Star-fish

     "God knows us. He wants us to know Him," said Dr. Charles Stanley. "If I'm not interested in knowing Him, then I should ask why I'm not excited about knowing Him...We may go all day and not even give God a second thought...In your day, the minutes and hours, where is God in your vocabulary...with your friends do you talk about God...Where is He in your life? Is He a priority? Is He your number one pursuit? Whatever is your number one pursuit above God in your life, you are going to lose it....We're talking about have a relationship with God."       Am I casually seeking God? Or am I seeking Him with all my heart? Am I fitting God in when its convenient to me? Do I value my own way more than adopting God's ways? Am I more concerned about being respected and heard, more than I am concerned about giving God's grace and mercy to others? I'm not doing well lately in this area. I keep struggling with making a stand about something that seems ...

            In the article, “Flying Solo,” by Susan Federici, the author reminisced about the first time she flew a plane all by herself or solo. Federici mentioned that she had a disability that made learning difficult. Some people told her she wasn’t “smart enough” to learn to fly.             Susan began taking flying lessons at the age of 14. She had to wait two years before she could fly solo due to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. For two years, Federici practiced her takeoffs and landings. Her favorite part of flying was the takeoffs. She “loved to push the throttle in and feel the power of the engine as the plane moved faster and faster down the runway…”             At age 16, she went with her father, who was also her flight instructor, to the airport. The morning was cold, but clear. Her father had warned ...

     As I stood in the kitchen with my husband this morning, tears began to well up in my eyes. I can't cry , I thought, it will ruin my make up. I just need to get a grip! I went into the bathroom to blot my eyes and regroup. I spied a book a friend had given me, by Billy Graham called,  Hope for Each Day . I opened it to today's date and read the following: August 22-The Reality of Heaven God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17      In the midst of his suffering, Job said, "man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7, NIV). It is true. I have never met a person who did not have troubles of some kind. Fear and sickness rob us of happiness; broken relationships and shattered dreams destroy our peace.      But one of God's greatest promises is that all of these will be forgotten in Heaven, where "there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the forme...

     My morning was not going well, and as my husband joined me on the patio, he asked how he could help. From years of coaching, he has a way of putting things in perspective. As we talked through the things that were bothering me, he said, "What do you need to get done first?" I told him and he said, "Then take the first step and get it done. Then shut that window on your computer (my mind) and go to the next thing that needs to get done."      I have a tendency to look at it all and get overwhelmed and lose my joy. God is faithful to remind me that I am only one human. He's my strength and I need to spend more time leaning on Him rather than on my own abilities that truly cannot get the job done. Thank you Lord for sending my husband to share a message of hope this morning. Amen. Lamentations 3:25-27  The   Lord   is good to those whose hope is in him,      to the one who seeks him;   it is good to wait quietly ...

     Unlike many days, I woke up and could not get going. I was tired and cranky. I prayed for the Lord to take over my day as I just didn't have it in me to make this day happen. I admitted to others that I was in the "survival" mode. Just getting by.      By the end of the day, the Lord had proved Himself faithful once again. He got me through the day, even though I was sore and limping, He got me to the finish line. It reminded me of the "Footprints in the Sand," poem when the author notes, "When you only saw one set of footprints, it was because I was carrying you." Thank you Lord for carrying me today. Amen. 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.

      I love our home. We are blessed with a comfortable place to live with a swimming pool I can't get enough of this time of year. But with all the comforts of our home, this is not my home. This is the blessing God has given me to live in, in this moment in time. His gift for our earthly lives.      One day I will be home. Heaven. I look forward to that day when God calls me home. To another place created by God, but this one is unblemished by the sins of this world. It is a place that only those that have been cleansed by the blood of the cross can enter, as it it only for those that know and accept the suffering of God's Son.      Heaven is where God resides and as such it is pure goodness. Evil and sin have no place with purity. Thus we could not enter in on our own works, deeds, or desires as we bring the stench of the world with us. We must confess that we know we are sinners, but we also know, acknowledge, and are grateful to the o...

