Yes!  Let’s do this!  Pack your bags!  And drop them off!  And leave them there.

Nope – we are not at the airport destined for a tropical island or a European excursion.  We are destined to enter the throne room of God in prayer!

Let’s gather up the cares and concerns, the headaches and heartaches, the suffering and the pain of our loved ones – and ourselves – and entrust them/leave them/give them to the One who is the BEST Baggage Handler ever!  Infallible!  Trustworthy!  Merciful!  Generous!

You and your prayer requests will NEVER be lost or mishandled!

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  Galatians 6:2

This time of year can cause some melancholy feelings of inadequacy, loss and fear.  Necessary endings, new beginnings and change.  That’s all hard to manage!

With Jesus we don’t have to approach them with our strength, because face it – we are weak!  Each time you get dressed – for work, school, play, bed – get dressed in the covering that will give you God sized strength and grace!

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in My God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness”  Isaiah 61:10 

When was the last time you studied a rope? A jump rope? A construction knot?  A rope connected to a boat anchor? The stakes are pretty high when we rely on a rope! OK – maybe a sting on the leg is the worst thing to happen with a jump rope, but construction and boating can have costly and life threatening consequences.

God is pretty serious about ropes, too. Cords. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  Ecclesiastes 4:12  We can’t be lone rangers as we follow Jesus. We need each other.

Who are the 3 strands God has given to you?  A spouse?  A parent?  A dear friend?  Be sure you keep God in the center holding you all together!“For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

Wow!  God has been putting on quite the show this summer!  Beautiful layered clouds creating fascinating sunsets!  Dark storm clouds speckled with streaks of lightning!  Rain showers while the sun shines!  And tonight/tomorrow morning’s meteor showers and sighting of Mars!

Life can be hard.  But we don’t have to feel lost or alone, in wonder or doubt, fear or pain – just look UP!“

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

Google doesn’t have all the answers. AI can’t help. And there isn’t an app for that. Just do it. Go ahead. Talk to God. He’s already listening. He knows what’s on your mind/nerves/heart anyway!

Praise Him!
Confess to Him!
Ask Him!
Thank Him!
And Trust Him to do what is right and good!

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:6

Ever have one of those seasons like we are having in PA?  One minute the sun is shining and the gentle breeze is blowing, then the next thing you know, a monsoon AND a tornado blow through!  And the floods!  And thennnnnn the sun dries up all the rain and the weeds pop up!  And beetles come and eat your flowers!  And the vegetable plants rot from the flooding rains!

It’s hard.  It’s not what you expected.  Or wanted.  And wow – have your plans changed…  This is why we have friends to hold umbrellas for us….and covered porches to wait out the rains….and loved ones to sit with us.

AND GOD!  We don’t know His plan, but we know Him!  And His promises!

“I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”  Ezekiel 34:26

A sunflower faces and follows the sun. It’s a wonderful sight displaying God’s beautiful design!  The sunflower relies on God’s presence and power!

We have a sunflower in our yard that is a bit confused…you see, the sunflower is facing our white shed! It turns its “back” to the sun and faces the reflection of the sun! It is being fooled by a representation of the true light.

This is an easy analogy these days. We can allow ourselves to get easily distracted or deceived or we can seek the presence and the power found in the One True Light – Jesus!

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6

Do you want to do the right thing?
How do you know which choice to make?
What is God calling you to do?

Don’t ask a bunch of people.  Don’t even Google.  Go to God.  Actually, you don’t need to go anywhere because He is already right here with you!

God sends us over 7,000 promises in His Word!  He is ready and waiting to hear from you.  His answers are always best!  And right!  And good!

Tune out the world and lean in to the Word.

“Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Do you dread them? Do you cringe and get angry every time you approach a bump in the road?  Or do you take a deep breath and enjoy the ride?

Life has a lot of speed bumps and potholes. Sometimes a LOT more than others. Is God surprised? No He is not. Will the road EVER smooth out? Yes indeed it will. Eventually.

In the meantime, keep your seatbelt snug, fix your eyes on Jesus and wait on Him.  Memorize one of these verses to remind yourself with every speed bump and pothole:

“May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”  Psalm 143:10

“Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make straight Your way before me.”  Psalm 5:8

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6″

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.”  Psalm 23:3

What are you raising these days…. 
Children?
Chickens?
Tomatoes?
Awareness?

We experience so much pressure in our culture to keep raising the bar…efficiency, productivity, fortune, assets, etc.  What does God call us to raise?

A dear senior saint works at our church.  You can often hear the faint melody as Mr. Frank comes down the hall.  “Raise a Hallelujah” is his anthem.  It’s on his lips.  In his heart.  It’s in all he does!

What do you need to put down so that you can raise up a Hallelujah to God today?

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”  John 3:30