Stuck?

Stuck!    Have you ever felt stuck? Like you just can't move forward?   That's kinda what's happening to us in our moving my precious sister to Wi.    Seems like things are moving so slow , we are a bit stuck.  Plus we just hit another big road block.    When I feel this way it's easy to feel "give up" kick in.    Then I read, Psalm 118:1. " Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His love endures forever!  This simple fulfilling verse reminds me to simply Stop and give thanks.    Being thankful and trusting God in my moments of stuck helps me get the energy to move forward.     I hope you can use this simple verse today too😇.   Happy Holy Week!!  Forward in Christ....with thanksgiving and trust!!😇🌸🙏♥️🦅Psalm 118::14 “ The Lord is my strength and my Song, He has become my salvation “

Holy Week kick off!!

John 14:28 "You heard me say, I am going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, For the Father is greater then I. 29 I have told you now before it happens , so when it does happen you will believe.  30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, He has no hold on me,   31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave."    Can you imagine being there the first Holy Week?  Palm Sunday they were lifting Jesus up and by Friday crucifying Him.   They thought He was going to save them physically in their present circumstances and He did just not the way they thought.  He saved their souls for eternity, a much deeper everlasting kingdom.   More then anyone can imagine.   At first, it looked really great, Palm Sunday then it looked the worse of worse on Maudy Thursday and Good Friday.   Then Easter and the Kingdom of God the Risen Savior!!  This is the beginning of Holy Week I love this week!! Sometimes we are on the mountain, often we are in the valley; this world, it's only our temporary home we have Heaven to look forward to, Thanks be to Jesus!! 😇🌸🙏🦅♥️

Wipe the pain off their face!

 Psalm 34:5 "Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."  Today and this week as I visit with family here in California, I can see so much pain on so many faces. In my own family and beyond.  I used to try to fill the holes in my life with alcohol and exercise. Yet that always left me empty and couldn't get enough of either.  In my alcohol rehab I was taught that if I try to fill myself with anything from out side my body like food, alcohol or  compulsive exercise. I can never be filled.   I'll just keep needing more, and never be satisfied.   But if I let myself be filled with the Spirit of God from deep in my Soul I can be filled to over flowing and radiate.    I have found this so true in my life.   Filling myself with Gods word and trusting in His love for me and loving others with that love is how I live in patience, kindness and understanding.  I certainly don't think I radiate as well as I'd like to.  But today this verse reminds me to do so I first need to be filled with Jesus!!  Nothing else, no one else can wipe  the pain off my face or out of my heart.   My prayer is you will rest in being filled with the love of Jesus today and His love radiates from your heart and shines on your face!!!!😇🙏🌸♥️🦅

Keep on keeping on

Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."   Sometimes I see only my short comings and how I'm really not doing all I need to do or could do.  I can get discouraged feeling like I'm not making a difference at all.   This verse helps me remember Jesus is helping me keep on keeping on in the direction He has called me to go.   I hope this helps you today too see that He will continue a good work in you, until completion!!😇🌸🙏♥️🦅 don't get discouraged.... keep on keeping on with Jesus as your strength and guide!  Never give up!!

Loved and rejoiced over !!

 Zephaniah 3:17 “ The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”   I saw this verse for the first time yesterday.  As I read it I had such comfort.  Then a radio personality shared the verse.   It’s a good one to share!  He is with us and mighty to save!! He saves us in all things!!  We all go through storms,   “He is mighty to save”.  That is a foundational truth that gets me through.   “He takes great delight in you”.  Wow.  That means He takes great delight in me!!  I am good at seeing what I didn’t do, did wrong or fell short.   Yet though it all He takes great delight in me regardless of the good, bad or ugly.   “ He quiets us with His love.”  Quiets us,  turmoil in my soul  erupts sometimes, it can be quieted immediately when I  sincerely remember To TRUST Him through it.   “He will rejoice over you with singing”.  I like this too.  He not only with us, loves us and quiets us, He rejoices over us!  When I fall short, I can “feel” so unworthy.  Truth is I am not worthy.   None of us truly are worthy, Jesus is.   When I trust that He died on the cross to pay the price of my unworthiness and in exchange gives me His worthiness and ultimately Heaven.(Happy Easter!) That helps me understand  Why I am loved.   Each of us are loved by our God who created everything, and knows everything.   He knows our everything and loves us anyway!! Praise God for this awesome truth!!😇🌸🙏♥️🦅. May you go forth today knowing the God of the universe is with you, saves you, quiets you and rejoices over you!!😇

Freedom

John 8:36 " So, if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed!"    John 10:27"My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me.  28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."   You are in Gods mighty Hand. I hope you take comfort in that today!!😇🙏🌸♥️🦅

With a sincere heart ...

