Star-fish

    My husband decided to try his hand at cleaning the filters on the pool pump. He couldn't recall how the technician had told him to do it, so he just started pushing, pulling, and hammering parts of the pump (with a rubber mallet). I suggested using the directions, even looking at a video on how to clean the pump, but he was going to get it done. I then offered alternatives to his processes, soon I went back into the house and he ventured out to the driveway to begin spraying down the filters.      I watched a video online about the best ways to clean the filters and the woman was dressed in white and had her nails done! I went back out to report what I had learned and saw my husband soaking wet with mud splattered all over him, but the filters were coming clean. It reminded me of my morning scripture reading, "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a ro...

   Beginning to feel distressed over the options for United States President in the upcoming election, God reminded me of this scripture, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders…Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end…The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this," from Isaiah 9:6-7. I sighed deeply thanking the LORD that ultimately, regardless of anything man may attempt to do, He is in control of all things, including who rules and reigns on Earth and in Heaven. Amen Lord and thank you for not letting us have our way...in the end.      In the end, You will fulfill the prophesies as You set them in place before the beginning of time. Your purpose and Your words will be brought to fruition regardless of the futile attempts of man or Satan to change history as You have written it. Isaiah 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my (God's) ways higher than your w...

     In an attempt to go through all my magazines, I was reading an AARP magazine article about caregivers. One couple in particular really touched my heart. She was 49 and he was 52 years old. She had her legs amputated after a car crash and experienced ongoing pain. The husband, Peter Rosenberger, noted about their lives, "We live in an intensity that most people don't. You end up learning to thrive on crisis." His final quote was, "Even while you have tears on your cheeks, you can experience deep levels of joy. You're not cut off from life. This is life."      I have kept this article near my morning scripture reading as it puts problems in perspective. When I think of the problems I may be enduring they are nothing compared to what many people deal with each and every day. My new reminder to myself as bumps in the road slow me down is, "This is life," complete with mountains and valleys, smooth roads and rough. God gives us what we need for e...

     The illusion of control in the human life keeps one ever worrying, anxious, and planning for things that inevitably never even come to fruition. So why the incessant mental Rolodexing for the next best option, solution, or avenue to manipulate God to do things the way we "know" they should be done? Frankly, it's our sin nature. Look at Eve, here she was in a paradise like none of us have ever known and she was looking around for the one thing she still didn't have, couldn't have, or hadn't been able to attain. Sound familiar? Of course!      Today, some even call themselves, "seekers," as they are searching for truth. I was a "seeker" before  it was in vogue to do so. I sought out all kinds of trouble for myself in search of more…more fun, more attention, more adulation, then someone introduced me to the One who could bring me wholeness, peace, and calm…Jesus Christ. Once I let go of my "seeking" and just set my life before ...

     I made the comment this morning, "I should walk my dog, but I'm too lazy." The woman I was talking to responded, "So you just take her on little walks?" I said, "No, she walks around the yard on her own." It was a mundane discourse, but struck me squarely between the eyes! I had just read a little plaque at a retail store yesterday that read in part, "What you say or think will not be remembered, but what will be remembered is what you do."      That made me think of my Christian walk. How many good thoughts do I have about being a better, more mature Christian? How many discussions have I had with others about the importance of reading the Bible, praying, and acting of the precepts of the Word? It all comes down to one thing, "Less talking, more walking!" I either walk my dog or I don't. I either read the Bible and pray regularly or I don't. Talking more about it, doesn't get it done. One day when I meet my Lord f...

     As I sat on the patio today observing the birds flying overhead, a thought came to me, "You must flap your wings to fly, gliding only takes you so far." As I pondered that idea, I watched several more birds as they made haste across the sky, apparently in a hurry to reach their destinations. They seemed to fly with purpose and with a mission. What was my problem? Was I simply gliding, hoping to reach a destination or have a mission, but without purpose or direction…without "flapping my wings"? Did I think I could be a blessing to God without testing my "wings," without making adjustments in my flight pattern, and without a flight plan?      I've heard the term, "living on mission" over and over in my church, but today a few little birds helped me better understand what that might really look like, "flapping" lots of "flapping" before I ever reach my God-given destination. Psalm 91:4 (NIV) He will cover you with h...