Category: Encouragement

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Looking In

It’s so easy for those who don’t know us very well to “look in” on our lives and make judgements.

Have you ever had that happen to you?

It’s hard to deal with but we can dismiss those actions with “they just don’t know me well enough”. However, it’s much harder when someone we love and are close too spreads lies or judges us harshly.

That can cause relationships to crumble and/or jealousy to grow. I know. Personally, I have been judged harshly on a couple occasions and regretfully, I have also been guilty of doing the same.

I’d like to tell you about a lady who had her reputation besmirched publically. She was called out because of her past. Her accuser tried to humiliate her in the presence of his friends and business associates. She had no where to retreat from his cruel words.

“Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”…

 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Luke 7:36-50 NKJV

Jesus’ words “judge not unless you want to be judged” ring in my heart when I read this story. No one is insignificant to the Father. He sent His Son to die for everyone of us. Others may judge us, whether correctly or incorrectly, but Jesus only judges sin and all sin is the same to Him. And then He offers us peace and forgiveness.

The Bible tells us that man looks at what we do on the outside but God looks at our hearts. When people make hurtful accusations, look inside to see what God sees. Others may see failure, a screw-up, but God sees us as His sons and daughters, forgiven and wrapped in His love.

“God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father.” Romans 8:15 CEV

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Say A Little Prayer

Yesterday was a day of “little prayers”. I found myself stopping throughout the day praying specifically for friends and family.

Prayers were lifted while I was sitting at my desk paying bills, in the kitchen washing dishes, driving to the store and out in the garage taking photographs. Some came early in the morning before I got out of bed and others were said as I was laying my head down on the pillow last night.

There’s always time to Say A Little Prayer.

“Always be joyful 17 and never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 CEV

I know some people think this way about prayer – well, nothing else works so we better pray. That’s a wrong idea of prayer. Our attitude should be – I will pray first so that things work out right.

“When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. 8 Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.” Matthew 6:7-8 CEV

When we pray we can ask confidently knowing that our Father already has our answer. Not a lot of words are necessary, we don’t need a quiet place with soft music playing – no, we just need an open heart and a willingness to talk to the Father.

It’s a great privilege to pray for others. Our spouse, our children, family and friends. Our nation and our leaders. Those who are being persecuted around the world, those who are sick.

Say A Little Prayer.

There are times when I go the the Father and say “Lord, I need someone to pray for me right now. I need to be strengthened, healed or encouraged”. The Father is so faithful to provide those prayers because the Holy Spirit prays for us.

“In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27 All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God’s people.” Romans 8:26-27 CEV

Last night I woke a couple of times to pray and I was praying again before I got out of bed. There is never a bad time to pray. When I got up and was getting myself a cup of coffee, I was praying and these words came to mind.

I could hear Dionne Warwick singing this song from my high school days:

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup (makeup)
I say a little prayer for you
And while combing my hair now
And wondering what dress to wear now (wear now)
I say a little prayer for you

Whenever folks come to mind it’s always a good time to Say A Little Prayer!

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God is Great!

The first thing I did this morning was look up and say “thank You”!

Before the sun rises my heart is already praising my heavenly Father for His love and His greatness. Before the first birds sing their morning song my heart is expressing my gratitude for His goodness. Before the coyotes break the silence my heart is spilling over with the joy of knowing I am loved unconditionally by the Father.

Great are You, Lord!

Some days can get us down; there is no denying we face challenges, some greater than others. However, there is nothing that is greater than our God!

“So David praised the Lord in front of all the people. He said, “Honor and thanks be to You, O Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 O Lord, You have great power, shining-greatness and strength. Yes, everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. You are the King, O Lord. And You are honored as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You. You rule over all. Power and strength are in Your hand. The power is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13 So now, our God, we thank You. We praise Your great and honored name.” I Chronicles 29:10-13 NLV

The picture I used in this morning’s blog is one I took on Christmas Eve morning while we were camping. I think the reason I enjoy camping as much as I do is because it reminds me of the greatness and goodness of the One who tells me His love is everlasting. The grandeur of the landscape; the majestic colors of the sky; the intricate design of the flowers and the trees all confirm His love for me.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” Matthew 6:25-26 NLT

Sunday morning we sang a song during our on-line church service that truly describes my heart’s praise: Great Are You Lord by Jason David Ingram, David Leonard, Leslie Jordan

You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken
And great are You, Lord

It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only

Start the day right. Join with me in praising the Father for His greatness. There is no greater love than His!

