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!!!

Out of the Miry bog....

Out of the Miry Bog…

(Written by Pam Spencer, May 18, 2020©)

Psalm 40

Verses 1-3

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined His ear to me, and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the horrible pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

Verse 8

I delight to do Your will, O my God; and Your law is written within my heart.

Verses 11-13

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me;

My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore, my heart fails me.

Be pleased O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!

Verse 16

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, the Lord be magnified!”

The pit of despair resounds in your head and your heart. 

You ask yourself again and again: “How can I possibly get up out of this “miry bog?”

What will lift this fog?  It plagues me day and night and I ask myself, should I stay or should I go?  A hundred times a day…..

One heavy disappointment jolts me, but years of the same disappointment???  Surely God would not want me to live this way….

Let’s look at the definition of some of these feelings….

Despair is to lose all hope, an utter lack of hope or that which destroys all hope….dashed hopes, desperation, forlorn hope…..hopelessness.  When have you felt this way?  Dashed hopes??? An utter lack of hope?  Not possible!  Oh yes, there is a situation that is causing me to lose all hope.  How could this possibly happen?  One instance at a time. 

One disappointment at a time.  And, when this disappointment comes repeatedly, year after year, well, it rips you apart….it makes you feel unloved and not cared for….your heart is stuck in that miry bog.

Then, looking at the word disappoint – it means to fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of….to thwart.  And more so is disappointment:  the act of disappointing, the condition or feeling of being disappointed.  UGH.  Failing to satisfy the hope, the expectation.  Thwarting all possibility of changing the situation?  Could it really be that there is NO hope?  That this feeling of hopelessness will not go away?

One more layer to consider:  Mire is a bog, a deep, slimy soil of mud, to cause to sink or become stuck in mud.  So, then you find yourself in this miry. murky, muddy, slimy pit.  There seems to be no way out.  It is almost as if you are sitting at the bottom of a well, like a cistern as they had in the first century.  There is no rope to climb up and no one standing at the top peering down at you and saying:  “I’m here!  Hold on!!!”

There are people hurting this badly….this desperately.  The despair is deep.  The miry bog is real.  The feeling of helplessness compounds the issue and brings a person down to the bottom of the pit.

When you know a person or dear friend who feels this way, what is your response?  What can one do to help?  How can someone diffuse the situation when their disappointment has been carving this rut for years???  What advice can be offered?  What resolution can be found? 

Open communication has to occur.  Understanding at a very deep level must start to immerge.  Awareness has to come to the surface.  The mud must be cleaned off.  The slim needs to be dissolved.  Resolution must become the expanse on which to stand.  No more hiding the hurt.  No more sweeping the problem under the rug.  No more patiently hope for a change.  The volcano from unresolved anger must be addressed.

So, how does that happen?  Where to begin?  Falling on your knees in prayer is a beginning.  Even if you have prayed for YEARS to no avail, do not stop praying!  God is listening.  He hears you.  He sees you.  Do NOT give up hope!

HOPE!!!  Ahhhhh, yes!  There is a GOD of hope that is hovering…..waiting to hear your prayer again…..longing to fill that desperation, that hopelessness and heal that disappointment, bitterness and anger.  Longing to allow HIM to resolve the situation.

Romans 15:13 says: “Now may the God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

We have a God who cares.  We have a God who wants healing.  Even if we are at the point of NO return, we have a God who can restore.  Yes, I said restore.

It is NOT an easy task.  It is NOT an easy fix.  It will take work and hard work at that.  It will take humility.  It will take trust.  It will take time. 

But this God of hope WILL restore you.  He will lift you up out of the miry bog.  He will bring you peace.  And, yes, He will bring you joy!

Trust Him.  Turn it all over to Him.  Again.  And, again.

Be open, be honest, be direct.  Allow the flood waters of healing to wash over you.  Allow restoration to begin. 

Matthew 7:7 says: 

“Ask, and it shall be given to you.

Seek and you shall find.

Knock and the door will be opened.”

Even if you have asked for YEARS, ask again.  Even if you have sought resolution for YEARS, keep seeking.  Even if you have knocked on the door of understanding for YEARS, keep knocking.  Do NOT give up hope!!!

God answers Knee mail.  Trust Him.  Do NOT give up. 

Just Sitting on a Rock....

Today's inspiration comes from Luke 5:16 "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

Have you ever just needed to go and sit alone somewhere to think?   To calm yourself down? To pray?  Well, how about a rock?

When I was growing up in Columbus, OH, there as a beautiful park named the Park of Roses.  I spent hours there!!!  Walking through many acres of green grass, walking through the woods, playing tennis, climbing on the playground jungle gyms and swings, wading through the creek, and stepping gingerly across a drain pipe over the creek to reach the part of the park where all the exquisite roses were blooming!  

Once, when coming up the bank from the creek in a new place, I found a large rock that had a poem on it at the entrance of the Rose Garden.  It read:

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for myrth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden,

Then anywhere else on earth."

(Poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney)

The poem was put there by a lovely lady that I did not know.  But, I found out who she was and why she had placed the plaque there - in honor of her late husband.  I loved this poem the first time I read it!!!  And, I came to know Anna Brial for just a short while before she passed away.  And interestingly enough, Anna ended up coming to my wedding which took place in the Park of Roses in 1980.  All because of a rock!

I sat on it sometimes for hours........thinking, reasoning things out, talking with God.  Away from all the hustle and bustle of life.  Just sitting on a rock, contemplating life!

I wonder if Jesus did the same sometimes.....I know He prayed a lot in places where no one else was, and many times in a garden.  But, did He just sit and contemplate life there too?  I tend to think so.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank you for being my Rock!  And, thank you for withdrawing away from the crowds and the hustle and bustle of life to be with Your Father.  I am grateful for your example.  Thank you for holding me.  

Every day.

Tree trunks and branches....

With all of the roller-coaster spectrum of emotions many of us are facing during this COVID pandemic, I wanted to share a great analogy I learned today from Our Daily Bread devotional.  Tree trunks and branches - how many of you are living in the branches?  Feeling swayed by stress right now?  Feeling overwhelmed?  Trying to home school, trying to find a job, trying to find activities to fill the hours, trying to figure out how your finances are going to make it through this time, trying to find "Normal," and trying to NOT go stir crazy???

Think about a tree.........the trunk is solid.  Anchored in the ground.  Roots running deep.  And, growth occurs without us seeing the visible evidence every day.  Trunks don't move in the wind.  They stand tall and sturdy.  They are rooted and grounded.

What about the branches?  Do they sway in the breeze?  Do the branches bend when a storm comes?  Certainly!

When life is like a wind blowing at us from every angle as it is right now, we seem to sway with the emotions that mount up!  What if we look out the window at a tree trunk and try to be a bit more like it? What if learn to be a strong, sturdy trunk?  Rooted, grounded.

What if we stand on the promise of the Bible that we are "rooted and grounded in Christ's love?"  (Ephesians 3:17)  What if we allow the wind to blow through our branches and bring us a sense of security knowing that the trunk is immovable?  Christ is the solid ground we stand on.  Christ, not our own volatile emotions.  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8).

Did that sink in?  Forever.  Grounded.  Rooted in love.  Always.  Even when the winds of COVID blows through our lives, there is a force that is immovable.  Unquechable.  Unstoppable. 
Let the winds of His love blow through the branches of your life only to take you to the one place where there is solid ground.