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What If?
For several weeks, I have been in a season of “busy”. Distracted. In my heart, I know that I “should” be writing, encouraging, sharing but I have “put it off”. There are what seem to be endless tasks: mowing the yard, weeding the garden, sowing seeds and reaping the harvests, running errands, fixing meals, doing laundry. The list goes on and on. But, I am without excuse. I let the “urgent get in the way of the important”. I let the enemy get me off course with endless distractions. Today, I have stopped. I hit the pause button and just took time to “be” with God. I took a minute…
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Simply Be
This morning Jesus spoke to me- The words “Simply Be.” “Remain in me. Remain in my love. Set your heart high above. Do not focus on this life. You will only be filled with grief and strife. You must set your sight higher. Let Me set your heart on fire. Keep your eyes on Me. Your citizenship is in heaven for eternity. Life on earth is passing away. From Me, do not stray. Do not doubt. Do not fear. One day, I will wipe away every tear. There will be no more sorrow- Only bright hope for every tomorrow. There will be everlasting joy. No more will people fight or…
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Oak Tree
Isaiah 1:30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water. Oh God, You teach me to see- So many things about life, its storms, from my Oak tree. My tree stands alone, solid, tall. Other trees have not weathered the storms. They fall. Once this mighty oak was a seed. It was only the size of a small bead. But when it fell to the ground It was buried in the dirt; new life it found. Roots developed and began to spread. A shoot sprang up from what once seemed dead. As the years passed by- The tree grew like a blink of an…
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Listen
In the gospel of John, Jesus speaks and says “These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NKJV) I love God’s word and His promises. What He says He will do, we can count on. He cannot lie and will never go back on His word. He tells us in advance many things so we can be prepared. He told us that we will “have tribulation in this world.” He told us that we could have “peace and be of good cheer.” Then, why, when…
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Breathless Expectation
I sit this morning and ponder of my Great and Mighty God and wonder. How does He feel when He looks down and sees man? Surely, our sins are many; like grains of sand. Yet, He made a way. For forgiveness, for a relationship with Him today. He sent His only Son To die for our sins; the Chosen One. Jesus paid the price. He was the sacrifice. He rose again To defeat death, give new life; forgive sin. Now, we wait in gracious uncertainty For His return-heaven-eternity. We wait with breathless expectation, for Him to come. A celebration! We watch and pray His return is imminent, any day. We…
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Following Jesus
Jesus said 2,000 years ago and He says now: “Follow me.” To be a follower of Christ, you must develop “Holy Spirit sensitivity.” You must be able to absolutely discern His voice. So you can willfully obey; make the right choice. To follow means you must be willing to serve. Dying to self and from His way not swerve. You must give yourself away. Do His will every day. Following Jesus comes with great sacrifice. What is He asking you to lay down? What is the price? We must deny ourselves, our plans and desires. We must share in His sufferings; walk through the fire. We must suffer, grow and…
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Porch Swing
From the porch swing, I talk with God Pray and Sing. I sip a cup of tea And listen as He speaks to me. He shows me beauty all around Flowers, trees a variety of birds abound. He loves and cares for all Rich, poor, big or small. He has a plan. He wants me to share His love across all lands. He teaches me how to live And shows me how to forgive. He causes me to remember So I can trust him, be humble, patient and tender. He is never hurtful, forceful or loud. He convicts me when I am feeling proud. When I am lost, He shows…
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Don’t Let the Urgent Get in the Way of Important
I hurried, rushed through the day. Not stopping; taking the time to pray. I rushed around. Scurrying through chores; no time for God I found. Worries and anxiety began to creep in. I found my patience wearing thin. I pushed forward; busy doing more. Every burden heavier than the one before. I let the urgent dictate the pace. Soon I was caught up in a rat race. I stopped; realized that I was distracted. I bowed my head, quieted my heart and reacted. I asked God into my day. Took the time to be quiet and humbly pray. I had tried to do things my way. Instead of laying my…
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Sometimes it is not what you say; it is the way you say it.
Zechariah 1:13 And the LORD answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious and comforting words. Ecclesiastes 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. Have you ever had to have an important conversation with a person or group of people? Have you ever had to try and explain a difficult detailed and possibly controversial position on a project? There were many times in my corporate career that I had the opportunity. Some, I handled well. But there was one time that I recall, that I failed miserably. At the time, I did not…
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Shut Mouth Grace
In the Bible, James tells us “but no human being can tame the tongue, It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”(James 3:8-10). Last evening with my prayer group, we talked about “shut mouth grace”, again. This has been a hot topic that has come up quite frequently over the past few months. A few years ago, I had a good Christian friend tell me that her pastor had…
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Lent Journey
Lent Journey Forty-day journey towards the cross Ask, Seek, Knock, Yearn, Ponder the Sacrifice, ultimate cost. It cost God His only Son To redeem us, pay the price for our sin; render the curse undone. Jesus faithfully knew there would come a day The price of sin with His blood would pay. He did not turn away and run. He knew who He was; God’s own Son. He knew the price. Willingly, laid down His life, became the sacrifice. When the nails pierced his hands and whips tore his flesh, He was “still” and demonstrated holiness. The people spit and yelled; mocked His name. He knew He bore our guilt…
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God’s Beauty
God’s beauty abounds. We just need to look around. It is in the sky as the sunsets. It can be seen in the plumage of the egret. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; each day, appreciated as I grow older. Beauty is seen in flowers that bloom or in a bird’s plume. We need to look inside of the heart to see some internal characters of true beauty; a gentle spirit, kindness, love, and caring. These are the gifts that we should be bearing.
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Faithful Forager
We fix our eyes on Jesus; confess Him as LORD. We feast daily upon the Bible, God’s Holy Word. We are filled with the Holy Spirit; seek to be like Jesus and serve. We are His disciples; from the narrow path do not want to swerve. In Jesus, we have been set free. We look forward to His return and with Him, spending eternity! We have faith of a mustard seed. We believe in the power of prayer; for others, family and friends, intercede. We fellowship and stay connected in the Vine. We serve and exist for others to bring them to Jesus; the Holy One Divine. He is our…
