Category: July2026

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Start Out Right

I normally wake up pleasant. Greeting the day with a smile, a prayer and a cup of coffee. But last night was one of the worst night’s of “unrest” that I’ve had in years. Up and down all night – confusing dreams – leg cramps – too hot – too cold.

Oh my. I hope I didn’t keep Dave awake.

But here’s the bright side. I can decide and have already decided that I’m not giving my day over to Grumpy. I’ve made an attitude adjustment! I’m not selling out my entire day.

“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” I Peter 5:7 AMP

I’ve given the Lord my bad attitude and begun to give praise. Praise for having a bed with a roof over my head, praise that I got 2 good hours of sleep instead of none, gratitude for the cup of coffee that helps me greet each morning.

Praise God that I don’t have to go through the day the way I started out!

“ Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits— 3 Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; 5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!” Psalm 103:1-5 AMPC

Praising the Father for a day of victory instead of a day of defeat is the best way to start out right!

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:1-3 AMPC

Join me!

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Who Do You Say I Am?

Today I’m going to offer you a physical challenge. It will take you outside your comfort zone, I’m certain. I want you to find someone that you know is a Christian and I want you to ask them to tell you about their Jesus. Don’t interrupt or interject – just listen. Look at their eyes, hear the love in their voice – become enveloped in their story.

Jesus asked this of his disciples: “Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. He said to his followers, “Who do people say I am?”

14 They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Others say you are Elijah. And some say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 Then Jesus said to his followers, “And who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:13-15 CEV

Who do you say that I am?

If that were the subject of your High School English class essay, how many words, how many pages would it take to answer the question? Sitting here this morning my heart runs to so many places; each time reminding me of God’s love and faithfulness revealed through Jesus.

Peter’s answer to Jesus was this: “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 ERV

Peter’s answer was God given. These men who had lived with Jesus day in and day out had experienced life, God directed life, up close and personal. And yet earlier in this chapter they were caught once again thinking in mere human terms and not in God’s terms. Their spiritual walk was inconsistent but they did move forward seeking to know more.

Jesus reminded them that they should be founded on the rock – in Matthew we have the story of the man who built his house on a rock and when the storms of life came, he was not shaken; when we know that our foundation is Christ, the storms of life won’t shake us.

Recently, I have had several friends all share their love for the Lord with me. Going through struggling times, those things that are beyond our control, can cause us to stagger and even fall. But answering the question, “Who is Jesus to me? Who do I say that He is? – undergirds us with strength and gives us peace.

“Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting].” Psalm 131:2 AMPC

Lean into Jesus. Rest and trust in Him.

So let me ask you again – Who do you say that I am? Ask the question today and get to know Jesus through the eyes of a friend.

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I Trust You!

Those are the only words I wrote in my journal this morning.

This is going to be a bit longer than my regular morning posts. Please read it through.

Up very early this morning praying for folks, folks going through storms. Not necessarily a literal storm like a toronado, hurricane or torrential rain, although that may be your storm, but any storm that brings fear into your life.

The wind of fear may be stirring up waves and ready to swamp your boat. Your boat may be finances, relationships, health, children, grandchildren, government, politics, employment, abandonment or loneliness.

You’ve tried to keep the boat on course. You see the land ahead of you, a place of shelter and refuge but a huge wind has come up and the waves are beating hard against the sides of the boat. The waves are crashing in on you and no matter how hard you row, no matter how powerful the engine of self sufficiency you find that your travel is impeded and it looks like you might sink.

Have you been there? Oh, I have! It’s a desperate feeling especially when everyone you know and depend on for help is either too busy sailing their own ship through life or they are completely unaware of your plight.

I heard it said once that there are 365 verses in the Bible that tell us to “not worry or be anxious”. God’s message is that there may be fear everyday trying to invade our lives but we can be of good cheer because He is in our boat and He will calm our seas.

There’s a story in the book of Mark. Jesus had been teaching all day. He had told the folks that God’s word was like a seed and when that seed is planted in our hearts that it will grow and bring a harvest. He also told them that some folks had hard hearts so the seed wouldn’t be able to germinate and that some hearts were stony so the seed would start to grow and die out because it couldn’t get good root and then there were some hearts that would have seed begin to grow and that weeds of fear, offense and worry would choke the Word, the seed. But He also told them that some hearts were good soil and the seed would grow well there.

When He finished this story Jesus said to his disciples that they should get in the boat and go to the other side. He gave them seed, going to the other side of the lake seed. So they all got in the boat, Jesus found a good place to lay down and He went to sleep. And just like Jesus had told them in the story about the seed immediately the fear came (the storm) to steal the seed so it wouldn’t grow.

These seasoned fishermen battled the storm for all they were worth and when they were exhausted and afraid they woke Jesus.

“That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the east side.” 36 So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along. 37 Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.

38 Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re about to drown?”

39 Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm. 40 Jesus asked his disciples, “Why were you afraid? Don’t you have any faith?” 41 Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41 CEV

Their question was don’t you care – aren’t you worried. We are going to drown. Their storm was too big, their fear was overwhelming. But you see Jesus was still holding on to that “going-to-the-other-side” seed so He spoke to the storm and it stopped!

