I miss you.....

I remember when our eyes meet-that eye to eye breathtaking moment of “IT’S YOU!”

I remember you reaching out your hand; taking hold of my heart, as you helped me up.

I remember you would chase me; like I was a prize worth catching, then you would hold me tight like you never wanted to let go.

I remember how we would talk for hours about anything and everything. Laughing and wanting to know more.

I remember the special moments together. Out and about, on the beach, or sitting right next to each other.

I remember the first time you told me you loved me! That you were shameless and that I was yours…that you were not going anywhere.

I remember how you would hold my hand when I was sad, calmed my fears when I was scared, helped me to overcome when I was mad, forgave when I just messed up, and wiped my tears when I was hurt. You were the one that knew and made everything ok, because we were together.

I remember the excitement that we couldn’t wait to be together. That we were the only thing that mattered; that we would overcame and did everything together. We were each others only thoughts, emotions, wants, desires, and dreams.

I remember the silly times, having fun being crazy, doing things at the spur of the moment, smiling and laughing like we owned the world.

I remember the moment you gave me my promise ring. The beach was never so beautiful! The love in your eyes…your soul reaching to mine…your heart becoming one with mine! 

I remember camping, movies, dinners, dirt roads, your house, my house, places and friends we shared. We never had a dull moment or didn't know what to do next.

I remember the looks you gave me when I would walk in a room; looks of love, of being proud, of need, of wanting me more than anything! The smile that you would give me made my heart jump….the wink would let me know you have been thinking of me and still do. For I was more than good enough…I was what you wanted-what you needed…what you loved more than anything or anyone in this world! I was yours only!

I remember our wedding day! The most amazing and blessed day in my life! I was marring my best friend! I was committing everything because I knew that it was God’s plan. You are my best friend, the one I dreamed of and loved. You became my life and we became one! I was honored and blessed to call you my Husband!

I remember our commitment to each other; not just words we said, but that we cherished each other and put each other above anyone or anything. An everyday action of what was in our hearts from the beginning. Nothing to take advantage of or to treat as a convenance. 

I remember when there was no fear or doubt or anything or anyone, that could change that commitment or take us away from each other. True respect-not just words or ink on paper.

I remember being safe, secure, and confident because our trust in each other was unbreakable. We knew we had each other no matter what came our way, or what will come. Our Faith was strong!

I remember making love for the first time; I was yours and your were mine! Nothing could compare or take each others place. It was ours and was true and real! We were one!

I remember our first place together. We were so excited to have a place of our own. We did it!!!

I remember signing papers on our first home. They must have cut down a whole tree---scary but our love was growing! We were ready for more!

I remember the tears and pain we went through, with the lost of our first babies, but oh what JOY when our son and daughter was born! We are truly blessed with Miracles!!!

I remember Galveston, Cancun, Fredericksburg, Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, Destin Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Disney, and many more times of wonderful places we have been. The memories are a treasure that I will never forget!

I remember yellow roses, red trucks, dreams, goals, plans, being together because we couldn’t stand to be with out each other. Constantly finding ways to share our love and grow; constantly reminding each other that we are each others treasures.  Rainbows!!!

I remember building our first house together! Man that was crazy! Despite the headaches we were so proud of our new house. Our family is so blessed to have such a beautiful home!

I remember birthday parties, backyard fun, parks, museums, school functions, activities on the weekend, tucking in at night with a story, dancing crazy in the kitchen, throwing the ball, chalk, water sprinkler, pools, quiet times, sleepy eyes, family vacations, exciting times, and just being together with the kids. Not a burden but a joy to have been blessed by children. They are truly gifts only the Father can give us!

I remember when we didn't have to think about what to say, or what to do, or where to be or go. It was natural and free ~ the only desire we had was to be and live with each other. No fears or doubts…just fun, trust and love! Not a back up plan or second choice. Completely!!! We were each others first and last!

I remember your hand reaching for mine…When you grabbed my hand you grabbed my heart! 

~~~Renee Royal
~~~~April 2012

Love is...

LOVE is

Love is not always fireworks

Sometimes love comes softly

That’s when you get your laugh back

Your heart will feel calm and you know that you are home

When you fall down and hurt, you know there is someone there to wipe your tears

You will feel the pain even fear, but the hand that reaches out will heal

The body may fail but the mind, thoughts, and emotions will still know the truth

Even when they are not together, the heart will continue to love

Things, people, places are always changing, they change us…for the better

One may need to stay or one may need to leave but no matter the change there is nothing without the other

Everyday the sun will rise and the sun will set, just like unconditional acceptance

No matter what is said or done, what’s in the past or going to be in the future, there is no record of wrong…just forgiveness

Love is not always what it seems

Sometimes it’s right in front of you and sometimes you have to come back to the real

That’s when one realizes that they can no longer miss this…

Your spirit will become full and your wants and voids are filled

Life can lead to places that one should never go

Lessons are learned, but then one becomes stronger because now there is no going back

Decisions, choices, plans can be challenging-they can allow or not allow growth

Taking the chance and doing something more….brings more

Everyday one will wake and every night one will sleep, just like medicine is to the sick

Moving in the right direction, recharging your soul and finding your priorities will bring healing and restoration

Love is always Love

It’s that moment that touches your heart so deeply that nothing, not anything or anyone, can destroy it…even if it’s shaken

Love is always reaching and giving, caring and sharing, encouraging and inspiring, going and doing more, self sacrificing for the one you want to give love too….

