Don't Stop Praying

Acts 1:13-14
When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Prayer is not a last resort—it is our most powerful weapon.

A newspaper clipping was making the rounds on Facebook that asked everyone to stop what they were doing and pray for our country for one minute. If we as believers, in the power of prayer to our heavenly Father, asked for deliverance, wisdom, and truth—imagine the outcome.

At times, I've flung up a prayer in desperation, not realizing the powerful tool I had at my fingertips. Think about it, as a fumbling human, I have the opportunity to speak directly to the Creator of the universe. I can call on Him any time, and He hears me. That's incredible!

Not only does He hear me, He cares about whatever I'm asking.

In Acts chapter one, the apostles and followers of Jesus found themselves at a loss. Their beloved teacher and friend had died. Yes, he rose from the grave, but his closest cohorts found themselves without their friend and leader. They needed to move forward and establish the church but were perplexed about the situation.

They didn't sit around and grumble—they prayed—and not just a few words aimed toward God, they talked to Him constantly. The folks who knew and loved Jesus talked to God all the time, to seek guidance and direction for their lives and for the church.

These days I find I have much to pray about—folks who are ill, our military, Christians who are suffering at the hands of evil, the unrest in our country, my family and friends, my writing, and so much more.

God calls me to pray. To seek Him, to talk to Him about the concerns of my heart. I won't get a better offer.

Pray constantly to the One who listens.

Matthew West sings the song of my heart, right now. Please, take a listen.

The Flowers of Summer

Every year, I'm amazed at the flowers that sprout and bloom from seed.

My granddaughter, Dylan, sprinkled the seeds of these lovely flowers,

and they've brought me great joy, both because 

they are my favorite color and because Dylan planted them. 

I hope the flowers of summer are filling you with wonder and hope.

 

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.