Morning Thoughts

Happy Black Friday! Are you shopping today? Or working? Or just trying to just work off all of the “blessings” of yesterday? I’m doing a little of all of the above today! The family and I had a great time yesterday. We found out that our little Bo (who just turned a year old in October) is going to be a big brother next June! We are pretty excited about this latest miracle that Tracy shared with us during our time of counting blessings with one another—It brought tears and hugs and smiles all around. “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭28:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Casey was next to give her blessing, but we all laughed because obviously, Tracy was a tough act to follow. Later when we were laughing about it she said “Welll I went all the way to Taiwan to get mine!” To which I replied “And I don’t care how you get them! I just want them!” And it’s absolutely true!  It made me t

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with remembrance of all the blessings in your life — plus some really great eats!! As the psalmist writs in 118, “Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the Lord. These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory! The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it...You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118:19-24, 28-29‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!! And I love the fact that David knew that singing and thanksgiving were more important to God than they most prefect of his sacrifices.  “Then I will praise God’s name with singing, an

Happy Wednesday and I hope you are ready for some really good cooking tomorrow! And while you are having your turkey and your pecan pie, I hope you remember to be thankfully grateful.  Yesterday, the first few people I encountered seemed to be miserable, and almost enjoying that misery. When I said “Good Morning” or “How are you?” their response was less than happy. The sad-sack reply made me wonder if they had lost their dog or if they had had an awful morning or just an awful month. It was just pitiful. But I tend to think it’s more of a habit, how they tend to act no matter what is going on around them—always with that pitiful attitude. There are people that you just can’t make happy.  You’ve heard it said and probably sang “Count your blessings!” And that is perhaps the single greatest and simplest of all prayer principles. Our human nature is to focus on the negatives and overlook the innumerable, immeasurable positives. “Woe is me,” we tend to pray. “Lord, I need help with this [

It’s Tuesday.And with all the Christmas decorations everywhere, it’s easy to forget this is the week of Thanksgiving. I hate it that we just sort of skip over this special time that has been set aside specifically to stop, be still and really think about all of the blessings and mercy and kindness that have been showered on us by the Father of Light. It’s the time for us to say out loud “We offer you our Thanksgiving, Lord for you are good, so very good to us.” It’s a wonderful time of coming together for friends and families and communities.  Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve paid particular attention and listened. I’ve been listening to hear “thank-you” or any words of appreciation. It’s amazing how few times I’ve head them as people have been interacting with one another. Are we becoming a people who have forgotten how to show appreciation?  “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:18‬ NLT “And let the p

It’s Monday and it’s the week we have set aside to give thanks to the Almighty for all He has done for us and for all the blessings He has so freely given us. It seems appropriate that these last few verses in Hebrews remind us not to take things for granted, but to go outside and to share what we have with others. We are called upon to offer our sacrifice of praise to the only one who is worthy and love others as He first loved us.  “So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name. Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of

It’s the weekend! One of the things that I love about my job is not the selling, it’s just the talking to folks when they walk in the door. I don’t really have very “gifts” but one thing I do believe the Spirit has given me is the ability to be friendly and show hospitality. I learned that from both of my grandmas and a couple of very influential mentors.. When anyone walked in their doors, they were handed a plate of something and wrapped in love.In fact, my Grandma Smith cooked for the prisoners in Barry County. Unless they were dangerous, Grandpa would bring them home and they sat at the table with the family. It’s not only a gift, it’s a learned behavior and it’s not a suggestion, but it’s a command.  “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mis

Happy Friday! Last night at church, we talked about letting the Spirit fill us and that for the Spirit to continue to fill, we need to take out other things. And oh my, was I convicted of the things I needed to empty out! It’s almost like when you finally decide it’s time to clean out the closet and you start purging of all those things you know do not belong. Sometimes it’s difficult and it can make you feel guilty that you had not done it quite some time ago. I think this passages speaks to me of making sure my heart is clean before I come before the King. We aren’t dealing with just any mountain as the verse just before this says, but we are dealing with the dwelling place of the holy God.  “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteo

Happy Thursday. Since I started this little series on Hebrews, I’ve been excited for the first few verses of chapter twelve. In my way of thinking, chapter eleven is a prologue for these verses. It’s as though the author is telling us “Because of all of these heros that came before us…” it’s all about living up to our legacy. Little did I know that during the waiting, my mother-in-law of 43 years would leave this world. But let me just say, she left a legacy.  I have had so many family and friends that have preceded me that I could keep you reading for hours telling you about them. My grandma and Geneva’ crazy over and above hospitality teaching me how important it was to make people feel welcome; my dad and his friendliness and his ability to laugh teaching me how important it was to set people at ease; my husband’s genuine love for people and concern for their souls teaching me how important it was to be help others be ready for eternity; and my mother-in-law...her complete lack of r

Happy Wednesday. Last night my Circle of friends got together for fellowship and book study (we are reading Defined together, a great book by the way.) Last night, we went over chapter nine on faith “You are Able to Test Your Faith.” The point of the chapter is that we can be sure that Chist has saved us and that the Holy Spirit abides within us. If we are not sure, we may not have been transformed by the renewing of the Spirit. One passage in the book puts it like this:”as God says, salvation is a gift from Him, but it’s not automatic. Our relationship with God is always on His terms, not ours. We don’t choose how we prefer to be saved or how we’ll relate to him. We’re talking about eternity here; this is serious.  Wow. That seems a little heavy for this early in the morning, doesn’t it? But our faith, is a heavy subject. It IS the most serious subject of anything in our lives We aren’t afraid to talk seriously to our friends and family about big decisions concerning marriage or caree

Happy Tuesday.  Well...yesterday was quite a day for me. My mother-in-law who was 96 went to sleep the night before and woke up with Jesus. It was exactly how this remarkable woman wanted it. She didn’t even consider it would ever happen any other way—she had tremendous faith in that.  And...I've been thinking about doing something for a couple of years but I just wasn’t quite brave enough. But yesterday just felt like the day I needed something joyful...so I jumped out in faith and did it. I bought a puppy. He’s a little Shichon Teddy Bear. Yes, he’s nothing short of adorable but what a giant leap of faith it was for me.  “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible...And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he e

It’s Monday and believe it or not, the weekend just slipped by me! A friend said “I haven’t received a devotion from you in two days. Did I fall off the list?” And it hit me two days slipped by me! How does that happen? The days come and go so very quickly,don’t they? Saturday at the store the cutest little girl with giant blue eyes was fascinated with all the sparkly diamond rings in the big glass case. She wanted one so badly but her dad couldn’t make her understand that she just wasn’t quite old enough for one yet. Children often play at being grown up—play house, pretend to drive, pretend to be mommies and daddies...but it’s only a picture of the real thing.  Here in chapter eight of Hebrews we are reminded that here, the earthly tabernacle has human priests to do the work. However the work they re doing is only a picture of the real thing in Heaven. The work and the ministry of the human priests have very limited value and meaning, not much different than the work of a child prete

Happy Friday. Yesterday at the mall, the construction of Santa’s house began. It’s amazing to think the holidays are upon us. Even though we know that our lives are transformed by the word of God and the working of the Holy Spirit, the Christmas celebration plays a big role in how we view our faith. In much the same way, the temple sacrifices with the priests were major events for the Hebrews.  “Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed...Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God...The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭7:16, 22, 28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Anyone raised on the Old Testament would feel the importance of the priest, whose role was instituted in the Law. Not just anyone could b

Happy Thursday. Yesterday, one of my best friends had a wreck and totaled her car. She also hit her head and ended up with a goose-egg on her forehead, an awful black eye and a terrible sore neck. We are so very thankful because it could have been much worse. We know that God stepped in and protected her.  That’s exactly how God tends to work. In His perfect timing. Her car may be shot, and she may have a bump on her head, but she is safe. God always provides the means for us to come to Him in our time of need. Since we are not steeped in the Torah as Hebrews, we may be all confused when we get to the chapter 7 of Hebrews and read about Melchizedek. But He is the priest sent by God to Abraham who was the foreshadow of Jesus.  “And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have con

Happy Wednesday! I’ve got a shin splint—yes, I know, I’ve been stepping too much on my new stepper. (My right hip is a little sore, too.) I’m so very glad we can’t overexercise our faith! And just the opposite of my silly body, the more we exercise our faith, the better we feel. And...I never know for sure if I’ve picked the right exercise for me. How great is it that God gives us His assurance that we know the Savior, because He cannot lie.  Starting here in the second half of chapter six, the writer of Hebrews begins his theme of the next four chapters. As he told us, the Son is superior and he spelled out how essential it is we receive and pursue our faith. But how can we be really sure we are right?  “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before u

Happy Tuesday. I don’t know if it’s cold where you are, but here in SW Missouri, we are frigid! Yesterday we had rain, then sleet, then snow and a morning temperature of 11 (-12 C). If I did what I wanted to do, I’d stay home in front of the fire with my blanket and not leave until it was warm again. But alas, I have obligations and expectations that come with being an adult, so regardless of the discomfort, I will get ready and go. That’s what it means to act like a mature person—doing the things you know you should do. Much like the author of Hebrews tries to explain in chapter six.  “So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much

Happy Monday. I hope you had a good time in the Lord this weekend and were able to be with other believers in worship. Yesterday, I heard a speaker say that the Holy Spirit guiding us is not an odd thing, a only sometimes thing nor a random thing. Instead, for those of us who call God “father”, is should be a very normal, everyday thing. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬ And when we are led by the Spirit, we can move into being a mature believer, one who steps up rather than one who just crawls around with no direction or understanding.  “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food...Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:12, 14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I believe the “solid

It’s the weekend! I hope your week was a good one. Yesterday, I bought a new little exercise machine—a stepper. I had a wonderful mentor at one time that told me often “That’s no hill for a stepper!” So when I jumped on this stepping contraption, I kept hearing Jackie Vietti saying “That’s no hill…”. It’s a small little gizmo, but between it and Jackie, I think it’s going to be good for me. And I think that’s the way we move with Jesus—stepping rather than just walking. We want to continually move forward and upward, not settling for good when we can enjoy great...we keep moving, always stepping.  In Hebrews chapter 3 when the author explained to us that Jesus was greater than Moses, he also called Him our high priest. Here in the last verses of chapter four and the first ones of five, that same idea of Jesus as our high priest is taken up again and mentioned five times.  “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to wha

It’s Friday (I double checked!) And yes, I know it was Thursday yesterday, but for some silly reason, I wrote “Wednesday.” Maybe I was tired? I had all sorts of things I needed to do yesterday but I only got a fraction of it done. Believe it or not, I slept a good portion of the day and then all night, too. I suppose I needed the rest! Sometimes, (well probably a lot of the time) I go and go and go and then...collapse! My body says “Enough! It is resting time!” You know, God Almighty teaches us that we need to enter into a time of rest like He did after six days of work. In Hebrews 4, the the message continues for the third time: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts'. The required response here is compared to entering God’s rest. It is like God’s rest on the seventh day because God’s work of salvation is completed. The way is now perfect. Yet, this saving message of God’s love is only effective when it meets with our faith.  “God’s promise of entering his r

Happy Wednesday! Did you ever have to be told something more than once? Maybe a few times? Or even a bunch of times? I know there were all sorts of things I had to tell my children over and over and over again ad nauseum but even worse is the fact I have to be told the same things over and over. In some areas I’m not a good listener.  It seems the author of wants to ensure that the Jewish believers hear and understand the dangers of hardening their hearts: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart.” It occurs in verses 7-8 and verse 15. In fact it comes up later in 4:7. Is a big concern of his which makes us think this was a significant issue among them.  He relates this warning against unbelief to their ancestors, the Children of Israel during their exodus under Moses. The children of God had sinned and they did not keep the faith while God led them to the Promised Land. These believing Hebrews are now warned not to lose faith, ñor to harden their hearts. If Jesus, the

Happy Wednesday. I hope your week has gone well. I was telling someone this week about Tal in the AirForce and the first time I was on a base with him and someone saluted him. I was just so surprised, I laughed out loud. I wanted to say “Do you know who this kid is? He’s my little boy and could I tell you stories!” Chapter three of Hebrews begins by reminding us that this book was written to Hebrew believers. It seems strange that the author needs to say that Jesus was much greater than Moses, but it was written only about 40 years after Jesus appeared. These early Jewish believers were very familiar with and knew all about the Jesus, the man. His Gospel was told to them in first-hand stories, so for them, He was just a preaching carpenter from Galilee (Mary’s little boy). Whereas Moses, was from the days of the Exodus and was placed on a pedestal. He was the Lawgiver who heard the voice of God and the great champion who brought their forefathers out of Egypt against all odds. “Therefo

Happy Tuesday! I woke up this morning and my hand was so asleep, I couldn’t move it. It was ridiculous. I must have laid on top of it for hours or something. Do you ever sleep through the scriptures as you read or even as you listen? I know that happens to me and I’ll have to go back and slowly read it again. This passage from Hebrews is one of those places that if you blink, you’ll miss the fullness of it.  This book has such a wonderful message from God. It is introduced right from the opening paragraph. In the third verse, we are told that the Son “provided purification for sins” and He has redeemed sinners. There is much more on this in the letter, but here the point is made that God the Son, shares in our humanity. Jesus was made “a little lower than the angels... so that he might taste death for everyone.”   The reason the author of our salvation needed to be made “perfect through suffering” may be difficult to wrap our brains around but what we can know without a doubt, it was a

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to start your day. I had a great time in the Lord yesterday. I enjoy my corporate worship so very much and yesterday was particularly moving for me. It amazes me how many people I meet either go through the motions of church or simply take religion as an optional extra in life.  They will secure themselves from poverty, loneliness and disease first and then seek to achieve honor, power and glory. If we live that way, we will never let the Spirit to work in our lives and disturb our inner comfort zone. It’s not at all uncommon to hear “I take care of myself and my family first” letting Truth matter but never letting it matter so much as to threaten our health and security.  But the second chapter of Hebrews warns us to be careful how we respond to this important message we have heard from God. The Hebrews knew the seriousness of God’s word to them. When they neglected their Law and went after idols, they found that the Lord who

It’s the weekend and I’m late!! Last night, I spoke to a group of friends about my trip to Israel. In going back through my pictures, I remembered Cesárea by the Sea. A beautiful place where Herod built a “little Rome” complete with a great harbor. But it was in this place where the international Church was born. Up until this time, the Christian Jews still felt a very strong bond to the Law and the Prophets, the Old Testament as they knew it. They still believed that you needed to be a Jew first and then you could be a Christian. Here at Cesárea, the word came down that “No, you only need me—All people, not just Jews, can come straight to me!”   Over generations they had become deeply convinced about God’s message to them. God had called Abraham, who, because he was faithful, was blessed abundantly. In the same way, the Jews or Hebrews as a people, were called to be faithful to the Law through Moses. They proved unfaithful and as a nation and were exiled 600–800 years after Moses. In

It’s Friday and it’s the first day of November. The beginning of the holiday season, I suppose and for sure the end of the growing season. Last night was a fun time for me with all the sweet little ones coming by all dressed up as fairies, gobbling, mermaids, clowns. I even had two dresses like those big blow up floppy things you see in front of stores to get your attention. But no matter how different they were, they were still kids. Underneath all the paint and masks, they were just kids. What great news is it that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:21). And I think that was what Paul was trying to explain to Philemon. We don’t know what happened (if Philemon heeded Paul’s request) but chances are (since the letter made it into the Bible) he did. Paul was trying hard to show Philemon the heart of God.  Nowhere do we see God’s heart more clearly written than Isaiah 58. God