Wednesday, November 6, 2024
A Matter of Perspective
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Need Rest?
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light.”
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." -Anne Shirley
This week the leaves on the deciduous trees burst with
color. Autumn shone her glorious scarlets, golds, and ambers. God’s paintbrush kissed
the sky with azure blue. What a lovely time.
As I look at the trees and think about their preparation for
winter, I know they will rest. Each oak and maple will shed their leaves, and
their systems will slow as they slumber through the cold months. Sometimes, I
envy the trees. They have a cycle that guarantees time for respite and refreshment.
In the busy world we live in, rest seems like a bad word.
Stopping to admire the trees and renew the spirit is often overlooked. Maybe
because I’m older now, I value slowing down and sitting with Jesus more than
ever.
In Matthew 11, Jesus is speaking to a group of people in
Galilee, and I’m guessing He’s also addressing his disciples. The folks He
preached to experienced weariness. They were in the midst of the friction
between those who believed Jesus was Messiah and those who ridiculed Him. Jesus
invited them to come to Him. When he mentions his humble and gentle heart, it
feels like a warm hug for my weary soul. Jesus’ yoke is easy, and His burden is
light because Jesus shares our needs with God, who hears our prayers.
What a beautiful cycle the trees experience and what an
amazing cycle we have when Jesus takes our burdens and carries them to Father
God. Our load is eased, and we can rest.
Take your cares to Jesus, find rest in Him, and value the
time to slow down.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
A Beautiful Moment
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Place in This World
Philippians 1:3-6
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of
you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the
gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he
who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day
of Christ Jesus.
Teach children they have a purpose.
My friend, Bev, and I pulled into the parking lot at Truist
Arena on the Northern Kentucky University campus. We looked forward to watching
For King and Country perform their songs. As we filed in, and found our seats,
I looked around at all the people. Folks united, not just to hear the music,
but to worship God.
We were not disappointed. Joel and Luke Smallbone and their
band poured all of their energy into leading us in a time of rejoicing. In
between the songs, they told their story. Their family had traveled from
Australia to America, but when they arrived in Nashville, their father’s job
fell through. The children were young. They’d moved to a new country from a
beautiful home, and now they had nothing to speak of. No furniture, no car, no
job. The beautiful thing about their story is that their parents gathered those
youngsters together and asked them to pray. They gave them specific items to
pray for, and the kids witnessed answered prayers. They involved them in the
work they needed to do to make ends meet. They gave them responsibility.
The Smallbone children grew into adults with purpose. Doors
opened for them as they trusted God with their lives. No, we won’t all be in
the limelight, but whatever we do for God is important. Know you have purpose
in whatever you do. Seek God’s guidance and let the Holy Spirit lead.
Share God with children. Teach them God gives purpose to
every person, teach them to pray and trust the Father, then lead by example.
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
The Joy of Discovery
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Book Review: The Blooming of Delphinium
I haven't posted a book review for awhile. I just finished this story and wanted to share.
The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni
Saturday, October 19, 2024
The Heavens Declare
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
The sun’s solar flares project toward the earth, while
the earth’s magnetic field protects and sends the flares into the sky.
The northern lights usually dance in the sky at the poles of the earth, but this year, 2024, the flares trended toward epic and have shown off well into the states.
I’ve dreamed of seeing the Aurora Borealis all my life. Now
at sixty-seven years old, my dream came true. Tim and I tried to see them in
May when they visited Ohio, but they weren’t visible where we were. I also
didn’t know I needed to search for them with my phone’s camera. Then, I heard
they were back on October 10. Sure enough, in our backyard, the ribbons of
color danced across the sky. Just when I thought they had ended, a strip of red
appeared over the condo building next to ours and the show continued.
My daughter, Maggie, commented that my grandkids had
experienced two solar eclipses and the northern lights. Our youngest grandchild
is ten and here I am in my sixties just experiencing these phenomena.
As I stood in wonder of the Aurora Borealis as it shifted
and changed, my mind went to the marvel of what heaven would be like. Since God
has created such beauty on earth, imagine what our eternal home will be like.
We tend to look at the sky for its beauty. Clouds billow,
lightning flashes, stars twinkle, rainbows shine, and the moon waxes and wanes.
The heavens do declare the glory of God as He works with His hands to create
magnificent sights.
In the storms, troubling times, and everyday life look to
the sky and remember who created you and what He has in store in heaven. What a
glorious day it will be to step onto the streets of gold.