Mirror Mirror of my heart, Who receives my devotion – in whole – not in part?
Take a look deep inside….inside your emails, your pile of receipts, your calendar. Even as you look in the mirror tonight before bed, consider whose image you are bearing:  

A sports hero?  An influencer?  A peer?
Every person’s story begins with:  Once Upon a TimeAnd for those who call Jesus, Lord, their story will end with:  And They Lived Happily Ever After!  

But what about alllllll that time in between?  Who do you aspire to be?  Who do you try to please?  Whose affection do you desire?  Any answer other than being a fully devoted follower of Jesus will leave you wanting…

So pull out the Windex and get that mirror shining!

“You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”  Colossians 3:9-10

My mom passed away almost a year ago.  Going through her treasures always produces a wide variety of emotions:

– Guilt – Who am I to look through my mom’s innermost notes and thoughts?
– Admiration – Wow!  What a woman of God who remained faithful her entire life!
– Worship – Thank You Lord for gifting us our precious mom who loved her family so very fiercely!
– Wonder – I often wonder if I will ever be able to live up to Mom’s example?
– Joy – Ohhhhh, how I treasure the memories of Mom!
– Awe – How did Mom do it all?

And then I find it!   In her Bible I am reminded of the answer to alllll my questions:  Mom loved Jesus!  She loved His Word!  She loved her church family!  She loved praying!  Ohhhhhh, how she loved praying for anyone AND everyone!  (I’ll show you her prayer charts sometime!)

And so, the guilt is gone!  I am honored to read over her perfect penmanship, copying precious Bible verses.  I am inspired by her sweet little reminders of the important dates of loved ones.  And I am ever more fully devoted to follow her example to love one another deeply!

Thanks Mom!  I can hear your voice right now:
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”  I Corinthians 11:1

Imagine the scene….10 preschoolers in uniforms, gloves and baseball hats.Baseballs rolling…..EVERYWHERE!  A few children crying or digging in the dirt…..The t-ball season will kick off with the first hit (we hope a hit!) in 1 minute! Everyone in their places!

And then I saw it….a tiny version of Hebrews 12:1 right before my eyes!  You see, behind each player stood a grown up, someone to whisper direction in their ear, give encouragement after a wise play or protect the child from injury.

Can you see it on that t-ball field?
Can you feel it in your own life?
Are you surrounded with a team of “grown ups” eager to lovingly guide, encourage and protect you?

We were not made to navigate this life alone.  Get yourself surrounded!

“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.”  Hebrews 12:1,2

Can you juuuuuust about smell and taste the strawberries and peaches and all the other delicious signs of summer?  These past few warm days have been such an encouragement as we dry out from a very soggy winter/spring!

Have you ever felt like you were in a soggy season?
A bitter cold season?
A season when leaves are falling and days are getting darker?

Get out your fun shorts and fancy flip flops and rest in Psalm 34!

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”  Psalm 34:8

The Major League Baseball (MLB) season schedule consists of 162 games for each of the 30 teams in the American League (AL) and National League (NL), played over approximately six months – a total of 2,430 games, plus the postseason.  (Thank you Wikipedia!)

That is a LOT of baseball!  That is a LOT of time and money and energy invested in improving stats, refining skills and hitting a homerun!  Aren’t you relieved to know that we don’t need to strive or search to determine our worthiness?  The Easter season has been a wonderfully encouraging time of self-reflection, but more importantly a time of celebrating and declaring our One True Lord, Perfect Sacrifice and Risen Savior!  He is our Champion worthy of all our devotion!

“to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”  Jude 1:25

Do you have tiny bits of foil wrapper all over your house today?
Have the jelly beans been sorted through for the best flavors?
Are the plastic eggs mismatched and cracked?

What just happened?  A whirlwind of weekend activities celebrating our priceless gift of Jesus’ Resurrection leaves behind a trail that tells a story!  Is your walk with Jesus sweet like a Cadbury egg?  Is it mysterious like a dark or a milk chocolate egg?  Or is it just left in the drawer like the dusty Halloween candy until one day when you are desperate?

God’s mercies are new every morning!  Celebrate our Risen King every day!  Savor the sweet relationship we can enjoy with Him because of His sacrifice!

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”  Psalm 34:8

This weekly devotional began as “Trey Tuesday” in 2010 in order to honor and support my nephew and his family during Trey’s fight with cancer.  You can read about God’s provision in Trey’s journey here: https://camuscara-tomyaudienceofone.blogspot.com/

After Trey won his battle and was reunited with Jesus, I renamed the devotional, “Today!”  May we all be reminded of the valuable gift of Today: “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” Hebrews 3:13

As Easter approaches I am amazed at God’s powerful use of the word Today in His Scriptures.  God wants us to live today!  Not dwell on the past!  Don’t worry about the future!

Follow His lead.  Today!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  Hebrews 13:8″
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.””  Luke 23:43″
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house”. Luke 19:9″
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”  Luke 2:11
“As has just been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”  Hebrews 3:15
“Give us today our daily bread.”  Matthew 6:11

Our sweeeeet grandson had his 5th birthday last week.  To celebrate this avid angler, we took him to Cabela’s to enjoy the aquarium, the trout pond and to gaze at and touch every single solitary fishing lure!  Halfway through the store he looked at me and said, “You did all this…for me?”  This Granny heart melted on the spot!

Holy Week begins with the Triumphant entry of Jesus on Palm Sunday as He makes His way to the cross to face an agonizing death and punishment for our sins.  He paid the price for every stupid, careless, intentional, mean thing we have ever thought, said or done so that we can enjoy sweet fellowship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  May we gaze at God this week (and always!) and consider: “God, You did all this….for me?”

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:45

My water bottle had a tiny crack in it….water seeped out daily drop by drop. Whatever was in my bottle dripped out.  Until one day…..my water bottle landed in the dirt.  Now….what was OUTSIDE my water bottle leaked INSIDE!  ps. Sludge is not my favorite beverage.

Yes, I can get a new water bottle.  I can also immerse myself in fresh, clean surroundings in order to protect and enrich what I am taking in.

What are you letting inside your “cup”?
Who are you surrounding yourself with to keep your “cup” fresh and pure?

“Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”  I John 4:4

Stumped by a decision the other day, I called a friend, “I couldn’t figure it out, so all I had left to do was pray!”  Left to do!?  Why didn’t I pray first?!? And most!?!?  Beyond thinking or planning or discussing!?  I had it backwards!

Are you stumped about _______ or sooooooooo frustrated about ___________?

God knows all that we face and He patiently waits for us to come to Him.  He is our gentle and POWERFUL Lord and Savior, Almighty God, Heavenly Father, showing loving devotion to a thousand generations – and that includes each one of us!  🙂

Let’s let God be God.

“The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”  I Thessalonians 5:24