Category: Month

Posted on

Lather Up!

It’s important that we have the proper covering in life. I was thinking about that the other day when the grandkids were here.

They were dressed in their swimsuits, and we were ready to head out the door but first things first. Time to lather up – they needed to be covered with sunscreen and they also needed to have their hats on.

The Arizona sun is so hot!

We don’t always think about being covered because the water is cool and inviting but it’s important that we keep from getting sunburned. As excited as they were about getting up to the pool they waited, not so patiently, until each one had been sprayed and had their hats in hand.

It made me think, I should never start the day without being covered.

“How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! 2 How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false.” Psalm 32:1-2 NLV

Because of God’s great love for us we are forgiven, we have our sins covered. That was the example of the Old Testament. The blood sacrifices that were made covered their sin. However, in the New Testament, the blood of Jesus not only covers but completely blots out our sins.

“ David tells of this. He spoke of how happy the man is who puts his trust in God without working to be saved from the punishment of sin. 7 ‘Those people are happy whose sinful acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered. 8 Those people are happy whose sins the Lord will not remember.’…25 Jesus died for our sins. He was raised from the dead to make us right with God.” Romans 4:6-8, 25 NLV

Over exposure to the sun’s harmful rays can cause skin cancer. Over exposure to the world’s way of thinking and living can cause a cancer of the soul.

“He will cover you with His wings. And under His wings you will be safe. He is faithful like a safe-covering and a strong wall…14 Because he has loved Me, I will bring him out of trouble. I will set him in a safe place on high, because he has known My name. 15 He will call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will take him out of trouble and honor him. 16 I will please him with a long life. And I will show him My saving power.” Psalm 91:4,14-16 NLV

Oh, I didn’t forget about the hats. God has taken care of covering our heads too.

“17 The covering for your head is that you have been saved from the punishment of sin. ” Ephesians 6:17 NLV

I’ll say it again. We need to be well covered before we face the harsh elements of the day. Let’s make sure that we are aware that we are completely covered with the Father’s love.

Posted on

I Like Your House

I hope you all forgive me for not getting a blog posted this morning. It was a day that life got in the way!

Friday noon our three youngest grandchildren came for a visit. They are 7,5, and 3. Our afternoon was filled with coloring, games, swimming, dinner and smores. Housing three littles in an RV is a delightful challenge. We have a big bed that drops down from the ceiling in the toy-hauler garage that made the perfect bed for the three of them when they were smaller but in the last year, all three of them have really grown.

The drop-down bed was perfect size for the two girls, and we had a surprise for Sam, the 7-year-old. There’s a sleeping loft between the kitchen and the garage. Just the right size for one growing boy. We weren’t sure how well he would do with going up and down the ladder but after a few timid encounters, he finally climbed to the top, crawled in and announced, “I really like my new bed”. Wonderful!

More games, prayer time and then off to bed.

Saturday morning I was up by 4, followed shortly by Sam, who was peeking over the edge of the loft at 4:15. Kristine woke by 4:30. I told her she had to go back to sleep. She rolled over and did. Sam was given permission to come down but needed to lay on the couch so I could finish my writing. “You have to be quiet. You can’t wake the girls or Pappy”. He heeded my words.

Once the others were up, we all went outside in our jammies before it got too hot and put out fresh water for the birds, seed in the feeder, water the plants and made sidewalk chalk drawings. It warms up fast in the desert so we were back inside just before breakfast.

More games to play and drawings to make for their parents.

Before we knew it, their parents were here and we were grilling hamburgers. The perfect lunch and then off to the swimming pool again. The three-year-old had fallen asleep at lunch and so she and Pappy stayed at the RV to make homemade ice cream for when we returned.

While we were at the pool Kristine whispered to me, “I really like coming to your trailer, Besta”, followed by a tight squeeze.

“For a day in Your house is better than a thousand outside. I would rather be the one who opens the door of the house of my God, than to live in the tents of the sinful. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and a safe-covering. The Lord gives favor and honor. He holds back nothing good from those who walk in the way that is right.” Psalm 84:10-11 NLV

“Better is one day in Your house than a thousand elsewhere, oh yes Father, that’s how I feel about You.”

All too soon it was time for them to go home. As Sam was getting into the car he hugged me and this time he whispered in my ear, “Besta, when can we come back”? With a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye I said, “soon, very soon”.

“ There are many rooms in My Father’s house. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going away to make a place for you. 3 After I go and make a place for you, I will come back and take you with Me. Then you may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 NLV

In case you’re asking, I want you to know that the Lord said He’s coming back, soon, very soon and we can go home with Him.

Posted on

Positive Affirmation

Lately we have ordered quite a bit of stuff on line and each day after I receive my delivery confirmation I receive an email asking for my feedback. It seems the whole country needs positive affirmation.

