Do a quick search of the names of amusement parks. The theme of many is Adventure, but the theme of the BIG ones is Kingdom. This is eye opening to me. Yes, I am all for Adventure! Fun! Excitement! Joy! To the point of exhaustion!

But Kingdom? This begins a slippery slope right down to my heart. Who is the King of my heart? Who is the Ruler of the details of my life? Who reigns in my thoughts?

We all wear a wristband for one kind of Kingdom: Which roller coaster of life are you willing to ride?

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Is it just me? Or do we all Add to Cart and click “Place Your Order” with every intent to return the product if something isn’t right? Is that your shopping safety net? The only risk is what method of return will be chosen for us! 

No box, no label? No problem!
Box and label? But still free? Sounds good!
Just keep the product? WIN!

God has given us one life to live. No guarantees. No returns. No refunds. 
How will you spend it?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

Life can be very overwhelming! How do we navigate the highs and the lows? Where do we find the strength to persevere and hold on to faith in our good and mighty God? Do we fold like a rag doll or go down with a fight?

Make a choice.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8,9

Yes! May the goodness of God and His abundant grace be yours today! 

How do you receive such a gift? Just like that: It’s a gift. Open your hands and your heart and receive it!

God is good! God is generous! And God is gracious!

Taste and See!

“I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt His Name together!

I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:1-8

Have you ever heard a lost lamb? One who cannot find its mom? It is LOUD! And incessant! Never ending bleating. If the lamb is truly lost it is a very frightening sound.

Well, on our Funny Farm last week we had our adult sheep sheared. Right in the middle of the heat wave, the sheep were relieved of their heavy coats of wool. And that is exactly when the chaos began. 

The moms didn’t have that same distinguishing “aroma” of a year’s worth of dirty wool and the lambs could no longer “find” their moms. The lambs paced and cried all while their mom, their source of comfort, was standing nearby the whole time!

Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We don’t have to feel lost. He is nearby.

“God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:27

Think about it…this world can bog us down and make us forget the good and gracious and generous love of God. We need each other in order to remember!

Celebrate together the precious memories of hard times survived…obstacles overturned….mysteries solved…doubts overcome…fears subsided…divisions destroyed…

God mentions the word celebrate over 80 times in the Bible. He is serious about remembering together and we should be, too! So grab a party hat and a friend and get ready to celebrate today!

“We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.” Psalm 78:4

Today is Trey’s birthday. He would have been 18 years old! My nephew, our Young Warrior!

But God!

Jay, my brother and Trey’s dad, reminds me often that God didn’t want Trey to be 18. God wanted Trey to make it to 6 years old. And so….Trey was a good listener! Jay and Rachel were sacrificial parents, surrendering their son to the will of God. Of course we still miss Trey every day in every way. He was an entertainer/charmer/pistol like no other! 🙂

And so we press on as Rachel, Trey’s mom, says: Trey was a joy and a gift! Is there someone who needs to hear that they bring you joy? Let them know today in honor of this Young Warrior.

“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11

Do you ask or tell your AI platform to help you?

Interesting concept, right? Not worth another thought because AI is not a person. No feelings to consider. No respect to be earned/given.

How is your prayer life? Do you ask or tell God to help you?

Interesting concept, right? Worth EVERY next thought! Worthy of EVERY drop of respect and awe!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7,8

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,” Psalm 78:4

The praiseworthy deeds of the Lord: Can you name any? Can you count them? Can you share them with someone spiritually younger than you are?

If you can name 3 praiseworthy deeds of the Lord each day, you will have named over 1,000 blessings in just one year!

Let’s get started! I’ll go first and you keep the list going….
– Springtime
– Safe travels
– Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.” Psalm 78:4

I heard a funny illustration about Palm Sunday. What if the donkey thought the Triumphal Entry was for him? It certainly could have looked and felt that way: The crowds were gathered and cheering for him and they were throwing their coats down on the street to protect his little feet! 

We all know Palm Sunday was really about Jesus coming to proclaim that He indeed is the Messiah. Well, what was the donkey’s role? He was the vehicle to introduce people to Jesus. He carried the message that Jesus is the Christ. He got out of the way so Jesus could be known!

I want to be like the donkey! Don’t you?

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7