Category: joy

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Good Medicine

We have friends visiting us this weekend. Dear friends! Yesterday we spent most of the afternoon and the evening sitting on the back patio just talking. At one point we all ended up laughing so hard that our sides were aching and our eyes were watering. It had been a long time since I have laughed that hard – it felt so good.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Proverbs 17:22 NLT

“If you are cheerful,  you feel good;  if you are sad, you hurt all over.” Proverbs 17:22 CEV

God’s word is true. A cheerful heart is good medicine. I didn’t realize until just now that this ties in with yesterday’s blog on happiness. God intends for us to have happy hearts. It’s His medicine for our souls.

I know the Lord is in favor of joy and laughter because we are told that in heaven all sorrow and tears will be wiped away. There will be continual joy. That’s how it is when we are in God’s presence. We don’t have to wait for heaven to have joy; we can experience it each day by spending time with the Father.

“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV

Our joy and happiness is a good measure of our trust and dependence on the Lord. It’s easy to get discouraged when things in life aren’t going as planned; illness, financial reversal, relationship issues can all deplete our reservoir of joy. That’s why we need to stay focused on the Father’s love for us and his goodness. Counting our blessings is a good way to encourage ourselves and to restore joy.

“For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. 16 Better to have little, with fear (reverence) for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.” Proverbs 15:15-16 NLT

I know I’ve told you this story before but it’s worth repeating. I heard Zig Ziglar, the motivational speaker, tell it years ago.

Two little girls were each placed in a room filled with manure and left alone for a short while. When the door was opened they found one little girl in tears. She thought this was an awful experience. But when they opened the door to the second room they found the other little girl laughing and playing in the manure. When they asked her why she was so happy she replied “With all this manure, there must be a pony in here somewhere”. This girl had a merry heart!

The one little girl looked at life’s circumstance and became despondent while the other looked for the blessing and remained joy filled.

Laughter is good! How long has it been since you had a good belly laugh – the kind that makes your sides ache and tears roll down your cheeks? If you’re feeling “heart sick” it’s time to take your medicine.

Laughter is good medicine!

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Growing Happiness

The last week or so I have been reading things that talk about happiness. Just this morning there was a story on Facebook, I have seen a few times before, about a woman who said she decided each morning to be happy. The memories of her life were like deposits of golden joy that she withdrew from her account in her later years. She had six rules to happiness:

“1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less,
6. And enjoy every moment.”

Max Lucado has just come out with a new book, How Happiness Happens. I haven’t started to read it yet but I am involved in taking his seven day happiness challenge. Each day, he encourages us to find someone – friend or foe – and give happiness away. Not just to the deserving and kind but to the aggravating and cynical. It is a challenge! This is day four.

To me, happiness is different from joy but they are related. Joy, which is a gift of the Spirit, is planted in our hearts and grows as we do. Joy grows in difficult situations. It keeps us focused and in control. Joy is a stabilizing factor that gets us through the rough times.

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:1-5 NLV

Troubles don’t come from God but they can be used by Him if we keep our focus on the Father and not the problem. When cast our care (trouble) over on the Lord he takes it and works it out. We need to be patient in the process knowing that He hasn’t forgotten us but is working on our behalf. That’s what produces the hope we have and when we hope in Him we will never be disappointed.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:2-8 NLV

Happiness is an outgrow of joy. Think of it this way. Joy is a tree and happiness is the fruit. The tree needs sunshine and rain; it faces the elements, the daily hardships but it endures. And from the endurance it gathers nutrients that help produce the fruit – the fruit of happiness.

We can then take that happiness that has grown on the tree of joy and share it with others. God loves us and is working in our lives and on our circumstances. We can be joyful as we wait to see how He is working things out for us and then we can pick that fruit, happiness, and use it to bless others.

Grow happiness!

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Say It Again

I hope all of you have experienced hearing someone you love say your name. Words cannot describe what happens in my heart, the center of my emotions, when I hear “Kris” spoken lovingly from David’s lips. That same emotion rises when I hear “Mom” and “Besta”. There’s a tenderness, a caring, a verbal loving embrace.

