
Tip/Tidbit: Have you accumulated some trash, maybe some emotional baggage or some lingering sin? Allow Heaven's waste management system to pull up, haul off the junk, and realign you with God's beautiful promises.
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![]() With a squeal of the tires and a screech of the brakes, the trash truck pulled up. It was just doing its weekly, ordinary, unpleasant job of cleaning up the residue of our overindulgence, our waste. But this time, it brought a rainbow. Yes! A rainbow! The truck's window was perfectly aligned with the sun and my window, thereby capturing and refracting light in a brilliant, colorful display on my wall. Rainbows represent promises to me, and here was a rainbow--a promise--rising from the stench of the trash. God's faithfulness allows for the same in me. Every time I allow His Spirit to haul away the excess clutter in my life, the built up stench of things gone bad, or the unfruitfulness of all I've wasted, He fulfills His promise to cleanse and restore, and in a dazzling burst of color, He fills my future with hope. Tip/Tidbit: Have you accumulated some trash, maybe some emotional baggage or some lingering sin? Allow Heaven's waste management system to pull up, haul off the junk, and realign you with God's beautiful promises.
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![]() Yesterday I awoke with a ton of projects on my plate and a hunger for quiet time with God. I decided to do the Jesus thing, and in less than 5 minutes I had packed a bag with an old sheet, our family's "We Remember" journal, sunglasses, tennis shoes, and a snack. Then, I was out the door and headed downtown to the boardwalk. Water makes me feel alive and spiritually connected. Thus the trip to the boardwalk. Arriving, I tossed the sheet on the ground beneath a shade tree and sat. Then, I began to write down some of the things God had done for our family since January. January had been my last entry in the journal, something our family started writing some time back to keep a record of some of God's blessings in our lives. I began to jot...and jot...and jot. The more I wrote, the more overwhelmed I became. The magnitude of God's goodness to our family was breathtaking. There, in black ink, was the testament of God's faithfulness. Even in the trials we had faced. In spite of the trials we had faced. Because of the trials we had faced. Without the trials we had faced. In it ALL God was present. Doing only what God can do--the impossible. Here are a few examples: Within 5 months time, God had given me a writing idea and launched that idea. This included my completing a journal, a workbook, two books, and a curriculum within that time span. My blog, (which you are reading so you're counted in this mix) bumped over the 3,000 readership mark. Our son's broken foot healed without meds, without surgery, without pain. A burn that melted my husband's pants left no permanent injury. Amid two accidents occurring on either side of us, my daughter and I were spared. An unfavorable situation that was super stressful at the time shifted by the hand of God. A financial blessing fell in my husband's lap. God visibly began to move in the hearts of some of our unsaved family members. And I could continue. And continue. Miracles. Prophetic words spoken over our family. Ministry to us through the gifts of the Spirit. Opened doors of opportunity. Blessing in every area of our lives. We were bombarded by God. But at the time, we were experiencing life, mostly noticing the day to day, the troubles, the stuff, the work. Yes, we felt blessed. Yes, we knew moments of incredible awe. But there was something about sitting still and recounting what I already knew that truly revealed the magnitude and all-encompassing nature of God. Those simple moments of silent observation, meditating on what God had done was a feast for my soul, a serving of delectable goodness I was glad to have on my plate. I didn't even need my snacks! Tip/Tidbit: Set aside a few moments to reflect upon a short period of time. Begin to list the blessings you experienced during that period, and you will find that more and more evidence of God's faithfulness will come to mind. ![]() We started the first day of June with another method for connecting with God and with each other as a family. Change has been the constant in this area of our lives as we've adapted to our children's growth and our family's personal needs while clinging to the priorities of instilling Christian and family values in our kids. As with most families, we began the journey with bedtime prayers and Bible stories, but that has evolved to include a plethora of other efforts with each change of family dynamics. With one of our children moving out and others schedules out of sync, it was time for an adjustment. While we still set aside a family night and squeeze in a few meals together, we wanted that daily, spiritual connection. So, at the end of May, we came up with a list of things we wanted to pray for each other. Then, we looked up verses to go along with those prayer topics. On June 1st, we started praying those focused prayers and the coordinating verses for one another. The day goes a little like this: I send out a group text. For example, "Today's prayer focus is to grow in Christ-likeness. Colossians 2:6-7 "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." I may include a comment and a question to encourage a discussion. On this day, my comment was "What comes to mind when you think of Jesus? Do you have that/those Christ-qualities? I often think of Him as my Shepherd, so I think of His being calm and tender. Both of these are areas in which I need growth!" Family members then reply with their own comments. One of my children said, "I usually think of Him as a Savior with qualities of compassion and forgiveness. I think I am usually compassionate, but I do struggle with forgiveness." My prayer for my family will incorporate the verse and requests centered around my family's responses. It may be something like, "Lord, help my family and me to have Your character and qualities. We are filled with You, so let us grow more like You so that others see You in us and so that You see more of Yourself in us. Establish us with deep root systems in your Spirit so that your Spirit can produce your nature in our lives. Help me to be more tender toward others and calm in the face of adversity. Help my child to forgive others even as you, for Christ's sake, have given forgiveness..." See how it works? Regardless of conflict of schedules, and in spite of our kids transitioning to adulthood, we are able to keep the God element as part of our family structure. Tip/Tidbit: Even if you do not have children, you can share this activity with your mate or a prayer partner. Come up with your own list of requests and verses. Shoot a text or take a minute to pray them together. Maybe calling and praying over the phone works best for you and a friend. Or taking a minute to have coffee and focused prayer with your mate before you head off to work may be more ideal. The important things are unified prayer and praying the Word over one another. It only takes two to apply Matthew 18:19 "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." ![]() Rain was pouring. Clouds tinted the sky in multiple shades of gray. But two little birds were going about their day like the sun was beaming brightly. One perched on the fence singing his song. The other flew to a nearby rooftop as he paused to get a better grip on the twig he carried in his beak. How these tiny creatures braved the thunderclaps, flashes of lightning, and pelting rain was amazing to me. As I watched them, my mind digressed to a recent thunderstorm I’d been driving in. I’d been surprised to see how many people were out in the bad weather, how many had been zipping along flooded streets. I’d wondered if, like me, they’d been caught unawares or if they really had places to go and things to do that surpassed their need to be safely tucked indoors. Dredging up that memory as I watched the birds brought it all into perspective: Those who are unaffected by the storms are focused on their purpose. Wouldn’t it be nice when we face the storms of life if our purpose was greater than the crashing around us? The key is letting our purpose be great while the sun is still shining. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." If today, while the breeze is refreshing and sunlight dapples the trees, we begin waiting on the Lord-- not sitting with hands folded, but SERVING Him-- then when the storms of life come, we can whip out an old adage, give it fresh meaning, grin, and with delight in our hearts declare, "This is for the birds!" Tip/Tidbit: We all face trouble, but we don’t have to let trouble steal our song, stifle or worship, or hinder our purpose. Instead, let’s keep our focus, plant our feet, flap our wings, and keep on keeping on. Setting our eyes on the prize, we can put the clouds and rain into perspective: They are temporary; the Son is still shining, and we will soon feel the warmth of His radiance. This post brought this song to mind. My dad loved this bluegrass song. Thought these gentlemen did a good rendition of it. |
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