Morning Thoughts

Happy Thursday! Well, I’m back on antibiotics again with an upper respiratory and sinus infection and oh boy am I having fun! But I am getting all studies up for my trip to Jerusalem. I have learned that Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Philip all came from the same little fishing village of Bethsaida. It was a little fishing village of only about 500-600 people right on the Sea of Galilee. It amazes me that He didn’t pick a even a few from the modern cities with running water and universities and amphitheaters. But no...tiny little communities.  But in these places people lived in community—in extended family, they supported one another, worshipped together, ate together, helped each other. They understood that the community is more important than the individual. The Synagogue was the center of the town, the place for worship, meeting and for school.  The first level of curriculum was the Torah. Student would memorize the first five books of the Bible and the best students w...

Happy Wednesday. Ive been asked how to know God’s will or in trying to make a life choice, can we determine the will of God. I think so many times we just want a warm and fuzzy feeling to fill us as we decide, but those feelings are fickle. Most of the time if we make decisions based on feelings, we make the ones we just want to make and not necessarily the ones that line up with the Word of God—the only true test.  “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians‬ ‭3:15-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Many believers look for a sense of peace as a sign to help them determine God’s will in their li...

Happy Tuesday. I hope you have managed to stay away from all the flues and colds that have been running rampant the last couple of months. Everywhere I go I hear some one talking about having a terrible cough for the last month or they’ve had the flu for the last two weeks or bronchitis or some terrible something—it seems that everyone has been sick. My little mother-in-law was hospitalized with flu A and B and a UTI. As far as I know, it’s her first hospital visit since her children were born and that was 63.5 years ago. It’s been a rough, sickly year.  In times of trouble, I love to turn to Psalm 91 as a Psalm of hope and a Psalm to demonstrate the greatness of God.  “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”...Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will a...

Happy Tuesday. I hope you have managed to stay away from all the flues and colds that have been running rampant the last couple of months. Everywhere I go I hear some one talking about having a terrible cough for the last month or they’ve had the flu for the last two weeks or bronchitis or some terrible something—it seems that everyone has been sick. My little mother-in-law was hospitalized with flu A and B and a UTI. As far as I know, it’s her first hospital visit since her children were born and that was 63.5 years ago. It’s been a rough, sickly year.  In times of trouble, I love to turn to Psalm 91 as a Psalm of hope and a Psalm to demonstrate the greatness of God.  “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”...Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will a...

Happy Monday! As much as I love warm weather, the erratic weather patterns of the spring wreak havoc with my head. I fought a headache this weekend that turned to a full blown migraine yesterday. When that happens, I really can’t think well. Sometimes, they get out of my control and I have to turn them over to the experts and get a shot (or three) to manage the pain.  That’s the way my spiritual life can get. Sometimes in the matter of a few days, I’ve messed it up badly enough that you’d have thought it would have taken 30 years instead of 3 days. And I am in such pain that I realize I’m not thinking correctly about the situation nor is there any way I can fix it. I need THE expert who in the blink of an eye can straighten me out.  When I’m down and out, one of my go-to places is right here. And it’s like God reminds me with just a touch of sarcasm “Don’t you know? Haven’t I told you over and over?” “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the C...

It’s the weekend. I hope you are ready for good fellowship with friends and time spent in corporate worship with fellow believers.  Over this last week I’ve had a few things come up that just seemed to be completely at opposite ends of the spectrum. I tried to make sense of it and figure out how on earth they could both be right or even both be in the the same conversation. During the last week of Jesus’ life, John records Jesus talking about a couple of contradictory thoughts.  “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”” John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭NLT I think the thing that I love the most In this verse is that Jesus doesn’t say He is GOING to over come but that he HAS over come the world. It’s already a done-deal—Before the crucifixion and the resurrection, He knows how this story plays out. Is He a great God or what?  So here, without any contradiction, our Lo...

Happy Friday! I sure hope you’ve had a good week. We are having a little warmer weather here, hip hip hurray! I’ve been doing a lot of studying practices and processes at my new job—it’s different from anything I’ve ever done before, so I’ve been learning a lot. I’ve had several people teach me and what is interesting is every person is able to teach me in a little different way, so I gain a perspective depending on who I am learning from and some are better than others. A great thing about being in a relationship with Jesus is that we learn from Him—the perfect teacher.  ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Jesús never intends for our learning to be heavy, but He does intend for us to be learners and I believe He intends for us to be life-long learners....