Category: Month

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Grateful for Age

This week I have had the opportunity to be with one of the youngest members of our family, Sam, and the oldest, my mother. What a joy to spend time with them both. Sam was depend upon us for most everything he needed; meals, help getting dressed, supervising his activities, bath time, bed time – you get the picture.

Mom, too, is at a point in her life where she is more dependent. She doesn’t drive anymore and she walks slower and needs help getting around but her mind is still sharp and her memories bring her great joy.

I had fun telling Sam stories about Jesus, singing little choruses and praying with him. Praying for him to grow into a man that loves the Lord, honors his parents and impacts his world. And then I also had the opportunity to listen as Mom told me of her love for the Lord, her prayers for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her desire is to live her days as an example of God’s love and goodness. She said she can’t be burdened down with worry but instead has to trust the Lord to reach her family with His love so that each one is with her one day in heaven.

Both the youngest and the oldest have a quiet trust in the Lord, for that I am truly grateful!

“Praise him, young men and women, old people and children.
13 Praise the Lord’s name! Honor his name forever!
His name is greater than any other.
He is more glorious than heaven and earth.” Psalm 148:12-13 ERV

All through the Bible we find the older teaching the younger. There is a constant instruction to remind the younger ones of the milestones in life. Moses taught the people that they should be talking of the things of the Lord when they came in and when they went out; when they got up in the morning and when they went to bed at night.

“Always remember these commands that I give you today. 7 Be sure to teach them to your children. Talk about these commands when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road. Talk about them when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them on your hands and wear them on your foreheads to help you remember my teachings.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9 ERV

I’m thankful that my parents and grandparents taught me to love the Lord and I’m grateful for the opportunity and the responsibility to teach my children and grandchildren of God’s goodness!

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Attitude of Gratitude

About 5 years ago I focused on giving thanks for the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. It’s very important that we have a right heart in the things we do each day. So for the next 6 to 7 weeks I will be centering in on our ability to give thanks.

I encourage you to start now. Make a list of people and opportunities you are thankful for. Not just a mental list but a down-on-paper list! Then stop by the store and pick up a box of thank you notes and send them off to those names you have on your list. Tell them how they have affected your life and how grateful you are for them.

Yes, you might do this from time to time on FB, through a text or email but it will mean a whole lot more when they realize you took the time to get the card, write the note and put it in the mail. Time = love!

It might be old fashioned but gratitude never goes out of style.

We can never be too thankful. A lot of folks these days have forgotten how to say “thank you” or to properly appreciate the things that are done for them.

We tend to take so many things for granted or worse yet feel that “well I deserve it”. Nothing could be farther from the truth – if we all got what we deserved we would go straight to hell – do not pass go, do not collect $200. We might be better than someone else but when compared to God’s standard we have all failed and are deserving of death but He gives us grace freely.

So today take on an attitude of gratitude and look for a way to tell someone thank you – maybe it’s your kids just because they hold your heart, or your husband, thank him for going to work everyday and then coming home, or your wife – have you thanked her for all the things she does each day that no one seems to notice(but have the smelling salts ready, she may faint).

I use a phrase constantly in expressing gratitude and the thing is, I really mean it. I will say, “Thank you, I really appreciate that” and sometimes I hear, “sure you do” but you know I do! I want people to know they are truly appreciated.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. ”
1 Thessalonians 5:18

You don’t have to be thankful “for” everything but “in” everything. Thanksgiving is the will of God for our lives!

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Always the Same

I took Glory out this morning and there it was, that big full moon. Yesterday morning I saw it from Rio Rico, this morning I see it in Yuma. Wherever you are I’m know you are seeing it too unless there are too many clouds or your view is obstructed for some reason.

That full moon will rotate in cycle and although it will be gone for a few days, there is no worry but that it will be back again. Same with the sunrise, very shortly the sun will start to crest the horizon and the process of daylight will start again.

Astronomers count on things being the same. We have a calendar built on the sameness of the stars, planets, sun and moon.

Shouldn’t we trust the sameness of our God?

Life brings us changes. It may be leaving an old job and taking a new one; children becoming more independent; neighbors and friends moving on or maybe you are moving; school changes; weddings; funerals. So much can change and our lives always seem to be in a state of flux. However…

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8

Amen!! Have you seen what Jesus did when he walked the earth – He is the same now and He will be the same in our future. Our responsibility is to put our faith in His faithfulness.

