Morning Thoughts

Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well and you are finding opportunities to share Jesús with those around you. It sure is raining hard on me this morning! Do you ever give second chances? How about third? Or tenth? My kids still laugh about when they were small how I would beg them “Please don’t do that again, I really don’t want to have to get mad!” Needless to say, I didn’t win the prize for the most disciplined children. But how often does God give us a second chance? Or third? Or thirtieth?  The passage in Luke 13 that we’ve talked about for two days about suffering ends with a parable of hope in verses 6-9. It’s the story of the fruitless fig tree. I think that the Gardner in this story represents Jesus and the tree represents us, who haven’t done the things we should have and been fruitful for the Master as we should have been.  “Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but ...

Happy Tuesday. I hope your week is starting well and you found some good bargains on cyber Monday. Don’t forget that today is Giving Tuesday which is your opportunity to donate to your favorite non-profit. Of course, my favorite is mexicomedical.org Sunday afternoon Tal and I were talking about someone who had done something they should not have and then they were contrite and apologized for it. He said, “Even if someone does something really bad, if they own it and apologize for it and act repentant, I am good with it.” And I think many of us are like that—we don’t want to hold a grudge. And if we as humans are like that, how much more so is our God?  In Luke 13 where Jesus tells the people, “Do you think they were worse than other people so bad things happened to them? No! But you are bad so you better repent!” He is stressing the point that all have sinned. And all of us need to repent. Daily.  Repentance doesn’t do away with suffering but it does give it a purpose. It’s s...

Good Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend and were able to be in the house of the Lord with other believers. I heard about a couple of tragedies that happened this weekend—one involved a car wreck that ultimately lead to the death of a little 4-year old girl. The human side of us always questions suffering like this and asks “why?” Why do these kinds of things happen to good people, good parents?  So many times, we try to make God in our image instead of the other way around. And because of that, we tend to believe that if you’ve been bad, God should treat you bad and if you’ve been good, God should reward you and treat you good. But in Luke 13, Jesus just says “No!” That’s not how this works. Some in the crowd has asked him about the Gallileans that Herod had just killed so he could their blood as a sacrifice.  “Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless...

Happy Sabbath Day and may this day be a blessing for you.  “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I love this verse in preparation for worship with other believers. As we prepare our hearts and minds, we also need to ask that we have a loving attitude toward each other just as Jesus had—those people with whom we are gathering to worship, those for whom we are praying, and those with whom we are serving.  I am not always the most kind when I am interrupted from something I enjoy doing. For example, if I’ve just sat down to eat dinner and someone knocks at the door because they are wanting something from me, I’m not very patient. I’m not much like Jesus.  Jesús was sitting down with his friends about to enjoy dinner when he felt something wet and sticky and highly perfumed running down his head and neck, into his tunic and all over him! A woman had just poured an...

Happy Friday or as those who are really into shopping call it “Black Friday!” Lots of bargains everywhere. I think after all the cooking from yesterday, I just ready for a little R&R for today! And I won’t lie, I’ve already had a little gluten/dairy free apple pie this morning.  My back was so sore last night after a long day of cooking and preparing. That back pain reminded me of a sermon I’d heard not long ago on the pain we cause ourselves by looking back—back pain.  Even though our past sins have been forgiven by God, if we choose to not forgive ourselves of our past transgressions it is really a sign of unbelief. A sign that we don’t believe that God is big enough or that he has really forgiven us and washed us clean. “Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord...

Happy Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving. How blessed are we? Those of us who know the Savior are the most blessed and have the most for which to be thankful as it says in Luke 12.  “But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:48‬ ‭NLT‬‬ So not only are we to be the most thankful, we have been entrusted with the most responsibility —those two jobs he gave us? To be disciples and to make disciples.  But today is the day of gratitude and thanksgiving. The day we lay aside everything to just say thank you to the great God of the Universe and of the Angel Armies, the Great I Am! Today is the day that we the blessed especially remember that we are the people of Jehovah called by His name and we are are peculiar people. We are much different than those we share the planet with—we are c...

Happy Wednesday—who is cooking and baking today? Everyone? I learned something this week. When the signs say “right lane closed ahead,” you need to move over. I was in Tulsa on Monday and since I started driving there as an16-yr old, those roads have been pretty under construction and especially in a constantly changing area, you need to heed to those warning signs.  At the end of Luke 12, the last few verses (54-59), Jesus is giving us clear instructions to heed the warning signs. And in this ever changing world of ours, it’s even more important.  “You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times. “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right?” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:56-57‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Discern right from wrong, and when we find our lives are not in line with God’s plan, admit it, repent and obey. It’s just not a complex formula. It seems simple, but it’s one we do have trouble figuring out. And sometimes i...

Happy Tuesday! I trust you doing well this day and living strong for the Savior. Have you ever felt like you were riding a fence? Been in that situation where you just couldn’t pick which side you wanted to be on? Yesterday, I was picking Ton up at the airport and I had the time wrong by an hour. (Surprising, right?) I had arrived what I thought was about 50 minutes early but that was ok because I could just sit and read. But then, when I realized it was two, I wondered if I should I go do something and come back or just stay? I couldn’t decide. I was on the fence.  Here in Luke 12, starting in vs 49, Jesus gives some serious admonition about being on the fence over serving him and serving the world. He speaks pretty sternly about that divided loyalty and how he will deal with it.  ““I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I...

Happy Monday to you! Did you have a wonderful Sabbath worshipping yesterday with other believers? You know how sometimes you read a scripture and something jumps out at you that you never saw before? That happened to me yesterday.  I was picking up and putting away some laundry and trying to decide if I needed to sweep the floor and the steps. Then I thought “Oh, it’s ok, it’s just me here!” But I fully realized if company was coming, I would have put those crackers in the cabinet instead of leaving them out.  Do we keep ourselves ready for company? Do we really believe that Jesus is coming back? He said he was and he even said “If it wasn’t true, I wouldn’t have said it was!” But do we live like we are really looking for the King of Kings to bust through the clouds at any moment? Do we spend our money investing in the Kingdom of God so that the most people possible can hear the Great Good News? Do we make sure our priorities are looking around for someone we can lead to Jesu...

Joy to you on this Sabbath day! I pray that you will be blessed by your worship and the time you spend in praise with fellow believers today.  Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to make some decisions and even though I’m fairly sure of the right moves, I’ve been dragging my feet just a bit. My daughter has also been in the thick of trying to discern the will of God over a life decision and we’ve both been praying, searching the scripture, and talking with mature believers.  Decisions!  Do you ever wish you could just not make them? Just let some outside force make them for you? From my perspective, I need to decide to move forward with life. It’s still pretty easy for me to bog down and wonder “Why was I sick that day?” Then, I hear a gentle reminder telling me how precious life is. All life. The unborn, the elderly, and yes, even mine. And to disrespect that gift is an affront to the Savior.  So, instead of anymore wondering.... “Thanks be to God for His...

Happy Saturday to you! It’s the weekend and I’m ready for a little College Game Day, although I think I’m going to miss most of it today. My Casey is opening another shop and alas, I think this mama is going back to work for a few days. (I’m hoping there’s a tv somewhere in the vicinity!)  So many times when I write things in these little devotions, I wonder if I’m too simplistic at times, but what I write is just how I interpret the world with scripture—and I’m a just an old Oklahoma girl. I sometimes think perhaps I should try to be a little deeper, maybe more complex, and then I think of the apostle Paul and what he said to the church at Corinth.  “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive ...

Happy Friday to you! Did you have a blessed week? Were you just crazy busy like I was? I was so tired last night after Bible Study, my whole body ached. But, my Study was so good. It was over the last part of Romans 5 and my take away was 1) Sin ruined it all but 2) Grace changes everything. I couldn’t help but think about Exodus chapter 20 right after God had given the law to Moses. Right after He explains how to not sin, he explains how to ask forgiveness for the sin He knows they will commit. (Yeah, can you see Him just shaking his head saying “here’s the standard, but there’s no way, so here’s what you can do.”) He gave them instructions for building a personal altar.   ““Build for me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to me—your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your cattle. Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you. If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncu...

Happy Thursday to you! I hope your week is going well. Yesterday my friends Hollie Mae and Brent had a new grand daughter! What a blessing, right? We love to celebrate those new births because children are a truly a gift from the Lord.  So how much more do we love to celebrate the birth of one born into the Kingdom of God? One who was lost and is now found? What great rejoicing is there in heaven when that happens! At that very special moment for someone when their faith meets God’s grace.  “For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” ‭‭Titus‬ ‭2:11-13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ This new life is starting right now because Jesus Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from the dark place. He did that so He could be proud of us. And it was ...

