Category: Relationship

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Keep Life Spicy

Yesterday I was making homemade pizza for our dinner. I really enjoy cooking with fresh vegetables. As I was slicing and dicing, my mind began to wander. How many kinds of peppers are there?

I had just chopped jalapenos, green bell peppers, used diced green chili peppers and sprinkled on some fresh ground black pepper. When the pizza was done, we would sprinkle on some red pepper flakes. There are ghost peppers, habanero, poblano, serrano, and those are just the ones that I am familiar with. How many other kinds of peppers are there around the world?

Why didn’t God just stop after he had created three or four varieties? Wouldn’t that have been enough to add spice to our lives?

As I was pondering that I began humming a children’s chorus from Sunday School days: Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.

God did with people what He had done with peppers. He created variety.

“The Scriptures say no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12 no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13  All who call out to the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:11-13 CEV

Jew or Gentile (all of us who aren’t Jews), the Lord is generous to us ALL. ALL who call on Him will have salvation. No one is excluded from God’s plan of reconciliation. No one has been set outside of His grace. No one will be rejected. All people have infinite value to our God and heavenly Father.

The family of God is an all-inclusive melting pot from the nations. Jesus told the disciples to go into ALL the world and preach the gospel.

John wrote this in the book of Revelation.

“After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, 10 as they shouted

‘Our God, who sits upon the throne, has the power to save his people, and so does the Lamb.’” Revelation 7:9-10 CEV

Heaven will be filled with those from every tribe and nation. The message of God’s love reaches to the whole of humanity. If it could be bought, it would only be available to the wealthy. We receive salvation by grace so that no one would be excluded.

We have so much we can learn from all who are in the body of Christ.

My meals would be bland and boring without the use of peppers. I’m glad God saw fit to make so many varieties to spice things up. But I am even more thankful that He has included ALL who come to Him with sincere hearts into the family of God.

Together we have a way of spicing things up for His glory!

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First We Have Coffee

This book is a favorite of mine. Some of the stories touch a personal chord since I was raised in the home of first-generation Norwegian Americans.

First We Have Coffee, a book by Margaret Jensen, describes her life in Canada in a Norwegian pastor’s home. I read this book many years ago and it intrigued me because she was Norwegian, and she was a pastor’s daughter. Being Norwegian, I found many of the things they did in their home very humorous and oh so familiar.

But the thing I liked most was that her parents built relationships with people before they felt they had a right to minister to them. The full title of this book is First We Have Coffee Then We Talk. What an example of Jesus this is. He found himself constantly developing relationships – helping fisherman who hadn’t caught any fish; rescuing a prostitute; having dinner with a tax collector; supplying wine at a wedding…on and on it goes.

Without relationship we really don’t have a right to bring a message. Folks need to know our heart, to know that they aren’t being “preached” at or being judged. Jesus didn’t judge – He loved unconditionally. Yes, He definitely had a message of salvation for all He met but He didn’t judge. He encouraged, corrected, cured and showed compassion but He didn’t judge.

When He was asked a trick question by an attorney – which is the greatest law, He wasn’t flustered or ashamed. His answer was clear.

“He said, ‘Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?’ 37 Jesus answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 40 All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” Matthew 22:36-40 ERV

When we love God the Father with our whole heart it changes us and we develop a sense of self-worth we can’t get any other way. God’s love elevates the way we think about ourselves because we begin to see ourselves the way He does – we have value, we were worth dying for.

And when we begin to accept the love God has for us, we can then see He has that same love for others that He has for us, and we begin to see they have value too. We can love them the way the Father has loved us, the way we love ourselves.

A few weeks back I had a wonderful conversation with a friend. She told me she had been tainted by preachers, you know, religious people. In her honesty, she said she had been skeptical of me. We both cried as she told me that she had judged me wrongly.

I had never felt anything but friendship and kindness from her, yet she had been holding back because of skepticism. She told me she realized I was genuine. That meant more than words can express.

This morning, I had my first cup of coffee with the Father and now I get to share one with you. Thank you for allowing me into your computer. Thank you for sharing your mornings with me. I appreciate the relationships that are being built.

Let’s have coffee again tomorrow and we’ll talk some more.

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Seek Jesus

This morning started with a song and then a verse. The song: In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, Give me Jesus!

Yes, Father let me see Jesus in His glory and His love. That’s my desire.

Then the verse:

“Turn to the Lord! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near.
7 Give up your evil ways and your evil thoughts. Return to the Lord our God.
He will be merciful and forgive your sins.” Isaiah 55:6-7 CEV

Seek is an old-fashioned word. In this translation they use the word turn, in others they use search. The meaning is the same – look for the Lord.

When we rise each morning, we should be looking for the Lord. Great things happen when we seek Him. Let me give you just a few examples.

Of course, the most publicized seeking came from the wisemen. Their journey of searching lasted months, even possibly a year or two. (Matthew 2)

Nicodemus, the religious leader, came to Jesus at night. He was concerned about his reputation. (John 3 spiritual healing)

The woman who had a blood disorder braved the crowds coming to Jesus. (Mark 5 physical healing)

The man with leprosy did the same thing. (Matthew 8)

Then there was the army officer with the sick servant. (Matthew 8)

Let’s see who else sought to be in the presence of Jesus – the man whose daughter died, the demon possessed(emotional healing), the blind and the lame, those who had all kinds of diseases and sickness. They all came seeking Jesus.

Then one of my favorites is Zaccheaus. (Luke 19 healing from greed and dishonesty)

“Jesus was going through Jericho, 2 where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes and was very rich. 3-4 Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.

5 When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today.’” Luke 19:1-5 CEV

Not once did Jesus turn any of them away. Not once did he say, “You’re not worth it. Go away you’re bothering me”. Jesus came to “Seek and to save the lost”. Luke 19:10

I hope you are saying with me, “in the morning when I rise, I seek You Jesus”. I can promise that when you seek Him, He will find you and life will never be the same.

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A Clear Conscience

We all have things we’ve done that we really don’t want anyone to know about. Simple embarrassing things, mistakes made in our youth and those hidden secrets we don’t want to share with anyone.

We know ourselves better than anyone else. We know our failures and our secret or hidden thoughts. But God knows those too and He has provided a way to be freed from a guilty conscience.

This is a longer read today but I’m sure you’ll be glad you took the time to read it over and let it sink in. Let it bring a change to your way of thinking. You are who God says you are, and He says you can have your conscience washed cleaned. Believe Him!!

“The law gave us only an unclear picture of the good things coming in the future. The law is not a perfect picture of the real things. The law tells people to offer the same sacrifices every year. Those who come to worship God continue to offer those sacrifices. But the law can never make them perfect. 2 If the law could make people perfect, those sacrifices would have already stopped. They would already be clean from their sins, and they would not still feel guilty. 3 But that’s not what happens. Their sacrifices make them remember their sins every year, 4 because it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 So when Christ came into the world he said, ‘You don’t want sacrifices and offerings, but you have prepared a body for me. 6 You are not pleased with the sacrifices of animals killed and burned or with offerings to take away sins’. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am, God. It is written about me in the book of the law.I have come to do what you want.’

8 Christ first said, ‘You don’t want sacrifices and offerings. You are not pleased with animals killed and burned or with sacrifices to take away sin.’ (These are all sacrifices that the law commands.) 9 Then he said, ‘Here I am, God. I have come to do what you want.’ So God ends that first system of sacrifices and starts his new way. 10 Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time.

11 Every day the priests stand and do their religious service. Again and again they offer the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But Christ offered only one sacrifice for sins, and that sacrifice is good for all time. Then he sat down at the right side of God. 13 And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power. 14 With one sacrifice Christ made his people perfect forever. They are the ones who are being made holy.

15 The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says, 16 ‘This is the agreement I will make with my people in the future, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts. I will write my laws in their minds.’

17 Then he says, ‘I will forget their sins and never again remember the evil they have done.‘ 1 8 And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins.

19 And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. 20 We enter through a new way that Jesus opened for us. It is a living way that leads through the curtain—Christ’s body. 21 And we have a great priest who rules the house of God. 22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ. 23 We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what he promised.” Hebrews 10:1-23 ERV

Don’t struggle with a guilty conscience any longer. The blood of Jesus has cleansed us. God the Father doesn’t have a goodness chart where He checks off our good deeds and weighs them against the wrongs we have done.

No, He has one qualification for the forgiveness of sin. He asks if we have accepted the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. If the answer is yes – we are cleansed from sin. Free to live without fear. And if we haven’t accepted that sacrifice yet you can. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”!

Take a deep breath. Come to God with a sincere heart and be free from a guilty conscience.

That’s how good God is!

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Get to Know the Father

This morning, I had a very interesting read in the book of Matthew. A few days back I shared with you about John the Baptist sending some of his men to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah. Jesus told them to report back to John the things they had seen Him do. These words this morning are from that same chapter.

Jesus had been doing many miracles in the region but the people there were refusing to change their ways. Jesus called them out for this.

“ Then Jesus criticized the cities where he did most of his miracles. He criticized these cities because the people there did not change their lives and stop sinning.” Matthew 11:20 ERV

After Jesus compared them to other cities that had also ignored God’s teachings He said this. The verses at the end of this conversation with His disciples are very familiar, in fact, I have taught on them many times but take a look at verses 25-27.

“Then Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. I am thankful that you have hidden these things from those who are so wise and so smart. But you have shown them to people who are like little children. 26 Yes, Father, you did this because it’s what you really wanted to do.

