Listen Trust Follow -- Welcome!

Hi! I’m Ellen. I am so pleased and humbled that you have come to this place to read my words. This is my prayer upon posting my first message here….

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14

And with that said, I also have another prayer here at the outset of this project….

Let us draw near to God [together] with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith… ~ Hebrews 10:22

So maybe I will start with a question for you. Are you naturally drawn to adventure, the new, the challenging, or do you prefer the known, the comfortable…. home? Today I was walking our two miniature dachshunds, Annie and Genny (“The Girls”), and I noticed that I have one of each persuasion – Annie pulls the leash like an Iditarod sled dog as we burst out of the kitchen door at the beginning of our walks. Annie loves the “out there,” the adventure…..yet Genny, the older, with a little creakiness of gait settling in, even so is found to be staunchly pulling in the lead as we round the last corner for the trip back toward home.

That impressed me today as being very symbolic of two camps – one includes those of us who love to try new things, embrace change, and thrill for the unexpected or unknown. I must admit that I, on the other hand, am steadfastly on the other side of the fence – I am a home-body, a person who loves the familiar, the comfortable, the routine, and yet…..

I find that 2011 already has proven to be a year of great upheaval for me and God has said, “I have other plans for you.” I endured a life-threatening injury in January and then just two months later I have stepped through the door of a major job change.

This Spring in our Ladies Bible Study at Manchaca United Methodist Church here in Austin we have read Walking With God by John Eldredge. John suggests that we ask God to speak to us; when faced with a trial, a crossroads, a decision, a struggle – actually in all circumstances, to invite God to “Walk with me in this,” and ask Him, “What do you have for me here?”

So, I did that. And for the last two weeks I have consistently (and rather inexplicably) heard God answer, “Ellen, write a blog.” What? But I don’t know anything about blogs….I’ve never read a blog…..why would anyone want to read my blog….. Blah, blah, blah, excuses, procrastination, and my typical hesitancy to step out into the new, the unknown, the adventure. But I also have learned,

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’ ~ Jeremiah 29:11

So here I am. And as my Blog title implies, God’s Word is my Way of life. So I invite you to join me as we journey on this path with God and I pray that God will use the words that He inspires me to write as an encouragement to you in your walk with Him.

In closing I have one more Scripture for you and for us as we begin this adventure together. I will post and I hope you will comment and share this site with others, and we will truly walk with God side by side.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17