Category: Month

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A New Family

Today I will continue with our teaching on “Sons of God”. I am confident of this very thing, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”. I will keep my eyes on Him and follow His leading.

Now let’s continue.

      “He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. 13 God made us free from the power of darkness. And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son. 14 The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins.” Colossians 1:13-14 ERV

When a child is adopted, they are chosen above all others. The parents saw the child and chose them to be their own. The child is accepted and loved. Loved unconditionally, shortcomings and faults included. They are special and desired by the parents.

That should tell us something about our Heavenly Father. He looked across the span of eternity and desired to be our Father. He made the greatest sacrifice a father could make to receive us into His family. He sent His only Son to pay the price for our adoption.

Jesus had been with God, the Father, from the beginning of time.  Because of His sacrifice many sons and daughters have been added to God’s family. The price Jesus paid was great. He made the ultimate sacrifice. He did this so we could be the adopted sons and daughters of God.

“God knew from the beginning who would put their trust in Him. So, He chose them and made them to be like His Son. Christ was first and all those who belong to God are His brothers.” Romans 8:29 NLV

Our Father has given us all of heaven’s blessings. He has provided so much for us, far more than anything we could ever imagine or dream. He wants to give the best to His kids and to put all He has at our disposal.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven.” Ephesians 1:3 ERV

“God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us. 21 May we see His shining-greatness in the church. May all people in all time honor Christ Jesus. Let it be so.” Ephesians 3:20-21 NLV

This is one of the first things He promised to give us as His children.

“Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.” Luke 11:13 ERV

“But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.” John 14:26 ERV

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as a good gift. A gift from the Father.  The Holy Spirit was sent to help us. He is also called the Comforter, and by definition, that means counsellor, intercessor, advocate, strengthener and standby. He intercedes for us.

This verse also says the Holy Spirit will remind us of all things Jesus spoke and He will teach us all things. When the Holy Spirit comes to our aid, He reminds us of God’s Word and instructs us on how to show our love to the Father.

  • We have been chosen by God, the Father. He wants us to be a part of His family. Let’s honor Him by showing His love to the world.
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The Father’s Love

When our children were small, we were farming, night and day.  We had very little free time, so they spent a lot of time in the fields with us. One day we were walking across the hay fields and I saw our son following behind his dad. He was imitating Dave’s every step. He would stop and look at the fields each time Dave stopped. He took the same giant leap to cross the irrigation ditch that his dad did. That is a moment I will never forget.  

God wants us to be the same way with Him. He wants us to imitate Him.  He is our loving heavenly Father!

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG

 Life, in general, is constantly evolving. We are growing from infancy to the grave. We develop in our relationships and maturity. We have numerous jobs from youth to retirement.

 In God’s eyes we are in a multifaceted role as well. Our first position being that of unbeliever but after accepting Jesus as Savior, we take on the life of believers in Christ.

 As a follower of Christ, we have many callings. The Bible says we are sons, joint heirs, the righteousness of God, conquerors, overcomers, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. These are only a few of our many facets. Through this teaching we will see from God’s Word the requirements and instructions that go with each one.

Let’s open our hearts to learn from the Lord as we go through the pages of this book.

“Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask you to open my spirit so that I may receive instructions from Your Word. Let me use what the Holy Spirit reveals to make my life conform to You in a greater way than it has up to this time. I desire to be an imitator of you as Jesus was. Amen.”

Our first relationship (facet) to develop is that as “sons”.

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, who was born from a woman and lived under the law. 5 God did this so that he could buy the freedom of those who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us his children.

6 Since you are now God’s children, he has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. The Spirit cries out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are not slaves like before. You are God’s children, and you will receive everything he promised his children.”  Galatians 4:4-7 ERV

We are children who have a very loving Father. This is a special family relationship. Originally, we were born with a sin nature and Jesus said that the devil was acting as our father and we lived in a kingdom of darkness.

 “You don’t understand the things I say, because you cannot accept my teaching. 44 Your father is the devil. You belong to him. You want to do what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning. He was always against the truth. There is no truth in him. He is like the lies he tells. Yes, the devil is a liar. He is the father of lies.” John 8:43-44 ERV

Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth was to give us a new heritage. We no longer have to belong to an evil father. The relationship with God that mankind had was lost in the Garden of Eden through Adam’s disobedience, was restored when Jesus came. God’s plan was to give us a new Father and a new family relationship.