It reminds me of a scene from the movie Ever After. Some of you have heard me tell of this before but it came to mind again this morning. I think it has something to do with the fact that this last week I have spoken with all of my family except for AJ and Kylee and heard that sweetness in their voices and had them call my name.

In the movie, close to the end, Henry, the prince, realizes he can’t live without Danielle, Cinderella, so he rides out to save her from her indentured life to Jacque LePew. As he comes up the hill to the fortress walls, she is walking out, having gained her own freedom. He apologizes for doubting her, tells her he loves her and can’t live without her. She stops him in his conversation and says, “Say that again.” He starts to apologize again for failing to trust her and then she says “No, not that. Say the part where you call me by name again.” And then he says her name, Danielle, and declares his love. AWWWW!

There is nothing so sweet than to hear the one you love say your name. It stirs the heart and words can’t explain fully explain the feeling it gives you. WOW! It is completely over-the-top.

I’ve been reading about Samuel and how God called him to service:

“The boy Samuel was Eli’s helper and served the LORD with him. At that time the LORD did not speak directly to people very often. There were very few visions…. 4 The LORD called Samuel, and Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 Samuel thought Eli was calling him, so he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”
…Finally, Eli understood that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Eli told Samuel, “Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, LORD. I am your servant, and I am listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. 10 The LORD came and stood there. He called as he did before, saying, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel said, “Speak. I am your servant, and I am listening.” I Samuel 3:1-10

Can you imagine? The voice of God calling your name, what a joy!

Then I remembered that God called others by name as well; it started with Adam & Eve; Noah, David, Daniel, Jeremiah, Zacchaeus, the disciples, Mary at the garden tomb, Saul on the road to Damascus and John on the Isle of Patmos; all of these and more had that same wonderful experience of hearing God call them by name.

See what Isaiah says to the children of Israel:

“Descendants of Jacob, I, the LORD, created you and formed your nation.
Israel, don’t be afraid. I have rescued you. I have called you by name; now you belong to me. 2 When you cross deep rivers, I will be with you, and you won’t drown. When you walk through fire, you won’t be burned or scorched by the flames. 3 I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, the God who saves you. I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia, and the region of Seba in exchange for you.
4 To me, you are very dear, and I love you. That’s why I gave up nations and people to rescue you. 5 Don’t be afraid! I am with you.” Isaiah 43:1-5 ERV

God the Father has called us by name as well. Yes, He has! In His love He called our name telling us that He has a plan for our lives; a plan to be in fellowship and relationship with Him; a plan of adoption so that we can call Him “Abba Father.”

Hearing God speak our name shouldn’t be a one time experience, limited only to the day we accept Him as Savior. How sad it would be if I only heard David say my name the one time when he made me his wife. No, daily he says my name and tells me he loves me and it never gets old.

Daily God is calling our name and telling us He loves us. Do you hear it or are you too busy and distracted? Take time to listen…and take time to respond. Can you imagine how it thrills His heart to hear you say, “Abba Father, I love you. I want to spend time with you today”?

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Spoiler Alert – Watch Out!

“Our vineyards are in blossom; we must catch the little foxes that destroy the vineyards.” Song of Solomon 2:15

Or to paraphrase: don’t let the little things in life spoil your garden.

In my case it was the gophers that spoiled the vine. Years ago I made a serious attempt to plant a garden. It was a difficult task because we lived in an area where the soil was good but the water wasn’t. We had to keep the water slowly running in the garden because if it stopped the surface would become dry and a salty crush would form.

I took good care of my garden. We protected it from the varmints with a rabbit fence and it discouraged the coyotes as well. I watched as the watermelons developed and could hardly wait to cut one of those delicious dark green beauties open.

The kids kept asking if they could pick them but I said they weren’t quite ready – I was checking everyday and then the day of harvest came. We went to the garden, with mouth watering, we bent down to pluck the melon from it’s vine. To our shock and great disappointment, the melon was ruined.

