There Is God

Where there is wind

There is God

He soars with us.

Where there is nature

There is God

He gives us beauty.

Where there is pain

There is God

He gives us healing.

Where there is sorrow

There is God

He gives us comfort.

Where there is family

There is God

He gives us love.

Where there is loneliness

There is God

He gives us companionship.

Where there is despair

There is God

He gives us hope.

Where there is adventure

There is God

He gives us joy.

Where there is uneasiness

There is God

He gives us peace.

Where there is Jesus

There is God

He gave us Himself.

Where there is sin

There is God

He gives us forgiveness.

Where there is death

There is God

He gives us life.

Where there is praise

There is God

Glorified, Smiling, Loving.

Moms, Kryptonite and Superheros

I wish I could be ever so eloquent and come up with some unforgettable words for this Mother's Day post.  The truth is - being a mom isn't eloquent nor unforgettable.  It's hard work this job we have.  It was hard for our mothers and for their mothers before them.

Logically, we know mothers aren't perfect and yet strangely we place these huge expectations on ourselves to be perfect.  Because, frankly, if we mess up....well....let's not even go there.

But in the midst of all the icky stuff from dirty diapers and burp ups to pre-teen adolescence to the freak-you-out-don't-know-what-to-do-with-them teen years there is LOVE.

Maybe love doesn't make the world go round but it does give a momma her super-powers.  The sleepless nights, the worries, the arguments, the I-know-better-than-you attitudes; those are our kryptonite.  Those things drain a mom like nothing else.

But LOVE...a simple smile, a warm hug, a "Thank you", an I'm-not-completely-embarrassed-to-hang-around-with-you-moment and even doing the chores without being asked.  Those seemingly little things give moms a boost of amazing strength.  Those things make it so we know we can get up and do it all again tomorrow.

Somewhere along the line kids will stop being kids.  But moms - they never stop being moms. You can take the kids out of the house but you can't take the mom out of the mom.  Kryptonite sneaks its way in with a whole new set of worries for grown children and grandchildren.

So let's remember this Mother's day to make our moms feel like superheros.  All it takes is a little bit of LOVE.

I'll start!  

To my mom: I love you!  I always appreciate your thoughtfulness and your endless prayers on my behalf.  I know it wasn't always easy - being a mom - but you pulled it off rather nicely.  Our lives are better because of you.

To my mother-in-law: I love you! I don't say it enough. I appreciate all you do for us.  Thank you for raising my husband.  I'm sure he was a handful at the time but he turned into a wonderful, giving man.  That doesn't happen by accident.

With love from all of us "kids" - we sincerely wish you a

H A P P Y   M O T H E R ' S   D A Y

Easter: Celebrating Forgiveness

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,” he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.  His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused.  Matthew 18: 23-30

This may seem like a strange passage to read on Easter Sunday.  But here is why this passage is significant.  We celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.  But let’s take a moment to reflect on why He died in the first place.

Jesus was and is our sacrificial lamb.  He died in our place.  And with His death, we receive (daily) the greatest gift we will ever receive.  Forgiveness.  The burden of our sinfulness is continually being washed away.  We have become cleansed – sanctified – holy.  If we don’t pass on that same gift of forgiveness to others then His death and sacrifice was in vain. 

The servant in the above passage didn’t understand the gift that was given to him by the king.  It was wasted on him and the king became angry.

This Easter, let’s do more than celebrate Christ’s resurrection, let’s celebrate the gift of a forgiven life by forgiving those around us so that His death will not have been in vain.

Find Your Voice and Share It

I'm currently reading the devotional book, Draw The Circle by Mark Batterson.  This morning I read the chapter entitled "Get a Testimony".  I believe it's true when he says that people are encouraged by or drawn to God through other people's testimonies.

We can read about God, take Bible study after Bible study and still not be drawn as close to God as when we hear someone's first-hand account of how God has worked in their life.

A person's testimony reveals to us not just that God "can" but that He DOES.  And when we see that He "does" in someone else's life it spurs our hope that He "will" in our life. 

Mark also mentioned in his book something that really struck me.  He said "we get a testimony by being tested."  I know - it seems incredibly elementary seeing as how the word "test" is actually in "testimony" and yet this simple sentence gave me a whole new perspective on my trials.

We will have trials in life.  It's a given fact.  But what will we do with those trials?  Will we get through them and never speak of them again?  Does this mean all the pain was in vain?  Or will we use our trials as an opportunity to glorify God, encourage others, strengthen our faith and build someone else's?

