Greetings Siestas and a hug to each of you! What a joy and honor it is to share here. Outside my dear family, there is no other group that I have enjoyed doing life with as much as with friends from this dear community. My name is Lora Lovin Osburn, and I live in Tennessee. I have been married to my husband Gary for 26 years and we have two lovely daughters. Our oldest, Audra Elizabeth, was married last year, and Victoria, our youngest, is studying pre-law. I enjoy the beauty of GOD’s creation, architecture, art, lamp lights, gardening, earrings, poetry and walking with my family and Lilly Belle (our 12 year old Maltese). Some of my best days are Sundays at my church with my family seated nearby, serving on the prayer team, and worshiping and applying the word with them.
We have had a year full of major life events including our youngest going to college, my invalid father moving in with us, our oldest getting married. There were numerous hospital trips, then selling our home, and moving to a new town. Many times the circumstances within the major events made me think that a hidden camera must be following me around! Life just seemed crazy at times. Though I would not have chosen the events of the last year to be knitted so closely together, I can say that my faith is stronger, my family is closer, my friends are dearer, and my sweet Jesus seems even nearer. The abundance GOD allowed me to experience through this year is why every phrase in this verse just lept off the page and into my heart:
“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest,
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.” Psalm 65:11 NLT
“You crown the year”
I see GOD giving a crown at the beginning of the year. I cannot imagine any reality TV show that would start the season by announcing the winner or giving the prize at the beginning. Although it would seem to make for a lackluster, anti-climatic season to know in advance who wins; I feel like GOD has done that with us. Why would HE, who holds the highest rank and title, give a reward of victory, before the season begins? Because HE loves us and is for us! This is going to be a glorious year! I believe that every day of the year is encircled with a diadem from HIM.
“With a bountiful harvest”
Growing up working in our family garden, I thought that my dad had planted to feed an army, and not just for our family, because of the abundance; but Dad was able to give generously of the harvest, and I see our heavenly Father doing the same. When I see HIS overflowing cart of good gifts for us, I can’t help but think that this verse applies to us not only as individuals but also to the church. HIS Word also confirms that the harvest is great in the world. In spite of what we are going through ourselves, there is kingdom work to do! Let’s be active in picking up a basket and harvesting the fields where GOD has placed us so that many souls will be added to HIS kingdom. May we witness an outpouring of HIS SPIRIT on all people and may many lives be impacted by and for the Kingdom of GOD.
“Even the hard pathways”
If I had the choice of “two roads diverged”, I would certainly choose the one that resembles a flowery Monet painting, not a hard pathway. Who would choose a hard pathway? But, that aptly describes my last year. The example JESUS gives when faced with difficulty encourages me. JESUS submitted HIS will to GOD at the cross and wore a crown of thorns. GOD did get the glory with JESUS, and I pray HE does from our GOD-ordained steps.
“Overflow with abundance”
When the children were little we’d take walks to the park, and our youngest would stop and pick up rocks along the way. She wasn’t mining gems; but she was finding delight in the daily, ordinary pathway. Sometimes I just want my path to be easy like the walk to the park; but GOD has crowned the year with so much of HIM, so much of HIS glory, that even the hard, the difficult, the part that I think I’d rather not have, overflows with abundance. Even though we may be walking in a busy season, through a complex or challenging situation, or facing intense personal concerns, truth states that hard pathways overflow with abundance. I love that this is present tense! Hallelujah!!! I need that on my pathway today! How amazing is our GOD!!! There is such a sense of celebration here because HE can be seen, felt, experienced, and praised even during difficult days! Glory to HIS Name!
Let us offer thanksgiving, sing, dance and praise:
GOD pours out abundance on our hard pathways!
Believing that many souls will be harvested and saved,
And at the outpouring of GOD’s Spirit, may we be amazed!
I’m living in and looking for HIS overflowing abundance,
So thankful for this year and GOD’s crowning circumference.
Memphis, Tn
Psalm 84:12 ESV
” O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
( oh, I Do, Lord)
Stacy, Greenfield, Indiana
Love from the center of who you are; donāt fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Romans 12:9-10 MSG
O Israel, can’t I do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.
