I never get tired of witnessing God’s goodness with the inklings He provides. So many blessings occur each time. During a conversation with a friend, I got the feeling I was supposed to attend a special service at church that night. A while ago I had given my second book to a man that was there, so I asked him if he was interested in my latest, God’s Compassion Illuminated. He was excited to have it, saying he enjoys reading my reflections. Continue reading “ONE BITE AT A TIME”
LET ME LOVE YOU
A friend was sharing recently how she is learning to accept and receive God’s love in her life, something she hadn’t truly experienced before. Two days later, I read a short devotional “Let Me Love You,” which I found relatable to our conversation and full of great truth. It seems appropriate to share these thoughts with you this Valentine’s Day, which is also a perfect day to reflect on God’s great love for you personally!
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. –1 John 4:16 (NIV)
Let the three short, powerful words, “God is love,” sink into your heart. God is love! We can only love because God is love. We cannot earn God’s love. Because God is love, His love is freely available to all of us. When we experience God’s love in our lives, we know we live in Him and He lives in us. We are love too! Continue reading “LET ME LOVE YOU”
AN 8-MINUTE CHALLENGE
Do you feel like life is so busy that you rarely have a few minutes to catch your breath? It seems like when we are young adults and launching out on our own, we are so busy making our mark and trying to have a successful career. Often, it takes extra hours to make a go of it. Many then settle into getting married and starting a family, which then becomes the top priority along with juggling work and activities as the children grow. Don’t we always hear retirees say they don’t know how they had time for anything when they were working? All that to say, isn’t it so easy to get too busy with activities and running places that we neglect what is most important, the value of relationships? Continue reading “AN 8-MINUTE CHALLENGE”
RIGHT TIMING
Can you look at events in your life, even the simple little ones, and know that you were in the right place at the right time? I see those times as God’s orchestrations. Sometimes we can easily see the bigger orchestrations, but just as important are the smaller ones because we never know how God will use them in someone else’s life.
Recently, a friend shared that she was wondering about God’s purpose for her life. I pointed out that I believe our purpose is found in the little things, in the way we show kindness and love to others. Our purpose does not have to be grand in the world’s eyes. God knows our hearts, and the condition of our hearts is what is most important. God can use us all if we allow Him to.
Continue reading “RIGHT TIMING”
GOD’S PURPOSES
A recent encounter brought two Scriptures to mind.
The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” –Isaiah 14:24 (NIV)
God directs our steps and can use everything in our lives to further His purposes!
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” –Esther 4:13-16 (NLT)
King Xerxes chose Esther, who hid her Jewish ancestry, to be queen of Persia because of her exceptional beauty. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle who looked after her, overheard an assassination plot to kill the king, which Esther relayed to him. Haman, a chief advisor to the king, was distraught when Mordecai would not bow down to him. He found out Mordecai was a Jew and plotted to exterminate the Jews. Continue reading “GOD’S PURPOSES”
BUCKET LIST
Do you have a bucket list, and if so, what types of things are on it?
Maybe to…
…take a trip overseas?
…retire early?
…go on a missions trip?
…run a marathon?
Personally, I’ve never thought much about a bucket list, so the only thing that comes to mind would be to do a missions trip for a week or so. If it involved loving babies at an orphanage, that would be even better! On two different K-Love Christian Music cruises a few years ago, God partially fulfilled that item with the opportunity to assist on one-day mission trips. Continue reading “BUCKET LIST”
LET US BEGIN
Happy 2023 to you all! I pray this year will hold many special blessings for you and your families. I recently heard a quote that I thought was perfect wisdom to share for this first reflection of the year. A new year often makes us think about new beginnings, and often we have great expectations to change habits that might not be so beneficial for us. May this quote encourage you.
Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. –Mother Teresa Continue reading “LET US BEGIN”
PRISM OF LIGHT
With the darkest day of the year upon us, let’s brighten things up with a reflection on being a prism of light.
In optics, a prism is a transparent, solid body that disperses or reflects light. When white light, which is composed of the colors of a rainbow, passes through a prism, a spectrum of color is produced, spreading more light and beauty.
Photo courtesy of fdecomite under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)
When I think about the word “light,” the first thing that comes to mind is how Jesus is the Light of the World! How fitting that we celebrate Jesus’ birth around the time of the darkest day of the year, even though we know Jesus wasn’t born in December. Continue reading “PRISM OF LIGHT”
THE GIFT OF PRESENCE
I heard a reflection that resonated with my heart and spirit at a Lessons and Carols event, which I think is perfect to share during this holiday season. Lessons and Carols bring the true meaning of Christmas to life, telling the story of Jesus’ birth, including Mary and Joseph’s plight, through Scripture and music.
Isn’t Christmas a wonderful time of year when we take time to reflect on the sacredness of Jesus’ birth? Christmas is also a time when we show our love to others, especially with the tradition of giving gifts. Have you stopped to think about what our gifts to one another symbolize?
Continue reading “THE GIFT OF PRESENCE”
ANGELS
It was a lovely surprise to receive a link to a song a friend felt inspired to share. I will say it even made me cry the first few times I heard it, as the lyrics and message speak to my heart and spirit.
The song is “Angels Among Us” by Alabama. Here is a link to the song if you have a few moments to take a listen. Continue reading “ANGELS”