Love is ….1 Cor 13

                                     ~~~~~Renee Royal  Feb 2010~~~~~

Now

The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes cried no tears.

Now that the tears are dry we can feel the colors once again.

The mind would have no memory if the eyes never saw.

Now that our eyes are open our past and present, gives us hope for the future.


The heart would have no life if it never bleed.

Now that the heartbreak is healing, we can learn to live again.

The emotions would have no Joy if the experience never faced fear.

Now that time is passing, the fear turns into freedom.

The hands would never hold if the feet never traveled.

Now that we are taking steps forward, we can hold each other, one hand at a time

and then together.


The sins we choose cannot be forgiven without a sacrifice.

Now the greatest sacrifice was God’s son; For when we forgive, HE forgives and sin has become love.

The colors of a rainbow represent a promise ~ a sign.

Now that we can see the rainbow God’s Glory will shine!

Renee Royal

December 2011

The Message

The Message

Sometimes I hear the same thing over and over and over again. UGH…why?

I mean I have heard this before and I know this right? Right so why does the same message keep repeating?

Well, personally, I have found out the reason~at least what makes sense to me.

Apparently, the message that keeps repeating is because I haven’t “GOTTEN IT YET.”

Let me explain:

When I really understand something or know how to do something correctly, there is no need to repeat. Even if it has been awhile, if I have LEARNED THE LESSON then I don’t even need the reminder. However, because of my stubborn ways, my closed mindedness, my unforgiving spirit, my attitude, false teachings/beliefs, or even my deference’s, the information that seems to be repeating is because I need to get rid of the distractions and get to the truth and maybe even surrender that I don’t know everything. What??? I don’t??? YES I DON’T! LOL

It’s not always easy and sometimes the same message comes up again in the oddest times. Especially when I think I have it all together, or become self-centered. When I hear messages repeated, it’s only to help me get back on track.

Sometimes I hear the same message because I have not taken any action. Or I haven’t changed or I may not have done what I am supposed to do. Sometimes I feel scared or unsure so I have to hear the message again so that I can take the next step without doubt.

And this may sound a little crazy, but sometimes I have to hear the message again because I fall asleep. I mean not literally, but because my mind is so focused on other things that I can’t even hear what is being said because of all the noise in my head/heart!

As you can see there are many reasoning’s of why we may need to hear the message again and again. God understands and knows that these reasons are normal. In fact he loves us so much that he is willing to keep the messages coming. That is God’s way of reminding us that HE is in control, but also that He wants what is best for us. So we have to learn and grow by those messages.

We can’t get to Point Z before we Start with Point A and level up to Z!

So, if we keep hearing the same message over and over, it’s so that we can GET IT!

I am so glad that God doesn’t give up on me…and I Praise Him for the Blessings he has given and showed me because “I GOT IT!”

Can’t wait for the next message…. ARR 8/2011

HERE.....

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength!”

       Deturonomy  6:5

When I think of you I am in awe of all you have done for me!

~Becoming the ultimate sacrifice upon Calvary---YOU took my place.

~For forgiving me for all my sins as you bled, then went to Heaven.

I could never repay the debt you paid!

So what can I offer you that’s worthy of your Glory?

What can I give to show others that you are Holy?

For I do not have riches or fame~

For I don’t own much just the same!

All that I have is my Heart~

So please take it completely….here it is…here is my heart!

What can I say that hasn’t already been said?

What can I do to prove that your love is not dead?

If I surrendered all that I have, it wouldn’t be enough!

~For you alone have everything you need.

~For you created everything…and then rested.

You created me in the image of you….

so what can I offer to let you know I am yours?

All that I have is my soul. It’s what I believe in, what I desire, it is my passion.

So here is my soul….for you are in control…here it is…here is my soul!

How do I show you how much I love You?

For there is not enough time or ways that I can express how deep is the love you have given me, or how deep my love has grown for you.

I can share you with others, I can lead them to the cross, I can even pray for my enemies.

~For you alone are worthy to be praised.

~For you are worth living for…

All that I have left is my life to offer. My life is the only thing that I have a choice in how I leave a legacy.

~For without you I have no life.

~For without you I have no hope!