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Be Encouraged

There are so many influences that we encounter that are discouraging and disheartening but God’s word is contrary to that. In life’s darkest moments He offers us encouragment and consolation.

The word encourage is used 58 times in the New Living Translation of the New Testament. Most of these references are in the letters Paul wrote to Christians around the world.

“And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory. 13 Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.” I Thessalonians 2:11-13 NLT

Paul was a man who didn’t just talk the talk but walked the walk. He knew what is was like to face hard times; he had been arrested, beaten, ship wrecked, run out of town and under house arrest. Yet his message remained the same.

“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” II Corinthians 13:11 NLT

He was confident that the new life we receive in Christ is a life of strength, joy, power and victory. He was compelled to share that message everywhere he went. It was his life goal, having turned from persecuting the Christians, to bring the message of restored relationship through Christ Jesus to the world.

“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” II Corinthians 5:18-29 NLT

Our sins are no longer counted against us. God the Father, in his great love, adopted us to be His very own. His desire is to have a deep and enduring relationship with each of us. He’s not out to destroy our lives but to bring meaning, hope, joy and fulfillment to them.

“For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! 39 The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39 NLT

NOTHING can separate us from God’s love! Nothing.

The Father even loves us when we are rebellious. Remember the father of the prodigal son – He watched for him to return everyday and embraced him when he did. That’s the way our Father feels about us.

I hope this encourages you and I pray that you will be an encouragement to someone also.

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

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Singing in the Storm

Imagine with me that you and your closest friend had been arrested. Before you are taken to your cell you were beaten and then chained in a dungeon. You know you are innocent of any crime and still here you are!

What will you do next? Many of us would probably curl up in a corner and bemoan our fate. Life is unfair! Fear would seep in and probably cover us like a blanket. Hope would be gone BUT not if we had our hope anchored to God’s love and His promises. (we read about being anchored yesterday)

This is a real life story so let’s look at what these two friends did.

“After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. 24 The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. 26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.” Acts 16:23-26 CEV

Paul and Silas sang at midnight!

They prayed and they sang. Maybe they remembered the words from Psalm 23:

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” Vs 5 NLT

Maybe they thought of Daniel being thrown to the lions or of those three Hebrews would were condemned to the fiery furnance. Whatever their thoughts, they were focused on the Lord and they were singing.

One of the songs we sang at on-line church on Sunday was running through my mind as I got up this morning. Here’s just a few of the lyrics of Raise A Hallelujah by Bethel Music:

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me


I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

No situation or circumstance is hopeless when we know the One who opens prison doors and sets the captives free. No situation can defeat us when our faith is established in Jesus. Our Father, the God of heaven, comes to our cry.

“Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, 4 because everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. 5 It is our faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” I John 5:3-5 CEV

If you’re in the middle of a storm right now, warm up those vocal chords and get ready to sing. Anchor your hope in Christ – the King is Alive!!

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Anchored in Life

Dave and I like to watch sailing shows; there are several on YouTube where couples and families have left the sticks and bricks behind and taken to the water. They have some amazing adventures as they circumnavigate the globe.

Since the videos are never more than twenty to thirty minutes long most of the footage they show is of the “fun stuff”. Sailing in beautiful waters, meeting interesting island natives, fishing from the back deck, snorkeling – all of these are an enticement to this carefree lifestyle.

It’s not all fun and games. There’s a lot of work that must be done to keep things ship-shape. This last week two of the sailing couples each focused on the work that has to be done to keep their boats in good repair.

I was particularly interested when they showed the anchor and the chain that secures it. Sailing is a continual cycle of dropping anchor, retrieving it and moving on to the next anchorage. A good anchor is a must.