It looked beautiful – a rich, dark green – big and round. It was going to be the best melon ever and it would have been if the gophers hadn’t have come up from underneath and eaten a hole in the rind and devoured the middle!

A life lesson here – as christians we are to bear fruit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith. But if we aren’t careful the little foxes and the gophers (varmints), will come and destroy the fruit. We know them better as worry, fear, self-reliance, peer pressure, overwork, laziness, stress, etc. These varmints will try to destroy the fruit that God wants us to produce.

“I am the Vine and you are the branches. Get your life from Me. Then I will live in you and you will give much fruit. You can do nothing without Me. 6 “If anyone does not get his life from Me, he is cut off like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you get your life from Me and My Words live in you, ask whatever you want. It will be done for you. 8 “When you give much fruit, My Father is honored. This shows you are My followers. 9 I have loved you just as My Father has loved Me. Stay in My love. 10 If you obey My teaching, you will live in My love. In this way, I have obeyed My Father’s teaching and live in His love. 11 I have told you these things so My joy may be in you and your joy may be full. 12 “This is what I tell you to do: Love each other just as I have loved you. ” John 15:5-12 NLV

If we stay connected to the vine, Jesus, we will produce the fruit that He has commanded of us. That fruit is love for each other as Christ has loved us.

Don’t let the little foxes spoil the vine…and watch out for the gophers too!

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Loud & Noisy

When will I learn? Once again it happened; that annoying three beep blast from the smoke detector at 3:30 a.m.! It’s now 4:30 and my heart rate is just now coming back to normal…I can guarantee you that I have now written on my calendar “Change Batteries” on both September 1 and March 1.

A noisy gong and a clanging cymbal! Life has many obtrusive interruptions. The Apostle Paul writes about such things.

“ If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT

These are the first verses in what is called the love chapter. Paul is telling us that we may have all sorts of talents, abilities and motivations but if they aren’t done with a loving attitude then our good deeds are worthless, annoying and for self-gratification.

Like a clanging cymbal!

However, when done from a heart of love, a servant’s heart, people’s lives are impacted and they are pointed to Jesus.

“But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light.” I Peter 2:9 ERV

A clanging cymbal can be either an annoyance or a sound of joy and comfort. The little toy monkey pictured with this morning’s blog is one of the most annoying toys ever. Clang- Clang- Clang! It can certainly be compared to the blast of the smoke alarm.

But then there is the blast of the horn of a fire truck on it’s way to rescue someone or the siren of an ambulance. Those sounds might annoy drivers in traffic or someone in their home trying to nap but they most definitely bring comfort to the one who made the 9-1-1 call.

The clanging cymbal – it can be like the little toy monkey or it can be like the finale of the 1812 Overture. It can be dreaded or excitedly embraced! The same is true of our actions. We can be annoying because the things we do are void of love or we can be a comfort and source of joy.

“Praise him with a clash of cymbals;  praise him with loud clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:5-6 NLT

Today I choose to be a loud clanging cymbal used to praise God and tell of His greatness!

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Start With a Clap

“If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know then your face with surely show it. If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.”

I have to start the morning with a joy filled heart! I choose to be happy; there is a little rain, lightning in the distance and a faint sound of thunder. The morning is starting and I don’t want to miss it.

A joy-filled day – let’s see a show of hands of how many of you experienced a full day of joy. I must admit that yesterday I got distracted a few times – I forgot that I was in the Father’s presence and I discovered that attempting to do things in my own strength and power was tiring at best and frustrating too. But today is a new day, a new opportunity to be joy-filled.

“ My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.” James 1:2-4 CEV

In the King James version of this verse it says “Count it all joy”.

Really? Count it joy when you fall into temptations – really? Yes, the joy comes from knowing that we’re not in this alone! God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. It means we are in His presence and in His presence there is fullness of joy! Joy in knowing He is able, joy in knowing that we aren’t operating under our own power or our own wisdom, joy in knowing that He has created us to be victorious! When I realize all of this and focus on it, I am growing and maturing, becoming the more Christ-like .

