BEAUTIFUL INSPIRATION

As always I was met with mixed emotions after learning that another person I ‘met’ through this writing ministry is now at home with the Lord. I count it a blessing that she was inspired through reading some of my books as she journeyed home to meet her Maker.

It started with sharing my second book, God’s Love Illuminated, with a stranger at a retreat in November of 2023. This person shared the book with her mother who lived in Pennsylvania, who I never had the privilege of meeting face-to-face. I received a lovely card and hand-written note in July of 2024 from her. Part of the message said, “I’m a 99 year old woman and believe me, God’s Love Illuminated is a book you can’t put down.” Continue reading “BEAUTIFUL INSPIRATION”

THE JOY OF THE LORD

It started with a prayer request text from a friend before Christmas which said, “Maybe we could pray for each other that our JOY will not be lessened by expectations of others which is always a struggle for me.”  I responded, “How ‘God’ because I was praying that I would have joy and peace during the holidays. Enjoy the moment knowing you are who God wants you to be.”

A few weeks later we met for coffee and both said our prayers were answered. We talked more and both agreed how “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” As the Lord often does, He confirmed that ‘joy of the Lord’ through hearing not one, but two songs within a forty-five minute time frame on that radio that echoed those words. I was in awe of Him and looked up the lyrics of both songs and shared with my friend. Continue reading “THE JOY OF THE LORD”

FINDING THE LOST

Have you ever misplaced or lost something? Isn’t it frustrating? Do you sometimes spend a lot of time looking for the item? Do you pray to Jesus or ask St. Anthony to help you find it?

I experienced those things recently with of all things—my glasses. Five years ago my oldest son bought me not one, but two, of what I call the “grandma chains” that I used for a little while. Then I decided I was just not old enough to use them—so you can be assured I will not share this story with him.

My glasses are for distance so I have resisted getting bifocals yet. If I am doing closer work or reading I take my glasses off and wear them when driving or when I need to see further away. Continue reading “FINDING THE LOST”

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

Welcome back, my fellow pilgrims. We finish up our pilgrimage to Italy today with stops in Assisi, LaVerna, and San Giovanni Rotundo.

First though I have a question for you. Do you consider yourself a saint?

I’m also curious—was your first thought, “No way, I’m not even close to being a saint?” I wonder if you will have to reconsider…

After doing some research, I learned that the word ‘saint’ derives from the Latin word ‘sanctus’ which means “holy” or “consecrated.”  If you are a Christian, wouldn’t you agree that we are called to live holy lives? Doesn’t a holy life mean one filled with prayer, a relationship with the Spirit, loving and serving God and others? Continue reading “THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS”

JUBILEE YEAR

Welcome to a new day, my fellow pilgrims. We spend one last day in Rome reflecting on the Jubilee years of days past and of 2025.

 

Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.  –Leviticus 25:8-12  (NIV)

God’s provision for the Israelites was that every fiftieth year was a special year consecrated to Him where liberty, being set free from bondage and opposition was to be lived out. It was a holy, sacred time of living in freedom, being restored, and with a complete reset of the land and its people–a different way of life. The beginning of the year was sounded by the shofar. Continue reading “JUBILEE YEAR”

PETER’S PROCLAMATION

Greetings, my fellow pilgrims. What you say–I’m a pilgrim?  Yes, I believe that is both a great truth and analogy. Aren’t our lives here on earth a pilgrimage on our way to spend eternity in heaven? The time we have on this earth allows us to draw closer to God and grow in love to become more like Him.

But, technically, with this reflection we are continuing our pilgrimage in Italy which began with the last devotion entitled Paul in Rome. I’m sure you recall that we visited some of the sights related to Paul’s final days in Rome before he was martyred for his faith in Jesus. Continue reading “PETER’S PROCLAMATION”

PAUL IN ROME

Back in September, I had the blessing of taking a pilgrimage to Italy—it was an unexpected trip that presented itself in my Facebook feed! We just never know what God will use to get our attention.

I want to preface the next few reflections saying that my goal in writing is for all Christians. No matter what particular denomination we belong to, we are united in our love and need for Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Jesus should be at the center of our lives, faith, and worship. As I share about my pilgrimage I see lessons or themes that can apply to our lives no matter which Christian denomination we follow. Continue reading “PAUL IN ROME”

REFRAME

Do you, like me, often find yourself living in fear?  Isn’t it easy to think the worst case scenario will always happen?

In conversing with a man I met at a retreat house, he gave me good food for thought and something I know I need to work on personally. He said that through the years he tries to live by reframing his thoughts from living in fear to living in love. I believe that is a very wise way to live. This is from a person who has experienced great loss in his life.

 

Live by reframing your thoughts and life from living in fear to living in love.

 

What is it like to live in fear?

Aren’t we often overcome with anxiety, obsessed with making the ‘perfect’ decisions, and concerned with scarcity?

Living in fear can lead to paralyzing us to not take action to change our trajectory–thinking we can control things to achieve the perfect outcome. We are also less apt to take risks.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  –Isaiah 41:10  (NIV)

God does not want us to live in fear! God is always with us. He provides the strength and help we need. We are the ones that need to actively choose to let go of fear and replace it with faith in God. He works everything out for our good, even the seemingly “bad” things that happen in life.

 

What is it like to live in love?

Don’t we know that God, who is Love itself, takes care of us, helps lead and guide us, and provides in abundance for us?

Living in love can lead to surrendering our will knowing God can make good of anything. We should be open to grow and experience more things, and accept who and how God made us.

All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.  –1 John 4:15-16  (NLT)

What beautiful encouragement to know that we can live in love! God is love, and once we believe in Jesus we too have God (Love) living in us; therefore we can live lives of love. How beautiful is that?

 

Photo courtesy of QuotesEverlasting under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

 

 

How can we reframe our thoughts and life from fear to love?

 

See ourselves as God sees us.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  –1 Peter 2:9  (NIV)

We are God’s chosen people; His special possession. God has allowed us to see the Light, Jesus, so we do not have to be in darkness. If He thinks so much of us, do we have any right to not do the same?  We belong to Him!

 

Focus on connections and serving others.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  –Philippians 2:3-7  (NIV) 

As we step more from fear to love we shift our focus more to others. Because of Christ in us, we want to share that goodness with others. He was the perfect example of a loving servant to others–even you and me, through His willingness to die on the cross. We can love and serve others daily–even through a simple kindness like offering a smile.

 

Change our thought process.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  –Philippians 4:8  (NIV)

How often do our thoughts slip back to fear rather than faith? We are exhorted to think on the things that God has sent that we know are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. Paul shares the key to reframe our thoughts and lives.

Photo courtesy of under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0); words added by hopetoinspireyou.com

 

Consider two examples of how to reframe our thought process from fear to love:

*Fear-based thought:  I cannot partake of any ‘bad’ food because I can’t stand to look in the mirror.

Love-based thought:  I choose to treat my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit so I will choose to consume healthy food.

 

*Fear-based thought:  I cannot let go of past mistakes that I made because God will never forgive me.

Love-based thought:  I know life is a journey and that we all make mistakes. God forgives us because of His great love for us. I can forgive myself knowing I made the best decision I could at the time with the information I had.

 

Be encouraged this week to…
… live in love rather than fear.
… write out two attributes that you need to believe about yourself  that God says about you.
… serve others in humility thinking less about you.
… think about the truth of God’s Word.

 

REFLECTION:

What is one specific thought you can reframe so that it changes from fear to love?
What is something you need to forgive and let go of about yourself?

 

For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control.  –2 Timothy 1:7  (TPT)

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

God’s faithfulness and orchestrations never cease to amaze me!  A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting a friend who recently received some devastating health news. She lives a few hours from me and I was so excited that she felt well enough one particular day for me to visit. When she was a child, she used to visit an amusement park near where she currently lives. On this nice autumn day, she felt well enough to go for a walk where there is still a piece of the park and a memorial someone built. On our way there, a couple stopped us and pointed in the distance to the most beautiful and full rainbow which was so vibrantly full of color. We could not see any rain which made the sight even more spectacular. The rainbow lasted at least ten minutes if not longer. Continue reading “SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS”

BIG GOD

A highlight one day this past summer was my first boat ride that led to the open waters of vast Lake Ontario. Life and nature has a different view from the water. I marveled at the beauty of the water as far as the eye could see and being able to see life on the other side of my normal view. As we crossed under a bridge that led from the bay to Lake Ontario, the driver said something that has stuck with me.

“Now you realize how small you are.” 

 

Being one small, single person on a small boat on Lake Ontario was like looking up at the night sky full of little tiny stars illuminating the heavens, or being in the woods with the massive trees and plants all around standing so tall. Or driving by the miles and miles of lush, green farm land where the crops are plentiful.

How many times do we think feeling ‘big’ or chasing after the ‘biggest’ things in this world is best? Have you caught yourself looking to buy the fancy car, the latest and best phone, or the fancy clothes to impress others? Continue reading “BIG GOD”