Same God

Psalm 17:6-9
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who are out to destroy me,    
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

I see the moon and the moon sees me.

The night sky reminds me I see the same moon and stars as my niece in England or my friend in Missouri. That brilliant heavenly body connects me to my family, friends, and folks around the world.

Our youngest daughter and her husband live in South Carolina and it’s a comfort to me we see the same sky. Even though we are not close in proximity, we share a similar view. When our family, who lives close by, sends photos of rainbows or sunsets, and I can see the same ones from where I’m standing, it’s a joy to know we see the same bits of creation. They join us with each other and with God.

On Sunday, the praise band led us in the song Same God by Elevation Worship. The lyrics reminded me of all the people throughout history who called on the same God I call on today. Moses, Jacob, Mary, and so many more lifted their prayers to the Father, the same One I speak to daily. It kind of blows my mind that I’m talking to the same God Noah prayed to, or Esther. The same One who people around the world take their cares to is the same one who listens and has listened for centuries.

I love what David says in Psalm 17. He calls on God, who answers, turns His ear, and hears our prayers. Then he asks many of the same things I seek for myself and my family and friends: keep me close, protect me, hide me in your wings. Praying to the same God as my ancestors fills my heart with comfort and joy.

Keep praying to the same God who remains steadfast and faithful.

Faith Over Fear

When David faced Goliath, 

he focused on how big God is

not the size of Goliath.

Face giants with faith in the One who overcomes

instead of the fear the enemy dangles in our faces.

 

Just Show Up

Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Have you ever gone somewhere and not known why you were there, but you knew you should be there?

Saturday morning, I maneuvered my Jeep into the church parking lot filled with a lot of cars. I had planned, for the first time, to attend the women’s breakfast. In my retirement, I spend most of my time at home, with Tim, or with my family, but a few weeks ago God nudged me to fellowship with the  women in my church, most of whom I didn’t know.

Blessing #1. When I arrived, my usual anxiety about meeting with a large group of people didn’t exist. I felt safe to go in. At a table, I gave them my name and a young lady, holding her young son, handed a name tag sticker and then guided me to a lovely array of breakfast foods. In line, I chatted with Liz, a young woman I knew through my daughters.

Blessing #2. Once I filled my plate and grabbed a coffee, I wound my way through a few tables and a sweet lady invited me to sit with their group. One of the women at the table had been my neighbor for a few years, and I met several kind-hearted women.

Blessing #3. Three women of various ages talked to us about prayer. How to pray, when to pray, and why pray. The one thing that struck me was the humbleness of every one of them. By the time we finished, I understood why God wanted me there.

Blessing #4. A young lady who used to serve on the church’s worship team, and is now in a different church’s ministry, closed the event with a beautiful song of thanks to God.

God had not asked much of me, except to simply show up and be blessed. I’m thankful I listened and obeyed His nudge. To be blessed means to be happy, and I experienced great happiness and even deeper joy fellowshipping with like-minded women.

Has God asked you to go somewhere? Meet with someone? He has a plan, listen to His call.

My Stronghold

 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 
-Psalm 18:2

I can't say it better than the Bible. 

God is my rock and refuge. He's the solid foundation of my life.

Throwing the Rug in the Wash

Ephesians 1:7-10
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,  he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

I’d put off cleaning the bathroom.

Confession—I don’t like to clean. Oh, I love the results, a shiny sink, sparkling toilet, and glistening shower, but I need motivation to make it happen.

After I gave Rosie May a bath, and I got as wet as she did, I scrubbed the shower, shined the mirror and overall cleaned the bathroom. We have a beautiful crocheted rug, in a hue of rainbow colors, a friend made for me. I tossed that one and the shower mat in the washer. After everything sparkled, I laid the rugs on the floor. The difference between the dirty rug I washed and the clean rug I pulled out of the dryer was remarkable. The colors shone and brightened the room.

At times in my life, my heart resembled the dirty rug. Muted colors replaced vibrancy. Like the dirt, sin darkened my joy and sucked the life out of me. Then Jesus took my sin, my filth, the garbage in my life, and washed it all away. He carried sin to the cross and died with it there, but the beautiful thing is, He rose on the third day and with open arms offers a way out of negativity, addiction, sorrow, suffering, mistakes—you get the idea. In Jesus, there is hope. Through Jesus, God wants to lavish His grace on us. His grace cleanses the soul and restores vibrancy with joy and hope.

I’m thankful Jesus loves me more than I understand.

Seek Jesus and ask Him to cleanse your soul.

Ah, Kindness

Everyone struggles with something-- 

and most likely we don't know what their struggle is

any more than they know ours.

Be kind.

God calls us to love one another 

and that includes kindness, compassion, and understanding.

Love one another as Jesus loves us.

 

Cozy Mystery Review: A Killer Unleashed (book #5 Low Country Dog Walked) by Jackie Layton

What it’s about:

When a client’s dog turns up missing and her husband turns up dead, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott will have to rely on dogged determination to track down a killer . . .

When a frantic client calls, worried about her dog, Andi Grace is happy to drop by the woman’s home and check in on her beloved pet. She’s initially concerned when she discovers the dog’s not in the house, but she’s out-and-out shocked to discover that the woman’s husband is—strangled to death in his office chair. On top of that, she soon finds a ransom note demanding a hefty sum for the dog’s safe return. Andi Grace knows better than to meddle in a murder investigation, but there’s no way she’s going to let a dognapper get away with it.

Unsure of whether the killer took the dog or if they were unrelated crimes, Andi Grace finds herself confounded from the start. More puzzling still is that the dog’s owner seems more upset about her missing pooch than her dead husband. Could the whole thing have been a setup? Did the woman murder her own husband and send Andi Grace to the house under false pretenses to discover the body? As sinister as that possibility may be, the trail of clues leads Andi Grace to uncover an even more nefarious scheme, and she knows she’ll have to tie up all the loose ends fast before the whole case goes to the dogs . . .

My thoughts:

Jackie Layton is one of my favorite cozy mystery writers. I’ve enjoyed all of the Low Country Dog Walker series, but I believe A Killer Unleashed is my favorite one yet. Andi Grace and Marc are trying to plan their wedding, but a murder gets in the way. I was guessing right up to the end who dun it. Oh, and there was a dognapping and a possible hurricane. Andi Grace, with Marc’s help, gathers clues and works with the local police to discover the real killer. I love the setting for the books and the secondary characters who join in to solve the mystery. If you love cozy mysteries and dogs, you’ll want to read this whole entertaining series. I purchased a copy of the book. My opinions are my own.