Anchors are used in both calm and rough seas. It’s important to be well anchored. If not, the boat will drift and move off course. I found that to be true with our small fishing boat. If we weren’t using our trolling motor to slowly move around an inlet we dropped anchor to keep us from drifting too close to the shoreline or getting caught up in a submerged tree or hitting a log.

We all need a good anchor. It’s an essential in life.

“God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls.” Hebrews 6:18-19 CEV

Hope in God’s promises is our anchor, not just when things are rough and stormy but also when life is calm and smooth. We place our confidence, our hope, in the Father’s promises and they hold us secure. It’s easy to drift off course and lose our bearings without this anchor.

“Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.” Colossians 1:22-23 NLT

Let me encourage you to drop anchor. Make sure you are securely attached to the solid rock of God’s word. It will keep you from drifting – it will fill you with hope!

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Good Morning

Most mornings I have no problem at all rising early. It’s been my way of life for over thirty years. For me, sleeping in is not getting up until after 6 am. But this morning is different.

I woke up but the idea of getting up wasn’t a pleasant thought. Have you ever had a morning like that?

The coffee has just finished brewing and my first cup is about half gone. My heart is focused and there is a prayer on my lips. “Lord, let me use this day to honor You. I need Your strength and wisdom for this day. I’m not sure what You have planned for me today but I know it’s good because You always want the best for me. I love you Father, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit. Thank you for being all I need. In Jesus name.”

Getting up early to spend time with the Lord is never a waste of time.

Give Me Jesus by Fernando Ortega

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus

In the quiet I find it easier to hear the Father speaking to my heart. There are no text messages to interrupt, no emails requiring answers and no distractions to sidetrack me.

“Be proud of his holy name.  You followers of the Lord, be happy! 4 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.” Psalm 105:3-5 ERV

I depend on the Lord for my strength. He’s always there to help!

I’m praying for those of you who woke early and are having a hard time getting started this morning. I’m praying that you are strengthened for the day; energized for the opportunities ahead. We don’t know what appointments God has for us today. Does someone need encouragment – a kind word, help with a task? Maybe one of our family need some one-on-one time to express their heart. Is the Father putting someone on your heart who needs prayer for healing, for peace, for a miracle? It’s these kind of things that I hear the Father speaking to my heart in the early morning.

Second cup of coffee is almost gone and I am excited to see what the day has in store.

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 ERV

I can’t wait to see what good plan the Father has for me and He has one for you too!

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Trust & Wait

I woke up several times in the night and these words filled my mind every time I did, “Trust in the Lord and wait patiently on Him”. Over and over again the words came. When I woke and knew it was time to get up I laid there for a few minutes longer, pulling together my thoughts and everything left except “Trust and Wait”.

“Depend on the Lord. Trust in him, and he will help you. 6 He will make it as clear as day that you are right. Everyone will see that you are being fair. 7 Trust in the Lord and wait quietly for his help.” Psalm 37:5-7 ERV

Both the trusting and the waiting can be hard and they are only developed through experience. The word depend also means to commit. One version of the verse reads “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” (NLT)

Everything.

We are to involve the Lord in everything we do. He will prove Himself faithful. Some people are of the mindset that they won’t bother God with the small things; those they can handle themselves. It’s only the “big” things that they feel they should bother the Lord with.

Things that are big to us barely make a blip on heaven’s radar. What could we possibly bring to the Father that He considers big? When we fail to bring Him the things we consider small issues we will find that we lack the experience to trust Him with life’s larger challenges.

David, as a young shepherd, saw the Lord’s faithfulness while taking care of his father’s sheep. He depended on the Lord to help him keep the sheep safe and so when the lion and the bear came to attack his flock he knew God was with him to defeat them. When the time came to face Goliath David was ready. He had already experienced God’s faithfulness in smaller things.

“Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn’t have made fun of the army of the living God!” I Samuel 17:36 CEV

Answerrs to small prayers give us courage to face down the giants.

“But I trust the Lord God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer.” Micah 7:7 CEV

Waiting on the Lord for answered prayer isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of great strength. It takes strength to pray and ask God for the next meal to feed your family and not worry. It takes strength to wait on the Lord to bring you to the next job when the company you worked for closed. It takes strength not to crumble when the doctor gives you a bad report.