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Like A Diamond

This morning I will be starting a new teaching, one that will take several weeks. Over the New Year weekend I was praying about what I should be sharing and I felt strongly impressed to share excerpts from my book “Like A Diamond”.

These are teachings that gave me knowledge and strength for daily life many years ago. They are the foundations that are keep my feet firmly planted on the Solid Rock during life’s most tumultous and trying times.

“My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests.” Hosea 4:6a NLT

The Jewish people had forgotten God’s word; they no longer remembered God’s promises and were following false teaching. Their enemies had captured them and there was chaos and devastation in their land. God said it was because the priests had not been teaching them His word and they had no knowledge of His promises.

“I was saved when I was a small child and for many years my Christian experience was limited. I grew up with the concept that we just struggle by the best we can while we are on earth. Then one day we will go to heaven when we die and it will be worth all the pain and heartache we went through here.

However, all that started to change in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I began to hear teaching on victorious Christian living. This was all new to me and to be honest, my first thought was this seems too good to be true.

Yet, it was true! The word Gospel means exactly that – good news. Reading my Bible became a delight. Each page was filled with promises and stories of God meeting the people He created and filling their lives with blessings.

The Holy Spirit began to open my understanding to the miraculous transformation that the Lord would like to make in each of our lives. It is a refining process, a development – it takes a Master touch to reveal our true potential.

Our lives, when we come to Christ, can be compared to a diamond in the rough. When the diamond hunter first finds “diamond rough” it is unattractive. It is often encased by common mineral deposits.  

It is the work of a Master Diamond Cutter that gives the stone its brilliance. They assess the stone to determine the size and weight of the finished product. Will they choose to cut one large diamond or perhaps two smaller ones will be more valuable? Will it be a round or a square brilliant cut?

Once the sawing or cutting of the diamond rough is complete the bruting process begins. Bruting is the art of cutting a diamond round. From here the diamond is polished, enhancing its many facets, weight, and clarity. A final inspection involves a thorough cleaning.

Our lives as Christians have greater value than that of the world’s largest diamond. God, the Father, is our Master Diamond Cutter. He sees us when we are encased in dirt. He chooses us to be His own. Through His Word what is detrimental to our beauty is cut away.  We are then polished and refined so that our true beauty shines brilliantly.  

Our Christian lives, like a diamond, are multi-faceted. In each chapter of this book we will look at some facets of our new life in Christ. For some this will be new information like it was for me all those years ago. For others it will be a refresher, an opportunity for another polishing. God’s word always brings a change, a glorious change.

As the facets of our life in Christ begin to be revealed we will shine “Like A Diamond”.”

“And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Malachi 3:17 AMPC

I hope you will join me over the next weeks as we mine the truths of God’s Word and It reveals the value that God places on us, His children.

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Don’t Get Frazzled

Last night I was listening to a pastor preach. He had a very encouraging word on how to be strong in adverse circumstances. It reminded me of a blog I had written in October 2018. I want to share part of it with you this morning.

Do you know what tensile strength is? And why it’s important?

“Tensile strength is a measurement of the force required to pull something such as rope, wire, or a structural beam to the point where it breaks. The tensile strength of a material is the maximum amount of tensile stress that it can take before failure, for example breaking.”

It’s important to know the tensile strength of a rope, chain or tie down strap that is used  for towing. If someone is stuck in snow or mud and we’re going to try to pull them out, it’s essential that to know how much weight the tow rope can handle.  If it’s not strong enough it will snap before the vehicle is freed from its plight.

But what does all this have to do with us?

If we try to lift a load that is too heavy emotionally or we try to carry it for too long, we come dangerously close to reaching our maximum strength and we can snap.  Ever been to that point? Perhaps you’ve even said “that’s the straw that broke the camel’s back”, “you’re on my last nerve” – I’m done with you, I’m done with this. It’s over. I can’t take anymore!

What a horrible place to be? We weren’t made to carry those types of burdens or handle that kind of stress. That’s why God tells us all throughout His word that He is our strength.