We read the warnings on how hard social media can be for our young people. Not enough friends, not enough likes, too many bad comments and their worlds fall apart. But we adults fall prey to that thinking as well.

We wondered why we didn’t have more people like a picture or comment on something we’ve posted. When the numbers aren’t what we think they should be we wonder if anyone is even interested in us anymore.

Each morning when I open the app for writing my blog the first page it opens too is the stat page. This page tells me how many people read or clicked through on my blog from the day before. Let me tell you, some days the numbers aren’t great. In fact, there has been an occasion or two when I’ve wondered if I should keep writing each day.

Now before you think I’m seeking positive affirmation, let me stop you. The moment that thought comes into my mind I replace it with this:

“ Whatever you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3:17 NLV

His is the only positive affirmation I need!

I know the Lord called me to do this blog and I will keep doing it until He tells me to stop. Readership doesn’t matter, presenting you with the life-changing, positive, confidence building, encouraging, correcting, love of God is my soul goal and purpose.

“The Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 NLV

When we put our faith and trust in Christ, receiving Him as our Savior, we have all the positive affirmation we need. He will not leave us, He gives us strength, He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death fearlessly.

There is no one, no number of likes, no amount of hearts to our comments that can ever outweigh the love of the One who gave His life for us!

Now this comes from a reformed people pleaser. I used to need all the affirmation and kind words and acceptance I could get. It was a death sentence to my soul. Then I found that in Christ I had been accepted and that’s all I needed.

“God already planned to have us as His own children. This was done by Jesus Christ. In His plan God wanted this done. 6 We thank God for His loving-favor to us. He gave this loving-favor to us through His much-loved Son. 7 Because of the blood of Christ, we are bought and made free from the punishment of sin. And because of His blood, our sins are forgiven. His loving-favor to us is so rich.” Ephesians 1:507 NLV

You have been affirmed! God loves you and has chosen you as His own. That’s more than enough!

Posted on

Increased Knowledge

For those of you who aren’t very tech savvy you will be able to empathize with me.

In the past week I have backed-up my old phone and activated and downloaded all my info to my new phone. Then I received my birthday present from Dave a couple weeks early – an Apple watch. Final tech treat was a GoPro camera which we will take to Greece with us in September.

My goodness I had to go to YouTube just to learn how to charge and turn these things on! I do ok with my laptop and my old phone (which had started to malfunction) but three new devices in one week put my brain on overload.

“But as for you, Daniel, keep these words hidden and lock up the Book until the end of time. Many will travel here and there and knowledge will be more and more.” Daniel 12:4 NLV

We are definitely living in a time when knowledge is “more and more”, increasing. Every year or so Apple comes out with a new phone, so do the others. More advancement. Technology hasn’t just aided communication but it has also brought great advancement to the medical field. In my younger years, a surgical procedure would require several days stay in the hospital but now those same procedures are considered outpatient surgeries and you go home in the same day.

I could go on with the list of advancements in industry – automobile, entertainment, travel, information technology and so many more. Knowledge is amazing, just what I have seen in my lifetime is mind boggling.

But I like simplicity.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NLV

“ God’s plan looked foolish to men, but it is wiser than the best plans of men. God’s plan which may look weak is stronger than the strongest plans of men.” I Corinthians 1:25 NLV

The Gospel of Jesus is simple and it’s unchanging. The love of God will far surpass and outlast the knowledge of man.

“Love never fails— but where there are prophecies, they will pass away; where there are tongues, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” I Corinthians 13:8 TLV

Although the knowledge of this generation is greater than any generation before it will never compare to love of God. Technology will always require an update to function properly but the love of God will never fail.

Posted on

Without A Limp

A few days ago, while working outside, I tripped and fell. When Dave helped me up, I could see and feel that my right knee took the brunt of the impact.

For the last week and a half we have been working outside in the cool of the morning. We were almost done and in the process of some clean up. We had laid a ladder down on the patio, it needed to be washed and put away.

I had walked around it several times but this time I forgot it was there. Distracted with something else, it caught the toe of my shoe, I lost my balance and fell forward. I landed hard with my knee hitting the ladder and then the concrete. I was less than graceful.

My knee began swelling immediately – the body’s way of providing protection to the injured part. I pushed myself to finish a couple of small chores and then came in to ice and elevate it. My body was sore and so was my ego. How could I have been so unaware?

Each step the last couple of days, my body has reminded me that I needed to go slow and not overdo. I have done so and this morning when I woke 95% of the pain and stiffness is gone and only a little bruising is left.

It was nice to walk around without a limp and feel back to normal. God has designed our bodies with the amazing ability to heal and regenerate itself.

