Category: Encouragement

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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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Some Things Never Change

Every morning I sit down to read my Bible and pray. Every morning I am encouraged by what I read. There are a few places in my Bible that have been underlined repeatedly. Some of these verses I have read hundreds of times in the last 30+ years. Each morning I read them again and am impacted by the message.

Some things never change.

I hope you all had a good weekend and that you enjoyed time with family and friends. I hope that you rested and were strengthened in your spirit but I know not all of you were. I’m not sure of the reasons, there may be many, but some of you are dreading getting up today. Some of you would just like to go back to bed, pull the covers over your head and let the world pass you by.

If that’s you I have some good news. These words were written thousands of years ago but they still hold true today.

Some things never change.

“So my spirit grows weak within me. My heart within me is afraid.5 I remember the days long ago. I think about all You have done. I think about the work of Your hands. 6 I put out my hands to You. My soul is thirsty for You like a dry land.

7 Hurry to answer me, O Lord! My spirit is becoming weak! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will become like those who go down to the grave. 8 Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You. 9 O Lord, take me away from those who hate me. I run to You to be safe.

10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. 11 Give me new life, O Lord, because of Your name. Bring me out of trouble because You are right and good. 12 In Your loving-kindness cut off those who hate me. Destroy all those who make it hard for my soul, for I am Your servant.” Psalm 143:4-12 NLV

When we pour out our hearts to the Lord he is faithful to answer and bring the help we need. That’s who He is.

Some things never change!

Look up! He has your answer. Don’t be discouraged! He heard your prayer.

“Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 NLV

Whenever we need help, He is there!

Some things never change and that’s a good thing. God’s love never changes, He is always there!

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Hidden Treasure

Since the first of the year I have been sharing little nuggets with you from my recent book, “Like A Diamond”. My goal was to share with you the plan that the Lord has for all of us who follow Him and some of the many blessings we have when we are in Christ.

He wants us to shine brilliantly with His love and power for all the world to see.

“Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So, we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. Our respect for God should make us try to be completely holy in the way we live.” II Corinthians 7:1 ERV

These truths from God’s Word have been a part of my life for almost four decades. I have come to love the Lord in a deeper way than I ever dreamed possible. His Word is my daily bread and my wisest counsel.

I remember the days that I was a diamond in the rough. With loving precision the Lord has made me new, given me a purpose, and exquisitely designed my life. He made me to be radiant for His glory.

Dave and I knew the Lord brought us together and our marriage has been centered on Him. We were like all young couples with a desire to be successful and have nice things. Our tries at success proved disastrous and left us in debt, looking for a way out. We had no idea God wanted to handle our problems and had already provided all the answers we needed.

We were struggling; we loved the Lord but we didn’t know anything about the precious promises of His word for all daily lives. Our upbringing had left us with the impression that life here on earth was a constant struggle until we got to heaven and THEN it would be “worth it all” until one day we heard a pastor teaching on living victoriously in this life.

We began studying the Bible to find help and hope for our every day life.

The Lord has blessed us with joy, strength, peace, wisdom and purpose. We are in good health, filled with peace and the Lord continually provides. The truths I’ve shared are not wishful thinking – we have lived this transforming life. We know we can totally trust the Lord in every circumstance. He has brought us through some really rough times.

I promised the Lord years ago that I would be diligent to share with other Christians who were feeling helpless and defeated the truths of God’s word. I had been ignorant and defeated in spiritual things for so long that I just had to share what the Father has taught me. So that’s what I do each morning through this blog.

Only God’s Word has the power to change lives. Faith is developed by hearing the Word of God. The more we hear it the more we grow. It is my prayer that you will discover the truth of God’s Word and fully realize what God has done for you. God desires to work a miracle in each of us.

“God once said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness!’ And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 CEV

Let’s live here and now for God’s glory!

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But Why?

Every parent has heard the inquisitive “why” coming from the lips of their small children. Why is…the sky blue, the sun hot, grass green, etc! When those questions became greater than my limited knowledge my final answer would be “because that’s the way God planned it”.

In yesterday’s blog we saw that Jesus is our example for staying the course, not giving up in life’s race. He experienced life’s difficulties and hardships so that we can go to Him for help, knowing He has been where we are. We can draw on His strength!

But Why?…

“For a short time Jesus was made lower than the angels, but now we see him wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. Because of God’s grace, Jesus died for everyone.

10 God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—wanted many people to be his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through his suffering… 14 These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have.”

Why?

“Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. 15 Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death… 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” Hebrews 2:9-18 ERV

Jesus finished the work He came to do for us.  

Without His “It is finished” on the cross our way of salvation would not have been complete. Just like an athlete He crossed the finish line of life and rose victorious from the grave. When we cross that line there will be no fear but only hope and rejoicing as we are welcomed into heaven.

We discipline ourselves by being obedient to God’s word which keeps us from being ruled by our bodies or our emotions. Our enemy would like to draw us off course or destroy our training but when we keep our eyes on Jesus and are strengthened by God’s word we succeed. We are victorious, more than conquerors, overcomers in this life.

May I encourage you if you have felt like quitting – don’t!

Why?

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.” Philippians 3:12-14 ERV

Keep going – the reward makes it all worth while!

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Winners!

Yesterday a lot of people watched two teams of athletes compete in a football game. To be honest, I only watched a little bit. I’m not a fan but I do know the rules of the game. I also know the rules to the game of life.

“Athletes in a race must obey all the rules to win. ” II Timothy 2:5 CEV

The Apostle Paul compared an athlete to the Christians he instructed. They were familiar with the Olympic games. They had been schooled in athletic achievements in the same way that they had learned the writings of Homer, Socrates, and Aristotle. These converts were unfamiliar with the writings of Moses, King David, Isaiah and the prophets so the Apostle Paul needed to reach them in a relatable way. Athletics was a good choice.

Like the soldier from yesterday’s blog, an athlete also had to be thoroughly trained and disciplined.

Our family has some runners. Their dedication amazes me. They begin training months in advance of a competition. Their conditioning is progressive. They start with short training runs and gradually increase their distance. This builds muscle and develops stamina.

They are also conscious of what they eat and drink. Plenty of water and foods that the body can use to build muscle and burn fat. Days off are few and far between when they are training. In one word, they are dedicated…

I remember when our oldest daughter was competing in her first Ironman 70.3. We were there to cheer her on. The competition started with a 2.2-mile open water swim, followed by a 55-mile bike ride in the hills of her community and ended with a 13.1-mile run. When she passed us at one checkpoint during the bike portion, we could tell she was struggling. Her Dad called to her “We don’t quit. Keep going. You have got this”. She said those were the words she heard in her head for the next 30 miles as she peddled along. She had mechanical problems and some physical issues that she had to battle through but battle through she did. We were all there as she crossed the finish line. She was exhausted but exhilarated. She had finished the race!

We are also surrounded by a great cheering squad, it’s those who have died and are waiting in heaven. They cheer us on as we run this race called the Christian life.

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we are in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG

Our example is Jesus.

He experienced all the temptations and trials that we do. He did this so He could identify with us and show us that with God’s help we can be victorious like He was. He ran the race He was called to run. He was able to endure life’s hardships because He could see the finish line and the celebration there.

His life is our example and inspiration. The Holy Spirit is our trainer and coach. The heavenly Father is waiting to award us the Crown of Life and we will hear Him say “Well done” when we cross the finish line.

We are winners! Don’t Quit!

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Strong and Healthy

Today I want to share a few more thoughts with you on being a part of the body of Christ…

Although, we are all the body of Christ, we do not all have the same function. Some are fingers, toes, arms, and legs but we are all necessary for the proper functioning of the body. We are all needed to make the body complete. By working in harmony, we bring glory to the One who has placed His name on this body.

“A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.” Romans 12:4-5 CEV

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” I Corinthians 12:27 NLT

If our little finger gets smashed or our arm gets broken the rest of our body works together to protect the part that’s hurting. When disease strikes, the blood cells work overtime to produce what it needs and then fights to remove the infection. In the physical body strife and stress weaken our immunity and make us susceptible to physical illness.

Sad to say, but the same thing happens in the body of Christ. Criticism, gossip, selfishness, greed, and pride are germs that infect the body of Christ and weaken our effectiveness. We need to protect and nurture the parts of this body, not amputate them, so that the message of Christ doesn’t lose its effectiveness.

We are mutually dependent on one another. I need you and you need me. We might not agree on everything but without each other neither of us will operate fully and the whole body will suffer.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT

If we pull away from each other, criticizing and condemning one another, we’ll be tossed around like a cork in the ocean. But when we receive good teaching we will grow to be more like Christ with each passing day. We’ll take on a maturity that brings glory to Him.

Let’s all work together to help the broken and hurting parts “so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Christ wants us all functioning together in love!