      Our pastor talked today about about how we often say we trust God, but do things in our own strength. And since our strength is limited, we exhaust ourselves with the trying and striving involved in daily life. He reminded us to put our faith in His Strength rather than our own.      I need to take this advice, as I attempt to plan classroom lessons for the first time in many years. I think about the task at hand and immediately get overwhelmed. The Lord knows what these students need and what I'm required to turn in, so I'm giving this over to Him right now. I'm letting go and trusting Him to guide and direct my ways.      Thank you Lord that nothing is too small for you to get involved with for the sake of your kids. Amen. Philippians 4:13   I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

     I have to make myself stay focused, especially when there are many things to accomplish. Today, as I sat at my desk and looked over the piles of papers, I had no idea where to begin. I had prayed before arriving at my school that the Lord would help me get my classroom organized.      As I began to jump from one project to another, I felt a gentle reminder in my spirit to finish one thing, before moving on to the next. Less than four hours later, the same room that was a mess with many unfinished projects was now much more organized and at least presentable for the students on Monday. Plus, I felt much more at peace.      Thank you Lord, that you are the God of order, not chaos. Amen. 1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not a God of disorder  but of peace —as in all the congregations  of the Lord’s people.

     On my way to work yesterday a muscular man in boxing shorts was standing on the sidewalk boxing the air. It was a strange sight to see along a busy city street. But the more I pondered it, the more it made me think of the battles I "fight" each day.      Am I fighting the "wind" as well? Am I boxing with no one and fighting for nothing? My job is to serve Christ. As I focused on Christ today, I realized there are many battles that I voluntarily engage in that are none of my business. My energy would be better spent on my mission for Christ. Ecclesiastes 4:4  And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

     One of the words in a story I read to my students yesterday was "murmur." The murmuring referred to in the book was the whispering of an astonished crowd. In the Bible, murmuring is often referred to as muttering complaints especially towards God's chosen leaders or God Himself.      Unfortunately, after I got home today I was full of murmuring and complaining. Forgive me Lord. It just felt so good to be bad, but then later I felt the guilt of condemnation. I have been blessed with so much and given even more by the Lord, yet my murmuring indicates a heart of discord and unrest.      If my hope is in the Lord, then I must rest in His gentle prodding to take the next step, push myself a bit harder, and try to live outside my limits rather than within them. I will feel growing pains, but my time to do the work is now. My time to live free of pain and discomfort will be throughout eternity after my work here on Earth is done. Philippian...

      The saying, "One bad apple spoils the whole batch," speaks to the issue of negative people influencing others to be the same way. Our culture for some reason has decided that being snarky, rude, and negative is somehow funny or smart. We similarly make fun of those who are positive as being prudish, Pollyanna, or simpletons.      The faces of those who have decided to swim in the cesspool of dark thinking and sarcasm are clearly downtrodden, yet they can't seem to see the mire in which they are sinking. Jesus Christ is the light, there is no darkness in Him. If Christians go down to the depths of the world, then there is no bar for anyone to reach up and meet. Let's step away from the cynical satire and ugly attitudes and choose a brighter, lighter, and more eternal direction for our lives.      There's power in negativity, but it is charged with energy from the world, not the Son. I Corinthians 15:33  Do not be misled:  “...

     I quit my desk job on Tuesday and went back into teaching...middle school students. It's not my nature to ease into anything. I must "jump from the frying pan into the fire," and unlike  Shadrach ,  Meshach , and  Abednego  (men recorded in the  book of Daniel  Chapters 1–3)  I have the smell of smoke on me.       But I believe God has me in this "fire" for a reason. What is the reason? To teach me perseverance. I may be wrong, obviously I do not know the mind of God, but I know my mind and I struggle with perseverance. Even as I tried to tell a friend this in a email, I realized I couldn't even spell it! So I looked it up and this is the definition attached to perseverance: steady, persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. (Dictionary.com)  I thought this definition was  poignant since I can recall asking God over an...