Morning Thoughts

Happy Tuesday. How is your week going? Mine had a predictable moment yesterday. I wear a contact in my left eye at night. I put it in before I go to sleep and I take it out when I wake up. It changes the shape of my eye while I sleep and so all day, I am able to focus close and read just fine. But by the evening, my eye starts to revert to its shape and things get blurry. I have to put the contact in again at night and reshape my eye.  Yesterday, I lost my contact down the drain! It seems like every time I travel and get out of my routine, something happens to that contact. Tal was able to take apart the sink and retrieve it this morning, but I had lost the night with it. So this is a day with glasses because my eyes can’t see. They can’t focus on letters and numbers that are normal sized print.   What happens to us when we don’t reshape our minds every day with the word of God? Do our spiritual eyes get blurry? Do we have difficulty reading the signs the Savior has laid out f...

Happy Monday to you! I love the sand between my toes and the roar of the surf. I love the heat and I soak up the sun, (even though I know it’s not all that great for my aging skin), it just feels good.  It always makes me think of being close to the Son of God, how we can bask in the warmth of His light and feel Him soak into our bones. It’s that special “sweet spot” feeling to know you are where you belong. Walking in the Light and sharing the same space with the Savior is a great way not only to vacation, but to live life. To seek His face and to know His will for our life feels good, like sitting on the beach with our toes in the sand.  “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ ...

Happy Friday! Well, my vacation has officially started and I’m having a great time. I’m about half way there and can almost smell the salt water. Before I left though, there had been a little accident with my car. A teenager jumped on my son-in-law’s dirt bike and unknowingly released the clutch and t-boned my car. There’s a pretty good dent and scratches in both doors. I love my car. It’s my favorite one ever. However, in the end, it’s a car. Things happen. And when they do, we have a couple of choices. We can be upset and let it ruin our day or we can choose to accept it and go forward. Because there is nothing certain in this life.  “Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life. Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:12-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ So good times ...

 Happy Thursday to you. I’m not bragging, but this is a big day for me. First of all I’m going back to the hand surgeon to get my stitches out (hurray) and then later this afternoon, I’m taking off for Vacation! I’m pretty excited to be headed to the beach—my favorite happy place to chill. So often we get so caught up in doing life, we forget to take a little down time and just relax a bit, at least that’s how this summer has been for me. So, I’m off for a week or so with my sunglasses to just enjoy.  Much of the time, we can get caught in the trap of worrying more about how much we accomplish and how it’s accomplished than the folks around us. We end up leading performance-based lives to the point we can unintentionally let it carry over to our Christian walks. We subconsciously even slide into the idea that we can earn God’s approval if we get enough done. We’ve probably all been caught up in “God’s work” at one tome or another when the ministry became more important than th...

Happy Wednesday to you. I’ve got therapy again this morning and it is working wonders on this finger of mine. I would have never thought it would work right again, but alas with hot wax, electricity and just lots of exercise, it’s getting better every day.  “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ...Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part...But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it...In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary...while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity...If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:12, 14, 18, 22, 24, 26‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Isn’t it funny how one part of our body can s...

Good Monday Morning! I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed your time of respite and worship with fellow believers. I certainly did. Not long ago, one of my friends said “You know, sometimes I think we don’t put enough emphasis on the red words in the Bible.” What he meant was that we should give more attention to the words of Jesus—Just what exactly did JESUS say about it?  One thing Jesus always spoke was truth. And that was sometimes difficult to hear. In John 8, Jesus was speaking in the temple and he openly confronts the Pharisees about wanting to kill Him for simply saying the truth. He has healed people, performed miracles, and has raised the dead. It is clear, this man is who he says he is, but yet if what he says is true, then much of what they believe and practice can’t be. How do they reconcile that? How often have we seen in our own lives when we or others are confronted with the truth and it is in conflict with what we have held in our mind, we have to make a choic...

It’s the weekend and ours began early this morning with a rain shower. What a blessing! We need the rain, but the selfish side of me thought “I just washed my car!” Isn’t that how we are though? We see showers of blessings falling all around and we think how it might inconvenience us? (Or maybe it’s just old self-centered me!) Jesus says: “What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met...Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:30-34‬ ‭MSG‬‬ People who don’t know God fuss ove...

Happy Friday. Are you ready for a great weekend? A time of restoration and corporate worship with fellow believers? I know I always start to get excited when the weekend approaches because I know Sunday is almost here.  My sister and I spent a couple of hours with mom today. She complained quite a bit about her back hurting but there was no sign of bruising or injury where she was pointing. The charge nurse tried to give her some Tylenol —she wouldn’t swallow it. So she crushed it and stirred it into chocolate pudding. Mom would only take about 1/2 of that and then, as soon as she could she went straight to the trashcan to spit out her pudding (pill and all).   We decided though, that sitting in a wheelchair all day tends to make one weaker: not moving (animated) nor motivated and the body is certainly at odds with what it was meant to do.  “My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For the...

Happy Tuesday to you. I hope this day is good for you. Last night Oscar and I were sitting outside right before the little rain shower came and it was really still and muggy. Oscar began saying that he wanted to memorize all the places in the Bible that spoke about nature. He said “Like where the deer pants for the water and we rise on wings of eagles? Because I think that would be a great tool for on-the-spot witnessing.” While we were talking, a soft breeze began to blow and it was so refreshing. He said “Just like now, with this breeze and how it changes everything.” And we began to remember all the places in the Bible where the Spirit is referred to as air, wind, mighty and refreshing.  Maybe the most notable place was when Jesus himself is blessing the disciple and he breathed directly onto them and said “Here’s the Spirit.”  “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy S...

Good Monday morning to you! I trust you had a great weekend and are ready to hit the ground running for this week. I’ve got another busy one in front of me that include lots of hand therapy! Mercy, right? And if I have another early morning like yesterday, I’m going to need toe therapy soon!  I had to get up before daylight to go to the bathroom and normally, I leave the light on in the bathroom. But yesterday morning, I’d obviously forgotten so it was super dark as I made my way through the hall. And of course, I mis-judged where the door frame was and I hit the jam with my toe! Ouch (to say the least!).  Light. How important is it? It’s one of those things we don’t miss until we don’t have enough and then, when we can’t see what’s in front of us, we can panic. Without fail, we will hit something. Light reveals the truth of our circumstances. Likewise, when we are walking with Jesus, the light of the world, He reveals the truth of our circumstances and the obstacles in front...

Happy Weekend. I hope your week was less eventful than mine. I spent most of it on pain medication. Who knew one little finger could hurt so much? Yesterday I started working with that hand therapist and that was a whole new kind of torture I’d never given much thought to. She even gave me this contraption to put on it 4 times a day to “extend” it. I’m sure the KGB invented it. All that to say, I’m finally working again.  “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-26‬ ‭NIV Aren’t you thankful that His mercies are new every morning? Don’t you just want to shout sometimes that we have a God who gives us a brand new bucket full of mercy everyday? And some of u...

Happy Tuesday! Well, today is my day. I’m off to the surgery center to have the crooked, swollen finger fixed. I dread not being able to use my right hand and the anesthesia and all the unknowns, but, I’m ready to have it fixed. I’m also getting a new windshield tomorrow (a lot less painful).  I like to fix things—it’s my nature. I’m sort of a “Martha” in that respect I suppose, but I want to get things done. And sometimes in my haste to fix the problem, I overlook the lesson, the serendipity of it all because I’m concentrating on the solution.  “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But...

Good Monday! I trust you had a restful weekend and enjoyed time in church where you sang praises and worshipped the Lord. This week should be an interesting one for me—my finger surgery is Tuesday. Hopefully, it will get repaired and I can once again make a fist and open bottles with my right hand. It’s one of calamities of being older I suppose that it takes things twice as long to heal and they may or may not heal correctly.  I was insulted a couple of times the last few days (yes, how dare people think I’m not perfect and tell me about it!). It made me do a little reading to nurse my pride and I came upon this quote by a psychologist (Dr. Brenda Shoshanna). She says “The person who insults us is a teacher who has come to help us reduce our ego, develop patience and compassion, practice unconditional forgiveness, and teach us about life and relationships. If you don’t perceive an insult as an insult, but as a teaching or a gift, it loses its power to hurt you. On a practical lev...

Happy Weekend. Last night, my friend Paula and I went to dinner at Chili’s. We had a really good meal-mine was chicken with mango and she had avocado grilled steak. Yet, even with that awesome dinner, we actually enjoyed spending time with one another more than the meal. Friends. 
 While we were talking about the last two years and even the last few months, I thought about how much we need friends and how important it is to have them to share the highs and the lows, the indecisions, and the victories. We aren’t meant to live this life in isolation.  “Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:17‬ ‭MSG‬‬ Then I remembered our greatest friend and resource—our Father, brother and companion. How would we possibly survive this world and all it throws at us without our Savior? Friends are certainly important but a relationship with our Father is vital. 

Savior, please take my hand . I work so hard, I live so fast. Thi...

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a great week and are looking forward to a good weekend complete with corporate worship of our God and Savior.  I heard a song yesterday by Zac Williams and the words just continue to resonate with me.  When he told you were troubled You'll forever be alone When he told you you should run away You'll never find a home When he told you you were dirty And you should be ashamed When he told you you could be the one That grace could never change Fear he is a liar He will take your breath Stop you in your steps Fear he is a liar He will rob your rest Steal your happiness Cast your fear in the fire 'Cause fear he is a liar https://youtu.be/1srs1YoTVzs “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Fear is a liar and that fear we all feel from time to time is not from God. That’s not the feeling He gives us nor is it one He wants for us. Clearly, the opposite is true for ...

Good Thursday to you! I hope this has been a good week for you and that you were able to live out your calling. Yesterday watching kids ride a tube and eating lots of food and of course fireworks, I thought about how we have been called to love deeply.  “This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end...So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:11-14‬ ‭MSG‬‬ As Christ-followers, we are called to be long-haul neighbors, committed to authenticity and willing to take some risks. Our vocation is to invest deeply in the lives of those around us, devoted to...

Happy Tuesday! I sure hope this finds you feeling well.  Yesterday Mia and Ozzie and I were shooting a few fireworks and laughing pretty hard. They were running with sparklers in just free abandonment and enjoying life. Watching them took me straight back to when I was young and carefree.  As children, most of us had that sense of security, were fed and clothed and basically, didn’t worry about much. We were carefree. And then, we grow up. Sometimes the weight of the world overwhelms is and the unknown is so big, that we completely lose our sense of security. We begin to doubt it all. Everything we know, everything we believe, even what we see. But the reality is, He is holding us. It might look like we are surrounded on all sides by all things awful, but He is surrounding us.    “Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭MSG‬‬ “No, in all these things we ...

Happy Monday. Did you have a good weekend? I have been struggling the last month or so as I’m getting ready to move into this new house; What exactly do I want to buy for it?, How much should I spend on a bed?, How much should the fence cost? Of course the list goes on and on. Then, I end up with this general feeling of unrest, uncertainty and maybe even general dissatisfaction which is certainly not the place we want to be but I think when we get caught up in that cycle of wanting, that’s where we head.  When my kids were small, they were always after us for something. There was a new toy or shirt or shoes or game that they were just going to die without! Then, if they somehow managed to save their allowance or talk Grandma into it, an hour later, there was something else. How many friends do you have like that who are never quite satisfied? There’s always a newer car, or phone or something they want. And when that happens, are they any different than the kids? Are they happier?...