God's Love Language

I've heard that everyone has their own love language, a way that others affirm their love in a way that brings joy. God gifted us with prayer, as a way to talk to him. 

Through prayer we let God know we trust him, believe in him, and love him. 

Give God the gift of love.

Go With Joy

Luke 19:37-40

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Nothing is more peaceful than sitting on a rock by Lake Erie and listening to the natural world.

I hear the waves crash on the shore. Birds splash in and out of the water. Leaves on the trees rustle in the wind. In that moment, I hear the voice of God through his creation. Even the people chattering behind me, as they visit the nearby lighthouse, remind me of God's glory. His incredible creation, so complex yet simple.

When Jesus traveled to Jerusalem on the back of a colt, his followers praised his name. They shouted their love for him and worshiped. The disciples placed a coat on the colt for Jesus to rest on and others laid their coats on the ground. Folks even cut palm leaves and placed them on the dusty road. All because they loved and respected Jesus.

Yet amid the rejoicing, a group of people taunted Jesus. The Pharisees, a religious bunch, ordered him to tell his followers to be quiet. I love Jesus response. He basically said, what good would it do, if the people are quiet, then the very creation my Father made will cry out with joy, even the rocks.

No matter what Satan tries to do to quiet those of us who love Jesus, rejoicing and worship will not stop. The world God designed, every mountain, tree, bird and flower continue to adore the Savior.

Go with joy and praise our incredible Lord!

You will go out in joy    and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills    will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field    will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

Even the Rocks

When the Day Begins

Psalm 143:8-10
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
    for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
    lead me on level ground.

I don't wake up like I did when I was a kid.

I used to bound out of bed in the morning. Now arthritis reminds me, I best not jump at the crack of dawn. Even though my body wakes up with slow twists and turns, my heart leaps with joy. God has allowed me another day. He's gifted me with new experiences. The morning brings me his unfailing love, just as he did for King David.

In Psalm 143, David called on God in the morning to pour out his love. He prayed for help and guidance. He sought protection and direction. Shouldn't we do the same. Our first line of defense or offense requires prayer.

Here's what I learned from David as he sought out God's wisdom.

Ask God to:

• Show me-as I trust in him
• Protect me-as I hide in him
• Teach me-as I do his will
• Lead me-as I follow his Holy Spirit

I love the last part of verse ten. David asks the Lord to lead him to level ground, through the Spirit. On level ground we can plant our feet, with prayer, in the word of God. 

When the day begins, seek God first.

Majestic!

Fiction Book Review: The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck

Book Description:

An invitation to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society gives five New York strangers a chance to rewrite their own stories.

Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed.

Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud.

Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids.

Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage.

Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire.

When all five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to reveal their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers.

Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls. 

My Review:
Everyone has a story. The five New Yorkers invited to The Fifth Avenue Story Society soon find out their stories stand between their tendency to hide from themselves and their need to live a full life. Rachel Hauck has created flawed characters you'll come to love. As in life, the reader gets to know each one, in a slow deliberate fashion. By the end of the book I was rooting for them to figure out what they needed and to accomplish their life desires. I especially enjoyed Coral's journey. She's the most honest, even when she holds back a bit of her story until she can't. Ed is lovable, Chuck's story tugs at the heart. By the end of the book, I was reminded of the beauty and importance of friendship and the joy of encouragement. This is a great read to cozy up with on a long winter day. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Take my Fear

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Remember being afraid of the dark?

The monster under the bed?

Reading out loud in class?

Anxiety, fear's best friend, has plagued me for as long as I can remember. I counted how many paragraph's my classmates had to read before my turn, then practiced the words in my head. All while I wrung my hands in worry. At night, I'd pull my arms and legs in tight, so the monster under the bed couldn't grab a dangling limb. If I was caught outside in the dark, I'd run so hard that I panted like a dog.

Those were the fears of childhood.

Those childish fears morphed into adult anxieties. Fear of failure, uncertainty at work, clutching material possessions too close, worrying about the very things I could do nothing about. Or worse, worry over things that would never happen. And the list grows. The more fear takes over—the more anxiety and worry explode.

Fear can be crippling. Many of the things we dread, never happen. I've learned to examine what I'm afraid of, and most of the time I'm relieved to find there was nothing to be alarmed about in the first place. When I am truly afraid with legitimate concern, I pray. I transfer my fear to the One who loves me. He promises to give me strength and hold me in his hand.

Through faith, I trust Jesus to take my fear and calm my soul. In 1 John 4:18 I read, "There is no fear in love." Jesus is the love that drives out fear.

I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened. -Mark Twain