But it’s not just this physical body, the ability to heal also applies to the spiritual body, the Body of Christ.

“Our own body has many parts. When all these many parts are put together, they are only one body. The body of Christ is like this…14 The body is not one part, but many parts. 15 If the foot should say, ‘I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,’ that would not stop it from being a part of the body. 16 If the ear should say, ‘I am not a part of the body because I am not an eye,’ that would not stop it from being a part of the body…18 But God has put all the parts into the body just as He wants to have them. 19 If all the parts were the same, it could not be a body. 20 But now there are many parts, but one body…24 The parts that can be seen do not need as much care. God has made the body so more care is given to the parts that need it most. 25 This is so the body will not be divided into parts. All the parts care for each other. 26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. If one part is given special care, the other parts are happy. 27 You are all a part of the body of Christ.” I Corinthians 12:13-17 NLV

If one part of the body hurts the other parts hurt with it.

As Christians we are all a part of the body of Christ and when you hurt, I should feel your pain and come to your aide. That’s what it means to be part of His body. We all share in the process of healing.

If you hurt and hide it, I can’t come to your assistance. If I am self-centered I may be judgmental and unwilling to help. Neither condition is of Christ’s choosing.

Let’s all take an active part in seeing that the Body of Christ stays healthy and whole!

Posted on

Sack Lunch vs Banquet

Several years ago Dave and I had an interesting experience at a local Mexican restaurant.

Just after we arrived a family came in and sat at the next table. As they sat their waiting for the waitress to bring their drinks I noticed the one little girl had brought in a sack from Wendy’s. As her parents ordered and enjoyed their chips and salsa, the little girl reached into the sack and took out her Frosty, fries and burger. I thought, how cute!

But now the life lesson.

“Jesus said to him, ‘A man gave a big dinner. He invited many people. 17 When it was time to eat, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come. The food is ready.’ 18 But all the guests said they could not come. Each one made an excuse…’

21 “So the servant returned and told his master what happened. The master was angry. He said, ‘Hurry! Go into the streets and alleys of the town. Bring me the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’

22 “Later, the servant said to him, ‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.’ 23 The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads. Tell the people there to come. I want my house to be full!” Luke 14:16-23 ERV

The Father wants to lavish on us the things He has prepared for us.

So many times we come to the Father’s table with our own provision – Abraham and Sarah had God’s promise for a son but they made their own provision and Ishmael was born. Not a good thing…

We have allowed the tradition of religion to tell us that we can’t or shouldn’t expect God to bless us or to provide – excuses – we aren’t worthy or “God helps those who help themselves” and the focus gets placed on us and not on Him. We begin thinking like the prodigal son who said “the servants in my father’s house are eating well, I’ll just go be a servant”. But our Father doesn’t want servants, He wants sons!

He wants us to experience the joy of our salvation – the great and precious promises that He has provided for us through the death of His son!

“Praise the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within me, praise His holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul. And forget none of His acts of kindness. 3 He forgives all my sins. He heals all my diseases. 4 He saves my life from the grave. He crowns me with loving-kindness and pity. 5 He fills my years with good things and I am made young again like the eagle… 8 The Lord is full of loving-pity and kindness. He is slow to anger and has much loving-kindness.” Psalm 103:1-8 NLV

Maybe this life lesson was just for me. Maybe you’ve never come to the Father’s table with provisions of your own making but if you have, let me encourage you to drop your sack lunch in the receptacle at the door and come eat freely at the table the Father has prepared for you.

Posted on

Light in the Darkness

What do you do on an Arizona afternoon when it’s too hot to go outside and work on anything?

Well, if you’re retired, like Dave and I, you have a nice lunch and watch a movie. Yesterday’s movie is titled, Unbroken. It’s based on the true story of a young man who excelled in long distance running, qualified for the Olympics, enlisted in the Army in WWII, was a bombardier, spent over a month in a life raft in the Pacific, was rescued by Japanese and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner.

It wasn’t a light-hearted Hallmark movie.

At one point, he was imprisoned in a cell that had no light. I don’t know how many days he was there, but the movie showed him screaming out in the darkness. It was almost more than he could handle. This is what I was thinking about this morning when I woke up.

The darkness. Fighting the darkness.

“You save those who are suffering, but You bring low those who have pride in their eyes. 28 You make my lamp bright. The Lord my God lights my darkness.” Psalm 18:27-28 NLV

“The Lord is my light and the One Who saves me. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom should I be afraid? 2 When sinful men, and all who hated me, came against me to destroy my flesh, they tripped and fell. 3 Even if an army gathers against me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if war rises against me, I will be sure of You.” Psalm 27:1-3 NLV

I don’t believe I will ever experience that type of darkness but, in life, we all face circumstantial darkness. For some its prejudice while others face the death of a loved one. Some face the relational darkness of loneliness and depression, many fall into the dark place of long-term illness and pain. And then there is the dark prison cell of financial destruction.

