For all those who wonder how God could love them – even after alllllll they have said and done – tell them to take a look at their dog!  (NOT their cat!) 🙂

Morning breath?  Dogs don’t care – actually, I think they like it!
Grumpy days?  Dogs wag and wag until you feel better!
Silent treatment?  Dogs space invade until they can love you closer!

Now imagine….The Creator of the universe, the One who hung the stars and created every gorgeous flower, bird and labradoodle, loves you even more than that!

And even MORE unconditionally! (And you don’t have to feed or walk God!)

“We love because He first loved us.”  I John 4:19

Some would argue that Lord of the Rings is the best trilogy ever!
Some may say Toy Story, Indiana Jones or Austin Powers.  (Not sure exactly whoooo would choose Austin Powers, but go ahead and look it up:  It’s real!) 

I’m thinking of a different trilogy.  One with more lasting influence. 🙂
1. Rejoice in hope.
2. Be patient in affliction.
3. Be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12

Hope, Patience and Prayer.  Can we focus on those 3 disciplines?
Memorize them?  Talk about them?  Practice them?

How differently our days will go if we keep God’s perspective!
Will there still be traffic? Yep!
And sickness? Yep!
And annoying people? Yep!

Problems and distractions won’t go away, but our stress levels may!  

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  2 Corinthians 4:17

Speedy deliveries!  How did we ever live without them!?

Whether you are looking for tonight’s dinner, your pet’s favorite treats, or an outfit for Friday night, you can have results on your doorstep in a short amount of time.

Super speed with little cost.  That is how delivery works.  Deliverance? Not so much!

Doing the hard work to learn and grow from where you are today, to where you want to be in the future cannot be bought with a membership or service fee.  There is no such thing as free shipping and handling when it comes to habits, fears, injuries, addictions, and illnesses.  God, in His ever powerful and yet gentle love, offers us His deliverance one baby step at a time…creeping closer and closer to Him and further and further away from the weakness.

Are you willing to lean on Him?

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  Psalm 18:2

My favorite cookie – rich and chewy and full of deliciousness!
Together yes, but each ingredient?  Not so much!
The baking soda – that’s kind of bitter.
And the flour – well, that’s too pasty.
And the raw eggs – not a fan.
But stir them all up and bake = glorious!  🙂

Has God ever done that with you?  Given you the ingredients for something beautiful in your life – but you just let them sit there – and they felt and tasted pretty bad.  BUT THEN!  God stirred everything up and something delicious came to be!

Peter was in prison.  Yuck!
In chains.  Ouch!
He was scheduled to be on trial.  Yikes!
BUT THEN!  His church family prayed and God rescued him!

God stirs things up so we can keep His Story going!  
Now THAT is a delicious recipe!

“Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.”  Acts 12:18

On a recent trip to the beach I enjoyed watching the little sand piper birds scamper along the shoreline. They ran juuuuuuuust ahead of the waves lapping up on the shoreline….digging their pencilthin bills in to the sand in search of tasty seafood!

And then I watched the big goofy looking pelicans….flapping and soaring juuuuust above the water….gliding their massive bill and pouch until they pounced in to the ocean for fish!

What testimonies of God’s creative power! Each bird doing what God created it to do!

What about you?  Are you living the life God has created and equipped you to live? Are you a living witness to God’s creative power?

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”  Romans 1:20

Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High school and College!
Engagements, weddings and anniversaries!
New homes, new babies and new jobs!

Such an exciting time to be alive!
God is certainly showing us His plan is for us to keep on living!

So why do we walk around with such a spirit of dread and despair?
Why are we surprised by the worst that this sad world has to offer, while denying the very best that our faithful God promises!?!

Choose life!  Keep going!  We all read the end of the Bible:  JESUS WINS!  🙂

“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

Paying it forward seems to have lost its viral trend.
I sure hope kindness hasn’t followed suit!

Here’s another way to look at it these days:
What kind of conversations do you repeat?
What links do you send to others?
What posts do you share?

Can you imagine if we would only pass on Truth and Life and Hope and Joy!?!
We can’t change the whole world, but we can impact those around with the love of Jesus!

Pass it on!

“let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

Deep Roots
SunflowersZinnias
Corn
Tomatoes

‘Tis the season of alllll kinds of things growing in our gardens!
Even the weeds!

I have been trying to get rid of a certain weed for a long time.  The roots run pretty deep, so I just keep breaking the greenery off at the surface so I can’t see the weed anymore.  That might make things look nicer for a short time, but very soon after, the root sends a shoot up to make its presence known!

Do you have any deep roots in your life?  Areas where you just keep nipping off the external behavior – the part that shows?  But you know the root of the issue is deep down inside?

Go deep.  Get on your knees.  And work at the root.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” Galatians 6:7

We are studying The Lord’s Prayer with our children at church.  It is time to teach them about the word, “hallowed”.  Not a 2021 kind of word.  Yet an eternal word.  It simply – yet deeply profoundly – means, ‘holy.’.  And ‘holy’ means ‘set apart’.

There are so many ways we can praise the Lord for His Holiness, ways that He is set apart from anyone and anything that has ever – or will ever – exist!
Hallowed be Your Name
Peace be Your Name
Love be Your Name
Almighty be Your Name….Let’s keep it going!  🙂

“The Name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  Proverbs 18:10

Traveling recently with my 2 year old grandson opened my eyes to many new adventures!  One most notable event occurred at a rest stop where we were just trying to get out some wiggles.

Sitting outside, we were approached by another family.  A family who spoke very broken English.  A mom and her 2 children….Similar to my daughter and her children, but obviously quite different….Until we look at life through the pure and simple eyes and heart of a 2 year old.  The children met.  Face to face.  Eyeing each other up.  “Crocs!” squealed my grandson.  Yes, the other children had on crocs – just like he did!  My grandson didn’t see or hear the MANY differences between the children.  His innocent, unscarred perspective saw only what the kids had in common.

Wow!  What we could learn about God’s kind of love from children!

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”  Psalm 133:1