In John 16, Jesus was talking with his disciples the night before His crucifixion. He was giving them last minute instructions. He told them that they would all abandon Him and that He would be alone but He quickly added that the Father would be with Him so He wouldn’t really be alone. (In His presence is fullness of joy)!

He then told the disciples that they would have troubles in this world. Not as big as the crucifixion but troubles all the same. His next words may have seemed strange to them, He said “Be of good cheer (find joy), for I have overcome the world”. Jesus had just told them how he was overcoming the trials in His life – He wasn’t looking for the support of friends and followers but He was simply looking to the One who would never leave or forsake, the Father, and in the Father’s presence is victory and fullness of joy.

“No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. 11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” Psalm 16:9-11 NLT

So let’s try this again today. I am determined that I will have a joy-filled day. I will keep my mind focused on the Father and in His presence I will have fullness of joy!

If you’re happy and you know it CLAP!

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How Do We Stop?

I have no idea if children learn songs that are rounds anymore but this morning I had one come to mind and haven’t been able to stop the lyrics. The question is where do you stop when you are singing a “round”?

Some of you who are younger may not even know what a round is. It’s a song like Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Are You Sleeping Brother John. One person or group starts the song and when the finish the first phrase the next group or person starts in at the beginning and then a third and fourth group join in at just the right time. If you don’t have a chorus leader you generally agree to sing through the song three or four times and then stop. But really, there is no stopping point for a round; thus it is aptly named.

The last two weeks I have been reading through the book of Revelation and I have found that there is always singing in heaven. The songs of praise never stop!

“Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and their bodies were covered with eyes. Day and night they never stopped singing,

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, the all-powerful God, who was and is and is coming!’

9 The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. 10 At the same time the twenty-four elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said,

11 ‘Our Lord and God,  you are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. You created all things, and by your decision they are and were created.'” Revelation 4:8-11 CEV

Did you notice – day and night they never stopped singing! Heaven is filled with constant praise to God, the Father, for who He is and what He has done! Words cannot adequately convey our gratitude for God’s greatness.

Peter was writing to encourage Christians when he penned these words:

“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:5-9 NLT

We have trials while we are here on earth; we are faced daily with opportunities to worry, fear, and act in an unloving way. When we resist giving in to these temptations we achieve small victories and we see the impurities of self-centeredness being removed. Our motives are being purified. We are becoming more Christ-like.

So, here’s the round that was going through my mind this morning. It comes from these verses. It is the chorus of a song that was written by Barney Warren in 1900, Joy Unspeakable.

“It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Oh, the half has never yet been told.”

As I said, the thing with a round is knowing when to stop it. The words of this chorus have been echoing in my heart for over an hour now. I hope these words stick with you today. There’s nothing better than focusing on the Father and His love for us.

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Good Morning Lord!

Getting up this morning did you give thanks to the Lord or did you complain about what your day has in store? My day started with waking to the sound of a gentle rain. Nice!

Are you able to drive to work instead of walk? Praise the Lord! If you have no car are you able to walk? Praise the Lord! Do you have a job to go to? Praise the Lord.

Do you have people in your life that are abrasive and aggravating? Or folks who are loving, kind and fun to be around? Then Praise the Lord! The aggravating help you appreciate the loving.

Were you able to have a hot cup of coffee and even some breakfast? Praise the Lord.
Ok, so do you see where I’m going with this – there is always something to Praise the Lord for.

“Thank the LORD for his faithful love and for the amazing things he does for people.
9 He satisfies those who are thirsty. He fills those who are hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:7-8

What is it in your life that you consider good? Health, friends, family, career, cash in your pocket, a nice car, your boat, a new home, a well-trained horse, a shot gun, the right to bear arms – what?

If it’s good, it’s a gift from God so make sure you thank Him today and that you look at all you have to be thankful for instead of wasting precious time being resentful for something “more” you think you should have.

“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

Let praise be the start and the end of your conversations today.

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Enjoying Tent Life

Dave and I have been home a few weeks and each day we talk about the fun we had while in the mountains. We are looking forward to going back again in August and this time we will have our oldest daughter, son-in-law and grandson join us for a few days. We really do like our tent.