Jeremiah 18:5-6, The Living Bible.
V6: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so at the proper time he may exalt you,
V7: casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Deneen
Sterlington, LA
Kathy, Las Cruces, NM:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
–Luke 12:34 (NIV)
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Stacey B., Fayetteville, GA
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
-John 15:4-5 (KJV)
Adrienne
Jasper, TN
“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” 2 Cor 4:10 NIV
Deb Dull Ohio Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Rene Sandifer, College Station, TX “ā¦ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)
Angie Brown from Taylors, SC
Life has brought many challenges lately, so I am late in posting but thankful for grace and God’s Word that gets us thru the days.
May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:22 (CSB)
Isaiah 61:3 NIV
…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Rachel
Kelowna, BC
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 NIV
Psalms 73:26 NLT
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
Alexia- Champaign, IL
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer. he enables me to go on the heights.
Habakkuk 3:19 NIV
Shannon, Buda, TX
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Isaiah 55:6 NIV
Scarlett, Round Rock, TX
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and donāt get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6:34, The Message
Scarlett N., Savannah, GA
“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 (NIV)
Allyson
League City TX
Psalm 86:16 ESV
“Turn to me and be gracious to me; give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant.”
Christy, Conifer, Colorado
“The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?'”
Obadiah 1:3 NIV
Brigette Brock
Morehead,Ky
Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7
NIV 84
Cindy Gandy
Hazlehurst, MS
Psalm 23:2 (ESV)
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
Patricia Gandy
Florence
Psalm 23:2 Amplified Bible
He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
Galatians 6:10 (NIV)
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.
Edgar Springs, MO
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,Ā gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
(This is a re-submission because I have not been able to find my original post for verse #18 either here or on the FB blog āŗ)
Jessica, Cumming, GA
2 Samuel 22:2 NIV
“The Lord is my rock, fortress and my deliverer”
Getting caught up: Sept 1 and Sept 15
Stephanie and Madison, Louisville KY
Romans 15:13 NIV (memorized in two parts)
May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Carolyn, Conroe, TX
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
– Isaiah 40:8 (NASB)
Kathy French, Austin
“By day The Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life. ”
Psalm 42:6 NIV 84
Janet, Holmes Beach, FL
Be joyful always;
pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NIV
June Greenstreet
Bradford Ontario
āI hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.ā
āāPhilippiansā¬ ā2:23-24ā¬ āESVā¬ā¬
Barrett, Plano, TX
Proverbs 16:31
Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.
NIV
Poorna Diaz, Reston, Virginia: “Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. Donāt run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters.Their concerns are Godās concerns, and he will take care of them. Weāve warned you about this before. God hasnāt invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautifulāas beautiful on the inside as the outside.” 1 Thessalonians 4.4-7 (MSG)
Gwen Parish
Earth TX
Lamentations 3:24-25 (NIV)
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.
Sara Sanders, Garden City KS
āI have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.ā
āāEphesiansā¬ ā1:16ā¬ āNIVā¬ā¬
Amy Smiley, Williams, AZ
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
Claire Veronie, Bryan, TX
“I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I shall pay my vows to the Lord, oh may it be in the presence of His godly ones.” Psalm 116:13-14 NASB
Paula, Atlanta Tx
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all thins that I said to you”. John 14:25 NKJV
Charlotte
Philadelphia. MS
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
John 15:13-14
ESV
Gina Fernandez, Wilson, NC
I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 16:8
Mandy, Raymond, MS
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Romans 8:18 NIV
Mandy, Raymond, MS
“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”
Psalm 85:6 NIV
Crystal Parrott- Everett, Ontario, Canada
“Don’t be deceived my dear brothers and sisters.” James 1:16 NIV
Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15 NIV
Dana
Boerne, TX
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 NIV
Lorri Sapp, Oak Grove, MO, “Do everything without complaining or arguing,” Philippians 2:14, NIV
Ruth, Odin, IL
“And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”
-Romans 8:30 (NIV84)
Dede Atlantic Beach FL
Psalm 17:15Living Bible (TLB)
15 But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face-to-face.
Rachel, Vancouver, Washington. āBlessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.ā James 1:12 (NIV)
Kearney NE
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:12-13