Category: Book

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Off the Beaten Path

While Dave and I were in the mountains last week we walked quite a bit off the beaten path. Oh yes, there were paved, sort of, roads through the campground but getting to the lake and carrying our trash to the dumpsters was shorter if we cut through the forested area and didn’t go on the path.

There were a few times when Dave walked beside me or even behind me to make sure I didn’t trip or fall. He’s good about doing things like that.

And then there’s those times when you are in a public place and see the signs posted “Watch your Step”. In addition to the warning, it’s nice to have someone there beside you to steady you when the way forward is uncertain.

I remember our many visits with my mother. When we went out she had her cane and/or her walker, but she enjoyed taking our arm just to steady her. I remember holding her hand when I was a child and we would go places. In high school we would find ourselves walking down the street hand in hand. (I didn’t need her assistance then, but I liked the feeling of her hand in mine.)

I was reminded of these examples this morning as I was reading near the end of Psalm 119. That’s what God does for us! He takes our hand and steadies our steps.

“Your teachings are wonderful, and I respect them all. 130 Understanding your word
brings light to the minds of ordinary people. 131 I honestly want to know everything you teach. 132 Think about me and be kind, just as you are to everyone who loves your name.
133 Keep your promise and don’t let me stumble or let sin control my life. 134 Protect me from abuse, so I can obey your laws. 135 Smile on me, your servant, and teach me your laws.
136 When anyone disobeys you, my eyes overflow with tears.” Psalm 119:129-136 CEV

God’s word keeps us from stumbling when we apply it to our lives.

“ Offer praise to God our Savior because of our Lord Jesus Christ! Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful in his glorious presence. Before time began and now and forever, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen.” Jude 24-25 CEV

Whether the road ahead is paved and smooth or off the beaten path, the Lord is there!

Father, today my path may be uncertain. I’m not sure where You will lead and what the terrain may be but I am certain that if You are with me. You won’t let me stumble. Thank you for keeping Your promise. I love walking hand in hand with You!

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Making Right Choices

Everyday we have the opportunity to make many choices; the hard part is making the correct one.

“Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live. 20 You must love the LORD your God and obey him. Never leave him, because he is your life. And he will give you a long life in the land that he, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ERV

This was Moses’ instruction to the Israelites when they were about to leave the wilderness and enter the Promised Land. You have two choices and in case you aren’t sure which one to choose, Choose LIFE!

Jesus said something similar to Martha, the sister of Lazarus and Mary.

She was busy in the kitchen, running her household and preparing a meal for her brother, his friends and Jesus, the Messiah. While Martha was in the kitchen making sure everything was just perfect Jesus was in the living room doing what He did best. He was talking about His Father and the peace that comes from following His Father’s instructions.

Martha had enough!

Her sister was sitting front and center absorbing every word that Jesus was saying. Martha needed help and Mary was obliviously absent.

“While Jesus and his followers were traveling, he went into a town, and a woman named Martha let him stay at her house. 39 She had a sister named Mary. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. 40 But her sister Martha was busy doing all the work that had to be done. Martha went in and said, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

41 But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are getting worried and upset about too many things. 42 Only one thing is important. Mary has made the right choice, and it will never be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:38-42 ERV

Many choices! Make the right one – choose life, choose the bread of life, choose God above all else, He is the right choice!

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Trust Isn’t a One Time Thing

Verses of trust are running through my heart this morning. So, I will share a few with you. Also, the words to the old hymn: “trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey”.

In my morning quiet time, I took time to reflect and repent. We had a lovely time. Our campsite was beautiful and we hardly had any other campers around us. A real place of solitude.

However, unknowingly, cares and concerns began to creep in. Circumstances beyond our control and to be quite honest, I started to become overwhelmed and lost some of the peace that the Lord has promised to those who keep their minds “stayed or established” in Him.

“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV

Trust is not a one time thing!

It is a daily, sometimes, minute-by-minute or hour-by-hour, commitment to God and His word.

“Praise the Lord! He has heard my prayer for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trusted him with all my heart. He helped me, so I am happy. I sing songs of praise to him. 8 The Lord protects his chosen one. He saves him and gives him strength.” Psalm 28:6-8 ERV

“The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. 3 He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place, my place of safety, high in the hills. He is my savior, the one who rescues me from the cruel enemy. 4 I called to the Lord for help, and he saved me from my enemies. He is worthy of my praise!” II Samuel 22:2-4 ERV

Did you know not all enemies are physical? Worry is a terrible adversary; it is a thief that steals our joy and our peace.