Ephesians 6:7 "Serve wholeheartedly, as you were serving the Lord, not men,". This goes so well with yesterday's verse.   Do what you do because it's the right thing to do, and do it with a sincere heart.   Doing the right thing with a bad attitude is not good.  We can "feel" each other's energy. When I show up to help my mom and I'm not in a " good place", instead of helping her,  my attitude, contributes to making her " feel" like a burden to me.    Also if my attitude is wrong, I feel like she is a burden to me and then I don't enjoy my time with her.   When I can "Be" in my present moment and "Be" the love of God,  life is much more enjoyable, even in the things I would prefer not to do.  Today, in whatever your day holds, may you be filled with the desire to work unto the Lord and not unto men. 😇🌸🙏♥️🦅

Fear of man is a snare

 Proverbs 29:25 "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever TRUSTS in the Lord is kept safe."  This verse has been on my heart as I contemplate my behaviors.   Sometime I can be a people pleaser over a God pleaser.  I confuse my motives because I am trying to be kind and generous but sometimes this means I over spend and that is not being a good steward of what God has entrusted me.   True discernment is what I will be working on😇.  During Lent I was doing good at keeping my Lent challenges but then I fell off the program, since I fell off it's hard to get going again.  It's amazing to me how a little compromise can start me on a path of distraction and distruction.   Today, I am confident you are struggling with something because that's this life.    Be encouraged to follow God not man.   😇🙏🌸🦅♥️

Love a Bully today!

 1Peter3:8 " Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."  Put on love, compassion and humility regardless of how people treat you.  There is a slogan in Sparta, against bullies " No bullying in our town!" I think the slogan should be; "Love a Bully today!"   Hurting people hurt others.   There is so much pain in our world.   Today if someone hurts you or is rude or what ever the offense try to remember; hurting people hurt others and intentionally put on your love.    When I was drinking I used to put on a big front trying to look real good on the outside, actually throughout my life often when I looked best on the outside was when I was most broken on the inside.  Everyone has a story and no one has it easy.   Let's love our brothers and sisters today with a sincere forgiving heart😇🌸🙏♥️🦅

Fruits of the Spirit is like walking in the Son

 Galatians 5:22 " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self control, against such things there is now law."   I like these  verses;  reminder to check in and see if I'm walking in the Spirit or the flesh.   If I have anger and irritability in my heart then it's time for me to spend more time in the Bible and remember in all things God will hold me.   It also helps me to get outside and simply feels the warmth of the Son!!!  😇🌸🙏🦅♥️.  I hope this help you today too walk in the fruits of His marvelous Spirit!!!

Keep on in joy!

Nehemiah 8:10 "The Joy of the Lord is my strength."   Today I have to run and clean out my lake house for renters,   I forgot to block it and people booked.   I have plenty of other things I'd rather do.  That's the way life is things come up and we'd wish it was different.   When faced with doing something I don't want to do I have the choice to grumble and complain or see what's good and be joyful.    Today as I drive then clean and drive again I plan to let His Joy fill my heart, being thankful I have the ability to do the tasks. Having joy in my heart gives me the strength to “keep on keeping on” with a smile; A sincere smile!!😇🙏🌸🦅♥️. I hope this helps you too conquer your challenges today with His Joy!!!

Peace in the Storm

Philippians 4:7 " And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will gaurd your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."   Peace.  There is trouble around us often, but when we TRUST God we can have peace in the midst of the storm.    We can't control the things that happen or how people act but we can control. How we respond to whatever we go through. We can choose peace in Jesus, in the storm.  It's truly the only way I know to weather the storms of life and stay healthy.   

See what’s right

Psalm 104:1 "Praise the Lord, O my soul.  O Lord my God you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty."   Today, is my last race of the Winter season the Birkie Fat 🚴 Bike.   It's also the anniversary of my sons accident that caused the death of his  good friend and landed him in prison    The week before his friend died he professed faith that 1. He was a sinner. 2. He believes Jesus died on the cross for him to pay the price of his sins 3. He believed Jesus rose from the grave.   I assured him that night because he believed in his heart and confessed with his mouth he was a Christian.   Today I feel in a funk.   But when I remeber to thank God for what is right and praise Him.   It helps.   I hope that today you too can take the time to see what's right, thank God and Praise Him!! 😇🙏🌸🦅♥️