When our kids were younger we did quite a bit of camping. It was relaxing, fun and inexpensive. We weren’t one of those families that pulled in to the campground in our RV but instead we tent camped. It was a nice tent and as comfortable as a tent could be but still it was a tent.

I had my camping boxes that went on every trip. Each box had all the necessities prepacked. The only thing we really needed to think about was filling the ice chest with the refrigerated food and drinks. We could be ready to go in less than an hour’s time.

We had some fun times; oh, we had the soggy ones too. First time out in the new tent we had forgotten to seal the seams so we got as much rain in the tent as out. Then the adventures of wild animals, canoe trips, floating the river and one time we brought everything but the tent. I know…but it happened.

No matter how much fun we had and how beautiful the camp site it was always nice to come home. A comfortable bed, dry clothes, and a warm shower. Awwww.

In my reading today the Apostle Paul is talking about tent camping.

“We know that our body—the tent we live in here on earth—will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a home for us to live in. It will not be the kind of home people build here. It will be a home in heaven that will continue forever. 2 But now we are tired of this body. We want God to give us our heavenly home. 3 It will clothe us and we will not be naked. 4 While we live in this tent, we have burdens and so we complain. I don’t mean that we want to remove this tent, but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be covered with life. 5 This is what God himself made us for. And he has given us the Spirit as the first payment to guarantee the life to come.

6 So we always have confidence. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by what we believe will happen, not by what we can see. 8 So I say that we have confidence. And we really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord. 9 Our only goal is to always please the Lord, whether we are living here in this body or there with him.” II Corinthians 5:1-9 ERV

Life on this earth is like camping in a tent. It’s an adventure but not as comfortable as Home. Going home is something to look forward too with great anticipation. But while we’re in the tent we need to enjoy our surroundings.

Look for the joys of life!

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Letters of Love

A while back I was going through some boxes of old pictures in the shed. While I was sorting through things I also found some old letters. These letters were written by my grandfather to my Mom and Dad when I was just a toddler. My grandfather was an eloquent man and although there was nothing poetic in the conversation on the page, there was a sense of well being and genuine compassion.

Mom just couldn’t bring herself to tossing them out and so she gave them to me.

For the past several weeks I have been reading through some other old letters. These were written by the Apostle Paul. Most of the letters are short; only four or five chapters. Each one tells of his love for those he is writing too. They also tell of God’s great love and the blessings, the inheritance, He has provided for each and everyone of them.

These letters contain instruction, correction and encouragement, lots and lots of encouragement. I did a word search on the word encourage in the Contemporary English Version (CEV) and it was found thirty-nine times in those New Testament letters. Paul knew what it was like to battle discouragement and he wanted to bring hope and strength of mind to those he loved so dearly.

“Even Christ did not try to please himself. But as the Scriptures say, “The people who insulted you also insulted me.” 4 And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope. 5 God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ.” Romans 15:3-5 CEV

There you have it – the Scriptures were written to teach us and encourage us.

There are some in this time of instant messages (IM), personal messages (PM), texts, emails and acronyms is the value of the written word. As a little girl, I remember going out to the mailbox and bringing in the letters to my Mom. How exciting it was when there was a card or letter for me!

When Dave and I were dating our relationship was long distance and I would hurry home from work each day, anticipating another letter. I still have all those letters in a box, they were priceless.

And I guess that’s why I have such a love for God’s word. He has taken the time to write to me personally. He word tells me of His great love and encourages me to excel in the things of life. His words bring me comfort when my heart is aching and He shares my joy when I am overwhelmed with excitement.

I envision the Father sitting down, pen in hand and filling the page with “Dear Kristi, I was thinking of you today and I just wanted to let you know I love you…”

“Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. 2 Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. 3 Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.” Philippians 2:1-3 CEV

It is my prayer that each of you realize what a treasure we have – the written word of God. The Bible is our love letter – see how much the Father loves us! His word is for our encouragement.

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