An Anchor for my soul....

As we approach the end of summer and the beginning of the seasons changing once again, I find myself reflecting on what holds my life together.  What anchors me?  What allows me to be held or kept in a place of peace and/or contentment?  What holds me to a specific harbor, if you will?

An anchor is a metal device that is attached to a vessel and cast overboard to keep the vessel in place.  To be anchored is to be held or to hold onto.  If we are talking about a ship, it is many times anchored in a harbor or moored in a specific location.

What location are you in at this moment?  Are you in a place of peace?  Contentment?  Calmness?  Tranquility?  Do you feel composed?  Do you have serenity in your soul?  What causes that in a person's life?  As you can imagine, there are many, many answers to those questions and I hope you will investigate and find your own answer....

For me, the answer if found in one of my favorite Scripture verses in Hebrews 6.  This verse confirms where my soul anchors itself to and what gives me supreme peace amongst a world torn with suffering.

Hebrews 6: 16-20 says:

"Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.  Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.  God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure.  it enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.  He has become a High Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

Does that verse speak to you in your soul?  Do you have hope?  Do you have a firm and secure place to anchor your soul?  Think about your answer and reflect on what harbor you may be in at this moment.

I believe there is an anchor for each soul.......and, I know there is someone that holds me safe from winds of adversity, sickness, fear, doubt and the troubles of this world.  There is Someone who holds me close.  Someone who never leaves me nor forsakes me.  And, that Someone is Jesus Christ.

I pray each of you will find this peace and comfort.  I pray you will find this anchor for your soul.   It is an incredible "knowing" that I am home where my "True North" is and my soul belongs.

Melodies, art and miracles....

 I was reading one of my devotions today from The Upper Room Ministries and wanted to share these wonderful revelations....

As I walk each evening after work, I purposely do not have portable music running through my ears....I listen to the birds chirping, the rustling of the leaves of the trees I walk past, and enjoy the calm of the waters gurgling in the stream beside the trail.  It is truly God's symphony!!  Think of that!  God creates melodies in nature all around us!!! His artwork is incredibly beautiful, serene and gorgeous!  His miracles surround us every day, yet do we see them?  Do we look for them?  To we watch for them?  There are a million peaceful sounds that we can hear just by going outside and listening!!!

Today, go for a long walk....or, tonight,go outside and look up at the stars, clouds or whatever is shining down from above.....listen for the sounds of the locusts, the crickets, the frogs in the distance...and listen for your neighbor's wind chimes....don't let the distractions of our everyday life rob you of the beauty of nature and God's Glory!

Then, listen for the voice of God speaking to your heart.  What do you hear?  A melody of joy from Him? Do you see the artwork He created in you?  Have you witnessed the miracle of life?  God has provided an entire natural symphony in His creation.  Just for you....just for me!!!

Go.....experience it!  

Still your mind and your heart and listen.....for He says in Psalm 46:10:

"Be still and KNOW that I am God." 

Peace....

Peace....it's a hard thing to find these days, right?  How do we concentrate on having peace, maintaining peace, creating peace in our heads, our hearts and our lives when everything seems to be crashing down around us???

One of the ways I find peace is by listening to music.....and Bethel's new song called PEACE.  The words are amazing..........peaceful...........heartwarming......serene.....calming.

Check it out on YouTube or Apple Music at:
https://apple.music.com/us/album/peace/1507049753?i1507049765

Here are the words:

When my mind is like a battlefield and my heart is overcome by fear,
And, hope seems like a ship that's lost at sea.
My enemies on every side, I'm tempted to run and hide
Your gentle whisper reaches out to me.

Peace....holds me when I'm broken
Sweet Peace....it passes understanding....
Peace.....when the whole wide world is crashing down,
I fall to my knees
and breathe in Your peace....

Far ends whistling, the terror of the night sets in, but I can feel Your angels all around
I am resting underneath the shelter of Your mighty wings.
You promises are where my hope is found.
All my hope....

Peace....holds me when I'm broken
Sweet peace...it passes understanding...
Peace.....when the whole wide world is crashing down,
I fall to my knees
and breathe in Your peace....

I remember who You are,
You're God who's never far
So I will not be afraid...
'Cause You always keep me safe
In Your arms...

I remember who You are,
You're the God who's never far
So I will not be afraid
'Cause You always, You always keep me safe.

You give me peace....that holds me when I'm broken.....
Sweet Peace....it passes understanding....
Peace.....when the whole wide world is crashing down,
I fall to my knees
and breathe in
Your peace....

I breathe You in.........
take a deep breath and
Be still and KNOW that You are God.

Ahhhhh.....breathe in the Love of the One who loves you more than you imagine.

A friend....