So now I want to give you some “no more fear” seed.

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” II Timothy 11:7 ERV

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

Father, thank you for showing us how to give you our fears. Thank you for quieting our storms and getting us safely to the other side.

I TRUST YOU!

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My Father Did That

A couple weeks ago Dave and I went camping. We went to a lake that I had fished as a child with my family. It was one of our favorite spots. It has changed a lot since then. There is an organized campground and the water level is lower than it used to be but somehow it felt like home.

My Heavenly Father made that lake.

This morning has me thinking about my dad. Dad was a good man. He loved mom, us kids and the Lord. He was an impressive figure of a man; handsome, strong, rugged, loyal, outspoken and he hated injustice.

Dad wasn’t well educated, only went to the 7th grade but he was one of the smartest men I know. He could read people, their sincerity or deceit and he could fix or build anything.

Dad’s been gone for 21 years now and I miss him. When we find a great new lake, I think of Dad. Driving through a river valley and spotting a good place to fish, building a new shed, fixing the car – all make me think of him.

Watching my grandchildren grow into good people, playing with our smallest grandchildren and the greats, talking to our grown kids – all these make me miss him and I’m grateful that I have so many wonderful memories.

There were times that I needed Daddy to come to my rescue and he did. Never a question that he wouldn’t be there to help and defend. Now if I had done something stupid he would talk to me about that later but first instinct was to come to my aid.

Maybe you don’t have such good memories of your relationship with your dad. Our Heavenly Father desires a relationship with you that is so much greater than any you’ve ever had with your earthly father.

“All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. 28 Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. 29 So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham’s family, and you will be given what God has promised…Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. 7 You are no longer slaves. You are God’s children, and you will be given what he has promised.” Galatians 3:26-4:7 CEV

In God’s family we are all equal – the same blessings are available to all of us. God’s love is not greater for one than the other; His mercy is given freely to us all and His protection and provision are not awarded with prejudice or bias. It’s our faith in Jesus Christ that makes us equal.

My Father did that – He made me one of His own!

You’re heavenly Father loves you and whatever you may be going through today He’s right there with you and when things get bigger than you can handle your Dad’s got this. Let Him handle it!

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All In

Many people followed Jesus when he was here on earth. He was a novelty with his healing power and his words of love. He claimed to be the Messiah and as such they expected him to overthrow the government and set up his reign as King.

No more Roman oppression; this man could multiply food; he could walk on water and even raise the dead. He called out hypocrisy and brought a sense of worthiness to the down trodden. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to be one of his followers.

But then came the call for accountability.

Jesus said that the path of following Him would require them to give up their way of life and commit to His. He even said that they would need to “eat of his flesh and drink of his blood” and this they thought was referring to a type of cannibalism and so many of them left and returned to their old way of life.

Jesus was simply saying that they needed to be all in – totally committed – in following Him. So as his followers were leaving, He turned to his disciples and asked this question.

“Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him. 67 Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they were going to leave him. 68 Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. 69 We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One.'” John 6:66-69 CEV

Our resolve must be that of the disciples. “Where else can we go, you have the words of life?”.

Father, we gladly follow you today. We are not ashamed to be called Christians – Christ-like ones. You gave your life for us and we will live our lives for you!

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Bright Hope

Every night the stars and the moon come out and every morning the sun comes up. To some that may seem like a monotonious repetition but to me that’s hope!

Hope that God is faithful to bring the end to one day and to bring new life to start the next. Without God’s presence we can be without direction and purpose or worse yet we try to become our own god and that means that we are responsible for making everything happen, making everything work out right and it’s simply not in our power to do so.

The sunrise and the sunset are God’s examples of His faithfulness.

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 ERV

When we give up living for ourselves and find our life in Christ we can have rest from this vicious cycle of dependence on self. In Christ, we are promised a new and abundant life; life filled with joy, peace, love, forgiveness and grace.

“But we know that no one is made right with God by following the law. It is trusting in Jesus Christ that makes a person right with God. So we have put our faith in Christ Jesus, because we wanted to be made right with God. And we are right with him because we trusted in Christ—not because we followed the law. I can say this because no one can be made right with God by following the law…I died to the law so that I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. 20 So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.” Galatians 2:16-20 ERV

Each day is a new opportunity to receive God’s mercy and strength, to be wrapped in His love. Each evening we are given an invitation to rest securely.

“I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.” Psalm 4:8 CEV

Great is the faithfulness of God; He is faithful to a thousand generations.

“Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hast provided;
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside.”

In Christ we have new life and in Him we have the power to live a life of purpose and a bright hope for tomorrow.

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Convinced!

We live in a society where it is commonplace to question and even resent authority. Students bully their teachers; children disrespect their parents and employees trash talk their employers. Some commands have been replaced with “suggestions” and nearly everything is viewed as politically incorrect or offensive. We live in a world of “situational ethics”.

