God Speaks

As I sit and stare out the window God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I read His word and pray God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I listen to the radio God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I gaze at the sun sinking below the horizon God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I watch my horse learn how to trust me God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I lay in bed and reflect on the day God speaks to me;
He speaks to  me all the time!
As I meet people each and every day God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
In moments of loneliness and sorrow God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
In periods of happiness and joy God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
In His creation or in my bedroom God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
I'm so glad my Jesus is mine, for He speaks to me all the time!

-Rebekah Rehm

 

I wrote this very simple poem today as I was in my bedroom spending time with the Lord. I was thinking of all the different things the Lord has been speaking to my heart recently and suddenly it hit me that He speaks to me all the time!! I know that often I become discouraged and think, "The Lord speaks to others so much more than He does to me!" Or, "If only I could hear from the Lord in that way!" But I was so encouraged today when I stopped and thought of all the different ways the Lord speaks to me and how I personally hear His still small voice, and that is what inspired this poem! I'm so grateful that He speaks to me all the time!! How does God speak to you?

 

 

And after the earthquake a fire;

but the Lord was not in the fire:

and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:12

Life In Oregon! :)

 

   

 SO MANY times it is hard to believe that I am actually in Oregon at Crystal Peaks doing what I've dreamed of doing for SIX years of my life!!! But we serve a BIG God, and He has good plans for each and every one of our lives!! I'm so grateful that Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is the plans He has for me for this season of my life!!!

This is the "before and after picture!" :) The one on the left is before I left for work my first day, and the one on the right is after I got back from work my first day...sunburned, and as happy as can be! :)

 Little Bear one of our most beautiful horses at the ranch looking for a treat and therefore unknowingly posing for the camera! :)

 These pictures are from when we got to work with a group of kids that had disabilities. They really enjoyed their time around the horses and interacting with the ranch staff and full time volunteers!

 One of our full time volunteers Jessi showing how Little Bear can play big soccer! :)

 The kids trying some big soccer themselves! :)

 Jacobi sporting my pony tail holder...is there any place more appropriate for a pony tail holder than a pony's hair?! Lol

 My dear friend Blanche who's house I am living in this summer! She is a wonderful blessing to me!

 The gorgeous, breathtaking Three Sisters Mountains that I get to see most every day!

 Kade...adorable little guy, one of the staff member's at Crystal Peaks son.

 Doing a Friday afternoon Bible study with these three lovely ladies..

 Our calm picture...

 and our wild one! ;)

 My dear friend Jordi who I've gotten very close to since arriving in Oregon!!

 My first experience painting a horse with a sweet little girl during a session at the ranch one day!

Finished...a masterpiece!! :)

 Good times with my fellow full time volunteers...Ruthann in the middle, and Krista on the right!

Snuggling with Bear one of the staff at Crystal Peaks dog...it really helps when you're homesick!!!

My dear friend and fellow full time volunteer Karmel

 And our favorite part of the day...time to feed the herd!!

 Our Mississippi girl riding the ranger like a pro!

 Eating horses=happy horses! :)

 Fellow full time volunteer and dear friend Karen! She is like a mother away from home to me!

 Ready for Sunday morning church!

 Sunday afternoon, cowgirl full time volunteers at Crystal Peaks pictures! :)

 

One of Oregon's MANY beautiful rainbows, a reminder that God ALWAYS keeps His promises!! Every day I live in Oregon is a reminder of that! So many times He spoke to my heart that one day I would be here, and now I truly am!! Although it isn't all sunshine and roses...there is homesickness, and horsesickness for my amazing babies back home...God is teaching me SO MUCH, and I am growing each and every day!! The best part of it all is knowing that I am EXACTLY where God wants me to be right now! God is SO GOOD! He ALWAYS keeps His promises!!!

A Sweet Aroma To God

This morning I was sitting in our comfy blue chair in the living room next to a toasty fire crackling in the stove praying. As I was praying I stopped and got up to go check if I'd been successful in raising the temperature in the house at all by my fire, and found it to be so. Satisfied I headed back to my spot in the blue chair. As I walked past the stove I glanced at it and noticed the top of it was smoking. Knowing it isn't normal for the top of the stove to smoke I went closer to take a look. It was as I came up next to the stove that I noticed I'd left a wicker basket of poppouri sitting on top of the stove when I started the fire! Okay call me blonde if you want to, but the lesson God revealed to me through this is AWESOME! :-) Attempting to save the basket from fire I snatched it off the very hot stove top and immediately looked at the bottom of it. I found it a bit blackened, but in a far better state than I anticipated it would be! It wasn't at the point of catching on fire yet, but the poppouri in the basket was smoking. I caught a whiff of the poppouri and stopped in my tracks. It smelled AMAZING! I glanced at the stream of smoke spiraling towards the ceiling and breathed deeply again to inhale the scent of the poppouri. The scent was so beautiful, fragrant, sweet, and delightful that I stuck my nose over the smoke ascending from the poppouri and decided to just keep smelling it for a bit. I believe that the heat was actually causing the poppouri to smell even sweeter. Or perhaps the effect of smelling it as the smoke drifted off of it was what really got me. Yet as I stood there smelling it's fragrance I heard the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart, and the words He spoke to me gave me a revelation that sent me back to the blue chair in deep thought and amazement! You see I've been reading through the Old Testament this month, and just recently I've been going through the book of Leviticus, which as most of you know for a lot of people is one of the more difficult books of the Bible to read through! As I've been reading through the specifics of offering after offering, and how they are to be given, and why they are to be given I have come across this phrase numerous times, "It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord." I have thought about this phrase and wondered about it! When you think about the things that were being offered up to God by fire you wonder how it could be a sweet aroma to Him! The wool of sheep, the hair of goats, the feathers of pigeons and turtledoves burning does not smell that pleasant! In face I envision it having quite a nasty scent actually! But as I stood there sniffing the poppouri the Holy Spirit brought revelation to my heart, and this is what I am beginning to think. Perhaps it wasn't the scent of the animals being burned that was rising to heaven as a sweet aroma to God at all! Perhaps the aroma that God was smelling was indeed as sweet as the scent of poppouri drifting into my nose as these thoughts soaked into my heart. You see perhaps the aroma that many times in the Old Testament is mentioned as being a sweet one to the Lord is one that we can still live out in our lives today! Perhaps the smell that caught the Father's attention and caused Him to look down with pleasure was the aroma of His people's obedience to Him, their love, their praise, their worship, their adoration! Pondering this I sniffed the sweet scent still ascending from the poppouri yet once again, and as I did these thoughts rang true in my spirit and my heart cried, "Oh God, that my life would smell like this to YOU!!! That I would live in such a way that You can know the joy of this sweet aroma drifting off me towards You. That you can turn Your face towards me and gaze on me with pleasure as You delight in the fragrance of my life! Father, by Your enabling, empowering Spirit let it be! Teach me how to live!" The basket of poppouri is now setting cooling on the table, but the lesson God's spirit brought still lingers on in my heart! The joy I found in sniffing such a beautiful sweet scent was unique. It brought a feeling indescribable. If that is what my life smells like to God when I live in obedience and love before Him, then that is the deepest desire of my heart, to produce that fragrance for Him!

'Then he shall split it at its wings, 

but shall not divide it completely;

and the priest shall burn it on the

altar, on the wood that is on the fire.

It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering 

made by fire. a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Leviticus 1:17