So please take my life…take control so that I can have your strength to do your will…here it is…here is my life!

Anissia Renee Royal 2011

Courage to Change~Confident in Christ

CHANGE???
But I am too comfortable…plus what if it doesn’t work? Then what? I could lose everything!



Things have been going great until something inside of me was tugging at my heart. I felt like I was becoming numb…it was the same thing everyday. My schedule, my activities, my day in day out errands, even my attitude.

Small things would happen and things would always work out, but I knew that something was not right. Something was making me think that there has got to be more.

Don’t get me wrong, my life is full and I love my life, but my heart was telling me to DO something different. But what did that really mean?

CHANGE!!!!

Really? Are you sure God? What do I change? And how?

• First~ I had to be still enough to know and allow God to speak!

Proverbs 46:10 “Be Still and Know that I am God.”

It took about 3 years…but I became still and learned that God is really in control and has great things for me; if I would just surrender to serve only HIM! Not others, not because of a position or obligation. But because I know God loves me and loves others. Because I know that there is hope in Jesus and that I desire to give others hope! Yes I have been still …

Next: I had to find out if there was anything holding me back; anything from keeping me from taking a step and making a change.

Did I have fear, resentment, bitterness, un-forgiveness, lack of skills, lack of education, resources, time, want, passion, confidence?

You know…I did have some of those and some of those I didn’t.

In the mist of it all , I realized that God has given me everything I need to do HIS work! Because I am a child of the Father, He has given me a spirit of power, of love, of calmness, well balance, discipline, and self control. 2 Tim 1:7-12 So therefore I do not need anything else. (Phil 4:14)

Then: I had to think about what I had to offer. The Bible says that we all have gifts and talents. What are my gifts and talents? I made a list of all the things that I do for God. Then I put them into categories so that I can see where God needs me to serve now and tomorrow.
The ones that kept coming up are: Helping, Worshiping, and Praying. WOW!

Some of my gifts and talents have been used in many different ways…and I have learned through experience that, sharing my gifts and talents, can be done in many areas where I can serve and grow my self. Even if I only had ONE gift or talent, God can provide countless ways, for me to share with others. God is not limited on ways he can use me to show others HIS love. 1 Peter 4:10

This lead me to a few thoughts.

1.) What I am doing Now! 2.) What do I want to do?

But it’s not about me…It’s about “WHAT AM I DOING FOR GOD!”

It is so easy to get caught up in being comfortable. Especially when you are in the mist of healing or facing challenges. It’s easy to just stay put and not do anything.

This can be anything from attitude, position, leadership, lifestyle, views about others, activities, family…you name it. So what am I really doing?

There is a saying, “If you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same results.” I do believe this is to be true. So if I want something different or something more, I am going to have to make changes.

However, sometimes we do need to stay where we are, for God to teach us something. For God to Bless our faithfulness, and to even be an example to others. This is the time, even through satans attacks that we must continue in HIS Name!

Phil 3:14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Endurance makes us stronger and reveals our faith.

I am called to praise and serve so that is what I will do.

Then I had to make a decision. Yes a decision! If your like me sometimes decisions are so hard that I feel confused and not sure what direction I should go. So what do I do? PRAY PRAY PRAY…I like the saying,”PUSH.” Pray Until Something Happens! This is so good and works. Phil 4:4-7

Praying has become one of my favorite things to do. Not only do I get to talk with my creator but he talks to me. I know that he listens because he has answered my prayers in the past. Not always the way I prayed but so much better.

So when making hard decisions, I pray and pray in much detail, so that when those details show up, I know without a doubt, God has answered. Then I pray a prayer of Thanksgiving, that God is directing me to the right path.

Psalms 23:3 and Psalms 25:1-22

And I know that His Plans will bring a future of hope to me and my life. His Plans will bring a hope and a future to my family and those around me. Jer 29:11

So what is my decision? What am I going to do? What changes am I going to make?

I am going to forgive and let go of things that are not pleasing to Christ
I am going to change my attitude and serve for the right reasons
I am going to help in HIS name for HIS Glory and no other
I am going to Worship from my heart
I am going to continue to pray for direction in detail and give praise for answers
I am going to continue to be strong because I have confidence in Christ
I am going to share my testimony however God calls me to share

In conclusion….I know that my heart is in the right place and now I just have to be courageous to MOVE! To make the decision to CHANGE!

Will there be challenges? Will there be hard times? Will people reject me? Sure thing!

But I will hold on to Gods Truth: “Dear Friends, (I am a friend of God), do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But REJOICE that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when HIS glory is revealed. Praise GOD that you bear HIS Name.” 1 Peter 4:12-13, 16b

Making Changes can be difficult but with God’s direction and strength, I know that I can overcome and be Victorious for HIS Kingdom. Phil 4:13 “ I can do ALL things through Christ who give me strength.”