“The Lord is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the Lord— he is my God and the God of my ancestors. 3 The Lord is his name, and he is a warrior!” Exodus 15:2-3 CEV

This is part of the song that Moses and the Israelites sang on the other side of the Red Sea. They had fled Egypt in the middle of the night and pharaoh was pursuing them with the armies of Egypt. They came to the Red Sea and the Lord displayed his strength by holding back the waters so the people of Israel could cross on dry ground. When the Egyptians started to follow after them the Lord released the waters and all the Egyptians drown.  They were celebrating God’s strength and saving power.

What the Israelites couldn’t do on their own, the Lord did for them. He will do the same for us.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The God Who lives forever is the Lord, the One Who made the ends of the earth. He will not become weak or tired. His understanding is too great for us to begin to know. 29 He gives strength to the weak. And He gives power to him who has little strength. 30 Even very young men get tired and become weak and strong young men trip and fall. 31 But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak.” Isaiah 40:28-31 NLV

When we feel like the rope or the cable that is holding our world together is beginning to fray, God is there! He gives strength to us when we become weary. When we come to our end, He is just beginning.

God wants us to lay down our rope or cable and let Him use his.

“I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.” Philippians 4:13 NLV

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Beautiful & Useful

Recently our daughter was telling her dad and I the story of a couple vintage clocks she has in her home. One is a grandfather clock, with Westminster chime, that we had inherited from Dave’s grandfather. The other is antique mantel clock which her uncle had inherited upon his mother’s death.

Our daughter received our grandfather clock when we were moving from Idaho to Montana quite a few years ago and then she received the mantel clock from her uncle about five years ago. Both clocks had fallen into disrepair. Neither would chime correctly and so they sat silent.

Beautiful but not useful.

A while back she called a man who specializes in vintage and antique clock repair. He came to her home and examined each clock. He said they each needed a little love and a little adjustment. In about an hour both clocks were chiming correctly and keeping time.

Beautiful and useful!

As she told us the story she was in tears. She was so happy to have them working the way they were intended. He went on to tell her how to care for them properly and said they would continue to work for a long time without any further need for repair if she followed his instruction.

What they had needed was the touch of a master’s hand. There wasn’t anything hopelessly wrong with the mechanics of the clocks but without the knowledge to correctly adjust each one they would have remained silent.

Isn’t that the way it is with us? Through the stresses of life we either get wound too tightly or we ignore the important inner workings of our heart, our soul and we go silent or worse yet we chime at the wrong time and mislead those who hear us.

“In a large house there are things made of gold and silver. But there are also things made of wood and clay. Some of these are used for special purposes, others for ordinary jobs. 21 The Lord wants to use you for special purposes, so make yourself clean from all evil. Then you will be holy, and the Master can use you. You will be ready for any good work.

22 Stay away from the evil things a young person like you typically wants to do. Do your best to live right and to have faith, love, and peace, together with others who trust in the Lord with pure hearts. 23 Stay away from foolish and stupid arguments. You know that these arguments grow into bigger arguments. 24 As a servant of the Lord, you must not argue. You must be kind to everyone. You must be a good teacher, and you must be patient. 25 You must gently teach those who don’t agree with you. Maybe God will let them change their hearts so that they can accept the truth.” II Timothy 2:20-25 ERV

The Lord has chosen us to be useful for special purposes. The Master will clean our hearts, making us new and ready for good work. We also have a part in this process. We need to stay away from things that will stop us from being effective.

The clocks I told you about will be silenced once again if they don’t receive a loving touch every few days. Likewise, we need the Father’s touch on our lives continually so that faith, love and peace chime clearly for all to hear.

We can be beautiful and useful. Fit for the Master’s use.

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A Good Reminder

Some lessons in life aren’t learned the first time or even the second. I needed this reminder this morning.

I shared this a few years back but God is still working in me so that I can be successful every day…What a great way to start the New Year!

You know if God brings something to me, I’m going to share it with you too. So here goes – the other day I found myself complaining about some people and how they were doing something. It wasn’t the first time I had “complained” about this situation so when I finally finished my vent, I heard this in my heart. “Those are my kids and I want you to quit complaining about this. I’m working on them and as their parent, that’s My place – not yours!”

Oooo, I knew I had been rebuked but it didn’t end there. The Lord went on to say “I put you in their life to help them, not criticize and I put them in your life to help you get past being critical of people.”

Ouch!!

So this morning, if this applies to you – if you struggle with being critical of certain people and certain situations accept the correction that the Lord gave me.

“The LORD hates these seven things: 17 eyes that show pride, tongues that tell lies, hands that kill innocent people, 18 hearts that plan evil things to do, feet that run to do evil, 19 witnesses in court who tell lies, and anyone who causes family members to fight.” Proverbs 6:16-19 ERV

You see, I was being prideful and feeling superior, glad I wasn’t like “them” (double ouch) and God hates that. Pride is in some pretty bad company in these verses. It’s linked right in there with murder, perjury, those who plan evil and family discord. God sees them all the same and He hates all those actions.

It’s my job to be loving and helpful not critical and prideful. Yes Lord, I’ll be obedient.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing 15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world,” Philippians 2:14-15

We’re suppose to be different – we’re suppose to be a light!

So this is my prayer. “LORD, help me control what I say. Don’t let me say anything bad.” Psalm 141:3

Forgive me if I stepped on your toes. God is wanting us to be a light to those who have lost the sense of right and wrong. To do that we need to be different, we need to be godly.

We are to speak out against the evil and ungodliness in our world but we aren’t to speak evil of the people doing it!

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Count Your Blessings

Welcome 2021! A new day. A new year.

None of us know what the year will bring but we can all know the One who has designed each day. I encourage you to start each morning by writing down a couple blessings from the day before.

Start a blessing journal and count your blessings.

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” Psalm 139:17-18 NLT

Take a minute and read those verses again.

The quantity of God’s thoughts about us are so vast that they cannot be numbered! We are always in His thoughts and on His heart. I know I shared those verses with you a few days ago but since that time I have been so mindful of those words, “I can’t even count them”.

If our heavenly Father had a blessing journal our names would be recorded there. Maybe it would say something like this “Betty thanked me for the sunrise”, “Lon marvelled at My sunset”. “I love those kids of mine, they mean all the world to me”. I just know He must think these thoughts and so many more. More than we can count.

If He’s always thinking about us shouldn’t we be focused on Him as well? Maybe the first entry in our 2021 Blessing Journal should be God has precious thoughts about me, so many thoughts that they can’t be numbered. After that add one or two other things that bless you.

When we write things down it has a way of establishing them in our memory. It’s also helpful, on those days that have been particularly hard , to go back and reread them. This is a way to encourage ourselves. These are daily reminders of God’s love and provision.

The last week while we’ve been camping I have taken hundreds of pictures. Once I get home I will upload them to my computer and when I edit them I will relive the moment I took them. The beauty, the solitude, the peace and the gratitude.

That’s how it is with the word pictures we paint. They allow us to relive the moment.

I pray that your 2021 will be your most amazing year yet. Wake each day knowing that God Almighty loves you and has a wonderful day planned for you specifically. You are always in His thoughts.

As you count your blessings it will be a Happy New Year!

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Direction for 2021

At the end of the day we’ll all be heading into a New Year. Many will be glad to leave 2020 behind.

We have a cowboy preacher friend who used to say “If God says go north He will provide, if you go south you’ll think you died”. Now that’s not in the Bible but it’s still good preaching.

Let me tell you about a man named Jonah. The Lord wanted Jonah to go to a town called Ninevah and preach a message of repentance. Jonah decided he didn’t want to go and so he hopped the first ship leaving town and went the other way. A storm came up and the ship he was on almost sunk. Jonah admitted to the sailors on board that he was running from God and told them if they threw him into the sea the storm would cease and they would be saved.

So that’s what they did and they survived the storm. Jonah on the other hand became lunch for a great fish. I refer to this fish as the first manned submarine. Three days later the fish arrived at the shores of Ninevah and spit Jonah out on the shore. Jonah preached to the people there, they repented and were saved.

It was Jonah’s choice not to follow God’s leading and it was his choice that nearly brought destruction to everyone aboard the ship. But when Jonah repented for running from God he had a personalized escort to where he needed to go.

The Lord told Abraham to leave his home country and go to a new land. That new area was the place where Abraham prospered in lands, sheep, cattle and he became a father. His decendants eventually became known as the Israelites, who were God’s chosen people.

I could give you story after story of people who did and didn’t follow God. Suffice it to say, it’s better to let the Lord do the leading. He has infinitely better foresight than we do.

“I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea…
18 But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland…Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.” Isaiah 43:16-20 NLT

There’s a new year before us. Let’s forget the disappointments and discouragement of the past and move forward into 2021 looking for the path and the plans the Lord has for us.

“The Lord is my Shepherd. I will have everything I need. 2 He lets me rest in fields of green grass. He leads me beside the quiet waters. 3 He makes me strong again. He leads me in the way of living right with Himself which brings honor to His name.” Psalm 23:1-3 NLV

When we follow His leading we will always be going in the right direction. Now that’s the way to have a prosperous new year!

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When Birds Sing

Have you ever experienced one of those life lessons that no matter how old you are or how much time has past it is still as fresh in your mind as it was the day you first learned it? If you have then you know where I was last night.

Dave and I are enjoying our time away so much. It’s very relaxing and we keep telling each other how blessed we are to be here. Yesterday we moved our fifth wheel trailer to a new camp site right above the lake.

After we were set up we sat for most of the morning in the sunshine just taking in the beauty. However, not too long after lunch the clouds rolled in and with them came a light wind. By four o’clock it was a strong wind so we came inside to observe the beauty through our picture window. Normally, desert wind dies down after sunset but not last night. It got stronger and stronger.

Now to the memory.

During our summers working in Iowa we had a number of occasions when the winds were fierce and were accompanied by tornado warnings. Tornados were not something this Arizona/Montana girl had ever experienced. The first few times I was almost overcome with fear.

I would lay awake in bed praying for them to pass. Every nerve in my body seemed to be on high alert. I could not and would not allow myself to give in to the fear.

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 ERV

Eventually I came to the point where I could sleep through those stormy nights, resting confidently in the peace that God gave. The lesson I learned during that time was to listen to the birds. As long as the birds were singing in the trees and gathering bugs in the grass things were ok. Birds will seek shelter in a storm and they will begin singing as soon as it is over.

“Let all who run to you for protection always sing joyful songs. Provide shelter for those
who truly love you and let them rejoice. 12 Our Lord, you bless thosewho live right, and you shield them with your kindness.” Psalm 5:11-12 CEV

Dave didn’t know how badly this all bothered me until I told him last night. Those physical storms taught me to trust God’s protection, they taught me that I could always depend on His word.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.” Matthew 7:24-25 NLT

God’s word will be our firm foundation in life’s storms. His teachings will keep us from collaspe. The Lord provides us with His covering and we will be able to sing with joy, just like the birds, when the storm has past.

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Cultivating Friendships

Relationships are like beautiful gardens. The seeds are planted but must be watered and pruned so that they can grow in a healthy and productive way.

It’s so great to spend time with friends. Those special people who have been with you through life. They have seen you cry, laughed with you, encouraged you, picked you up when you were down and even corrected you and set you on the right path again. Friends are one of life’s most valued treasures.

John was one of Jesus’ closest friends. John had been with Him from the beginning and it was John who was standing with Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the foot of His cross. He loved Jesus. In the first few verses of I John he reveals his purpose for writing this letter.

“We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so that you may share in this life with us. And we share in it with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing to tell you these things, because this makes us truly happy.” I John 1:3-4 CEV

That’s how I feel each morning when I share my thoughts with you. I write this so that you will be truly happy.

The joy found in friendship/relationship with Jesus is indescribable, complete and will sustain you even in the toughest times.

Jesus is the one who initiates relationship with us; He’s the one who developes the friendship.

“I no longer call you servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. But now I call you friends, because I have told you everything that my Father told me.” John 15:15 ERV

This past year has kept us from many of our dear friends but social distancing can’t stop us from pursuing our daily relationship with Jesus. The Bible tells us that there is one who sticks closer than a brother. That One is Jesus.

When fear and depression sweep in like a tidal wave He is there. When inexpressible joy elevates us to the heights of emotion He is there. When our daily walk has us on an even plain He is there.

Maybe you’ve thought that God was too big or that you were too insignificant to have a real relationship, a friendship, with God. King David wrote these words. He marvelled at the thought of God’s pursuit of relationship with him.

“If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” Psalm 139:7-18 NLT

Maybe it’s been a while since you just sat and shared your morning coffee with Him or talked through things on your morning compute but He’s there waiting. Take Him with you on your camping trip, your next ride or hike; share a wave with Him as you surf or let Him go with you as you cast a line.

Friendship with Him is definitely worth cultivating. I guarantee if you draw close to Him He won’t walk away.

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