Living in the moment! 

It’s easy to get caught up in the business of life or to always look forward to the next big or exciting thing, event, or day. But when we do that we can easily miss out on the sweet day to day memories or the sweet slow moments. 

I often find myself wondering where the time went, or just recently wondering how August went by so fast. But then the Lord reminds me that the time isn’t going any faster, I’m just not noticing it enough. 

Slow down. 

Be still for a little bit. 

In those moments where you finally have time to breathe – thank the Lord for those moments.

When we rush through the day to day we could be missing out on opportunities the Lord is giving us to share the Gospel. Maybe there was a person at Walmart who needed someone to smile and say hi to them. Instead they just got a busy person trying to get groceries and leave as soon as possible. 

If we slow down, maybe we will realize that time isn’t actually going by all that fast. We just are finally noticing the little blessings in between the big ones. 

Maybe, if we all slow down, we will be able to notice the little things in our day to day that God is calling us to. He is always on time, He is never rushing, or running ahead. He is walking with you in the day to day, so stay on pace with Him. 

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

(If you know me I have been hung up on these verses for awhile)

Plans

I’m a planner. I like to at least have a general plan on how the day, week, month and really if I’m honest how the rest of my life in general is  going to go. 

The Lord has been teaching me that things won’t always go according to my plan. Unfortunately it seems I’m a super slow learner. I have a tendency to dig my heels in and try to force the plan. Let’s compare that to a few stories in the Bible and see their responses. 

Jesus prays not His will, but the Father’s. Mary questioned Gabriel when he told her she would be the mother of Jesus. She asked “How will this be?”, but then surrendered as a servant of the Lord. Abraham never seemed to question, but Sarah thought she could help with the plan (please don’t let me be like Sarah). The apostle Paul didn’t have much choice, Noah built the boat which probably wasn’t on his to do list. Gideon was a hot mess, whined about his current situation and needed multiple confirmations.

(It’s me. I am Gideon 😢). You can probably list a few more. 

They may have questioned the plan, they may have needed confirmation, but they carried out the plan. They gave up what they thought life would look like and did what the Lord asked of them. 

Lord help me to follow these examples and do Your will and not mine. Help me to rejoice always and not be so dead set on things going my way, when Your way is so much better. 🙏🏻

Things in our daily life go downhill all the time. This world is so crazy. 

Two things you have to do are trust and believe. Trust that God knows what He’s doing, and believe that you are enough to fulfill God’s purposes no matter the struggle. 

Roman’s 8:18 – “The pain that you’ve been feeling can’t compare to the joy that’s coming”. This is one of the verses I live by, and am always keeping in mind when I face a hardship in life. 

What you think is the worst, something you can never recover from, is never the worst. Nothing is ever bad enough to give up and end it. 

With every downfall in life, God brings something that will help you  understand why it happened, and something to help you grow from it. 

Stay positive and keep going, it’s what God wants, I can promise you that.

Unconfessed sin.

It festers. It spoils, It tries to devour you.

Confession. I was rocking along, living my lovely life, going to work and coming home, going to church and the grocery store…doing all the things. But even though I was acting like life was fine, I was crumbling inside. I have always had anxiety but this was new. It was festering, unrelenting, a poison that was trying to destroy me and rob me of my peace.

Now, I didn’t murder anyone or commit what the world would call a “big” sin, but in God’s economy, the “little” sins count the same. For the wages of sin is death. We know that from Romans 6:23. Now I am a Christian, so I never doubted my salvation, but that did not change my self-inflicted suffering here on earth. Oh how I wanted to escape my guilt and shame, but the truth is, I was not finished wallowing in it. I chose to hold on to my sin and let it become a disease in my heart. 

Thankfully, that isn’t the end of the story. In the Bible, Proverbs 28:13 says, ‘Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.’ So I confessed my sins to God and let me say, mercy is sweet, y’all. God isn’t shaking His fist at me in anger, but is waiting for me to come to Him for forgiveness. He loves me just as much when I sin as when I don’t. And that is the same for you!  James 5:16 says ‘Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power.’

So, after wallowing for a time, I confessed my sin to God. I said sorry. I asked Him to forgive me. And you know what? He did. The weight of my shame was lifted. His forgiveness feels like a hug, a deep, easy breath, and freedom.

Because of His great love for us, God sent his son Jesus to die on a criminal’s cross and be buried in a borrowed tomb. In victory Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin forever. Now all who confess their sin and ask Jesus to be Lord of their life will be saved. Then you can have the peace of forgiveness.

Guess what the silliest thing about my story is? God already knew. He was waiting to forgive me the whole time. Now when I feel the urge to sin, I try to praise God for forgiving me and remind myself of the strength we have in Jesus. If you have some unconfessed sin in your life, don’t let it eat you alive.  I urge you to confess to your Heavenly Father. His mercies are new every morning!

 Morning glories are my favorite flowering vine. This spring I grew seedlings and planted them in front of several trellis. I had a few of the seedlings left over and decided to plant them at the base of a post that supports a martin birdhouse in our backyard.

Over the next few weeks I noticed the vines were growing, but they were wandering around the post, never reaching upwards, just circling at the base. It was only after some string was wrapped around the post, that the vines began growing upwards as morning glories are designed to do. It seems they just needed a helping hand.

Just like a vine needs something to hold onto so it can grow upward, people need support too. In our lives we encounter people who are like the morning glory vines—wandering, entangled in confusion, fear, or discouragement. People who are seeking direction, but struggling to find their way. Jesus calls us to be like the strings that provide direction and support, giving others a firm foundation to hold onto during their struggles.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2 . When we help carry each other’s burdens, we are fulfilling the law of Christ. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12 This kind of love gives, supports, and looks out for others that need a helping hand. When we step in to help someone who’s struggling, we’re living out the teachings of Jesus.

Helping hand… makes me think of playing records in my bedroom in the late 60’s and early 70’s. One of my favorites was, “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”. I would play that one record over and over again, singing along.

ink of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand

put a little love in your heart.

And the world will be a better place and the world will be a better place for you and me

just you wait and see,

 “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” was written and sung during a time in our world’s history that can be described as turbulent and divisive. This song was a simple, but powerful reminder that, no matter how dark or divided the times may be, the need for love never goes away. The same message is just as relevant today, as our world continues to face conflicts, divisions, and struggles. There will always be people who are hurting, lost, or feeling hopeless. Our mission is clear—show them the love of Christ. When we take the time to walk alongside someone, lifting their burdens and oering a hand, we’re doing what Jesus did. We’re being His hands and feet in a world that desperately needs hope. Sometimes it’s as simple as some string wrapped around a post.

Lord, may our eyes be open to see those who are wandering and in need of support. Help us to: ink of our fellow man, lend him a helping hand, and put a little love in our hearts daily so that we may help the world be a better place. Amen

What makes you you?

This is the question I ask my students on the second day of school. This is their first assignment. A simple, four-letter question.

I make it very clear that it may be the hardest writing assignment of the year.

Before getting started, I explain how
they CANNOT answer the question:

1. They cannot use roles or positions.
2. They cannot use achievements or activities.
3. They cannot use something that can be taken away from them.

Then, I give them the why:

1. If they don’t know who they are, they’ll become who everyone else is or who others expect them to be.
2. If they place their identity in temporary positions, activities, or achievements, they’ll be lost when these fade or fail them.

This isn’t a spiritual class exercise, but an assignment to allow them to think deeply, reflect, and define themselves without the noise around them.

If stuck, I tell them to start on the surface and
I give them an example:
I’m a teacher…but why?
Because I love students…but why?
Because I see their potential…but why?
Because God pulled potential out of me.

There it is.
This assignment always
brings me back to Him.

Teaching can fail me. It fails me daily.
But the One Who created me, the One who defines me, the One Who makes me me NEVER WILL.

Sports, activities, friends, relationships will fail. Achievements, awards, championships will fade. Our husbands, kids, and own selves will falter.

But at the end of the day,
One name remains.

And that is Who we need to attach
our identity and individuality to.

Maybe the question I should ask
to you is, “Who makes you you?”

The enemy is after your identity.
He is after your individuality.
Cling to Your Creator.
Be identified by truth.

What makes you you?

The truth that a KING, a SAVIOR, our GOD
handmade you in your mother’s womb, handpicked you for His Kingdom, and single-handedly saved you for eternity.

And THAT makes YOU pretty special ♥️

Recently I sent my friend a link and message that read “I follow this girl, she has some really great recipes”

Later I was thinking… 10-15 years ago, that sentence would have made no sense.  I followed a girl???? Where!?!?  Who is the girl?  Why was I following her?  How did I get her recipes!?!

But my friend didn’t ask me any of those questions. She immediately knew that the girl in the link was an influencer and she had cooking videos on her social media pages.  She didn’t even have to click the link to understand the term “follow” has a different meaning in our current time. 

Well that made me think about *following* 2000+ years ago. When Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. Or later in 9:9, He told Matthew the tax collector,…”Follow me” and he left his booth and did just that. 

When Jesus told these men to follow Him, it wasn’t the passive “like, subscribe and follow”, He expected them to leave behind their livelihoods and physically follow Him. 

It wasn’t a simple matter of looking at his recipe collection online. It was a commitment that literally cost them their lives. They left their homes, jobs, and families to actively support and participate in His ministry. And they were expected to carry it on, after he was crucified, resurrected and ascended. 

We are called to follow Him today. We need to make sure it’s more than a casual click or like. We must surrender to Him. We probably won’t be asked to give up our lives in America, but we must be ready to do that if it were required.  

Later in the book of Matthew (28:19-20) we, like those first century followers, are instructed to carry on and spread that simple gospel message…and proclaim his death, burial and resurrection…creating more followers. Not of ourselves but of HIM!!!

That is the most important “follow” we will ever do.

God sent His one and only Son, and He is coming again. 

There is POWER in the name of JESUS. & I hope that truth carries you among your days. There is hope that He is returning, there is hope that He is working within our lives RIGHT NOW. Do you believe it? 

The topic of Psalm 23 was being discussed at dinner one evening – the comforting knowledge that God is our shepherd. With Him, I have all that I need. As I personally was tossing and turning on thoughts, I was so kindly reminded that with Him, I have all that I need. Psalm 23 is THE reminder of who He is and what He does. Maybe today you just might need the reminder. I’m not sure, but I sure do need it. 

He is a Shepherd. 

He gives rest. 

He leads. 

He renews strength. 

He guides. 

He protects. 

He comforts. 

He prepares us. 

He honors us. 

He pursues us. 

And you know what? The more I think about it…we really can’t do anything for ourselves. He designed us to need Him. His scripture is living proof of the wholeness He offers us. 

The loving extension we have to accept. With Him, I have all that I need. I can’t provide the comfort, protection, guidance, or anything my soul longs for. We are designed to be active children of the King. 

I challenge you today to surrender yourself. Surrender your own ideas that you think will provide comfort, rest, and guidance for yourself. I challenge you to sit. Sit in the realness and reality that He is our shepherd. There is power in His name. The name of Jesus. 

“Surely your goodness & unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6