Loud cars?
Designer clothes?
Immaculate home?
Well behaved children?
Baseball jerseys?
15,000 followers?

Where do you find your identity?  What is your scale?  How do you know when enough is enough?

Let’s use Today to give thanks and praise to God for His unconditional love!  His undeserved grace and mercy!  His enduring power!  His eternal promise!

THAT is the identity I want on MY name tag!  🙂

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  Ephesians 3:20-21

Are you a sunrise or a sunset kind of person?  The colors, the beauty and the majesty of the sun setting over water get me every time!  God is such an amazing artist!

The same God who created the big ball of 27 million degree fire we call the Sun designed it to display glorious splendor every morning and evening!  Every sunrise and sunset is a reminder of God’s perfect plan, His power and His glory!

Even if today is a cloudy or rainy day, the sun is still doing what God created it to do – we just can’t see it.  

He also created and designed YOU for His perfect plan and for His glory – even if other people can’t see it or don’t realize it!  So no matter what – keep shining!

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”  Psalm 37:5,6

Are you Scout ready?
Or a Procrastinator?

Good thing the disciples were Scout ready!  After Jesus’ resurrection He met the disciples while they were on their boat after a night of poor fishing.  “Let down your nets again,” He told them.  God filled their nets to overflowing!  They could barely haul in the bounty!

Are YOUR nets ready for what God is about to do in your life?
Have you mended weak spots by humble prayer?
Reinforced the gaps by sharing burdens with a friend?
Secured your foundation in God’s Word?

Wherever God has us, let’s be ready and listening for His call!

“He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”  John 21:6

What season is it?
Easter?
Spring?
Baseball?
Softball?
Almost graduation!?

Maybe you skipped celebrating National Caramel Day yesterday in the name of remembering National Twinkie Day today!  I will give you a heads up – Saturday is National Siblings Day!  Get your FB photos ready! 🙂

Isn’t it a relief to know that God doesn’t wait for a certain day to show us how much He loves us!  Because of Jesus’ surrender of His Life, Easter Day is a great reminder of His love showered upon us 24/7/365!  The chocolate bunnies and the jelly beans will soon disappear (for some sooner than for others!), but let’s never set aside our celebration of Jesus every day!

“And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  I John 4:10

Growing up we spent a lot of time playing in our finished basement.  When Mom called us to come up for dinner we would run up the stairs, eager to NOT be the last one downstairs.  Nobody wanted to be the rotten egg.  Orrrrrr, in the case of my brother, he needed to be the FIRST one up the stairs!  You see, if he was the first one up the stairs, he would quickly turn off the basement lights – leaving the rest of us in the pitch black dark!  My, how quickly an imagination can take over!

As we contemplate Easter and the power of the light of Jesus and His resurrection over our dark, sin-filled lives, I’m taken back to our basement.  Being stuck in the dark is scary.  It’s lonely…even with my siblings nearby.  Coming upstairs and finding light lightens my heart.  It refreshes my heavy burdens.  The light helps me see everything more clearly.

May your heart know the Light of Jesus this Easter and always!

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.”  John 12:46

Can you accept differences?
Are you willing to stretch your beliefs and traditions in order to consider someone else’s point of view or opinion?
And still like the person?

I recently heard rumors that there is a new trend in how to make your bed.  How to make your bed?!
How can there be a “new” way!?!
I didn’t believe it.
I couldn’t believe it!
But today it was verified.  By a loved one!
Here it is:
A top sheet – a flat sheet – is optional!
Whaaaaat?  You sleep on the fitted sheet and then get covered with only your blanket?!?
Yes indeed, that is what is going on in our world!  LOL!

But you know what? I didn’t try and change this person’s mind.  I didn’t argue.  (I actually laughed hysterically.)  And we lovingly moved on in our conversation to the next topic!  🙂 

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”  Colossians 2:14

Are you feeling hopeful these days?
The hope of warmer weather?
The hope of spring break?The hope of “normal”?
Maybe you even hope for a good parking place!  🙂

I love the instant gratification of things we hope for – things with a lower case ‘h’.  It reminds me of sticker charts used to motivate children to brush teeth/clean rooms/walk the dog.  Kids strive to get the chart all filled in with stickers so they can earn a special prize or treat.  And then what?

What happens when we have to wait longer?  Or try harder?  Or trust more?  Prayer, perseverance, and pure faith revolve around Hope with a capital ‘H’.  Hope in our never-changing, ever-trustworthy, all-knowing God of the Universe!

Would You Rather….hope in a dollar store toy?  Or Hope in Jesus?

“Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.”  Psalm 62:5

A baby doesn’t look like a full grown adult.
A duckling doesn’t look like a full grown duck.
A puppy doesn’t look like a full grown dog.
But elephants?!? I love baby elephants!
Even as a baby they look just like an adult!  They are just proportionately smaller!

Why do we expect immature people to look/behave/sound/react like mature people?  Emotions trip people up.  A spiritual walk may only be in the beginning stages.  Health can interfere.  The will to improve or persevere wanes.

Take a few minutes this week to consider the people God has placed in your life. He has a plan!  God is the Master of creating and trusting small things, teaching us the patience and nurturing required for mature love and growth. 
He shows us in the mustard seed:  Matthew 13:31-32
And sparrows: Luke 12:6-7
And even in the boy’s little lunch: John 6:9

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much”  Luke 16:10

What does it take to be a good listener:
– eye contact?- focus?- silence?- a counseling degree?
Probably, yes, most likely not, and no.

I learned how to be a good listener from my nephew.  I’m not mentioning any names, but it was my oldest nephew.  The one who introduced the large group of aunts and uncles to the amazing and engrossing world of Power Rangers.  Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers who battle all day every day.  (They don’t go to school or work or sleep…?) Imagine when a four year old comes running to you describing the battle….who won?…who lost?…who was defeated?…who narrowly escaped?…who can even understand the names of the characters?!?!

We didn’t need to understand the game in order to be good listeners.  All we needed to do was watch Matthew’s face.  Was he sad?  We were sad with him.  Was he ecstatic for his victory?  We were ecstatic with him!  🙂  His face and posture told us all we needed to know.  We didn’t need all the details of the battle, and we didn’t try and tell him how to battle better, but HE needed to know we were there for him to cheer him on or boost him up.

If you’d like to learn adult real-life examples of listening and loving well, pull up a chair and listen in at www.lunchtimeinrome.com weekly podcast.  

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”  Romans 12:15

What brought you joy today?

A good night’s sleep? A new baby? (these first 2 don’t feasibly go together…)
A healthy check up?
A low balance bill?
No line at Chick-Fil-A?

Did you stop and give thanks to God for the gift of joy He gave to you?
Often we are quick to ask God – and each other – for help and for answers, but our thanks and praise often lags behind.  With each new joy tomorrow, will you first pause to thank God?  No great dissertation of impressive language….a pause, a smile, a lifting of your hands in praise….let’s honor God with our thanks!

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  James 1:17