Morning Thoughts

Happy Friday. It’s the end of another week and we have had more opportunities to share the love of Christ with those around us and sometimes that takes quite a bit of effort. I don’t know about you, but I’m not always anxious to embrace others and really listen to them or share with them (especially those who I don’t know well). Sometimes, I just look at them and think “Are you for real?” I don’t always agree with people over politics, sports or of course, religion. And let’s face it, we’d rather spend time with people we like and mostly agree.  And then I read my Bible. God hasn’t called us to sit in our little groups with only those we naturally gravitate towards, but to love people—all people, even those who aren’t necessarily loveable. In this passage, Paul writing to the people of Colosse remarks on how wonderful it is that they truly love others. That love must have really been something over and above the normal and he tells them that it is evident that it comes from the Hol...

Happy Thursday. Is your week going well? I have a good friend who has been trying to get enough money saved up for her retirement. She jokingly says “If I just knew how long I am going to live, I could plan so much better!” And all of us over 50 certainly understand that dilemma. But alas none of us, regardless of our age, really know for sure when the last day will be. What we can know is that even if we live a long life, it’s but a vapor.  “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Our lives go quickly and the further we go in this journey, the more clear it becomes to us just how quick that quickly comes.  “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure...But now, Lord, ...

Happy Wednesday to you. I hope your week is going well. Yesterday, I went to Sams. I was out of things like trash bags, toilet paper, and chicken, so off I went. I like going to Sams because there is always lots to look at and the isles are nice and wide. Everytime I’m there, I am amazed at how much stuff and everything from diapers to TVs to mangos to beds. It just seems incredible that so many things in such quantities are all under one roof.  King David never saw a store with as much stuff aa Sams of course, but he did see countless miracles and understand that God has plans. He knew from creation and history that he was serving a God of miracles and he know that God loved him and his people and would take care of them. He was amazed and awe-struck by the fact that a God who had done such great and mighty things not only cared about his people but that He loved them with such a great love.  “Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. No...

Happy Tuesday. Did you watch the big game last night? This year, LSU was the national football champions. So that question is settled, until next August and it all starts again. Who is the best? Isn’t is great that as a child of God, we never have to ask that question? We know who reigns and we know who conquered death and the grave. There is only one who reigns supreme and only one who should take first place in our lives.  “For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you...The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:6-8, 11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I love this Psalm singing to the glories of God! Those above who can clearly see Him and his majesty praise His glory and we below who are aw...

Happy Monday to you. Did you have a good weekend and a blessed time of worship with other believers?  This weekend through the Midwest were storms that were all around us from heavy rains to sleet to snow and even tornados. Four people died. And yesterday, a rather small, nondescript volcano in the Philippines near the capital city of Manilla erupted. And did so in a show of power and force. The volcano Taal, sent pieces of rock, steam and ash 9 miles up into the sky! The seismologists are warning that the next eruption will be soon and even more powerful—Tsunami causing powerful. When the ash started to fall, the air turned muddy and smelled like gun smoke.  We know that all of creation is under the control of the Father, “who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭65:6-7 ‭NIV‬‬  We also know that “For in him all things were creat...

It’s Thursday and I woke up to the blowing wind! Lots of it—I’m dreading Boomer waking up and having to go outside with him. That harsh, bitter wind seems cruel and almost evil. But I’ll wrap myself up with a fe layers and boots and brave it all.  Sometimes I think we try to do that with things we know aren’t right—things that are evil. We try to wrap ourselves up and just wade into it, but Paul tells us we should reject it—stay away from it. “Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:20-24‬ NIV When he wrote this he’d been in Berea and the Christians there diligently searched the scriptures to make sure everything Paul said was in line. Paul here is encouraging the Thessalonians...

Happy Wednesday and National “For Pete’s sake get those Christmas trees down” Day. I hope your week is going well and you thought a little more about patience yesterday. Today, I can’t stop thinking about gratitude and the many times we just miss opportunities to be genuinely thankful and to express it to one another. Maybe with all the gifts, maybe we just have too much, but we are not a very thankful people. In my observation, we criticize, complain and moan much more than offer words of thanksgiving.  “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:16-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Isn’t it amazing how your attitude can change when you spin a complaint around to a thanksgiving? For example, yesterday I heard a lady tell about the two aisles of cereal in her hometown grocery store and she couldn’t find hers. It had been moved to the bread aisle. She said “The bread aisle of all places! And then, I thought ho...

Happy Tuesday! Before I woke up this morning I was thinking about yesterday and what stuck me were the many examples of patience and the exact opposite—no patience—that I experienced throughout the day. It just sort of amazes me when some folks seem blessed with an abundance of patience and others have none. I’m not naturally a patient person, but when I look at the whole, it all become so much easier.  I looked at a few times Paul instructs us on patience, and they were all tied to love.  “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ If we love people, we are patient with them. It’s easy to be patient with our little ones, with our families and friends and even our pets, but with those “people” out there—those that look funny and not like us. It’s not nearly as easy. And even if some people act like they are being patient with strangers, inside they are fuming.  “Always be humble and gentle. Be patie...

Happy Monday. I hope you had a great weekend and your time spent with other believers was uplifting. Mine was especially good. I have had a silly cold since a week after Thanksgiving. I don’t know if it’s allergies or a cold that’s hanging on but, it’s enough that I’m just a little less than myself. The holidays are over so, I’m ready for summer. I’d just as soon skip January - March and get right to April and let’s get some flowers in the ground! But alas, that’s not what happens here in the Midwest. We trudge through the dog days of winter.  As I complain about the weather, I realize what a light weight and an ingrate I am. I am complaining about winter when I have plenty of warm clothes, a warm house, a warm bed and a warm car. How selfish can one woman actually be? I think of Paul when he was beaten, shipwrecked, in prison, thrown in a hole, chained, robbed, ran out of town, hungry, cold, weary, and the list goes on. But he tells the church at Corinth:  “Therefore we do n...

It’s the Weekend! Time for relaxing and cleaning up after the holidays or more football or movies or for me, Saturday is a work day this weekend. Oh well… I need to be cleaning house and finish packing away the holiday..maybe next week. When I do that, I love to play an old movie I’ve seen a dozen times or so. I do so love John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Fred and Ginger and Elizabeth Taylor. Oh how glamorous was Liz! Remember when she came to Rome through those massive gates as Cleopatra?  I always think of that grand entrance when I read these verses in Psalms 24. Open up the gates! I imagine those sealed Eastern Gates of Jerusalem opened wide and the King of Kings putting Cleopatra’s entry to shame! What a grand entry for sure.  “Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle. Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is ...

Happy Friday! Well, for some of us this coupe of weeks is the happiest time is the year because we love college football and the bowl games are nearly non-stop. Some of us hate it and others didn’t even realize there was such a thing as bowl games. I love watching all the out of conference games and seeing how they match up. My team didn’t do so well, but there’s always next year.  We all have those things we love—the things we get all caught up in. For some of us it’s cars, for some it’s antiques, for some it’s shoes, or jewelry or politics or cows or kids or whatever, but we all have something. Something with which we need to monitor ourselves closely and not let it overcome our relationship and our time with the Lord. Because the things of this world, including relationships with people here, can. The here and now, in our face can over take the spiritual if we aren’t careful.  “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, ...

Happy Thursday! Well, Did you eat your disgusting black-eyed peas yesterday? That’s one tradition I forego. (Something about that texture reminds me of dirt—it’s like liver, one taste is all you need to know!) I like most things, I’m really not very picky but I can’t stand to have coffee in my mouth. Something about the chemistry of coffee just revolts my senses. I tried hard to like it with everyone else in college, but I just ended up sick. All my kids are coffee drinkers, but me...I stick with tea—and no organ meat, nor black eyed peas! But...taste and see...the Lord is good!  “I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears...In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles...Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!...The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose s...

Happy New Year and May the Lord God Jehovah richl bless you this year. Yesterday, my sister said she had high hopes for 2020 because we had had a rough 2019. And it’s true, we did, but the blessing we had of having each other, in the end. outweighed any of the awful we had to deal with. My sister is a woman of God, a prayer warrior and I don’t know how I would do life without her. She ia definitely one of my heros.  “I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!..Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine...I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:2-3, 5, 7-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Our true heros have been placed in our lives by God and they are there to encourage us, inspire us, and share wisdom with us. Choose them car...

Happy New Years Eve. Have you got big plans for tonight? Have you written out you resolutions? Can you even believe it’s almost 2020? It still sounds like science fiction to me. And yet, time just keeps marching on, doesn’t it? It is one of those curious facts of life that as you get older, time seems to speed up.  And sometimes we get so caught up in our big, new plans for the coming year we forget all about God would have in His plans for us.  “Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:13-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ But the great news is God’s plans for us far exceed any...

Happy Monday! The countdown is on for 2020. As I left church yesterday I heard someone say “That was the last church service of the decade!” And so here we are—at the end of a decade. When you think back over the last ten years, how has it been? Ups and downs? Good times and bad? I saw a movie the other day that had a good line in it. A dying mom told her 18-year old son that life would sometimes knock him down to his knees. But he needed to remember that if he could just take a minute, breath, get back up and take a couple of steps, it would get better.  We have been talking for a month about the four attributes of Christ: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. But even though we may be saved, there are times we just don’t feel one or all of those. We may not feel like we are worthy or we may just feel isolated and alone or maybe life has knocked us to our knees. But regardless, all of us at times have problems feeling the hope, peace, joy and love of Jesus.  “For everything that was wr...

Happy Friday! Have you enjoyed or exchanged all your gifts yet? I do love gifts. I think mostly I love the idea that someone thought of me and picked out something they thought I’d like. I don’t really care if it cost $1 or $100–for me, it’s all about taking a little time to think about me.  Then, I think about how God sees me and how He gifts me and it takes my breath away. Evidently it amazed David as well.  “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our ...

Happy day after Christmas. I hope you had a wonderful time with friends and fmIly or if you haven’t been able to sync schedules yet, I hope you are able to do so soon. The Hudson’s managed to stretch the holiday out as long as possible. I do believe I can skip eating until February and I should be just fine!  This fall my children lost both of their grandmothers. One was 92 and one 96. They had lived good long lives and finished their course. Then, just after losing the second one we found out we were getting another baby in the family. It’s funny how that circle of life works. People are born and then get old and die and then more people are born. All except for that one baby. He was old when He was born.  ““You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”” ‭‭John‬ ‭18:37‬ ‭NIV‬‬ When Jesus was born, He was born very di...

Merry Christmas Eve and love has come for the world to know and experience. The angels sang the mightiest chorus to the lowest people in society when the God of glory, who is full of mercy sent His Son into this world! Yes, what a sight that must have been! That’s one of those things that when I get to Heaven, I want to see a re-play of, you know? I’ve got a list.  Sometimes I look at my little dog Boomer and think how little he realizes what I do for him. Now Boomer likes me—I’m his person. He wants to be close to me and in the same room and usually on top of me. But he has no clue that I buy his toys or make sure his bed is clean or that I buy the right food so his tummy won’t be upset or that I make sure he has water, and so on. He just assumes it’s all going to be there and be good. He wants extra food and more snacks than I give him, but I know it wouldn’t be good for him.  Are we a little like that with God? No clue what He really does for us? How many times He makes sur...

Good Monday to you and it is the week to celebrate that love has come for the world! This weekend, we had some of the family Christmas and as I looked down the table, I though of the old cliche, “All because two people fell in love…” And when I think of the four kids, and the four spouses and the soon to be 10 grandchildren... we talked quite a bit about the new baby and we all love him or her every bit as much as the ones that were there running around and the one serving in Hawaii who just got a tattoo on his arm. All I can think of is Wow! That’s a bunch of people and a lotta of love going from 2 to 20 in what seems like a short time.  This year, more than ever before, it has resonated with me over and over as I have studied that Christmas is about so much more than the baby in the manger. It is about that great love God had for the entire world coming to earth. Right after Jesus explains to Niccodemus about being born again, John tells us “For God so loved the world that he gav...