Category: Relationship

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It’s Ok to Say “Help”

Yesterday was the busiest day for receiving campers, the first day of a holiday weekend!

We thought we were prepared for the influx but it exceeded our imagination. Over 80 camping families arrived in the afternoon. All needed to be greeted, checked in and reminded of a few rules of the campground.

13+ campers an hour for six hours. Works out to one every 4 minutes. Whoa!

Dave and I couldn’t have done it on our own. We are so thankful for the team that we are a part of. The other host couples jumped in to help with the work. Some cleaned bathrooms while others collected license plate numbers and helped keep the line of campers and trailers flowing smoothly.

Praise God! What a blessing.

“I call to God, I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence— a private audience!” Psalm 18:6 MSG

I was blessed with a good night’s sleep but my body was weary when I woke. Have you ever been there? I prayed and said “Father, help me. Help me to be ready for this day. Strengthen me so that I will be a testimony of your love”.

“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

The Father blesses us with strength for our minds, our emotions and our bodies. He has never intended for us to go through this life without His strength. He gives it freely. He wants us to depend on Him.

Jesus said “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened down. I will give you rest.”

Remember, it’s ok to ask for help. When we ask, He provides!

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Wrapped in Warmth

When I was praying this morning, I wrote these words: “Let me wear Your compassion like a cape and willingly wrap all who need the warmth of Your love”.

It’s a chilly morning, lots of moisture in the air from yesterday’s rain and although I’m wrapped in my fleece blanket, I was thinking about my warm cape that I usually wear in winter. There’s more than enough yardage to wrap around myself and my grandchildren. It’s perfect for snuggling.

That cape serves to keep me warm and it is an example of how the Father wraps us in the warmth of His compassion.

“The Lord is kind and merciful, patient and full of love. 9 The Lord is good to everyone.
 He shows his mercy to everything he made. 10 Lord, all you have made will give thanks to you. Your loyal followers will praise you. 11 They will tell how great your kingdom is. They will tell how great you are…The Lord can be trusted in all that he says.  He is loyal in all that he does. 14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen.  He helps those who are in trouble. 15 All living things look to you for their food, and you give them their food at the right time. 16 You open your hands and give every living thing all that it needs. 17 Everything the Lord does is good. Everything he does shows how loyal he is. 18 The Lord is near to everyone who sincerely calls to him for help. 19 He listens to his followers and does what they want. He answers their prayers and saves them. 20 The Lord protects everyone who loves him, but he destroys all who do evil. 21 I will praise the Lord! Let everyone praise his holy name forever and ever!” Psalm 145:8-21 ERV

These verses are some of my “every day” read. “The Lord is kind and merciful, patient and full of love.”

Daily He reaches out to us. Daily He wraps us in His love. Daily He listens to our prayers. Daily He protects us. Daily I will praise Him!

Maybe you are feeling a bit of a chill this morning, maybe you are feeling cold and indifferent. The Lord can be trusted, He lifts us the fallen and everything He does is good.

Take a few minutes to tell Him your heart and let Him wrap you in the warmth of His love.

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Wonderfully Made

“Lord, you have tested me,
    so you know all about me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up.
    You know my thoughts from far away.
3 You know where I go and where I lie down.
    You know everything I do.
4 Lord, you know what I want to say,
    even before the words leave my mouth.
5 You are all around me—in front of me and behind me.
    I feel your hand on my shoulder.
6 I am amazed at what you know;
    it is too much for me to understand.
7 Your Spirit is everywhere I go.
    I cannot escape your presence.
8 If I go up to heaven, you will be there.
    If I go down to the place of death, you will be there.
9 If I go east where the sun rises
    or go to live in the west beyond the sea,
10 even there you will take my hand and lead me.
    Your strong right hand will protect me.

11 Suppose I wanted to hide from you and said,
    “Surely the darkness will hide me.
    The day will change to night and cover me.”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to you.
    The night is as bright as the day.
    Darkness and light are the same.
13 You formed the way I think and feel.
    You put me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way.
    I know how amazing that was!

15 You could see my bones grow as my body took shape,
    hidden in my mother’s womb.
16 You could see my body grow each passing day.
    You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing.
17 Your thoughts are beyond my understanding.
    They cannot be measured!
18 If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand.
    But when I finished, I would have just begun.” Psalm 139:1-18 ERV

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Enjoying Life

The dawn is breaking and this is the start of a wonderful day!

“The Lord made this happen, and we think it is wonderful! 24 This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be happy today!” Psalm 118:23-24 ERV

Yesterday we were told that this morning at 6 am the fire restrictions in the forest will be lifted and campers can enjoy real campfires. In my imagination I can hear the giggles of children knowing they will be able to enjoy s’mores but more than that I sense the relief of all who enjoy this place knowing that we have had sufficient rain to stop the threat of forest fires.