27 “My Father has given me everything. No one knows the Son—only the Father knows the Son. And no one knows the Father—only the Son knows the Father. And the only people who will know about the Father are those the Son chooses to tell.

28 “Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. 30 Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.” Matthew 11:25-30 ERV

The miracles that Jesus was doing were to prove that Jesus and the Father were One. Jesus whole ministry was to bring people to the Father where they would find forgiveness, love, mercy and an abundant life. But the wise and religious were rejecting it all and even saying that Jesus was demon possessed.

Jesus tells us that the Father really wanted to show Himself to people who were childlike in their faith. Only the Father truly knew His Son and only the Son truly knows the Father. Jesus came to give us knowledge on what the Father is really like.

Jesus wants us to know the Father the way He does! But how?

“Come to me all of you” who are tired and weary. I will give you rest. Learn from me. I will teach you about the Father and His plans for you. My teaching, he says, is easy and light.

Jesus knew He did nothing on His own, only what the Father instructed Him to do. His Father, our Father, is a miracle working God. Our Father wants us to be at peace, worry-fear, and open to loving works.

In learning about the Father we come to know that every good and perfect gift comes from Him. We also learn that through Him He always causes us to triumph. By Him we are strengthened and empowered to stand strong in the face of storms.

To know the Father we need to spend time with the Son. He wants us to see the miracles and His mighty works and believe that He will change our lives for the better.

Let’s spend time getting to know the Father better than ever before!

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Filled With Song

You all know that I am a fan of songs – hymns, praise, country, classic, jazz, old rock, musicals. Music fills my soul. I guess that’s why I love the psalms and also love the early mornings when the birds start their chorus.

Music brings healing and peace. Composers have an amazing God-given talent. He is the One who gave each bird their voice, unique and distinct and He also fills man’s heart with song.

I did a search on singing birds this morning and it produced many individual images but what surprised me was how many hour-plus long videos of birds singing were a part of the result.

“ Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in a son of a man, who cannot save us. 4 When his spirit leaves, he returns to the earth. His thoughts end on that day. 5 Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, and whose hope is in the Lord his God. 6 The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He is faithful forever. 7 He helps those who have a bad power over them. He gives food to the hungry. And He sets those in prison free.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are brought down. The Lord loves those who are right and good. 9 The Lord keeps the strangers safe. He takes care of the children who have no father and the woman whose husband has died. But He destroys the way of the sinful. 10 The Lord will rule forever. Your God, O Zion, will rule over all people for all time. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 146 NLV

I will sing as long as I live because the Lord loves me!

“But I will sing about your strength, my God, and I will celebrate because of your love. You are my fortress, my place of protection in times of trouble. 17 I will sing your praises! You are my mighty fortress, and you love me.” Psalm 59:16-17 CEV

Do you remember seeing the 1980’s movie Sister Act? Those kids’ lives were changed when they realized that God loved their songs, contemporary and traditional. Unconventional to some but pleasing to God.

An old hymn they featured goes something like this:

“Why should I feel discouraged,

Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely,

And long for Heav’n and home,

When Jesus is my portion?

My constant friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy

I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.”

“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

Being in God’s presence is a place of safety and a place of joy. Fill your life with song!

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The Purpose of Praise

It’s Monday morning and that’s reason enough to start the day with praise. Praise brings us peace and praise also accentuates God’s power.

There is a Psalm that I often use in my blogs but mostly I only use the last half of it, verses 13-21. This morning as I was reading it was the first verses that really spoke to me.

“ I will tell of your greatness, my God and King.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise!
    No one can fully understand his greatness!
4 Each generation will praise you
    and tell the next generation about the great things you do.
5 Your majesty and glory are wonderful.
    I will tell about your miracles.
6 People will tell about the amazing things you do,
    and I will tell everyone how great you are.
7 They will talk about your goodness
    and sing about your justice.

8 The Lord is kind and merciful,
    patient and full of love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone.
    He shows his mercy to everything he made.
10 Lord, all you have made will give thanks to you.
    Your loyal followers will praise you.
11 They will tell how great your kingdom is.
    They will tell how great you are.
12 So others will learn about the mighty things you do,
    about the glory of your kingdom—how marvelous it is!
13 Your kingdom will never end,
    and you will rule forever.” Psalm 145:1-13 ERV

Things around us seem to change constantly but not God! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is always kind, always good. He is love and His love endures forever. He shows mercy and gives grace. He is just and mighty, He is patient. He forgives sin and makes all things new.

“17 Never stop praying. 18 In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus. ” I Thessalonians 5:17-18 NLV

Never stop praying and never stop praising. Our God never abandons us, and He has a definite plan for our peace and our good.

“ Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLV

The Word of God is our solid foundation. It keeps us stable in the storm. The purpose of praise is to focus on God’s power and that brings peace always, even in the midst of the storm!

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The Kindly Father

Yesterday Dave and I were blessed to be with our dear friends at the Celebration of Life for their father.

Leon was a kindly man – a stately man – an honest man and a true cowboy. He lived and loved fully for his eighty-nine years.

His family shared some of their best memories – from his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren came memories of tenderness and caring. He taught them to work hard, respect others, and have fun. He was a good neighbor and a faithful friend.

I had been asked to share, his daughter wanted to be sure the people who came had an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

After hearing the testimony of his life by those who knew and loved him dearest, the Lord brought these verses to mind.

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:8-13 NLT

Leon was a living example of God’s love, encouragement, kindness, and instruction. A good man, an intelligent man, one who enjoyed the simple and honest things of life.

Never doubt the kindness and compassion of our heavenly Father. God is good!

“5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! 6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith;  I was facing death, and he saved me. 7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.” Psalm 116:5-7 NLT

Do you know someone like Leon? We should all be so blessed. God gives us special people like him to show us God’s character in human form.

God is the good and kindly Father.


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XOXO

Yesterday we were able to spend a few hours with our oldest daughter, her husband, oldest granddaughter, her husband and our two great granddaughters.

I love family time!

Our daughter had decorated her home for Valentine’s Day. On her laundry room door she hung a beaded X and O. Our great granddaughter thought they looked like a fish and they did.

I told her the O was a sign for hugs because when you wrap your arms around someone to give them a hug it looks like an O and when you pucker up to kiss someone your lips kind of look like an X. Now that’s silly I know, but it was great to have her play it out as she gave me hugs (O) and kisses (X).

I love you very much we said.

I love you very, very much. Is that different than a simple “I love you”? True love is unconditional and sacrificial so can we really love someone more than we did say 6 months ago? I think we can express love better than we did before and we may be willing to sacrifice in a greater way but if it’s true love, it really can’t be more. Time will reveal the depth of our love, its enduring commitment but true love is just that – love.

We are often caught in the vicious cycle of trying to do the right thing so that people and/or God will love us. We also strive to keep from doing the wrong things, so they won’t stop loving us and walk away.

That’s a really heavy burden to bear. No matter how good we try to be, there will be times of failure and if we feel that love is based on our performance that can be devastating.

One of my favorite passages on God’s love is found in Romans 8.

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. 34 Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36 As the Scriptures say, ‘For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.’

37 But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 ERV

Nothing can separate us from God’s love! I just wanted to give you a few X’s and O’x from the Father. God loves you!

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A Trusted Friend

Who is your most trusted friend? Your spouse, someone you’ve known for years or someone new in your life? This is the person that you know would never lie to you…when they give their word, they keep it even if it detrimental to their own well being. They know you are counting on them and they would never let you down.

Think about them for a minute. I’ll wait…(silly fact, I am sitting here waiting for you to think).

Now let me share with you what I found in God’s word this morning.

“We believe what people tell us. But we can trust what God says even more, and God is the one who has spoken about his Son. 10 If we have faith in God’s Son, we have believed what God has said. But if we don’t believe what God has said about his Son, it is the same as calling God a liar. 11 God has also said that he gave us eternal life and that this life comes to us from his Son. 12 And so, if we have God’s Son, we have this life. But if we don’t have the Son, we don’t have this life.” I John 5:9-12 CEV

Did you see that? We can trust what God says even more than we trust our closest friend. Do you? Do you read God’s word and hear what He has promised and believe He is telling you the truth; that it really will happen or are you just wishing and hoping that God’s word is true and going to work for you?

How would your relationship with that “trusted” friend be hindered if they knew you weren’t really confident that they were going to do what they said they would? It would weaken the relationship for sure.

I’m encouraging you this morning to strengthen your relationship with the Father. Don’t hope His word is true – spend time talking with Him, time watching Him, time listening to Him speak to you and then confidently trust Him to do what He says He will do.

I know I’ve shared this many times but it bears repeating. I grew up with the mindset that we hope for the best but never really know what to expect because God’s ways are higher than our ways. That was the teaching so you didn’t get mad at God or disappointed in Him when things didn’t turn out the way you expected.

Yes, God’s ways are higher than ours. He never lies or misrepresents. He doesn’t mislead by insinuation. Can you imagine if you had been David facing Goliath and only “hoping” that God would show up and things would work out right? Or Moses standing at the edge of the Red Sea with the Egyptians behind him and hoping that God was going to provide a way across to safety?

Trust, complete trust, should be our response to God’s word. It has never failed and it never will! That’s why I’ve chosen Numbers 23:19 as my favorite verse in the Bible.

“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” ERV

Trust in His goodness!

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