That strength comes from trusting, depending on, being committed to dependence on our heavenly Father and His word.

“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 40:30-31 NLV

Trust and Wait! It’s there we find strength.

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Spring Cleaning

The last two days I have been busy cleaning baseboards. Yes, baseboards!

I have a thing about baseboards. When we check into a hotel and everything looks fresh and clean I look at baseboards. When I have company coming and I’ve changed the sheets and cleaned the floors I look at the baseboards.

Normally, I get around to doing them twice a year but in the past few years I have stretched that out to every eighteen months with spot cleaning of different rooms as I deem necessary.

There’s a life lesson to be gained here.

There’s only one good way to clean baseboards. It requires a basin of warm, soapy water, several soft clean rags and a small scrub brush. It must be done on hands and knees. They can’t be thoroughly cleaned without being on floor level and since I’m there it’s also a good time to wash the tile floors by hand.

Now, for the life lesson.

There isn’t much else I can do while scrubbing them than think. It’s a good time to take personal inventory; a time to examine heart motives, physical activities, prejudices & irritations, hurts and fears. Removing the dust and spots from the baseboards is also a great time to clean some of life’s dusty corners.

“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.” II Corinthians 7:1 ERV

“Put out of your life these things also: anger, bad temper, bad feelings toward others, talk that hurts people, speaking against God, and dirty talk. 9 Do not lie to each other. You have put out of your life your old ways.” Colossians 3:8-9 NLV

The Lord and I had a good talk about some things I had let build up; things I had ignored. Spring cleaning is good for our homes but even better for our soul.

“…Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT

Invite the Holy Spirit to help you with those hard to reach areas in your life. Get some Spring cleaning done. I can tell you from personal experience you’ll be glad you did!

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Beauty Comes Through

For a number of years Dave and I lived in northwest Idaho where we had lots of snow each winter. Much like what a good portion of the country is experiencing now. We received our first snow about November 1 and the last one sometime in April. But I always knew the snow would be gone by Mother’s Day.

It was a big adjustment our first couple of winters. You see, I had come from spending my entire life in Arizona with a three year interlude of living in the San Diego area. I was completey unaccustomed to colder temperatures and had no knowledge of the day-to-day living with snow covered earth.

Just when I felt ready to complain about a frozen world, icy roads, hauling in firewood and cleaning the wood burning stove I would be reminded of the beauty of late Spring that was coming.

Just off my front porch was my flower garden area. Tulips set the border, wild geranium was a protective ground cover, poppies sprung up with random abandon and the hyacinths added an extra pop of brilliant color. But my favorites were the crocus.

They werer the first to appear, generally about the first of April. I never saw their struggle of pushing through the crusty snow, they were just there! In the midst of the white, their vibrant purple was outstanding. Their arrival signaled the end of cold temperatures and the warmth of Spring.

New life was coming.

Millions are experiencing the cold of winter; power outages, icy roads, treacherous conditions but even millions more are living with cold and frozen hearts. It seems that everything in life has gone dormant. To each of you I say, look for the beauty – look for the crocus!

There is life, just under the surface. It’s fighting frozen ground and crusty snow as it pushes upward toward the Son. There is beauty to behold, we just have to look for it! God’s love will bring a radiant warmth to our hearts; they will melt and a joy for life will sprout.

“He heals those who have a broken heart. He heals their sorrows. 4 He knows the number of the stars. He gives names to all of them. 5 Great is our Lord, and great in power. His understanding has no end. 6 The Lord lifts up those who are suffering, and He brings the sinful down to the ground. 7 Sing to the Lord with thanks. Sing praises to our God on the harp. 8 He covers the heavens with clouds. He gives rain for the earth. He makes grass grow on the mountains.” Psalm 147: 3-8 NLV

When I went out yesterday to tend and water my plants there they were. The crocus and the hyacinths were breaking ground. Soon their color and fragrance will be evident to all.

Look around – the Lord gives each of us little signs to remind us that He is still there, even in our wintery times, He has not abandon us.

Look! The beauty comes through.

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