One year ago today we were evacuated because the fire danger was high and any uncontained sparks could have caused the loss of our forest. This morning, life on the mountain has been refreshed.

What was life like for you a year ago or just six months ago? Were you in a scary place? Things seemed uncertain at best?

“But the Lord is faithful. He will give you strength and protect you from the Evil One.” II Thessalonians 3:3 ERV

But here you are today – the Lord has brought you through that. He has sustained you, protected you and given you strength.

Or maybe today isn’t your best day. You don’t see much in life to enjoy. If that’s where you are, look up.

“I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? 2 My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let you fall. Your Protector will not fall asleep.” Psalm 121:1-3 ERV

Our help comes from the Lord, the creator of the hills!

God wants His goodness to be displayed in our lives and He’s given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to do that very thing.

“Give this command to those who are rich with the things of this world. Tell them not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted, but God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy.” I Timothy 6:17 ERV

Take time to enjoy life. Surely His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

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Dry Ground

Years ago, when Dave and I were farming alfalfa, the Lord taught me a life lesson about the Word of God being like a seed planted in good ground.

The Lord showed me that His word will bring that same kind of continual harvest in the life of the believers. It was a real encouragement for me to keep the Word of God planted in my heart and to see harvest after harvest from the goodness of His word.

There have been times over the past 40+ years that I have gone through a dry place and have almost felt withered and dead spiritually. During those times I didn’t see much of a harvest – just brittle, dry stubble with no signs of life. I like the growth times much better and yes, I am the one responsible to keep the Word planted in my heart.

However, in the dry and brittle times, I have learned that the life is still there. It’s in the root.

Sometimes the dry branches have to be pruned back for the health of the plant, but I learned not to prune until water has been applied to the root. Living in the desert as long as we have, we see dead looking plants but as soon as the rain comes, they show signs of life.

Life lesson.

“Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. 3 You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. 4 Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me.” John 15:1-4 ERV

Jesus is the Word and when we abide, stay connected to Him, our lives bear fruit.

I’m glad that I’m not responsible for pruning my life or the life of other believers but it’s the Father, the master gardener, who is responsible to prune our lives. He knows when something is dead and He knows exactly where to cut without causing damage. He also knows when all we need is water, the water of His word, and we will flourish once again.

“I will pour water for thirsty people, and streams will flow through the desert. I will pour my Spirit on your children, and I will bless your family. 4 They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water.” Isaiah 44:3 ERV

Are you in a dry place? Let God’s Word water your roots and you’ll begin to flourish once again.

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A Strong Heart

This morning my Bible reading took me to two different stories in the Old Testament. The main character of the first story was David and the second story had a female heroine named Esther.

Both of these people displayed strength of character, they had strong hearts.

David was just a young man when he went to visit his brothers on the battlefield. The entire army of Israel stood paralyzed by fear because of one man, Goliath. Enter David. He had a confidence in the Lord, his God. He knew God could and can do anything, so instead of letting fear control him, he moved forward with a heart full of faith and defeated the enemy.

“ David said to the Philistine, “You come to me using sword, spear, and javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the armies of Israel. You have said bad things about him. 46 Today the Lord will let me defeat you. I will kill you. I will cut off your head and feed your body to the birds and wild animals. And we will do the same thing to all the other Philistines too. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel. 47 All the people gathered here will know that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and he will help us defeat all of you.” I Samuel 17:45-47 ERV

Esther was a young Jewish girl who had been taken captive to Persia, along with many of her countrymen. Through a series of God-directed events, she became the queen. An evil man, Haman, had persuaded the king to write an edict condemning all the Jews to death. Esther asked all the Jews to pray for her so that she would have favor when approaching the king to have the edict overturned.

“ Then Esther sent this answer to Mordecai: “Mordecai, go and get all the Jews in Susa together, and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days and nights. I and my women servants will fast too. After we fast, I will go to the king. I know it is against the law to go to the king if he didn’t call me, but I will do it anyway. If I die, I die.” Esther 4:15-16 ERV

Esther was granted an audience with the king and she explained the plot that had been conspired against her people. Haman was hanged and the plot against the Jews was reversed. It happened because a young woman had a bold heart and a desire to honor God.

Both David and Esther could have been totally consumed by fear and their stories would have had an entirely different ending. BUT…they didn’t. They trusted in the Lord, their God.

“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:13-14 KJV

Keep me from the presumptuous sin of fear – don’t let it control me! What a challenging prayer. Let my heart meditate on You, Lord. You are my strength and the One who saves me.

These were the thoughts of both David and Esther.

Lord, may these be our thoughts today. May we overcome fear by meditating on You. Strengthen our hearts this day!

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A Lesson from Pooh

I hope this morning’s image makes you smile. It does me.

The Lord brings so many different characters into our lives; each one of them are beloved by Him. I sometimes forget that. Years ago, I gained insight on giving “others” more value while reading some of the stories of Winnie the Pooh. Each day I meet new characters and the Lord reminds me that although they are different from my norm, they are valuable.

