until tomorrow evening.

 We have had a super busy week--so, so fun but I'm exhausted--a very good exhausted.

 On Sunday we traveled with Renewal Ranch to Pine Bluff, just a little over an hour away.

 We had a great service and their church put on a potluck the likes of which I have never seen--everything homemade! And dressing (my favorite food besides biscuits and gravy) in January. I don't think I've ever eaten dressing in January before. I am talking about the good stuff--no Stovetop Stuff(ing) or anything like that.

Yesterday we traveled with them to Swifton, AR to Butterfly Ranch.  This is a similar type program to Renewal Ranch except it is for women.  I fell in love with the women and we had an incredible service.  Swifton is a little over two hours away so we had over four hours of driving.

Link to Butterfly Ranch

We battled some bad weather on the way there and back--and got a text while we were sitting in service that there was a tornado in Jackson County (that is where we were) and that we should immediately take cover.  Our chaplain was in the middle of a very encouraging sermonette to the ladies and I just could not interrupt him.  Thank God it went north of us.

There was damage all over the state of Arkansas last night as far as roofs being blown off houses and the like but no loss of life that I heard of--we are grateful for God's protection.

The ride didn't seem nearly as long because we rode on the bus with the guys--we told riddles and sang (for hours), visited and laughed all the way there and back.

Three of the guys who went play guitar (well) and one guy plays drums.  All he had was bongos but he can make any song sound awesome.

I think we sang every song we had ever heard and I tried to get them to sing "The Ants Went Marching One by One--Hoorah!  Hoorah! but couldn't talk them into that--

We have a bunch of new guys as of the last few weeks so the last several days have been filled with hearing testimonies that I have not heard before.

All of their stories are amazing--sad but amazing--

One of the most heartbreaking statements I heard by a 30 something year old went something like this:

"The only thing I ever shared with my father was a needle."

How terribly tragic--

But then to get to see first hand what God is doing in their lives absolutely blows me away.

I taught at the Ranch today so my days have been full but so rewarding.  God is good!

The pear at the top is a digital finger painting that I did on my IPad--thought you might like to see what you can do while you are sitting around just relaxing--no mixing of paints, no brushes to clean, no water jars to fill--just pure fun.

I used an app called Brushes to paint the pear.

I have been working on that this evening while recuperating from the busy week.  smile

Hope your week is just crazy wonderful.

I have a very exciting weekend ahead.

I'll tell you about it next week and hopefully have pictures.

I love all of you so very much,
Dianne

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Do You Know Anyone Who Wouldn't Like This?

Yesterday we left off with this verse from Romans 8:28--

(link to yesterday's post)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

This verse is incredibly comforting.

This verse should be incredibly comforting, but there are conditions--

God doesn't say that "all things work for everybody's good."

The conditional clause contains the phrase

"to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

One could spend many hours, days, months studying all the ramifications of this phrase but a simple study reveals this:

John 14:15- "If you love me, you will obey what I command."  from Matthew 28--  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Here is where the rubber meets the road--

Satan tries to discourage us with thoughts of:

"You will never be able to keep your part of this verse."

"You cannot love your neighbor as yourself."

"You cannot love God as you ought."

Satan does not want us to take comfort in that verse so he does everything in his power to pour guilt trip after guilt trip, condemnation, and every other negative thing he can think of--on us.  He heaps it on--

And we can't do those things--we are powerless in ourselves.

But God's precious Holy Spirit can do it through us.

But I am getting ahead of myself.  Let's back up just a bit to yesterday's post and the part about our hearts.

Remember--

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  from 1 Samuel 16:7

So this brings us back to an examination of our hearts--

What does God see when He looks on our hearts--


We will make mistakes, we are human--God knew that we are "dust."

For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  Psalm 103:14 For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippianns 2:13

So now that we know "it is not us but God working through us" that accomplishes the conditional part of the verse, we can relax and dwell on "letting Him do it."

Satan tries to deceive us and make us think that following God's laws and commandments are a drudgery and something impossible--but actually it is just the opposite and brings so much joy.