No matter the darkness, each one of us has the promise of God that He will be our light in the darkness! Amen and amen.

Going over all this I heard the words of a song I sang as a child: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.

1 I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Refrain:
Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

3 I don’t know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I’m covered with His blood. [Refrain]

I pray these words bring light to your dark places. Remember Jesus said, “I AM the light of the world”.

Posted on

Let It Be

Reading through the Scriptures this morning I paused in several different places, reading and re-reading the verses, then saying “Lord, let it be as Your word says”.

You remember the words of the Beatles song – let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. There is no other place that we should go for wisdom than to the word of God.

Let it be!

In light of all we hear and see these verses are so pertinent.

“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 3:15-17 ERV

Peace in Christ should rule our thinking.

Thankfulness should always be in our hearts.

The Word of God should live richly within us.

Everything we do and say should bring honor to the Father.

The Father has placed these things within us – peace, thankfulness, His promises. There is one more verse I would like to add to these.

“Let your light shine in front of men. Then they will see the good things you do and will honor your Father Who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 NLV

We should be a shining light for all to see.

I can’t help but think that the light Jesus was referring to was the peace, joy, thankfulness and the promise we have from the Father. In all these things we are a conduit from the Father to those around us. When they see these good things, our Father will receive honor.

Say with me, “Lord, let it be”!

Posted on

All the Fathers

Today is a day that we honor fathers. Yes, it was probably started by a greeting card company but the foundation is definitely Biblical.

Our heavenly Father is loving and gracious, always there to encourage and direct. We learn from Him. He protects and corrects. His love is never ending. Be thankful for the men the Lord has placed in your family – fathers, sons, uncles, grandsons and dad-like role models.

I’m going to ask you to do something this morning before you start the celebration of honoring the fathers in your home. Please pray for those fathers who are estranged from their children, pray for those who have lost children to death or bad decisions.

Some men have a heart’s desire to father but have no natural children so they provide fatherly influence to nieces and nephews or mentoring to children in their community . All of these men need our encouragment and love today.

Our heavenly Father has adopted us and called us to be His own. He welcomes us to come to Him always – come to Him and find rest and help in time of need.

He knows all about us and His love sustains us.

“We sinned against him, but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved. 11 His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children. 14 He knows all about us. He knows we are made from dust. 15 He knows our lives are short, that they are like grass. He knows we are like a little wildflower that grows so quickly, 16 but when the hot wind blows, it dies. Soon, you cannot even see where the flower was. 17 But the Lord has always loved his followers, and he will continue to love them forever and ever!” Psalm 103:10-17 ERV

Take time to thank the men who are fathers in your family and also thank those who have been role models, men of character and godliness. Then thank and honor Your heavenly Father for all He has done for you and for bringing these men into your families.

Posted on

Long Life & Honor

The more I thought about how to title this morning’s blog the more it sounded like something from Star Trek, “Live long and prosper”.

It made me wonder, how many seasoned saints heard Leonard Nimoy make that statement in the 1960’s and said “that sure sounds like Scripture”?

I am not a Trekkie. In fact, I’ve probably only seen a half dozen episodes of the original series and none of the movies or subsequent spinoffs. However, that theme is worth pondering.

I actually found it twice this morning in the book of Proverbs.

“By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4 NKJV

“He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 NKJV

These two verses, repeated as close together as they are, give us instruction for daily life. Life goals, as it were. Most of us want to prosper in this life but prosperity can mean different things to different people. To some it means great wealth and to others it means a life filled with joy and peace.

Jesus repeated Solomon’s teaching when He said to His disciples:

“The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” John 10:10 NLV

Early in our marriage I had my own definition of prosperity. I told David I would know we were prosperous when I could go to the grocery store without a calculator and be able to pay for the items in my cart. That may seem very simplistic, and it is but going from not having enough to having a full cart and the money to pay for it was prosperity. It still is!

“The Lord is my Shepherd. I will have everything I need.” Psalm 23:1 NLV

“ And my God will give you everything you need because of His great riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NLV

Getting to know the Father and His character, understanding the example that Jesus set for us and following the leading of the Holy Spirit bring us to a place of confidence in the promises of God.

“The Helper (Holy Spirit) will tell about Me when He comes. I will send Him to you from the Father. He is the Spirit of Truth and comes from the Father. ” John 15:26 NLV

So, the question comes. How do we live long and prosper? We humble ourselves, trusting God’s wisdom more than we do our own, and let Him direct our steps.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress