Morning Thoughts

It’s Friday and if you haven’t noticed everywhere you look, I think we have officially entered into the season of joy. Did you know that joy is mentioned in the Bible 165 times? And in the tiny, 4-chapter book of Philippians, joy (or rejoice) is used 16 times. So 10% of times we read about joy is in those four, short chapters of Philippians. Add to that the fact that when the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the church in Philipi, he was in prison, in chains. It is in that smelly, disgusting place where he writes of joy unspeakable.  In this letter, Paul also spends significant time talking about our minds being strong and being like-minded. I find it fascinating that clearly, Paul’s joy didn’t come from circumstance, but rather from his decision to be joyful. He made up his mind that whatever his situation, he would live for Christ and in that, he could find great joy.  There were many who had become more confident because of his imprisonment and were preaching the gospel wit...

Happy Thursday and I sure hope your week has gone well. I bought my Christmas cards and even though I don’t send many cards out anymore, but I do send a few. On the front of them, it says “When you understand who He is, you’ll understand why He came.” I loved that. And then, last night in my class, we were talking about grace and I thought, you could say it nearly the same way: “When you understand what His grace covers, you’ll know why it is so amazing.” His grace doesn’t just take care of some of our mistakes, it covers them all if we but ask. Our unexposed and unconfessed sin separates us from God and we are not strong to stand the storms and the awfulness of this life when it hits. When we confess our sin (which we do for our sakes and not God’s), Christ takes care of all of the messes and missteps and then, He can shine right through us.  “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glo...

Happy Wednesday to you. One of my very favorite passages in scripture is Hebrews 12:1-3, the verses directly after the hall of faith chapter.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that Happy Wednesday to you. One of my very favorite passages in scripture is Hebrews 12:1-3, the verses directly after the hall of faith chapter.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:1-3‬ ‭NIV ‬‬  And every time I read through it, something different jumps out at...

It’s Tuesday and I have a grand-baby in the hospital. Little Bo has had fever, congestion and hasn’t been able to eat. He’s just 7 weeks old so we are all a bit nervous. Please pray for our little guy to regain his health.  In Matthew when Jesus was teaching about the power of prayer, he said  “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬ And just a little before that, He had made it abundantly clear how He loves children. “But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Needless to say, I’ve been claiming the promises of God and praying. I think it’s important when we want a close relationship with the Lord, we look to scripture when We are seeking for answers or in deep conversation with our God. We know emotions can cloud our thinking and even our judgement, but God’s Word is true and it stands.  I beli...

Happy Monday to you. I hope you had a good time in the Lord yesterday and were able to spend some quality time with fellow believers in worship and in the Word. I know if you were in Kansas City, you were snowbound and had to alter your worship. Yesterday morning, as I was listening to music and offering praise, I was once again struck by the beauty of the song “Come to the Table.” The words speak straight to my heart as they say  “Come meet this motley crew of misfits These liars and these thiefs There's no one unwelcome here, no So that sin and shame that you brought with you You can leave it at the door And let mercy draw you near Just come to the table Come join the sinners, you have been redeemed Take your place beside the Savior now Sit down and be set free Come to the table” And it is that simple. We are all sinners, misfits, liars, and so on. But, we have been saved because the Master accepted us with His great grace when we at one point let mercy draw us in to be set free!...

It’s the Weekend and the countdown to Christmas is on. I saw a shirt the other day that said “All I want to do is drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies!” And I almost bought it because something about this time of the year makes us want to just be big homebodies—hang the garland, make a cup of tea and be content with good will to all.  Yesterday was sort of a dreary day with intermittent rain and colder than expected. I had my Christmas tree lights on and candles going when I thought of this verse written by the prophet Isaiah.  “No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60:19-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬ As a Christian, no matter how dreary or rainy it seems and how much we might try to make our own fl...

Happy “black” Friday to you. If you’re a bargain shopper, today is one of your favorite days. I don’t like the crowds and the hectic pace of it all but today though be a special day for me because I have a few grandkids that are going to help me decorate my house for Christmas. I always love all the red and green and the lights. It’s such a wonderful way to remember how everyday we can celebrate the holy son of God becoming flesh to take on the sins of the world.  I’m also trying to finish up my 30 days of thanksgiving journal. Everyday, I have been writing down 5 specific things I’m thankful for. As I have gone through this exercise this month, I wonder if it is something I should continue long after November so that everyday, I spend some time to specifically count my blessings.  “Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveal...

Happy Thanksgiving y’all! Today is the day we give thanks—día de gracias as we learned to say in Mexico. Of all the festivals and holidays we celebrate throughout the year, this is the one special day we set aside to simply give thanks for God’s great blessings on us, and it is a pretty special one. If you celebrate alone or with 4 people or 40, remember this day is set aside not for pecan and pumpkin pie (even though they are a wonderful side benefit) but to give praise and thanksgiving to our Father, the great King of the universe.  “Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.” Psalms‬ ‭63:3-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The psalmist tells us that He can satisfy you more than the turkey and dressing! They are just for a moment, but the Lord our God brings a satisfaction and contentment that are unparalleled by anything on t...

Good Wednesday to you! Are you baking pies today? Since I’m still in recovery mode, I’m going to try to get a pumpkin baked but that may be about all I contribute to the dinner. I am thankful to have girls who can pick up the mantle and deliver on a feast. This year, I may be set to enjoy food that costs me nothing.  And that’s fine and good when we talk about a meal but if we try to translate that to spiritual matters, it falls flat. I always think of King David after his disregard for God’s order to not count people, how angry God was. He killed 70,000 of David’s people and the lord sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem before he said “stop”. When David saw the angel of death with his sword drawn, he was so afraid, he knew decided to offer a sacrifice to the Lord right then. He proceeded to find the owner of a near threshing floor and made an offer to purchase it among with a perfect bull to offer to God. The man to whom it belonged (certainly honored by the king’s request) said he ...

Good Tuesday to you. Last night Georgia showed me a picture of the museum of the Dead Sea scrolls in Jerusalem and the book of Isaiah is showcased in the center. I’ve been to the one in Dallas, and I cried tears looking at those ancient words—the very voice of God preserved through time. But after seeing the picture of the “big one” I can’t wait to stand in the presence of those holy writings.  So, i went back and read some of Isaiah last night. And I was once again stuck by the rigorous way the prophet declares Gods message. After chapters on sin, true and false worship, and more warnings about sin, he breaks into a long passage of the coming glory for Jerusalem and wonderful encouragement for His people. God was a fierce protector of His people when hearts and minds were clean and on the one true God. He wanted to be everything to them.  And then, He says this: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has...

Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for a new week of opportunities to share the love of Christ. This past week, my sister has stayed with me and has been the hands and feet of God caring for me. Nothing was too small or too large for her to handle. She has in short been sent from the Father to care for me and as my family can tell you, I’m not a great patient, but some people simply have the gift of care taking for others.  The nurses and workers who take care of my mom are perfect examples of that type of caring. My mom doesn’t remember who they are or how much they have to do for her, but even with her advanced dementia, she feels and responds to the loving care they provide for her. It is certainly a gift and a calling.  God calls us all. He has provided us with different gifts and talents because our calls are different. Some have been called to be prayer warriors—I believe they have been truly blessed with gifts to answer that call where th...

Happy Weekend. I’ve missed writing this week but I’ve been a little under the weather. I trust your week has been good. My grandson Braden turned 21 this week. Mercy how time slips away. It seems that one minute you’ve got all these title ones and the next they are grown. I think the worst thing about time getting away from you is just that as it slips away, all those things you should have done, or wanted to do, you put off to another da and they never happen. Like if I had spent the appropriate time studying God’s word, it would be a second language to me by now. And all those things we said that we can’t take back, or don’t take back leave hurt feelings and separate people rather than build relationships because we think we can fix it all later.  It’s so very clear all though God’s word that our primary relationship is with him—that vertical relationship. But secondarily is our horizontal relationships with others. It is impossible to truly love God and not love others. It’s al...

Happy Monday and I hope you had a good weekend. We lost our daylight savings time a week ago and now darkness comes early at my house—by 5:30. I don’t like to go out when it’s already dark, it always seems colder when it’s dark and it’s a little disconcerting when you can’t see because it’s dark. And if it gets very dark, you may as well be blind.  A sunshiny day is a thing of songs—we like the day to be bright. Light changes our attitude and our outlook. Light obviously matters. Sunlight is the source of life for this planet—without light, plants die and without plants, animals die. It’s a cold, dark, lifeless place if we seal out the sun.  “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”” ‭‭John‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭NLT Jesus says that you don’t have to blindly wonder in the dark because He is light. And because He is the light, He brings life to the wor...

Happy Friday. It’s been rainy here all day and was I ever glad I took the time to get my car’s rain sensor fixed when I took off for Arkansas. It fell of the windshield a couple of weeks ago and it’s been driving me a little crazy hanging there making that strange scratching noise against the rear view mirror and even nuttier when it rains. The guy who replaced my windshield was great about fixing it for me and it once again works like a charm.  I’ve also been trying to find the perfect Christmas rug for my entryway and I’m trying to decide on an ironing board for my closet. In the middle of all that, I couldn’t help but hear Bob Hudson talk about heaven. “The things I imagine we will think when we get there is 1) This is so much more than I ever dreamed and 2) I wish I had invested much more in this place.” And then I thought of that old country song “I shaved my legs for this?” (I know, silly but it makes sense to me) I think I spend a lot of time worrying about things that are...

Happy Thursday to you. Well it must be winter because there is snow in our forecast. I know that because I have a weather Ap on my phone. Is your phone a little overwhelmed by the number of apps that you continue to accumulate? I think mine is. It seems there’s an Ap for everywhere and everything I do. I just configured the Chick-fil-a Ap so I can order quicker and get reward points to go with my Sonic, Chili’s, and Starbucks’s Aps. I have them for music, to find my way, to read my Bible, to translate, to write, to watch football, to shop, for news, to track sleep, to pay bills, and to adjust the thermostat. For just about anything you can imagine, there’s an Ap for it.  However, there is no Ap for the really important things in life. You can’t just open up an Ap and click peace for today, or love for one another or hope—the confident hope that comes from God. Paul speaks about it several times in Romans and He’s not referring to hope as wishful thinking as “I hope it rains tomorro...

Happy Wednesday. There is so much we just don’t know. I’ve been helping with our new baby yesterday and today. He’s had some sleeping issues for the last few days and his mom needed sleep pretty badly. When it comes to babies and their quirks, it’s a guessing game. Who knows why they do certain things or why one baby responds well to one thing or why one sleeps all night. You can’t ask them and we don’t remember, so it’s a guessing game figuring them out.  “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:12a‬ ‭NLT‬‬ When you know you aren’t seeing the whole picture, it makes you feel like Elisha’s servant in II King’s 6. Remember the story? Elisha, the prophet of God, served the King of Israel. The King of Aram was at war with Israel and would decide where to send his troops. Immediately, Elisha would tell the King of Israel to keep his troops from that place because the Arameans were g...

Happy Tuesday and I hope your week is off to a good start. I had my last therapy session yesterday and then I had my hair done! And since I spent most of my day with my friend Paula, it was just a pretty great Monday. I love having friends with whom I can totally be myself and we can talk about anything. Yesterday, we were talking about what life might or might not look like this time next year and she said “We might just be living with Jesus! Wouldn’t that be great?” I couldn’t help but smile and for a moment, just contemplate on that very thought.  Christians have been talking about Jesus coming and the end of time as we know it for more than 2,000 years. Obviously, we can think about that a couple of ways. First, we might think It may never happen or on the other hand, we can believe the Bible and decide that it is 2,000 years closer than it was back then! The truth of the matter is that it WILL happen. Maybe today and maybe 100 years from now, but, we just don’t know. It driv...

Happy Monday and I hope you’ve had a good weekend. I watched a little football on Saturday and my team barely won. One of my OU friends called it an “ugly win” to which I said “Yes, but it was a win!” Last night as I was laughing about that, it dawned on me that must be how God sees me when I have struggles. I can almost hear Him say “Oh Pam, that was ugly, but it’s a win!” I don’t always get through the day as perfectly as I should or without making mistakes but I do my best to keep looking at the whole season. Sometimes I’m like my team was Saturday night— behind on the scoreboard, making mistakes left and right and losing yards on about half the downs. But my crowd of witnesses is still there. And my God who is the God of mercy and grace continues to teach me, to coach me and help me learn and grow through these lessons of life. When I figure out how to make corrections and adjustments, it’s that end zone in sight that helps me run. Sometimes being a follower of Christ is difficult...

It’s the weekend! The weather where I am is decidedly moving colder and we are in the holiday season. We change out time this Sunday and that means we are not saving daylight because the days are short and it’s cold. Christmas movies abound and we are all thinking about Thanksgiving menus. It can be one of those times where we just have this low grade anxiousness for the next couple of months. I’m having a little procedure in 9 days and that makes me even more anxious.  I often think that unless I have something significant, I shouldn’t bother God with it. It’s just a silly little thing that is just irritating me and I really probably ought to be able to handle it on my own. But alas...add up all those little things that I try to ignore and I’m anxious! Even though, yes, I know, there are no situations, worries or concerns that we shouldn’t take to God, I still end up anxious before I remember to remind myself of what Paul told the Philippians.  “Do not be anxious about anythi...

Happy Friday! I sure hope you’ve had a good week and haven’t eaten too much of the left over candy at your house. I’ve about made myself sick. I’m headed off to therapy this morning and I’m just about finished. My finger is getting close to working normally and I have hopes that over the next few weeks it will continue to improve. It amazes me how much work it takes to get small tendons and muscles to be stronger and to coordinate in the way they should after an injury. Its also been eye opening to realize how very complex the finger really is.  “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ...

Happy Thursday to you! Last night was Halloween and since I live in a neighborhood, I had lots of little munchkins come to my door asking for candy! They were just pretty cute. I had one little storm trooper say “Give me all your candy!” Then my grandson lifted his mask and giggled. Candy and kids just goes together doesn’t it?  Don’t you love those things that seem to go together so naturally? Like peanut butter and jelly. The rub comes when we hit those things that by our “nature” don’t seem to go together at all. Someone does us wrong and we are supposed to “just forgive them” but our nature tells us we should “get them back.” We’ve read the scriptures but we aren’t sure God really understands THIS situation. Sometimes we may even acuse God of things we know nothing about and certainly have no understanding of.  ““If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” ‭‭M...