(To follow God's laws and precepts, we have to know them)

When we really grasp this in our minds, in our hearts, in our very being, then studying His Word, spending time alone with Him, seeking Him and a close intimate relationship with Him becomes a complete joy--

Just listen to these verses from Psalm 119 speaking of God's laws--

This is what following God's laws will accomplish:

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. from Psalm 119

See what a liar satan is--
He tries to make us believe following God's precepts is an impossible, drudge-laden thing.

God tells us just the opposite--who wouldn't want their soul refreshed, or to become wise, have a joy-filled heart or light in their eyes?  Tell me, do you know anyone who would say no to all of this?


When we can rest assured in the promise of Romans 8:28, we find the key to trusting and not fretting--we will look at that tomorrow.

Have a wonderful Tuesday,

Love,
Dianne

Are You Hurting?

This post is especially written for four very special people who are hurting very badly at the present time.  If you are hurting, this post and a couple to follow are for YOU.

You know who you are so please know that this is for you. This may seem hard at first, but if you can see the truth in what I want to present to you and come to embrace it, I think it will give you new hope, peace and a sense of security.

Many years ago I had to come to grips with what I really believed about the Christian faith.

I knew for me that I could not pick and choose what verses I wanted or didn't want to believe.

The way I interpreted the Bible spoke to me of its inerrancy and that is what I have chosen to believe. Really accepted by faith.

(If you have a problem with the inerrancy of the Bible, here is a link to a great video on this subject by John Piper.)

All of the Bible is precious to me but through the years there came to be a certain strand of verses that played off one another, depended upon one another for interpretation, and ministered to me in a way that helped me through the deepest valleys of my life--

When I say "helped me through"--I am not talking about just barely struggling through, I am talking about walking through the fire with confidence, knowing on the other side is victory--knowing that you are more than a conqueror through Christ.

Did I always do my part perfectly--no--(not even close) but as I walked through one valley and then the next, I learned as I went--and I came to see that when we follow God's order of things, that is when His hands are most open to give, to bless, to redeem the mistakes that we have brought upon ourselves and others.

I saw a statement yesterday that read something like this--

"We should never get God's goodness linked with our performance."

--I know where the fellow is coming from and I don't want to spend a lot of time on this today--but when I am speaking of "our part"--I am not speaking so much of performance as I am "an attitude of the heart."

All through the Bible, God says,

"If you do this, then I will do this.................."

There are many other scriptures that I will give references to later this week.

So we do have a part in this.

But thankfully.......

The Lord looks on the heart--

Is my heart right with God, 

Are my motives and intentions right?

Am I holding any hard feelings towards anyone?

Is there anyone whom I am not willing to forgive?

Am I sincerely trying to follow God?

These are some of the hard questions I want us to answer.

Without faith it is impossible to please God- Hebrews 11:6a I don't know about you but I want to please God.  I am hoping you do too. So according to this verse I need faith and logic tells me I need to exercise this faith if I am to please God. So how do I go about receiving this faith?

Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  Spending time alone with the Father, seeking to know Him better through His words of love to us in the Bible, learning to listen to the still small Word that He whispers to us........... When we do this on a regular basis, we find our hearts in tune with His heart, our spirits in fellowship with His Spirit, our faith budding, growing and bearing fruit.

As we continue in this walk with Him, we find that we are loving Him more, trusting Him more, and are called according to His purpose.  When this happens, we find it easy and natural to accept His promise from Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Roman 8:28

Say what?

Say what?

Say what?

God causes everything to work together for our good?

I will continue tomorrow where I left off today--

I pray that you will read and reread what I've said above and be ready to receive what God has for us tomorrow.

Like I say, there are four very special people who have come to me in the last few days, people going through very dark and heartbreaking times.  This is for you.  I love you.

Please come back tomorrow and probably Wednesday--hopefully by then you will see "this strand" of scriptures and it will minister to you in a very deep and eternal way.

Love,
Dianne

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Weekend Worship

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;     let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving     and extol him with music and song.  For the Lord is the great God,     the great King above all gods.  In his hand are the depths of the earth,     and the mountain peaks belong to him.  The sea is his, for he made it,     and his hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us bow down in worship,     let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;  for he is our God     and we are the people of his pasture,     the flock under his care.  Psalm 95:1-7

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© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Pray With Me

In the past under "Pages of my life" on the right sidebar of my blog I have had a page entitled "Pray With Me."

 I have not written out my prayers for my family in some time but in response to a message I received this morning from a mother burdened for her child, I am going to try this again.

Many of the prayers will be taken straight from scripture because that is how I love to pray for my family and loved ones.

He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel, 

which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children, 

so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born, 

and they in turn would tell their children. 

Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands. 

From Psalm 78

If you feel led, won't you join me in prayer?

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

A Little Boasting

"Your boasting is not good.  Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" 1 Cor:5:6

Still no internet around here but I am grabbing a minute from my neighbor.

Today when I was photographing some still life, I couldn't help but notice the boastful stance of this cocky little rooster.

It reminded me that I should let no form of boastfulness or pride ever come in to my life, let alone reside there for any length of time.  We see from the scripture what happens if we give it a little time--our whole being is permeated with it.

And the enemy is so subtle and devious in the way he goes about tempting us with pride at times--it can actually come in the form of humility, well, that is false humility.

We must be on our toes and be aware of how satan will come in and try to steal our witness.

When we are, we will know it is only in the Lord that we have any right to boast at all.

Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”--
1 Corinthians 1:31--

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Internet Woes

Our internet is out and has been for two days.

I was able to get on our neighbor's guest wifi for just a short time this morning and it just connected again.

I don't know how long this will last so I will get a quick post up to say I miss you and am praying for you that the love of Jesus abounds more and more in your heart.

I had an incredible time at Renewal Ranch today. We have several new guys and God is doing a mighty work. We have five who will be getting baptized on Sunday.

Keep fighting the good fight of faith. Hope to be with you again soon. Love, Dianne

As the Sun Rises

Enjoy your week filled with all the showers of His blessings.

"As the sun rises, he will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
Like the spring rains that water the earth."
Hosea 6:3

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

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Weekend Worship

Update:  For my non-English speaking readers, the script on the picture says "I will be betrothed to you forever."  --God talking to His people--

Betrothal is not the same thing as marriage but some scripture versions interpret it as marriage--

However, it was just as binding as marriage and required a divorce to end it.

Our God is committed to us!


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linking to Spiritual Sundays and also to 





 
© all photographs, art and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Be Still and Know.....

It was a very quiet day at my house--

Linking this picture with Texture Tuesday

I flattened my picture before I remembered to write down the texture I used--

I think it was Yesteryear--I tried several but finally decided on just one--

and as almost always used softlight and went down a little on opacity--

The morning started cold and cloudy,

snow and sleet descended mid-morning,

But it wasn't here to stay--

Thank goodness because I was not looking forward

to the prospect of more power outages.

My husband left really early to go to Renewal Ranch

and is going to be gone til late this evening--

I spent a long time in Bible study..........

It was good--Hosea, the Psalms, the story of Abigail and David--

___________________________

I was very bad--

I fixed (yes, we say fixed in the south) me some

instant mashed potatoes for lunch and they were to die for--

It helped that I added butter, dry Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix,

cream cheese, garlic powder and pepper, oh, and how could

I forget that heavy cream--yum, they were incredible!

I braved the freezing weather for 5 minutes or less

and went outside to take pictures of my beautiful camellia bush--

Here it is--

and then I did some still-life photography,

(at the top of this post)

took it to Photoshop

and added some texture and text--

and I tried to paint a watercolor rooster--

wow! that was hard and will be another project for another day--

I'm thinking about finishing him in Photoshop.

I need to do some research on roosters--

I can't remember how their tail feathers hook on to their body--

Not that I am trying to paint a realistic rooster

but he does need to have something about him that looks like it is 

where it is supposed to be.

That was part of my goal this year is to paint one watercolor per week,

except I am painting an average of almost one a day so far--

So it seems to me that I will HAVE TO improve--

Surely you learn something along the way even if you're not

taking lessons--I'm through with the online lessons I was taking-- 

Hope your week started off great!

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Christ's Ambassadors to the World

Isn't technology wonderful? Blogger stats show that readers from the following countries have visited my little window on the world in the last few months.

So if you are reading from any of these countries, welcome, and if your country is not listed here today, hopefully, I will catch it and get it logged in to my notes.

Argentina, Australia,

 Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil

 Cameroon, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia,

 Egypt,

 France,

 Gabon, Germany, Greece,

 Hong Kong,

 India, Indonesia, Israel, Isle of Man, Italy,

 Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,

 Kenya,

 Latvia, Lebanon,

 Malaysia, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro,

 Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway,

 Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico,

 Quatar,

 Russia,

 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland,

 Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos,

 Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States,

 Venezuela

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!   18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:   19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.   20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Dear Reader,

If you have not been reconciled to Christ, I pray that you will go to the top corner of the right sidebar and click on the box marked SALVATION.  It will take you to a page that will explain in detail just what a relationship with Christ is and how to attain it.

If you have already been reconciled to Him, I pray that your daily walk with him will grow stronger and stronger.

God bless you for dropping by my little corner of the world.

Here is a short recorded voice message for you--I don't have the best sounding accent in the world but maybe you can hear my heart.

This was spur of the moment, unplanned, unrehearsed--one too many "I'm so exciteds"--ha ha but I did mean it even if it sounds a bit weird--The "you guys" came from living in Tulsa for so many years--I try to say "y'all" now that I have moved back to Arkansas cause people who live here think "you guys" is really Yankee--and they don't understand Yankee-ese or at least they pretend they don't--ha!


Record audio or upload mp3 >>

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Everything is His

I painted the little flower this afternoon and added a portion of David's prayer from 1 Chronicles 29:10-13--I am linking to Spiritual Sundays

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Unleashed, Again

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. ~Author Unknown

What would happen in your life today if you let God unleash all the potential He has invested in you? Would you compose an aria that would be sung in opera houses around the world for the next few centuries, or paint a picture Michelangelo would envy, or fashion a sculpture that would dethrone Venus de Milo in the Louvre?

Or maybe you would design a cathedral the likes of Notre Dame or St. Peter's.  Or invent a cure for cancer or Parkinson's disease--maybe you would create some technology that would make the IPad seem like it should be housed in the historical section of the Smithsonian.

Or maybe you would donate a smile to a stranger you meet on the street, or ask a grocery clerk if anyone today has told them Jesus loves them with an everlasting love, or bake a latticed homemade apple pie to take to an elderly neighbor or mow your pastor's lawn, or write a real letter to a political prisoner in a faraway country.

Will we remain caterpillars today or will we let God unleash the beauty that He has invested in each of us?  There are myriad ways God can use each of us to reflect His beauty today.  Would you humbly ask Him how He wants to reveal Himself through you in the next twenty-four hours.  I would love to hear about His incredible workings in your life.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;   Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.   Psalm 139:14

I am seeking Him through study of Catherine Martin's book, A Heart That Dances, Satisfy Your Desire For Intimacy With God

I am so grateful for Debbie over at Heart Choices for suggesting this book to me.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

a repost from past pages with special thanks to my good friend, Nava, who gave me permission to post this photograph of hers--thank you, dear friend-- 

Salvaging Life

One of the great things about watercolor is that you can prune it--

a little nip here---------

A little cut there--

and we have salvaged something that originally was thought for naught--

Aren't you glad that when God looks at us, he sees the parts of us that are salvageable, that are right, that are beautiful, that are ministry to others.

Oh God, feel free to prune and cut, nip and tuck til you get me just like you want me.  Oh yes, the discipline can be hurtful for a while but it feels so good after the shearer has shorn, the pruner has pruned.

For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life.  Proverbs 6:23

© all photographs, art and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

No Shadow of Turning

Now.....before you jump all over me for being negative about my latest painting, let it suffice to say that there are a couple of things I like about it and most importantly, I learned a few things.

 Not the least of which is--well, see that top petal--I learned how to make a petal look like it is 3-d. Nevermind the fact that it is turned the wrong way coming out from the pod as are many of the others--smile!

Although I did look at another artist's painting when I did the one yesterday (it doesn't look a lot like the original), I am trying hard to make up my own compositions and today I did not look at anything while I painted this AND it shows.

No matter how hard I worked I could not get these flowers to face me--they just wanted to turn backwards--and because watercolor is so hard to control, I just had to go with the flow--no pun intended.

Have you ever felt like you were turned the wrong way and just couldn't get headed back in the right direction?  That is the way I felt as I painted this.

If I were to try to get some spiritual significance from this little episode, I would have to say that it makes me really appreciate our God and that with Him there is not even a shadow of turning.  How awesome is that?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  James 1:17 I love the King James version of this verse!

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

The Promises of God

In my lifetime, which has not been short, I have yet to come across a situation or circumstance that the Bible does not cover.  Have you ever wondered if suddenly it would stay night forever and the morning would never come?  I remember, many years ago, having a fleeting thought like that and then coming across this verse.

God has everything taken care of and thought out--before the foundation of the world even--with a God like that, who leaves nothing to chance, we need not be discouraged, disappointed, depressed, or downhearted today.

Hope you have a wonderful week.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Painting--painted January 6, 2013
added some text with Photoshop Elements

Linking with Deidra today--

Just A Little Babble

babble-to utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds

While reading the Bible today, I came to the part about the tower of Babel and how God came down and confused their speech--

How interesting--I tried to find the derivation of the word babble but couldn't get it back to biblical roots--

However, I can't help but think there must be some connection.

I say all of that to say--Have you ever noticed how some bloggers can say so much in such a short amount of words (my friend Nava amazes me with this talent) and others (like me sometimes) use a lot more words to get their meaning across?
This is not necessarily a bad thing,
and some are so good I want them to be long,
and some are so funny I don't want them to end--

BUT

In this world of busyness, my goal this year is to say more in less words so that when you come here you will find deep meaning or a bit of fun in fewer words.

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;     my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,     in a dry and weary land where there is no water.                       Psalm 63:1

I painted the poppies last night.  I didn't like them at all at first but they are growing on me a little bit--the main things is to get a lot of practice under my belt.

The Greatest Revelation

It has been interesting reading all the social media concerning the new year. I have read more than one person who has made the statement, "I am wondering what the new year holds for me and my family." When I read today's devotional by Oswald Chambers I thought it related perfectly to those comments.

Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do— He reveals to you who He is.  Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you “go out” in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does?

He will reveal Himself to us if we earnestly seek Him.  I pray that I may not be looking so much for what He does this year as I do to learning WHO HE IS.

The painting above is my first watercolor of the new year.  I am extremely pleased and terribly excited.  I am taking an online course and I don't know if this was beginner's luck or if she is a good teacher.  Here is a link to her website if you are interested.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

Planning, Not Resolving

Without a vision the people perish--Proverbs 29:18a

I am not making resolutions for the new year but I do want to have a vision for what I would like to accomplish with God's help--so here is my plan for 2013.

And my WORD for the YEAR is SEEK--

My scripture for the year is Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Plan for 2013         *Set my alarm each day for at least 6 a.m.  *Spend time in the morning first thing with God, quality and quantity.  *Paint at the art studio every Monday.  *Exercise every day in the mornings and before I leave the house.  *Use this house cleaning schedule--click here for link.  *Be faithful to my blog readers--I promised God when I started  in 2008 that I would write faithfully for five years--I have 5 months to go.  Finish strong and then consult God on his direction--keep writing blog or devote that time to something else.  Include one creative piece (poem or prose) every 5 to 10 posts. *Get down on paper my favorite scriptures and why and how they helped me through the years.  *Teach at the Ranch until God tells me otherwise.  Devote study and prayer time to become the best I can be for the residents and to give back to God.  *Pray faithfully for my prayer list.  *Keep a better prayer journal this year.  *Practice calligraphy weekly.  *Paint one watercolor a week no matter how small.  *Pencil sketch one person or thing each week.          *Make healthier eating choices each day--try to make more good  choices per day than bad choices for sure. *Spend one day biweekly studying photography.

 © all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted