Are You Ready?

Mark 1:1-3
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

It's baseball season.

I had the joy of attending a Cincinnati Reds baseball game with my granddaughter and her boyfriend. We sat in my husband’s section, where he ushers. Before the game, I was watching the behind-the-scenes action on the field. One of the field crew smoothed the dirt with a drag matt he pulled behind his small tractor. After he finished, a crew brought out a water hose and doused the dirt. I had watched this process before, at other games, but at this game it reminded me of how many people it takes to get things ready ahead of time.

The folks in the concession stand, the ticket takers, security, ushers and more, get the baseball stadium ready for the fans and players.

Isaiah prophesied about the preparation for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist got things ready. He preached of one coming who would reconcile people with God. He prepared the way for Jesus. Without John, the listeners may not have believed Jesus was the Son of God.

Jesus lived on this earth, died for our sins, and rose again in victory over the grave. Now we have one more thing to prepare for. His return. He’ll come on clouds of glory and welcome God’s children home.

How am I preparing for that? Reading the Bible to better understand the life God wants me to lead. Praying for my loved ones and folks in need and talking to God about my own salvation. Attempting to live a life that reflects the love of Jesus on others. Loving God and loving people.

Be ready for Jesus’ return. He’s coming back.

Blooms of Many Colors

Hydrangeas are simply gorgeous.

They bloom in many colors and add beauty to all landscapes.

I visited my brother the other day and noticed this lovely pink one

on the same bush as the pale pink and lavender.

They each blossomed in their own shade of color.

Much like people, we gather together, spend time hanging out,

even come from the same family, yet, we're different from one another.

That's because God created us to be who He meant us to be and to bloom

into ourselves. We each have our own abilities, looks, and passions.

Honor God with the life He's given.

 

Heart Health

Colossians 1:9-12
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 

I eat blueberries every morning. 

I’ve spent a week at my daughter’s house to help her after knee surgery. Hannah and Stephen have three blueberry bushes in their backyard. In all of my 66 years, I’ve never picked fresh blueberries. The night before surgery, we went outside in the South Carolina heat and tugged the pretty blueberries from the bushes and blackberries from an adjacent bush.

I found the colors of the blueberries in their various stages of growth pleasing as well as the soft shade of green of the leaves. One morning while I was there, a friend of Hannah’s brought her two small children to pick some berries. I showed the little boy the difference between the ripe berries and the small green ones just growing, and the red ones, at the in between stage. He and his little sister did well differentiating between them.

As we picked, the verses in Colossians came to mind as I thought about the various stages of development. The little green orbs reminded me to bear fruit, while the red ones encouraged me to grow in the knowledge and word of God, and the sweet blue ones gave me hope of being strengthened by God and filled with joy.

While blueberries offer positive effects like antioxidants and better heart health, the Holy Spirit dwells with me and gives me endurance and patience every day, plus the best spiritual heart health, ever.

I’m thankful God created blueberries, and I’m grateful He sent his Spirit to help me through the everyday challenges of life on earth.

Thank you, Father, for your love.

Entwined

Sometimes when I see flowers, I'm reminded of how life works.

These two double lilies make me think of my dear friends 

who help me navigate life. We share prayer requests, hallelujahs,

joys, and sorrows as we're entwined together by Jesus.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:11 

 

Reconciled

John 14:5-7
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”-Jesus

My dad worked with his hands. As a welder, he could fix anything made of metal. He repaired cars, faucets, bicycles, and about anything we broke. When I was an adult, I still called on him to fix things.

We saw him for the work of his hands, but as I’ve aged and gained some wisdom, I’ve realized how much dad worked with his brain. His hands didn’t just magically fix things; no, he reasoned out what needed to be done. He had the intelligence and thought process of an engineer and even more—he cared. He loved Jesus and adored his family, especially his grandkids. If you knew my dad, you most likely knew his family.

When Jesus talked to the disciples about his future on earth, he reminded them that he needed to go about his Father’s business. Thomas didn’t understand where Jesus was going, and Jesus assured him if he knew God, he also knew him.

The only way to be reconciled with God is through his son, Jesus. They are one with each other and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He connects me to God and fills me with hope every single day. I thank Jesus for his sacrifice and taking on the sins of people like me. He didn’t have to obey his Father, and die on the cross, but he did.

My prayer is for everyone to choose to have their relationship restored with God through Jesus.

Candytuft Surprise

We've been experiencing temperatures in the nineties in southern Ohio.

I'm not a fan, but I know it's part of the cycle of the seasons.

One thing I do love are the flowers blooming this time of year.

These purple candytufts were a delightful discovery.

My granddaughter, Dylan, planted the seeds from a wildflower packet,

and I've had some lovely surprises.

Enjoy the season wherever you are. 

What flowers are you enjoying?

 

Choices in Baseball and Life

John 7:16-18
Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

The rhythm of the game of baseball relaxes me. The runners round the bases in order—first, second, third, and home—and the rules make sense, most of the time.

This summer a grandson is playing the great American game, Tim is ushering at the Reds, and a granddaughter is playing softball. My family has a long friendship with the game. Grandpa Griffith hosted baseball games at his farm in the 1920s and 30s. Mom shared stories of watching the men lift their bats and run the bases.

As I’ve watch baseball and softball, I see the players making a lot of decisions. How far to run to field the ball, when to run and when to stay on base, when to hit and when to wait.

Much like baseball, life is full of choices. Every day I’m faced with decisions. What to do, how to react, what to say, but I have an advantage when it comes to the choices I make. I talk to God and seek his wisdom for what I should do. Like the baseball player looks to the coach, I seek God’s wisdom. You see, I love God, and I want to glorify him and follow his will.

In my decisions, I seek God’s wisdom and when I forget, I struggle. God gives free will, and he wants me to choose. So I choose him. I Praise God for his wisdom and the freedom of being a believer.

Bend God’s ear when you have choices to make.