The other night our power went out… Sort of.  Every room was dark… Except for two rooms which had partial power.  It appeared that the electricity was working, but it was weak.  It was fragile.  It was temporary.  It was not capable of taking a full load.

Are you living on your own personal partial power?  Or are you relying on the full load capacity of reliance on God?

Go ahead – give it to Him!  He can handle it ALLLLL!  Follow the roller coaster of emotions through Psalm 13 and rest in His goodness!

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in Your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in Your salvation.

I will sing the Lord’s praise,

for He has been good to me.”

Have anyone at your Thanksgiving table who won’t drink wine?
Who doesn’t watch football?
Who thinks different politically!?

What is the most important ingredient at Thanksgiving?

SALT!  What would your Thanksgiving be without salt!?  Bland mashed potatoes and unsavory stuffing are one thing, but where would you be this Thanksgiving without the Salt of Jesus in your midst?  Remember:  salt only works in close contact.

Who are you going to rub off on this weekend?

“Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”  Mark 9:50

Today’s message brought to you by a sweet friend whose family is taking one step at time after a very difficult surgery.  Lisa writes:

Truth. This journey has been a very trying time for our whole family.

Why do I keep telling you all this? Not for attention or sympathy. But everyone I know right now is fighting battles. Down right hard times. Take them step by step. No matter the mountain you are climbing you won’t reach the top if you don’t put one foot in front of another. I want my friends and family to be reminded to pray. Listen to God and take your journey minute by minute, step by step, just like Dino!

Psalm 37:23-24: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”

Today a dear friend wished me laughs, treats, family and friends.  Such a perfect lineup for me!  And God “exceedingly abundantly more than I could ask or imagine” Eph 3:20-21 blessed me!  And then surprisingly on top of it all a friend sent me a card with confetti!  Confetti!?!?!  How fun!  🙂

What are a few of YOUR favorite things?  Friend time with golf, statistics and bacon?  Quiet time with flowers, cats and a good book?  Quality time with nice clothes, a suspenseful movie and special company?

Whatever God has called you to do/be  – do it BIG!  I call this living on the right side of the comma!  🙂  Live where God leads.  Trust Him for the details.  Love large.  Follow Jesus as the Way….

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, <— note the comma! – and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

Peace = manyyyy definitions and images come to mind

Are we talking a groovy language of peace?
Are we reverently offering each other a sign of peace at church?
Are we dreaming of an empty house or office so we can enjoy some peace + quiet?

Or…..do we consider God’s perspective of peace?

Isaiah 48:18 
Peace like a river….? Wait what?  An abundant river that rambles and rises and flows?!?  Well-being like the waves of the sea!?!?  Active, innumerable, unceasing…?!?

Riding the waves and the river with God are an exhilarating (and scary!) place to be!  Only with Him will we find True Peace!

“And the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:9

Hope for a sunny day tomorrow?  LOL!
Hope for cheaper gas prices?  Keep hoping!
Hope for sanity and civility in all things elections?  Oh dear!

The old hymn has it 100% right!

“My Hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand”

Seek hope with a capital H!  And His Name is Jesus!  All other ground is sinking sand.

“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our Hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”
I Timothy 4:10

It’s always such a huge ordeal deciding who is going to be “It” in childhood games:  age, size, social standing, idea creator, etc., all determine the rank of authority.  (Note: I haven’t seen kids “putting their feet in” to decide the matter in a lonnnnggggg time…have you?!)

As God thinks about you, you are always “It” to Him!  He chooses you every single time!  He wants you on His team!  He wants you to win with Him!  He wants you to “tag” others for Him! 

No more Hide and Seek – we’re all “It!” Let’s just Seek the Lord’s calling together!

“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.”  Ephesians 1:4

God is saying something to you – yes YOU!
What is He saying? How can you know?

Read His Word
Spend some time alone
Spend some time with other believers
Listen in prayer
Fast for focus
Connect with creation
Roll up your sleeves and serve
Give until it hurts

Taking a break from our fast paced world will help us hear God better…..but more important than dwelling on the answer, is the blessing of dwelling with Jesus Himself!

“Those who know Your Name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”  Psalm 9:10

Life can be so complicated.  Aaaaand we seem to complicate things even more!
Sign here
Click here
Enter here
Return this
Deposit this
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

But what is God – not culture and not the expectations of people – reallllllly saying to you?

2 Kings 5:10 tells of God healing after a simple command to “Go, wash yourself.”
That’s it.  No fanfare.  No special attention.  No fancy hand waving.
Just faith.  It’s enough.

How can you Keep It Simple Sweetie when it comes to submission to God?

“so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”  1 Corinthians 2:5

How do you measure success?  

Subscribers?  Follows?  Likes?
Want to be a REAL Celebrity?  

Try holding your spouse’s hand, calling your mom or sitting down to play with a child!  You may not hear man’s applause or see your name in lights, but selfless love is a prize that never grows old!

“Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
I Corinthians 13:7