I developed a philosophy that every person could be identified as one of the characters in that story, Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga & Roo. All very different personalities yet they all work together to bring love & understanding to their world and to accomplish their tasks.

While reading I Corinthians 12 I am reminded of these characters and how they interact when I read these words that Paul wrote.

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. 5 There are different ways to serve the same Lord, 6 and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. 7 The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.” I Corinthians 12:4-7 CEV

God the Father has written our story with purpose and design, Jesus came to show love to all of us and the Holy Spirit is here to lead us each day.

While some of us act like owl with the gift of administration, others show hospitality like Tigger. Pooh is always encouraging, and Rabbit makes sure everyone has a task to do. Piglet and Roo are there to remind us that we should always reassure those who are younger and inexperienced while Kanga provides the nurturing and love that we all need. Eeyore reminds us that everyone has fears and self-doubts that we need our friends to help us through the tough times.

Instead of looking at those around us and either being jealous of their gifts or critical of them it’s important for us to remember that it is God who gives the gifts, and they are not for our benefit but the benefit of others.

Who do you see around you? Some are here to help us grow and others need our help.

Let the Spirit lead!

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The Father’s Love

My heavenly Father is beyond description! His works are marvelous and His love is never ending!!

When I was younger, I loved to sing and spent countless hours practicing and memorizing song lyrics. My heart and my head were filled with this melody by John W. Peterson.

My Father is omnipotent
And that you can’t deny
A God of might and miracles
‘Tis written in the sky.

It took a miracle
To put the stars in place
It took a miracle
To hang the moon in space
But when He saved my soul
Cleansed and made me whole
It took a miracle
Of love and grace!

I see my Father’s presence all around me. It’s in the song of the birds, in the beauty of a sunset or a sunrise; it’s in the refreshing of the rain and the colors of the blooms. His love is wrapped in every smile and hug and His mercy is shown through every act of forgiveness.

I marvel that He cut the canyons and prepared the landscapes for my enjoyment. He knew I would love the panoramic vistas He set before me. He gave me the desert, the mountains and the oceans for my playground.

How I love that He chose me, He adopted me and gave me the priviledge to call him Papa Father.

“14 The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-17 ERV

Thank you Papa for your amazing love. Thank you for adopting me. Thank you. Happy Father’s Day.

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A Few Good Men

A few good men – no, we’re not talking about the Marines.

Instead, I’m talking about godly men, husbands and fathers. Those who truly are willing to lay their lives down for their family and friends; those who sacrifice to provide for us and set an example for us to live by.

My husband and my father are and were both that type of man. My father was strict and believed in discipline, but he believed in laughter, fun and bear hugs. He loved me dearly and when my husband asked for permission to marry me, he said, “If you take her, you don’t bring her back.” He believed in working through problems and not giving up. His relationship with my Mom was living proof of that. My husband said my dad was the “manliest man he ever met”.

“Just as parents are kind to their children, the Lord is kind to all who worship him…17 The Lord is always kind to those who worship him, and he keeps his promises
to their descendants 18 who faithfully obey him.” Psalm 103:13,17 & 18 CEV

My husband is an example to me of God’s unconditional love. He has seen me at my worst, and he has never changed in his love for me. In fact, if you ask him – he can’t remember me at my worst. He has chosen to forget. He too is strict and believes in discipline but his children, sons & daughters, know that he is ready to support them at the drop of a hat. He tells them how very much he loves them and how proud he is of each of them. He’s honest and speaks his mind.

I see many examples of my heavenly Father’s love in each of these men and I am blessed that they are a vital part in my life. I love them both more than words can say.

“Parents, don’t be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 CEV

Dad has been in heaven for over seventeen years, but his love and his lessons are still a big part of my life. Dave and I will celebrate fifty years of marriage next April, I can’t imagine a better life’s partner.

I pray that you are blessed with this type of man today – give him the honor he is due.

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It’s Broken

Father’s Day will be here soon. This morning I was reminiscing about stories I have heard of father’s coming to the rescue.

I heard a story once about a little boy who had a broken wagon. He came to his father with tears streaming down his cheeks asking his father to fix the wagon. It was the child’s favorite toy. Each time the father would reach for the toy, the child would tighten his grip and tell his father of another fond memory or special time he had in his wagon.

Finally, the father in loving firmness said to his son, “If you want me to fix it, you have to let go. You can trust me. I love you and I’ll fix your wagon.”

How many times have we come to the Father with our “wagon” that needs fixing? Asking for help but not wanting to let go!

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

8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.” I Peter 5:7-9 AMP

We are to cast our cares on the Father. Than means our worries, our fears and our problems. If we don’t, our enemy will seize upon our fears and defeat us. But if we do, we will be able to stand strong in faith (believing God to fix it) and be victorious.

“The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13 NLT

Bring your wagon to the Father today and let Him fix it.

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