Testimonies don't just occur through trials.  They also occur through the abundant blessings God lavishes on us.  What a shame we don't spread the riches and wonder of being a child of God.  People need to know that following God doesn't mean we're all tight-faced, grumpy rule followers.  People need to see by our testimonies that following God is a joyful experience.  How will they know if we don't tell them?

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done, 

and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Isaiah 12: 4-5

Find your testimony and share it.

Basking in His Delight

Praying The Scriptures

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will rejoice over you with singing.  Zephaniah 3:17

Father, I thank you so much that you are forever with me.  You never leave my side even when I doubt - even when I'm frustrated - even when I throw a temper-tantrum.  My heart and my life belong to you and because of that your love for me is so strong and so complete that leaving me behind is not even an option.  Thank you for being better at loving than I am.  

And if that wasn't enough, your love leads you to take great delight in me.  To be honest - sometimes I can't imagine that because of my sin.  But - despite my sin you rejoice over me with singing because I have chosen you - I have chosen you to be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer!  And because of that - there is singing and dancing as you prepare a home for me.

Father, You not only have saved my soul and claimed it for eternity but you are my biggest defender here in this earthly life.  Sometimes I try to fight all the battles that come my way.  Some battles are just to big for me and some battles you never intended for me to fight.  Help me to let go and let you defend me. You are more than willing and I thank you.  I praise you for your power and might.

I love you, Father.  Thanks for loving me.  Amen.

Praying the Focused Life

Praying The Scriptures

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you." declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 29:11-14

Gracious heavenly Father, I praise your holy name.  You are all-knowing.  You have a plan and gratefully, I am a part of it.  Your love knows no ends.  I know this verse can be misinterpreted to mean we will never have any troubles.  But I know and believe that when we truly seek you your plans for us will flourish.  Yes, we will have troubles in this earthly life but you are more concerned about the safety and well-being of our eternal soul.  With you - no harm will come to our soul.  Our future is bright and our destiny is secured.

Father, help me to be more diligent in seeking you.  Life has a way of distracting me with busyness and laziness.  Help me to focus my eyes and my heart on you.  When the direction of my eyes are set, the path I'm supposed to take will become more clear.  I love that the more we seek you the more you listen to us.  If we're not serious in having a relationship with you, you're not necessarily interested in listening to our empty words.  Help me to have a heart filled with you and a desire to live for you.

The more I am found by you, Father, the more others can find you in me.  May your glory be seen shining through me. Amen!

Praying the Worthy Life

Praying The Scriptures

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  (Eph. 4:1-6)

Dear heavenly Father, I want nothing more than to live a life worthy of the calling I have received.  A life that's pleasing to you - one that glorifies you and one where I truly live as a conduit passing your blessings on to other people.  I admit - sometimes I find confusion in the specific details of your calling but I pray that the details (or lack thereof) don't prevent me from recognizing the God-glorifying opportunities around me.

I pray that my attitude in service is always what it should be.  Just as there's a danger of me thinking more highly of myself than I should, there's also a danger of me thinking too lowly of myself.  In either case - the possibility of conflict can arise when serving with others.  Help me to keep a humble and gentle spirit and to be patient with others.  Help me to strive to keep the unity of the Spirit alive through the bond of peace.  Help me to focus on the goal.  

Father, I know we have enough battles to face in this world.  We don't need to allow ourselves to be distracted by fighting our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are family and you are the Father of us all. You are in all - and through all.

May your love and patience abound in us. Amen.

Praying The Scriptures

Hi everyone.  Did you think I fell off the earth?  I was planning on taking a break but next thing I knew the whole month of January had passed.  What's up with that anyway?  Why does January go so fast?  Maybe the days are only 20 hours long and we don't notice because we're sleeping.  Anyhoo - that's a problem for someone else to solve.

One of the things I want to get into this year is praying the scriptures.  You may have caught on by now that I use this blog as motivation to get myself into a deeper and closer relationship with God.  I've been wanting to get serious about praying scriptures for over a year now but just haven't taken the time to do it.  So....I will let this blog be my accountability partner so to speak.

Every Sunday I hope to have a scripture praying post.  I figure it's a good way to start the week.  I hope you will enjoy the post but mostly I hope it will serve as encouragement for you to do some of your own scripture praying.

If you're wondering what I mean by praying scriptures it's this: taking the inspired Word of God - filled with it's promises, hope, love, wisdom and God's faithfulness and praying those truths back to God.  The best way to explain is simply to give an example.  So, here is my first post for the year:

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:4-7

Father God, I delight myself in you. You are marvelous in all your ways and you never cease to amaze me.  I delight in watching you work in and around me.  Please don't ever stop. 

I, believe, Father that you will grant me the desires of my heart.  I may not even know fully what those are yet but they are in your hand and in your plan.