Friends....most of us have a least a couple of really close friends and some us are lucky enough to have quite a few friends who enrich our lives and bring us JOY, right?  I am blessed to have what they call a "plethera" of really close friends....and I am truly grateful for each one!!!

How would you describe what a friend is?  Is it someone who you know, like and trust?  Is it someone who is a favored companion?  A comrade?  How about a "crony," "pal," or "chum?"
If it is all of these then you are truly blessed!

What about friends from grade school or high school that you still stay in touch with?  Are you lucky enough to still be in touch with some of these "old" friends?  If so, again, you are blessed!!!

And, do you have any friends who are older or younger than you by a generation that you cherish?  I do and the wisdom and knowledge I learn from these other generations are wonderful!!!

What about one who supports and sympathizes with you?  Or, knows you so well that you can tell them anything???  Or, a friend who feels comfortable challenging you on an idea, a behavior or habit?  These kinds of friends can be enlightening to us and show us a new perspective that perhaps we had not thought about or ever experienced before in our lives.  They are invaluable to say the least!!!

Can all of these wonderful traits be rolled up into one person?  You bet they can!
And, today I would like to honor one friend in particular who has become my "roomie" or roommate for this past year.

Charlene is sweet, funny, caring, loving, supportive, dedicated and loyal.  She is amazing!!!
We share our lives one day at a time.  We are both single moms, so we have a lot in common!
We share making a meal at the end of a long day together, take turns going to the grocery, and we help each other unwind!  We share a Margarita and/or a glass of wine when things have been stressful or just for fun!!!  And, we walk each night together to "DeStress with Joy !!!

She supports me and helps me think things through that are a challenge and invites me to consider a different view at times.  And, she loves me even when I am unlovable or grumpy!!!  She has helped me learn to stop beating myself up, too - Thank you, Charlene!!!

One real bonus she brings is that she collects flamingos, so we have a LOT of those around the house and it truly brightens up her room as she brightens up the entire atmosphere whenever she is home!!!

We pray together, we cry together, we watch some Netflix shows together, and we laugh!  Some our our favorites are:  The Great British Baking Show, Virgin River, and The Big Flower Fight.  It has been so fun to watch these shows together!!!

She brings me joy just being around each day....Ahhhh....it is so wonderful to have such a friend as Charlene!!!

She is a bit like Mary Poppins!  Always cheerful, always willing to give a hug and/or smile when things are rough and always shows her appreciation to others!!!

Charlene is the epitome of a card that my mom once gave me from the artist Flavia which said:
"If I could sit across the porch from God, I would thank Him for lending me you!"
Thank you, Lord, for this precious friend!!!

And, she is the exact representation of this quote:
"Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same."

Charlene is getting ready to embark on a new journey as she moves to VA where her daughter, son-in-law and grandbaby "Peaches" where their family are living and I am going to miss her tremendously!!!

The gifts she has given me and the gifts she leaves with me have left beautiful, deep footprints on my heart....forever!!!  Thank you sweet friend!!!  I will miss you.....and I will thank the Lord for you every day for the time we have spent together!!!

Blessings abound and YOU have been one for me!!!

Glory-Strength

Ever had "One of those days?"  I did just yesterday......ugh!

One of my devotional books is Jesus Always and it gave me a new concept to contemplate!!!  

Glory-Strength.  Look at this version of Colossians 1:11 - it's amazing!!!

Colossians 1:11 (The Message)

" We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul - not the grim strength of gritting your teeth, but the Glory-Strength God gives.  It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into JOY, thanking the Father who made us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us!!!"

Are you gritting your teeth trying to make it through the day?  Are you sticking it out over the long haul?  Or, are you your family's version of the Grim Reaper?  If so, I get it!  Yesterday was one of the "grim" days for me..........I couldn't really put my finger on what was causing the grimness, but it was there in full force!  

So, how do we tap into that Glory-Strength God promises to give us?  How do we find that Joy that only He can give?

Reflect on your life.  How's it been going?  Spend time with the Lord.  Where are you allowing God to motivate you?

Whatever your answer, remember, you were given a talent, a gift that NO one else has - use it!  God doesn't want us to bury our gifts in the ground and hope for a return on our investment.  He wants to use the talents and gifts He has given us for HIS Glory!!  Are you using your gift?

One of the greatest gifts I have been given is being at home the past 10 weeks.  Yes, it has been without work, but it has given me time to reflect on what's most important.  

Have I gotten a few things done around the house?  Sort of....

Have I planted a new garden?  Yes.

Have I worked out every day?  No.  

Have I walked most days?  Yes.

Do I have a great roommate?  Yes,

Have I shared special time with my family in Ohio?  Yes.  

Have I been counting my blessings?  Yes, for the most part.

Yet, my worries about finances and how things will turn out in the long run got me down yesterday.   What has been unendurable for you for the past 10 weeks?  Does your "cup runneth over," or are you in a grim mood?  If your cup is not running over with blessings, then may I suggest you do the following?