The Lord tells us we can put our trust in Him. He is the one who brings good to our lives.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.” James 1:17-18 ERV

Look at what Jesus said about His purpose on earth.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19

Let His faithfulness meet you where you are & make things right.

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Can You Hear the Music

A few days back I reminded you of how the Lord protected the three young men in the firery furnance. God took them through and brought them out victorious. The same was true for another young man named Daniel. He was friends with those three.

Jealousy caused the palace rulers to look for a way to trap the King into relieving Daniel of his position and his life. They got the King to pass a law that anyone who prayed to the Lord and not to the King should be thrown into the lions den.

Sure death!

Daniel remained loyal to the Lord and he was taken to the lions den and thrown in. The King regretted his decision because he trusted Daniel and knew him to be a man of integrity but the law was the law. The next morning the King came to check on Daniel.

He was alive.

Then the King had the men who had deceived him into making such a law thrown into the same lions den and they were destroyed. Lest you think I’m completely off point for my title, look at this verse.

“The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.”

18 The Lord has promised: Your sorrow has ended, and you can celebrate.Zephaniah 3:17-18 ERV

Life’s battle will seem overwhelming and exhaust us if we try to fight them on our own. How much better it is when we trust God – He fights with us and for us. He takes joy in us and showers us with His love. The Lord sings and celebrates when we win.

Now, do you hear the music?

Remember a young boy by the name of David who faced a giant of a problem. If God protected David in his fight, we can trust Him to do the same for us.

“Today the Lord will let me defeat you. I will kill you. I will cut off your head and feed your body to the birds and wild animals. And we will do the same thing to all the other Philistines too. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel. 47 All the people gathered here will know that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and he will help us defeat all of you.”

48 Goliath the Philistine started to attack David. He slowly walked closer and closer toward David, but David ran out to meet Goliath.” I Samuel 17:46-48

Give your battle, whatever it is, to the Lord. Let Him defeat the enemy and get invited to the celebration when it over!

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Comfort in Troubling Times

Do you ever have thoughts come to you out of the clear blue? You know, you’re thinking about one thing and then something else just invades you thinking process. That’s the way it was for me this morning.

I wasn’t even really awake when a song I had heard on the radio on Sunday arrived in my heart and head bringing me to a place of conscious thought. Here are just a few of the lyrics that were written by Hillsong.

“What a wonderful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus”

And as I kept repeating that refrain my mind went to what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 18:9

“The Lord is a mighty tower where his people can run for safety—”

And then I began to pray for those who lost loved ones yesterday in Las Vegas and those who were injured and those who were called to care for the injured and the dying. How do we cope with such senseless acts of violence and destruction?

I run to the Lord and find comfort in His loving arms.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 I trust God, so I am not afraid of what people can do to me!
I praise God for his promise to me.” Psalm 56:3-4 ERV

God wants to use us to bring comfort and consolation to those around us. It’s important that we aren’t overwhelmed but that we stay anchored in His love.

“Don’t let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.” Romans 12:21 CEV

So even as I am writing this the chorus above keeps going through my mind. What a wonderful name it is, The name of Jesus! I will continue to trust in Him, to lean on Him for strength and will praise Him because He is greater than all my fears.

“Stand and shout praises to your Lord, the eternal God!
Praise his wonderful name, though he is greater than words can express.” Nehemiah 9:5 CEV

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Through the Eyes of a Child

Of course you know that most of my morning devotional thoughts come from real life experience. This morning while I’m writing this there is a small child in the other room trying to decide to go back to sleep. He’s singing softly and I hope that is enough of a lullaby to put him back into a place of slumber for a couple more hours. Only Besta is supposed to be up this early – doesn’t he know it’s my quiet time?

It’s been many years since Dave and I had a little one, unattended by their parents, to care for. What a joy! Yesterday, we picked Sam up at his home and made the two hour trip to ours. We had a fun time as he giggled and talked from the back seat. It was different than the old days because we couldn’t turn around and see his face, you know, rear facing car seats weren’t a deal when our other grandchildren were little.

Once we were here there was much to explore – doors that needed closing, new toys, different foods, different objects, and the big outdoors. We took feeders to the hummingbirds, filled the bird baths, watched the bees and just lived in general marvel of all there was to see.

There was a walk down the dirt road and a gust of wind. “Wind, blow. Wind, blow. Oooo blow again.” Sometimes we held hands as we walked and others I would hear, “I walk self” and he would drop my hand and then take it back in a moment or two.