” Some people trust the power of chariots or horses, but we trust you, Lord God. 8 Others will stumble and fall, but we will be strong and stand firm.” Psalm 20:6-8 CEV

“Don’t worry—I am with you. Don’t be afraid—I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will support you with my right hand that brings victory.” Isaiah 41:10 ERV

” God is the one who saves me. I trust him, and I am not afraid. The Lord Yah is my strength. He saves me, and I sing songs of praise about him.[a]” 3 You people will get your water from the spring of salvation. Then you will be happy.” Isaiah 12:2-3 ERV

Footnote for Isaiah 12:2 Literally means, “Yah, Yahweh is my strength and praise. And he becomes my salvation.”

I encourage you to do what I did just a few hours ago. I took my basket of worry and laid it down at Jesus’ feet, again. He can handle it, He wants to handle it but we have to give Him permission to take it.

Trust is not a one-time thing. It is a daily, conscious commitment. “I trust Him”!

God our Father is trustworthy! Have a trust filled day!

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Small Miracles

Friday at noon Dave and I left Queen Valley to start on our 10 day camping trip.

It was only about an hour later when we experienced our first small miracle. As we were driving from the valley to Payson, our radiator temperature light came on. Just ahead was an exit from the interstate and we were able to pull off and pull into a bar/convenience market. (Small miracle #1)

I went in to buy a gallon of water and Dave raised the hood. When I came back out he was with a gal who had come over to see what the problem was.

She told Dave “I’m a MOPAR certified technician. (Small miracle #2) She assessed the situation and ruled out several big problems and said it was just a cracked radiator. She could take Dave to Payson to get one and come back and put it in. (Small miracle #3) O’Reilly’s had one.

In a little over 3 hours we were on the road again. Hot and sweaty, we decided to get a hotel so we could shower and get a good night’s sleep before going on to the campground. (small miracle #5). Got the room, a very nice room, for under $100 and then found out today our credit card gave us a travel credit of $100. (Small miracle #6)

Now for the past 2 days we have been sitting under the pines and enjoying God’s grandeur!

Deuteronomy 28: 1-6 NIV. “

you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country…6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.”

We definitely felt blessed and protected. Our MOPAR guardian angel definitely had some flowery speech but all the same she was truly sent by our loving Heavenly Father.

I asked her if anyone had ever told her she was a blessing and with a smirk she said nope. Well you are I said and she laughed.

So let me leave you with the verse the Lord impressed on me last Friday.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Our Father has designed more blessings than we can conceive and some of them can be found in our biggest trials.

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It’s Just A Tent

Today Dave and I are headed out for ten days of camping. Most of you know that we purchased a Jeep last summer and added a roof top tent in the Spring. We have it all decked out with everything we need – a kitchen, generator, winch, electric fridge, memory foam mattress and all the little things necessary.

As the Lord prompts me, I will be posting but I might not post everyday. It will be a time to rest and reflect on God’s goodness.

When our kids were younger we did quite a bit of camping. It was relaxing, fun and inexpensive. It was a nice tent and as comfortable as a tent could be but still it was just a tent.

I had my camping boxes that went on every trip. Each box had all the necessities prepacked. The only thing we really needed to think about was filling the ice chest with food and drinks. We could be ready to go in less than an hour’s time. Now that we’re older it takes a little longer to prepare but it’s just as much fun.

The adventures of wild animals in camp, canoe trips, floating the river, good friends, and the one time we brought everything but the tent. I know…but it happened.

No matter how much fun we had and how beautiful the camp site, it was always nice to come home. A comfortable bed, dry clothes, and a warm shower. Awwww.

In my reading today the Apostle Paul is talking about tent camping. Yes, tent camping!

“We know that our body—the tent we live in here on earth—will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a home for us to live in. It will not be the kind of home people build here. It will be a home in heaven that will continue forever. 2 But now we are tired of this body. We want God to give us our heavenly home. 3 It will clothe us and we will not be naked. 4 While we live in this tent, we have burdens and so we complain. I don’t mean that we want to remove this tent, but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be covered with life. 5 This is what God himself made us for. And he has given us the Spirit as the first payment to guarantee the life to come.

6 So we always have confidence. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by what we believe will happen, not by what we can see. 8 So I say that we have confidence. And we really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord. 9 Our only goal is to always please the Lord, whether we are living here in this body or there with him.” II Corinthians 5:1-9 ERV

Life on this earth is like camping in a tent. The HoIy Spirit equips us with what we need but it’s not as comfortable as Home. Going home is something to look forward too with great anticipation.

However, while we’re in this tent we need to enjoy our surroundings. It’s an adventure but it’s just a tent. Our heavenly home awaits!

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Like a Dove

This morning we’re going to spend a few minutes looking at the third person of the Godhead – the Holy Spirit.

When we talk about the Holy Spirit, many times He is referred to as it but He is every bit as much “God” as the Father and the Son. He is the ever present, empowering, victory giving, life changing, comforting, teaching, presence of God.

In the beginning he was there. “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2

When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, Holy Spirit was there to confirm that Jesus truly was the Son of God. “And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:” Mark 1:10

As Jesus began to do signs, wonders and miracles, it was “THE” Spirit who filled Him with power. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” Luke 4:17

He is the same Spirit that Jesus told His disciples would come and empowered them, and us, as well. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27

and

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:13-14

The Spirit of God isn’t pushy but is patient and He purpose is to glorify Jesus and not draw attention to Himself, but he is our power source.

Paul put it this way in Romans. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11

The word quicken means to empower or make alive – and that’s what the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit does for us as believers. Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit’s empowering and then they were to go and make disciples.

“And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The Holy Spirit is here to empower us so that we can make an impact on our world the way the early Christians did in theirs.

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Wisdom Speaks

I have a question for you. How many times in the last week have you found yourself saying, “I just don’t know what I should do – or what choice I need to make – or what path I should follow”?

Yes, I’ve been there and done that more times than I would care to admit. So, you can imagine how excited I was this morning when I opened my Bible to Proverbs 8 and there was the header at the top of the page which said, “Wisdom Speaks”.

“I am Wisdom—Common Sense is my closest friend; I possess knowledge and sound judgment. 13 If you respect the Lord, you will hate evil. I hate pride and conceit and deceitful lies. 14 I am strong, and I offer sensible advice and sound judgment. 15 By my power kings govern, and rulers make laws that are fair. 16 Every honest leader rules with help from me.

17 I love everyone who loves me, and I will be found by all who honestly search. 18 I can make you rich and famous, important and successful. 19 What you receive from me is more valuable than even the finest gold or the purest silver. 20 I always do what is right, 21 and I give great riches to everyone who loves me.” Proverbs 8:12-22 CEV

Wisdom and common sense, sensible advice and sound judgement, more valuable than silver or gold. These are the gifts of wisdom. When I read verse 17, it immediately triggered what James, the Apostle, said when he wrote his letter on godly living:

“ Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. 6 But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind.” James 1:5-6 ERV

God the Father, who is the giver of wisdom, enjoys giving to everyone who asks. The key in that is not doubting the wisdom God provides.

“ Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV

When we take our prayers to the Lord, He doesn’t want us to worry about anything – ANYTHING. We ask for everything we need – WISDOM. God’s peace will direct our decisions and guard our hearts. This is practical wisdom.

“Rain and snow fall from the sky and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. 11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do. 12 “So you will go out from there with joy.
 You will be led out in peace…” Isaiah 55:10-12 ERV

“Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 ERV

I have long lived with trusting the peace of God. I’ve learned that if I’m not at peace about something, I shouldn’t proceed. God has been faithful to lead me by His peace.

Let’s close this with Wisdom’s words at the end of Proverbs 8.

“By finding me, you find life, and the Lord will be pleased with you.” Proverbs 8:35 CEV

Wisdom Speaks life into our situations!

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Clouds, Fire & AI

For the last several months I have noticed a change in my morning computer searches. It used to be when I would search on a topic or key word all sorts of irrelevant information would appear. But now, the top searches generally include Scripture verses and Biblical references.

I chuckled and said to myself, “I finally got my computer saved”.

Let me share with you what I found in my search this morning when I typed in “pillar of cloud”. And I quote, ‘The pillar of cloud by day was a visible manifestation of God’s presence that guided, protected, and assured the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness.‘

The reason I did that search is because I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you from 4th of July. We woke up to a refreshing cloud cover. Each of the neighbors we spoke with said the same thing – it was so nice to have the clouds, it just seemed cooler and the sun wasn’t as menacing. That made me think of the Israelites and their journey out of Egypt.

There was no Google Maps or Garmin, no GPS of any kind to lead them to the Promised Land and there was no A/C or heating for their tents.

But there was God!