1)  Write down 3 things you are grateful for - right now!  1, 2, 3......try doing that every morning when you wake up or every evening before you lay your head on the pillow!   Gratitude!!!  Thankfulness - it works every time!!!

 2) Look for the Bright and Beautiful in your day, your home, your yard, your spouse, your children and grandchildren, your job, your retirement, your dinner menu, your laundry and even your dishes!!! 

Grit your teeth if you must, but God gives us HIS Glory-Strength to endure the unendurable - yep!  You were made for the long haul.......the unendurable!!!

Go use that talent you have been given!!!

Marriage...

Today, June 6, 2020 is a very special day for a sweet friend of mine, Jesse - she is getting married!!!
I am so excited for her and for Donny!!!  And, I am honored to be able to read I Corinthians 13 for them at their service.  Together they read through many versions of this Bible Scripture, contemplated what each version meant to them, and have decided on the HCSB version which is below:

“If I speak human or angelic languages but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (HCSB)

People who know Jesse, realize that she has been through many rough patches in her life. People who know Donny, realize that he has gone through many trials as well. And, yet, through it all, they each have relied on God to help them through every part of their journey,  And, God has been faithful and has brought them to THIS day.

When Donny proposed to Jesse, he said that he knew if he were faithful to the Lord that God would bring the exact person he needed to go through this life with....and God did just that!

Jesse and Donny are perfect for each other - they compliment each other in Spirit, they work together in every endeavor, and they love their families dearly!!!  They trust each other, they respect each other and they love each other with all their hearts.

Their motto is:  I  CHOOSE YOU!

Isn't that amazing?  That after all the ups and downs they have each gone through in their lives that they would CHOOSE each other - For life!!!

Marriage is Sacred. It is Holy.  And, it is God-ordained between a man and a woman.  It is a close union, an alliance that should be honored above all human relationships.

God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought these two love birds together!

The beautiful part is that each of them love the Lord their God with all their hearts, with all their minds, with all their souls and with all their strength.  They put God first in everything they do.  And, the love which has come to them through the Lord is for everlasting!!!  Always, forever and ever.

What a JOY it is to celebrate this union that God has brought together!!!

Capturing Joy.....

I was reading a devotion by Mark Nepo this morning and found a phrase that really caught my heart:
"Our capacity for joy is carried like a pod of nectar in our very own breast."
Think of that!  Our capacity for JOY!!!  We carry it around in our own body, in our own breast, in our own heart......now, if only we will let it loose!!! 

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with young moms at Advice and Aid (whom I worked for for the past year and 1/2) and we talked about how "Joy is Always Possible!" 
Joy IS always possible!!  Is it always easy to find joy?  Absolutely not.  However, as Barbara Johnson said very well:  "Pain is Inevitable, but Misery is Optional!!!"

We have the capacity to choose our thoughts, so why not choose joy???
I know life can be extremely taxing....stressful....demanding.....and unrelenting at times, but we still have a choice.

So what is capacity?  It is the ability to receive, to hold and/or absorb.  What if we were open to receiving joy?  Receive joy.  Hmmmm.....

What if we hold onto it?  Hold on to joy.  Hold on tight.

What if we absorb joy???  Wouldn't that be the best sponge we could have???

Seek and absorb joy - what a concept!!!  When we focus on finding joy, what will happen? 
Could it be that the cloud of COVID-19 would lift in our own corner of the world?  You bet - even if it is only for a moment.  It's worth seeking!!!

Seek joy!  Sing joy!  Allow Joy to be part of who your are today - just for the next 24 hours:
SEEK JOY!!!

I know of a place where we can seek joy every day:

Psalm 16:11:  "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of JOY; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  FOREVERMORE???  Yep!  If we seek Him, we will have joy forever.........times infinity for those who believe in Him!!!  Think of that!  Wouldn't that be worth seeking? 

Psalm 30:5: "Weeping may endure for a night, but JOY comes in the morning!"  Don't things always look better in the morning?  Why is that?  Perhaps it is because we laid down the angst for a few hours and did not let it consume us.  Perhaps we curled up into the lap of our loving Savior and let Him know how anxious we are....Perhaps we choose joy!!!

Luke 15:7:  "I say to you that likewise there will be more JOY in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."

Imagine being that one that God is pursuing....the one God is chasing after!  Despite all your fears, all your worries, all your flaws......God is pursuing you to give you JOY!!!

If you have never listened to the song called the Reckless Love of God by Cory Asbury - it is amazing..........I hope you will take a few minutes to listen and watch this amazing artist!!!

https://youtu.be/6xx0d3R2LoU

Remember:  Joy is ALWAYS possible!!!  Choose JOY!!!