"Be Strong and Courageous. Do not be terrified or discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Josh 1:9 No matter where I go or what I do or where I am in life, Christ, HE is Always with me. Thank you God for giving me confidence to go with out fear! You are an amazing God! AMEN!

FREEDOM-Liberty In Christ

What is FREEDOM?

Dictionary


1.The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint

- we do have some freedom of choice

- he talks of revoking some of the freedoms

2.Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government

- he was a champion of Irish freedom

3.The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved

- the shark thrashed its way to freedom

4.The state of being physically unrestricted and able to move easily

- the shorts have a side split for freedom of movement

5.The state of not being subject to or affected by (a particular undesirable thing)

- government policies to achieve freedom from want

6.The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity

7.Unrestricted use of something

- the dog is happy having the freedom of the house when we are out

8.Familiarity or openness in speech or behavior



BIBLE:

Freedom in Christ frees us from unnecessary religious practices and religious cults. You can experience a right relationship with God and your neighbors. (John 3:16)

This is long but I really like how there is history and the bible shared!  Enjoy and Be Blessed!

"Give me liberty or give me death!" Patrick Henry evidently placed a high value on freedom. Often, it is for "freedom" that soldiers fight on the battlefield, sometimes to take it away from others or to protect it, or to restore it to those who have lost it. In the United States, we generally think of such freedoms as the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly.


But there is more to freedom than simply civil laws protecting such. There are some freedoms that civil law cannot give and armies cannot secure. We have to look elsewhere for certain freedoms, and they are extremely important ones. Freedom from sin, freedom from sin's eternal consequences, freedom from hopelessness and despair, and ultimately, freedom from death.


Liberty In Christ

"Jesus was therefore saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,'" (John 8:31,32).

When Christ came, the whole world was lying in the power of the Evil One. In the context of Jesus' promise to "know the truth and the truth shall make you free" is an objection of some who heard Him. They countered that they had never been enslaved to anyone. Besides being historically inaccurate (they had, indeed, served as slaves in Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and many Jews were slaves in Rome as they spoke), they were missing the point. Jesus explained He was talking about their being enslaved to sin (John 8:33-36).

There was pride and pretentiousness; hypocrisy and greed; hatred and selfishness. They held to outward religious form and pomp; self glory and human tradition, often setting aside God's commandment in favor of their traditions. They were self-righteous and often hard-hearted. Jesus came to free them from such, and us as well. Sin is a cruel slave master which will always kill its faithful servants in the end (Romans 6:23; 5-7; 12-14).

While the Jews dealt with these things, the Gentiles were no better off. They were enslaved to false gods (Galatians 4:8). Their degradation seemingly knew no limits (Romans 1:28-32).

Jesus came to set us all free. He was the only One who could do so. We could not free ourselves, neither could any other force in heaven or on earth. It had to be Jesus. In Him we are set free as we are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Remember Jesus' own words about it; this freedom is related to and dependent upon "abiding in (His) word" (John 8:31).


Be Not Subject Again-No longer a slave to sin

"... and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1b).

The specific danger Paul addresses in the above passage (cf. Galatians 5:1-15) is a return to or dependence upon Judaism for salvation. Paul has many fine things to say about the Law of Moses. It is good; it is righteous; it led us to Christ as a schoolmaster, it spoke of the Christ to come; it is profitable for study and learning from its examples, and so forth. But it could not justify, and returning to it for justification would only result in enslavement.

False teachers were demanding the continuing observance of the Law; and even that the Gentiles, to whom the Law was never given, subject themselves to its ordinances. Paul writes, "Therefore, let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day..." (Colossians 2:16).

Additionally, there were false teachers of other sorts trying to adulterate the gospel with human philosophy and traditions (Colossians 2:8-10). Paul's answer: "But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 6:8).

The Answer To A Present Danger

"For sin shall not be the master over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace." (Romans 6:14).

We must stand guard over our freedom in Christ, else we may well find our liberty eroded and ourselves enslaved again. Peter warns that the final state of enslavement can be even worse than the first so encourages the faithful not to allow themselves to be led astray by false promises (2 Peter 2:18-22).

Even as Jesus referred to the Pharisees of His day as being enslaved, there are those today who think like the Pharisees thought. They are prideful and hypocritical. They look for a physical kingdom of silver and gold instead of a spiritual kingdom of truth and righteousness. They are steeped in human religious tradition and creeds, while setting aside the doctrine of Christ. Do not let the modern version of the Pharisee rob you of your freedom!

Neither let empty human philosophy take your freedom away. The names of the philosophies may have changed (now we have humanism, modernism and so forth) but the effects are still the same. They cannot save. Only the gospel can do that (1 Corinthians 1:18-22). The world is constantly bombarding us with words to entice us away from our salvation. Our answer: "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1).


By Jon W. Quinn