Happy Wednesday. How are you doing this day? A friend of mine was requesting prayer for a horrible situation where a man shot a cardiologist then himself. They discovered it was all over “love.” How tragic that the world considers that messed up version of selfish obsession “love.” But then I thought do even Christian do that on some smaller scales?  I was reading the story of Matt Emmons, an Olympic shooter. He has what he refers to as “a funny story”. In His first Olympics in 2004, His rifle had been sabotaged so he’d had to borrow one. He’d won a gold in one event and then, in the 3-position event, he was on target for another gold. All he had to do was hit the target. He had a great shot, but he hit the wrong target. He was in lane 3 and he hit target 2. He said he was trying to calm himself down and simply forgot to look at the numbers on the targets. He said “I’ll never do that again.” He got distracted.  Do you think we ever aim at the wrong things? Aim at the distract...

Happy Monday to you! Are you ready to hit this week full force? Do you have an action plan to accomplish the things that you believe the Father has for you to do? I have my check list, I’m just praying I can get through it.   You know when I was sick and it started creeping into that second week, I started really feeling sorry for myself. In fact, I just had myself a little pity party. I used to tell Bob Hudson that those really were not much fun because no one was coming and I wasn’t making him any snacks for it. But here I was. Didn’t Jesus even care that I was sick? I was even trying to do some things for Him and I didn’t even feel good enough to read. And then, I remembered that exact same sentence from the book of Mark. “Jesus don’t you even care about us?” Old Solomon got it right those several thousand years ago, didn’t he?—there really IS nothing new under the sun.   While I was in full-on guilt mode and completely identifying with those disciples in the boat, I r...

Happy Lords Day to you and I trust you have prepared your heart and mind for this day dedicated to worship and celebration of our Lord and Savior.  I had the good fortune to spend my weekend with some very special ladies talking all about the first chapter of I Thessalonians and Paul’s instructions for building up the body of Christ. One of our unrelated side conversations at breakfast was about how fast time flies and sometimes we still feel really young in our minds but our bodies...well, they just aren’t.  “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬ How refreshing is that? Things unseen are eternal. That thin...

Good Saturday Morning! Are you ready for a great weekend? Remember to start praying today to prepare yourself for the Sabbath. Church and corporate worship are pretty much like all other activities—you get out of them no more than you are willing to put into them. Whether you play the piano or football or speak at a Women’s retreat or get something of our church on Sunday, you have to prepare yourself. It is simply is a matter of a success or failure.  “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:13-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ I love the fact that Peter does not mince words here (does he ever?) He tells it like it is—prepare your minds to act, be transformed, be holy. He is serious about Christian conduct. Jesus ...

Happy Friday and week’s-end to you! How are you doing? Do you feel like you’ve had a good week?  Do you have a few things you cherish for no other reason than you just do? They are not necessarily valuable or pretty or seemingly different than a dozen others that you may have, but this one is special...is it the giver? Or what happened when you wore it? There’s most certainly a memory attached. I really don’t hang on to things because of their monetary value, but I do have lots of sentimental things. Like a tea towel that I’ve had more than 40 years. It’s frayed and raveled, but I still hang on to it. I got it at my church wedding shower from the sweetest lady and until it or I fall apart, it will be in my kitchen drawer.  The one thing though, that I cherish above all is the love of God. Of that, I can never let go, never turn away, never close my eyesight. It sustains, it upholds, and it will see me through not only this life but all the way to the next one.  “Now that...

Happy Thursday and here we are in the down side of another week. Have you been able to share the Good News this week with someone who needs to hear it? Someone who doesn’t know if the Savior? I ask you that often, don’t I? Well, I read Colossians last night. Paul wrote this letter to the Christians at Colosse about AD 60 (about 30 years after the resurrection of Christ) during his first time in the Roman prison. I especially love this passage in chapter four giving us basic instructions on how we should live our lives each day.  “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for ...

Happy Wednesday and I hope you are doing well this morning! Last night while I was studying, I was reading through some of my old journals and ran across some notes I’d scribbled at time. “Old Testament followings, lead to New Testament legacies—We have no idea how many generations will be affected when we follow the path and often the displacements of God.”   Do you think sometimes we feel like we have been cheated? We have the life and the path we want all planned out then... lo and behold, God leads us along something very different. Just like the song says “some through the water, some through flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood”. Just like the little servant girl in the story of Naaman. I’m sure she had a life all planned out that did not include being taken captive and cleaning the mud off the floors of her captives. A life of servitude and treated as though she were less than human—not what a little girl dreams about when she’s playing with her dolls at h...

Happy Tuesday. I hope this finds you doing well. Did you talk with El Roi, the God who sees you this morning? Did you read scripture first thing?  I went to see the doctor yesterday, explained to him my symptoms. I added that I was speaking this weekend at a women’s retreat and I need to be on top of my game by then. He told me he thought the worst was over and that I just needed a little help to get over the last of what ever it was. He said “it sounds like you have had...but let’s try this to get you back on your feet.”  While I was getting my medicine, I thought “I hope he’s right, but I’m so glad there are things in life that we can know for certain.” We know for sure that God’s Word is 100% always accurate—always correct. “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” Psalm‬ ‭12:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬ In an uncertain world where it seems we can’t count on much of anything, isn’t it great to have the Word of God as our co...

Happy Monday! Are you ready for a great week in Christ? Are you praying that God will put someone in your path this week that needs to hear of his love and forgiveness?  I was thinking last night about relationships and how so many times we miss out on friendships because of misconceptions we might have about people. When I was younger, there was a girl that I wanted to be friends with, but I thought she didn’t like me. She seemed distant and not interested but years later, I found out she’d always wanted to be friends but she was just really shy. And there are those people who seem to have it all together and really intimidate us yet they they may themselves be insecure so they over prepare for all situations. Forming preconceived notions can limit our relationships with people and in some cases cause us to not even have one at all.  And in the same way, if we have a clouded view of God, Our relationship with Him is limited. If we see God as a policeman, we are always fearful...

Happy Lord’s Day! I hope this finds you well and ready to worship our Lord and Savior! I trust you are able to come together with fellow believers and corporately praise the King of Glory!  I watched an enormous amount of football yesterday. I love November football. It just gets so much more intense at this point—every down counts and even the freshmen players have enough under their belts at this point that they ready for the snap and are quick off the start. It was so exciting.  Then, in the middle of it all, I made myself a cup of tea. I have an electric tea pot so it’s not super slow, but it’s not certainly not instant or quick off the start. It’s not like November football. And as I poured that hot water over the tea bag, I thought again about our Christian fervor and how we are to be boiling for Christ and how we should be that way quickly. We need to be like November football players—Quick off every down, intense,leaving everything we have on the field for the cause of...

Happy Saturday! I hope you had a great week and were able to share the love of Jesus with someone who was in need. I think I am on the mend, Praise God! You know, so many times we wonder why we have toils and snares that slow us down. Things that trip us up and cause us to lose our stride. And if there is anything I hate, it is slowing down!  What are the purposes of our trials? Of our sufferings? Why does God allow them? I’ve heard it said that suffering is pointless and that if you pray enough or have enough faith you can rise above it. Or that you can just ignore it or that karma is paying us back for some wrong we have committed. But the Bible, God’s Holy Word, gives a very different answer. Scripture clearly addresses suffering, both that it exists and the purpose it serves. After all, did anyone suffer more than our Savior? “...But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were...

Happy Friday. I’m still feeling awful, but I’m trying to find things to be thankful for since this is November and in a few weeks those of us in the US will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Last week I received a hand written note and it made me think of that lost art. I have a couple of friends that are faithful to send those to me and they mean so much when I receive them. I rarely send those out but I certainly cherish them and if you are like me, you delete email, but save those notes for some time. In fact I have a few boxes of them and I always am grateful that someone took the time to take pen in hand and write a note just to me.  “Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!” Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭13...

Happy Thursday. I think I’m going to pull through. What ever had it’s nasty grip on me certainly was able to knock my legs out from under me. I went to bed Saturday and haven’t been up since—not a pretty sight to say the least! Maybe I’ll be up again by this Saturday. Thank you for all the prayers and notes of encouragement. Tracy has been making sure I’ve been drinking and eating.  Tal recently had to change out the element in my hot water tank. He bought a wrench, but it didn’t work on that particular fitting. He had to get a longer one with a joint. He needed the right tool for the job.  “The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against t...