What a wonderful afternoon of joyful play and discovery. No wonder Jesus told his disciples that we needed to come as a little child if we wanted to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

“About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 2 Jesus called a child over and had the child stand near him. 3 Then he said:

I promise you this. If you don’t change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. 4 But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.” Matthew 18:1-5 CEV

The awe, the innocence, the need to rely on Someone, the ability to follow and the hunger to learn more are all the childlike qualities we need to keep in our relationship with the heavenly Father.

One of my best moments yesterday was as we were getting ready to come in from the front courtyard. Sam had walked down the sidewalk to the gate and he stood there knocking. I was behind him and he knew I was watching. He turned around, smiled at me and I told him we needed to go in and see Pappy. He came running with a big smile across his face, got to my legs, stopped looked at me and lifted his hands. When I picked him up I got the biggest squeeze!

I knew that’s how God, the Father, wants us to be – come running, big smiles, and find a hug waiting!

Yep! One of the best days ever!

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Taste and See – It’s Good!

Yesterday we celebrated our grandson’s 2nd birthday. He had been running around playing with his friends but when his Mom said it’s time for cake, he was eager to climb up in his booster seat and buckle in.

It didn’t matter that his friends were still playing or that there was a lot of other activity going on, he just wanted the cake.

It was a funfetti white cake with black sky frosting sprinkled with silver stars. It was his and he loved it!

As I watched him experience such complete joy, oblivious to all that was around him, I thought of what King David wrote in the Psalms.

“This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear (reverence) Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him” Psalm 34:6-8

We can experience God’s love with the same abandon as Sam eating his cake. Its a kind of up-to-your-elbows, smeared-on-your-face kind of joy that you get when you realize that the Father loves you unconditionally, dirty face and all!

Start the day knowing that you are blessed and you have angels around you to protect and help you today.

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Cross the Finish Line!

Did you know that God desires for you to be triumphant today?

Well He does! He has provided a way for you to ALWAYS be victorious – not so, you say. Yes way! And when we do triumph and give Him the glory, it’s like the smell of a sweet perfume. So when folks ask “What’s that smell (i.e. how did you come out that victorious), we can say, “Oh, it was God helping me, taking me through, making me victorious.”

In the book of Daniel we read of 3 young men who refused to compromise their stand for God. The king had ordered everyone in the realm to bow before his statue and worship him. Take a knee! But these three, even though they were in the king’s employ, refused.

The king’s anger was out-of-control. He demanded their worship and their allegiance. Again they refused even though death was to be their most certain consequence. The king ordered the refining fires to be heated to the greatest possible intensity, seven times hotter than it had ever been. And when the three publically stood in opposition to the king he had them bound and thrown into the fire.

“So the soldiers tied up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and threw them into the flaming furnace with all of their clothes still on, including their turbans. The fire was so hot that flames leaped out and killed the soldiers.

24 Suddenly the king jumped up and shouted, “Weren’t only three men tied up and thrown into the fire?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the people answered.

25 “But I see four men walking around in the fire,” the king replied. “None of them is tied up or harmed, and the fourth one looks like a god.”[a]

26 Nebuchadnezzar went closer to the flaming furnace and said to the three young men, “You servants of the Most High God, come out at once!”

They came out, 27 and the king’s high officials, governors, and advisors all crowded around them. The men were not burned, their hair wasn’t scorched, and their clothes didn’t even smell like smoke. 28 King Nebuchadnezzar said:

Praise their God for sending an angel to rescue his servants! They trusted their God and refused to obey my commands. Yes, they chose to die rather than to worship or serve any god except their own.” Daniel 3:21-28 CEV

When we serve the King of Kings we aren’t promised a perfect life but we are promised a protected life. These men came out of a life threatening situation and they didn’t even smell like smoke. What obstacle do you face that could be any greater than this? God is the same now as He was then.

Here’s to victory today – Always! ” Now thanks be to God, who always leads us to triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” II Corinthians 2:14

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Clean the Windshield

I have a thing for clean windows. I’ve been known to wash windows when it was dark, in fact the other night Dave and I were sitting on the patio and I had to get up and clean the sliding door because I had seen all the smudges on it earlier in the day.

I also want to have the windows in the car cleaned. We do a lot of driving and I’m always wanting to get a good picture but if the windshield or the side windows are spotted with bugs it ruins the shot.

And if you’re not concerned enough about my compulsive cleaning I should mention that I have this same drive to clean mirrors and my glasses. I know, I know but I have a need to see clearly.

I realize that I come by this “need” for clean windows naturally. As a child, my dad was always cleaning windows. When I got married, Dave & I would go to visit my folks and as we were in the car ready to drive away, Daddy would stop us and clean the windshield. It didn’t matter we were heading to the gas station and would do it there. We couldn’t leave with a dirty window.

So as I was cleaning the windows in the dark (windows don’t streak if you wash them at night), I realized that not only had my earthly father given me a desire for clean, clear windows but my heavenly Father had as well.

“When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. 12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. 13 For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.” I Corinthians 13:11-13

Sound familiar – these are the verses from the end of the “love chapter” I Corinthians 13. Paul draws a comparison between our thinking like children and the way we see God. We don’t have full understanding of things when we are children and while we are here on earth we really don’t have a full understanding of God’s character and His purpose for us. It’s like looking through a dirty glass – we just can’t see clearly but we will someday.

As children we don’t completely understand many things that we gain knowledge of as we grow into mature adults. And we don’t understand the depth of God’s love and His character as long as we are here on earth. That’s where faith, hope and love come in.

Our hope in God and His word is what feeds our faith to not only believe that God can do all things but that He will! Why? Because of His great love. Gaining knowledge of God’s love is like cleaning the windows, we get a clearer picture of who God is. Once we get to heaven, we will know as God does but until then we an keep growing.

“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. 9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.” Romans 5:8-10

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Sit – Stay

When Kaci was small we had a wonderful Australian Shepherd named Bear. He had been badly abused when we adopted him and made him a member of our family. He had trust issues to say the least. We were given the name of a good trainer and once a week I took him to class. It didn’t take long for him and I to learn to work together. The commands of sit and stay were some of the first we worked on. He needed to know that when I gave those commands he could TRUST that I wasn’t going to leave him or beat him into obedience.

Presently I am in a sit still stage of my life. I’m not doing it very well. I have things to do, places to go, people to meet and minister too and God is saying “Sit Still”. I have learned in the past and am learning again that it’s just as important to be obedient to that command as it is to “love thy neighbor” or “pray without ceasing”.

If you know me at all you know I always have a list – things need to be done! I don’t do SIT – STAY very well. Years ago I read a book by Tim Hansel, “When I Relax I Feel Guilty”, that describes me to a tea. Retirement isn’t easy for a “list person”. I had a very dear friend tell me that it’s just as important to wait as it is to march forward. Both have their place but we have to be obedient to what God is saying and when He’s saying it.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Psalm 46:10-11

The children of Israel had a tangible, visible sign that they followed. The Lord placed a cloud over the Tabernacle and when it moved the moved; and when it stayed they stayed.

“Sometimes the cloud was over the Holy Tent for only a few days. So the people obeyed the LORD’s command—they followed the cloud when it moved. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only during the night—the next morning the cloud moved. So the people gathered their things and followed it. If the cloud moved, during the day or during the night, they followed it. 22 If the cloud stayed over the Holy Tent for two days, a month, or a year, the people stayed at that place. They did not leave until the cloud moved. When the cloud rose from its place and moved, they also moved. 23 So the people obeyed the LORD’s commands. They camped when the LORD told them to, and they moved when he told them to. They watched carefully and obeyed the LORD’s commands to Moses” Number 9:21-23 ERV

Obedience! That’s the key. We say “Lord, speak to me and I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.” And then He speaks something so simple as to stay – rest and we sit for 15 minutes and then want to get up and get back to our normal routine. It’s hard to rest!

Once again it’s the Holy Spirit teaching obedience and most of the time obedience involves crucifying the flesh. God’s way of doing things is generally contrary to the natural way. He told Joshua to march around a city and they would capture it – Jesus told us to achieve greatness we must strive to be a servant. Paul said when I am weak then am I strong. See – these things seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, but that’s God’s way.

I’m learning and I imagine I will be learning this lesson again. I hope what I am being taught will encourage you when it comes your turn to “rest”.

“The LORD is good and merciful;
our God is so kind.
6 The LORD takes care of helpless people.
I was without help, and he saved me.
7 My soul, relax!
The LORD is caring for you.” Psalm 116:5-7 ERV

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