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No Two The Same

A couple of days ago we had our winter snow. It happens once, maybe twice, a year. It’s generally only here a day and then its gone. I really look forward to it.

This year I was able to capture some beautiful images of the mesquite trees in our front and back yards, flocked with white. I must admit that I spent a good portion of the day staring out my window at the beauty.

When I uploaded the pictures from my phone to my computer I paused again. I did take a couple of videos when the snowflakes were softly falling. They were so big and fluffy. Junior High Science class taught me that no two snowflakes are the same…

Imagine – no two the same. I had no way of counting the hundreds of thousands of snowflakes that fell that day. My front yard, my back yard, the neighborhood, the canyons and the mesas all were covered and no two were the same.

The State of Arizona was blanketed in white. Even Scottsdale got snow. How many millions or billions of snowflakes fell in Arizona in just that one day? How many trillions of snowflakes fell around the world and how many have fallen since the beginning of time?

No two are the same.

What an amazing God we have!

If He creates each snowflake with its own unique characteristics then how much time does He devote to developing our individual uniqueness? He knows how many hairs we have on our head – He has given us disintictive fingerprints and our DNA is one-of-a-kind.

No two of us are the same! God’s love and power in creating our individuality is almost unfathomable.

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

God’s purpose for the snow is to nourish the earth and He says the purpose of His word is similar. His word nourishes our lives and causes us to grow and succeed.

“‘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.'” Jeremiah 29:11 ERV

Just as the ground welcomes the moisture from the snow, we should keep our hearts open and ready to receive the good plans that God desires to bring into our lives.

No two of us are the same and that’s by God’s design. Each of us have unique, God-given talents and abilities. We each have a divine purpose. Like the snowflake, we are truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of God.

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14 NLT

Next time you see the snow fall I hope it reminds you of how wonderful you are to our heavenly Father. There’s no one else like you.

No two are the same!

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More Than a Building

When you hear the word “church” what do you think of? Is it a building, an event or something more personal?

In this day and age, it has generally been accepted that “the church” isn’t just a building on the corner but is instead those who believe Jesus to be the Son of God, their personal Savior and soon coming King.

However, in years past, it had been the common conviction that a certain building was a holy place and it was there and there alone, that God could be worshipped…

Have you ever heard someone say, “Don’t do that in church or you shouldn’t act like that, you’re in church”? That person is holding a building in reverence. The true church is not made of brick and mortar but of living stones – people set apart and dedicated unto the Lord.

Dave and I had the privilege to hold Cowboy Church meetings at High School, College and Junior Rodeos for several years here in Arizona…Our gatherings were in arena grandstands, pastures, and open clearings next to a set of corrals. This is where the church came together for fellowship and worship.

We were at a Junior Rodeo in Florence, Arizona when I had a mother of one of the competitors tell me that their Youth Pastor had told the kids that if they truly loved the Lord they would have to give up rodeo because it stopped them from coming to church.  You can imagine my shock!

These kids attended every service; they brought their Bibles and listened attentively while the teaching was being given. Then they would leave and go compete in their events. They honored God at every rodeo.  I had one girl come to me crying when one of the services was over. Her horse had pulled up lame and she was beside herself with worry.

I asked if we could go look at her horse together. She took me to where it was. Sure enough, he couldn’t put any weight on his back left leg. There was no way she was going to be able to compete, or at least that is how it appeared.

I asked her a couple of questions – do you love the Lord? Do you know that God loves you? Do you think God is a good God?  She answered yes to all of them. Then I told her we were going to pray and ask the Lord to heal her horse and that I believed He would.

“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever—forsake not the works of Your own hands.” Psalm 138:8 AMPC

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 KJV

I explained these verses to her. Since she was concerned about her horse Psalms stated that God would make perfect the things that concern her. Then in Jeremiah, we are told to call on the Lord and He will show us great and mighty things. So, we were going to pray and tell the Lord what concerned her, ask Him to heal her horse and ask the Lord to show us great things.

We did and He did!

Now that my friend is having church. This young woman left the rodeo that weekend knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God met her there. She knew He loved her and was involved with what concerned her. Her horse was healed, and she was able to compete, and she gave God all the glory!

We, followers of Christ, are the church and whenever we get together, He is present with us.

A lot has been said about limited gatherings during COVID but a virus can’t stop church. We can experience God’s presence camping, on the phone, through an email, streaming through the airways or with two or three friends.

The Church triumphant is alive, we are alive, and well!

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