“The Lord led the way. During the day, he used a tall cloud to lead the people. And during the night, he used a tall column of fire to lead the way. This fire gave them light so that they could also travel at night. 22 The cloud was always with them during the day, and the column of fire was always with them at night.” Exodus 13:21-22 ERV

The cloud and fire were directional devises for sure but they were also used for climate control. The cloud protected them from the harsh rays of the sun and the pillar of fire would keep them warm in those cold desert nights.

“Depend on the Lord for strength. Always go to him for help. 5 Remember the amazing things he has done. Remember his miracles and his fair decisions…The Lord spread out his cloud like a blanket. He used his column of fire to give his people light at night. 40 They asked for food, and he sent them quail. He also gave them plenty of bread from heaven. 41 He split the rock, and water came bubbling out.  A river began flowing in the desert!” Psalm 105:4-5,39-41 ERV

Our heavenly Father is practical. He is supernatural, omniscient, and omnipotent in all His ways but He is also concerned about our day to day lives. We can depend on Him for our strength.

He is our Savior, our Shepherd, our Shield. He is our pillar of cloud protecting us from the harshness of the days and our pillar of fire to bring us warmth, comfort and light when the nights are cold and dark.

And if you need a reminder of some of His great miracles go to His word; it’s better than AI.

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God’s Garden

When I was a child, I heard my dad say on a number of occasions, “knee high by the 4th of July”. He was talking about the corn they raised in Iowa on the farm. Years later, Dave and I worked eight summers in Iowa, and the corn would be shoulder high by the 4th of July. There was just something about that black Iowa soil, the humidity and the summer sun.

Not only did the cornfields produce an amazing bounty but the family gardens were abundant with all the vegetables you could possibly desire.

These are the images that came to mind when I was reading in I Corinthians this morning.

” I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow. 7 What matters isn’t those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow. 8 The one who plants is just as important as the one who waters. And each one will be paid for what they do. 9 Apollos and I work together for God, and you are God’s garden and God’s building.” I Corinthians 3:6-9 CEV

Paul and Apollos had both been teaching the Christians in Corinth about the ways and words of the Lord. Paul didn’t want there to be any division in their midst by considering one teacher more important than the other.

Boy, that happens so much today. I go to this church and we believe this way. You go to another church – and so there is division. That shouldn’t be so. It’s God who makes us grow.

And here’s what He wants to see growing in our lives.

“ But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things.” Galatians 5:22-23 ERV

“ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him, now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 ERV

“ You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. 7 You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.” Colossians 2:6-7 ERV

We are God’s garden. Some plant the seed of God’s word in our hearts, others water it by their teaching and their prayers, but it is God who causes it to grow and produce a harvest. A harvest of grace, knowledge, love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and understanding.

Those beautiful gardens that I referred to earlier had to be weeded and protected from varmints that wanted to nibble away at the crop. We need to do the same with the seeds that have been planted in our lives.

The harvest that comes isn’t just for our benefit; it will also feed and strengthen those around us so that they can benefit from God’s goodness.

Grow strong and tall and give thanks to the Father for His increase in your life!

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Always Triumph

Yesterday morning several of us in our community gathered near the flagpole. We sang, we said the Pledge of Allegiance and we prayed for our country. Those of us in our group have seen many things change in our country, some have served in defense of her, and we are all extremely grateful to live in this country called America.

She has faced many obstacles; some from without and others from within but she has triumphed.

It reminded me of the impact one verse made on my life about triumph.

“ But I thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ. Wherever we go, God uses us to make clear what it means to know Christ. It’s like a fragrance that fills the air.” II Corinthians 2:14 GW

Always! Always triumph! Quite an absolute to wrap your mind around right?

Years ago my granddaughter and I heard a message on II Corinthians 2:14. The youth pastor was teaching in a large auditorium filled with teens. He was sharing with them about the importance of putting their trust in Christ.

” But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume. 15 Our offering to God is to be the perfume of Christ that goes out to those who are being saved and to those who are being lost. ” II Corinthians 2:14-15 ERV

When we trust God and follow His lead we will ALWAYS triumph! That’s not to say there won’t be battles. Bible is filled with those who faced battles and circumstances that could have defeated them.

Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery, faced prison time but became prime minister. Noah had to face a flood but he floated in the ark. David stood up to a giant and became king.

Peter was frightened by the storm, but he walked on water. Paul was in a shipwreck, but he made it safely to shore. Jesus had to face the cross but rose in triumphant resurrection!

Yes, when we trust in God he ALWAYS leads us to victory in Christ!

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