But some things should never change – one being our faith and trust in the unfailing, inerrant Word of God. The Word of God should and will be the final authority by which all is judged. It is the word of God that spoke this world into existence, and it is what is still holding it together.

Many struggle with issues in life – depression, recession, dis – ease, fear, hopelessness – anything but the abundant life that God has promised to us in His word and much of that comes back to our questioning the authority of God’s word and His promises.

If we live by the Bible we are considered old fashioned, uninformed, not academically in tuned or worse yet intolerant and politically incorrect.

But I know of no other Book that has stood the test of time and not had to be revised or rewritten – it is the living Word of God and it is sharper and more powerful than a two-edged sword. We either acknowledge it as absolute and live in victory or we disregard it as old fashioned and passe` and live defeated in those areas of our life.

“When Jesus had finished these talks to the people, he came to Capernaum, where it happened that there was a man very seriously ill and in fact at the point of death. He was the slave of a centurion who thought very highly of him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him with the request that he would come and save his servant’s life. When they came to Jesus, they urged him strongly to grant this request, saying that the centurion deserved to have this done for him. ‘He loves our nation and has built us a synagogue out of his own pocket,’ they said.

6-8 So Jesus went with them, but as he approached the house, the centurion sent some of his personal friends with the message, ‘Don’t trouble yourself, sir! I’m not important enough for you to come into my house—I didn’t think I was fit to come to you in person. Just give the order, please, and my servant will recover. I am used to working under orders, and I have soldiers under me. I can say to one, ‘Go’, and he goes, or I can say to another, ‘Come here’, and he comes; or I can say to my slave, ‘Do this job’, and he does it.”

9 These words amazed Jesus and he turned to the crowd who were following behind him, and said, “I have never found faith like this anywhere, even in Israel!”

10 Then those who had been sent by the centurion returned to the house and found the slave perfectly well.” Luke 7:1-10 ERV

I choose to put my faith in the authority of God’s Word – ” Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.” Psalm 20:7-8

I am convinced of this very thing: Heaven and earth will pass away but God’s word will stand forever!

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What to Wear

Have you ever gotten up in the morning and stood in front of your closet wondering what to wear? It’s a dilemma I face from time to time.

In fact, I was thinking about that when I sat down with my coffee and began my Bible reading this morning.

Oh, God’s word is so good!

“Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him. 11 In this new life it doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, circumcised or not. It doesn’t matter if you speak a different language or even if you are a Scythian. It doesn’t matter if you are a slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he is in all of you.

12 God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. 14 Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. 15 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.

16 Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” Colossians 3:10-17 ERV

My closet is never empty when I realize that I am to wear what Christ has provided.

I am to put on my new life which consists of peace, forgiveness, love, kindness, gentleness and patience. It’s the perfect wardrobe for everyday wear or evening wear; summer, autumn, winter and spring.

Becoming more like Christ. He has designed the perfect attire for each day. No need to wonder anymore what you should wear – let Christ clothe you in His righteousness!

Have a great day!

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Look to the Hills

This is something I do every morning. I step out on my front porch and there they are, those beautiful mountains. The hills remain stalwart, unchanging, a monument of strength and stability.

They are also a continual reminder that I can trust God.

“I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the Lord, who created heaven and earth. 3 The Lord is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble.
4 The protector of Israel doesn’t doze or ever get drowsy. 5 The Lord is your protector,
there at your right side to shade you from the sun. 6 You won’t be harmed by the sun during the day or by the moon at night. 7 The Lord will protect you and keep you safe from all dangers. 8 The Lord will protect you now and always wherever you go.” Psalm 121 CEV

It’s not the hills or the mountains that will protect; it is the Creator of those hills! He never sleeps or even dozes off. He will protect us now, always and wherever we go. It’s a promise!

Do you remember a while back I talked about how the Lord used His cloud to protect the Israelites from the sun during the day while they traveled through the wilderness. Here is that same promise.

As I was reading this Psalm this morning, I was reminded of one other incident where the man of God looked to the hills.

“ When Elisha’s servant got up the next morning, he saw that Syrian troops had the town surrounded. ‘Sir, what are we going to do?’ he asked.

16 ‘Don’t be afraid,’ Elisha answered. ‘There are more troops on our side than on theirs.’ 17 Then he prayed, ‘Lord, please help him to see.’ And the Lord let the servant see that the hill was covered with fiery horses and flaming chariots all around Elisha.

18 As the Syrian army came closer, Elisha prayed, ‘Lord, make those soldiers blind!’ And the Lord blinded them with a bright light.” II Kings 6:15-18 CEV

Many times, we let what we can see naturally produce fear in our lives but God wants us to keep our eyes on Him and those things that can only be seen through the eyes of faith. Not blind faith, but our faith in His power and provision.

“Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.” II Corinthians 4:18 CEV

“We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete.” Hebrews 12:2 CEV

I’m blessed to have this mountain outside my front door as a continual reminder of God’s faithfulness. If you don’t have a physical mountain like I do I encourage you to put a virtual one on your phone as a screensaver. Let it remind you not to look at your mountains but look to the One who made them, He is your source of help!

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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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