Help me to commit my way to you.  It's so easy for me to want to fight against you with my own plan.  Give me the strength to trust in you.  You have the best interest of everyone always on your mind.  I am just a piece of this ever changing puzzle.  

Sometimes I get beaten down by struggles or people around me but when all is said and done - the glory of your righteousness will shine bright and justice will prevail.  You've always got my back.

Give me peace, Lord, as I struggle waiting patiently before you.  Place deep in my soul and spirit the truth that your timing is, not only best, but divine.  

I love you, Father.  Thanks for loving me!  Amen.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 51 (Year End)

Happy New Year's Eve to all of you.  I hope and pray you've enjoyed some time with family and friends over Christmas and are getting settled in to starting a fresh new year.  Is it just me or do they seem to come with greater frequency?

I thought it would be good to close out our year of verses with one that offers us a good reminder of who God is.  It's short, simple and to the point.

God has always been and will always be.  He was there before we were born and will be there long after we're gone.  It's hard for us to fathom one who is truly infinite when we live in such a finite world.  His power, His existence is somewhat of a mystery to us. But if we could understand Him - we could potentially explain Him away.  And then He wouldn't be God, would He?

This verse not only tells us that God is the first and the last but gives us a glimpse of how we should apply that information to the way we live.  God should always come first in our lives.  He is our baseline and we exist because of Him.  We should also live our lives with God (and heaven) as our destination.  He should be what drives our decisions as well as being the end goal for those decisions.  In other words - He should be the total focal point of our lives. 

If your focus has strayed a bit this past year, put your spiritual glasses back on.  With a clear focus on God, life will be so much more richly blessed.

I hope you enjoyed the Memory Verse Challenges over the year and I pray that they encouraged you as well.  If you'd like to add a verse (passage) to round out the year with a total of 52, I selected Psalm 23.  You probably already know it by heart - now just get reacquainted with it so you can cherish it in your heart as well.

May God bless you greatly as you head into the new year!!!



See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 50

This week's verse is really a passage and doesn't need any embellishment from me.  It's a passage you probably already know by heart.  During the hustle and bustle of this holiday season take a breather to let the words and prayer of Jesus sink into your heart this Christmas.  May it become your prayer as well.

 

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas!!

A Savior is Born

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called, the Son of God." 

Luke 1:26-35

It's Christmas time and we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Although we may not know the exact date of his birth, it doesn't really matter? The point is that He was born! The creator of the universe came down from His much more comfortable surroundings and became one of us. He became one of His own creations. He lived among us – loving us, teaching us, and preparing us for greater things.  Then the unthinkable happened – He died (taking our sins with Him). But most importantly -  He rose from the dead fulfilling His purpose and giving us a new hope and a new beginning. That's the greatest gift we could ever receive!!!

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 49

Happy "one week until Christmas day" to you.  What better way to celebrate the season than with some presents - specifically the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Sure, you've probably already memorized this verse but just in case it's been awhile - dust off the package and unwrap it.  Enjoy it once again.

I think we sometimes take all the characteristics of this gift for granted.  We simply throw them all together and label them "good behavior" traits.  But they're more than that.  They're not simply a way to act but a way to live.  

We can all act out these traits from time to time.  But acting them out and being filled by them so completely that they change our very nature are two different things. Without this gift, we couldn't possibly exhibit them on our own. 

We can't, however, expect the gift to supernaturally change us.  The gift is given.  We must nurture it and allow it to grow.  Things like anger, jealousy, and hatred will stunt the growth of our gift easier than just about anything.  We must feed the one and eliminate the things that would suppress it.  Only then will true transformation happen.

Have you noticed that each one of the traits listed are characteristics of God?  He is so abundantly filled with them that He cannot behave in an opposing manner.  How beautiful to know that He has given us a bit of Himself so that we may learn to exhibit the very nature of God.


See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Sunday Blogvotional: Knowing Our Stuff

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him."  Matthew 2:2

Every year at this time we get a refresher course on the story of Jesus' birth.  We pull out the Bible and read the story of the nativity and learn all the main characters.  As a child my knowledge of the magi was limited at best.  They were simply wise men from a far away land that brought expensive gifts (only one of which I could pronounce).

These foreigners who had no direct connection to the Israelites recognized the significance of a special star in the sky.  They knew their stuff.  And when that star appeared they knew exactly what it meant.  They knew the promised king to the Jewish people had been born (or was about to be born) and they set off to worship to Him.  

The sad thing is this story is that the Jewish people, themselves, would not have even noticed had the magi not shown up on Herod's doorstep.  Herod gathered his own "wise men" who then had to go look the matter up in the archives.  How embarrassing is that?  Strangers from a distant land had to tell them their savior had been born.  

Encouragement for the week: Yes - the Jewish people were caught unaware but what about us today?  Do we know our stuff?  If the Holy Spirit acts, do we know it?  If something goes against what the Bible teaches, will we catch it?  Do we go through life unaware of God's teaching and His plan? Let's make sure we don't let the world put us to shame.  Let's know our stuff.  We don't want to miss out on something big.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 48

Good Wednesday to you.  I hope all is merry and bright.  'Tis the season after all.

The last couple of verses have been a little long.  It's time to lighten the load just a bit.  However - just because this verse is short, don't mistake it for being short in the message department.

We've all heard this verse before.  Reading it will probably even start you singing a popular tune.  It's an easy verse to remember.  But - remembering it is the key.  Plant this verse so deep in your heart that you'll absolutely never forget it.  When you're down in the dumps, repeat this verse to yourself.  When you feel sad and alone, repeat this verse.  When you feel overwhelmed by the struggles of life, repeat this verse. 

There will never be a time in your life when God is not "for" you.  He is always on your side.  He is always your biggest champion.  He wants you to thrive more than you want to thrive.  And we have seen through past verses that nothing can separate us from His love.  Believe it!  It's true!

The verse also says "who can be against us?". I'm sure you have no trouble conjuring up someone or something in your mind.  When we look at things with human eyes, we see danger all around.  But from God's perspective all of those dangers are nothing but nuisances.  Even the devil (as powerful as we think he is) is more akin to a powder puff than any real threat.  There is no force, no evil, no one that can truly be against us with God on our side.

See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 47

Happy Thursday everyone.  It's been a week since Thanksgiving.  Are you still feeling full?  Well, we only have a few more weeks of our Memory Verse Challenge series.  I hope and pray it's been encouraging to you.  God's words have that affect on us if we just tap into them.

This week's verse is another one that says so much in just one little verse.  Check it out.

Always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have.  It makes sense, doesn't it, that when we revere God in our hearts, hope is a natural by-product.  Revering Him means we have seen His truths - His promises and we believe in His almighty power and love.  Revering someone also indicates we feel safe and protected.  He will not let us down.  Our hope, our trust, and our faith is in His hands.

It's true - sometimes it can be difficult to share our faith.  But this verse tries to simplify things for us.  We shouldn't try so hard to explain things logically (from our brain) in an effort to make others understand intellectually.  All we have to do is share God from our hearts.  How does He make you feel?  How has He made a difference in your life?  What would your life be like without Him?

The last part of this verse says to give an answer with gentleness and respect.  Like I said - God works through people's hearts more than He works through their minds.  Trying to debate someone into believing in God will do much less good than building a heart connection.  Don't worry that you may sound crazy.  Since when has love ever made sense?

Sunday Blogvotional: First Fruits

"You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God.  Exodus 34:26

In the Bible we read of God's directive to give our "first fruits".  This means we are not only to give to God first, but also give Him our best.   Although the concept of "first fruits" is usually applied to money, would it be safe to say it applies to our time as well? 

Each day is a gift.  Each day we're given a blessing of time.  Shouldn't we give the first (and our best) of each day to God?  How do we start our day?  For me, it's usually behind the eight ball.  I spend my time just trying to catch up.  When I wait to spend time with God until the end of the day, I'm too tired to put my heart into it. 

It's true - God still hears my prayers as I'm falling asleep saying them but wouldn't He appreciate a little more effort on my behalf?  He deserves quality time from me instead of me simply "fitting Him in"?  It's quite possible the quality of my day would be better (calmer, more peaceful, more joyful) if I started it with God.

Encouragement for the week: God loves to spend time with you.  He also wants to know that He the most important relationship you have.  As you plan your week, rearrange things if you can so that you can spend some quality time with God first.  Pay attention to how this affects your week.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 46

Hi everyone.  I hope and pray you will have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday.  I know many of you will be feasting up a storm.  So...here is one more thing for you to feed on - this week's verse.

The book of Isaiah is full of wonderful reminders of God's power and love.  This verse is one of the many that gives us a sense of His strength and at the same time shows His watchful, protective nature over us.

We know life has trials but God is with us and we will not be overcome by those trials.  Yes, we will encounter rough waters but we will not drown.  There will be times when we feel like we're walking through the fire.  We will not be burned.  We will make it triumphantly to the other side with the Lord our God right by our side.

This thanksgiving season I'm thankful I don't have to navigate these dangers alone.  I'm thankful for the protectiveness of my heavenly Father.  I'm thankful for my Savior.


See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.