No matter how many times we fall .. get up with joy

 2 Peter 1:2 "Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the Devine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."     Evil desires and defeat take many faces.    These passages remind me God has given us everything we need to “keep on keeping on” in Him, so we can SHINE and point others to Him.    Yesterday I was downhill skiing and saw a woman on the hill who's perseverance and joy radiated.   She was learning to ski as a paraplegic.  When she fell over it looked hopeless from my vantage point,  but each time she kept getting up and her face was full of " try" she had an infectious smile.  She diligently listened to her instructor and kept trying.  By the end of the day she was carving down the hill so beautifully.  She was still falling occasionally but not as often as at first, when she fell she shook it off, put on her smile and “go” attitude.  She was a joy to watch and very inspirational!!!    God gives us everything we need to “keep on keeping on”   Today is the day the Lord has made!  No matter what your handicap, ( and we all have many) be inspired to go forth and SHINE!!😇🙏🌸♥️🦅

Faith expressed by love

 Galatians 5:6 " For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in Love." Faith is how we are justified.   Faith alone.   Because of our faith in the finished work of Jesus,  we are forgiven. We don't earn our salvation.   When I ask people if they KNOW they are going to Heaven.  Many will say, "I think so, I'm a pretty good person."  None of us are truly" good people".  We may do more right then wrong but each of us has , our own "bag of bones".   It's the humane condition.    I am better behaved now that I am sober and reading my Bible regularly, then I was when I was drinking and Spiritual but not religious.   But I still know the thoughts I think and the shortcuts and questionable decisions I make, plus of course my blatant doing the wrong thing.    Yet, maybe I could say, " I'm a pretty good person".  The truth is no matter how good I try to be.  It's still bot good enough to win my eternal salavtion.  That earning is only through Faith in Jesus.    1.  I know I am a sinner.  2.   I believe Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins and make me in right standing with God.  3.  I believe Jesus died and rose again from the grave.    Because I have Faith these three things are true, I KNOW I am going to Heaven.  Because of Faith I know I am continually loved no matter how badly I mess up.  Because, I am loved, I don't want to walk in rebellion but I want to walk in love.    Galatians 5:6 " For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision  has any value, The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in Love."   Today I hope this verse helps you live in Faith,  expressing itself in love 😇🙏🌸♥️🦅

“Keep the Faith”

 Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is being sure of what we hope for certain of what we do not see."  Life storms can steal my joy if I loose focus on my faith.  For me faith can't just be a feeling,  if it's a feeling that means it comes and goes.   Sure there are times,  I'm in Sheer amazement of what God has done and times I question why our loving God let's horrible happen.  Faith set on feelings is not effective.  Faith set on complete TRUST is.   Jesus is who, He said He is. ( John 14;6 " I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.")   I just rest in knowing the Bible is True and Jesus is Lord, this is my ultimate anxiety buster!   The other day we were Snow showing on the ice.    The is looked like it was about 6inches deep when we looked down the fisherman's holes.  Then the man fishing showed us, in fact the ice was almost  2 1/2  feet deep!    It didn't look like that at all!!!    Things are not as they seem often. This reminds me of Hebrew 11:1 "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."    I hope these verses help you KNOW, no matter what your current trial is Jesus, is who He says He is, He loves you and is with you always!!( Mathew 28:20 “ Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age) so you can.     “Keep the faith" 😇🙏♥️🦅🌸

Trust and Shine

Proverbs 4:18" The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shinning ever brighter till the full light of day." SHINE.  😇.  I can't shine in less my soul is still.    The only way my soul stills is when I firmly trust in the Lord.  Jeremiah 17:7"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him."   When our confidence is in Him, not our ways or what we see, we can confidently SHINE regardless of our circumstances.    I hope this helps you today trust and shine!!😇🙏🦅🌸♥️

PEACE in the middle of our mess ups

 John 16:33 " I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world. ".  Peace, peace peace....   sometimes I have to close my eyes and intentionally chose peace in Jesus.   I make plenty of bad decisions  even now as a Christian.    Kinda funny I was hoping by now I'd be a bit more mistake free.    But it's my plight.   I think it each of our plights.   I like Romans 8:28 " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him."   All things...including my questionable decisions 😇 Romans 8:29 preferences 28.....to be conformed to the likeness of His Son."    In all things we can have His PEACE,  knowing He is using it all to help us be more like Jesus..... sometimes ( often) I wish I was a quicker learner😇.   Yesterday at my last ski race of the season I made a wax mistake.  One of the people at the race said, " You won't have to make that mistake again".   He's right.   I won't ever put Klister on my fish scales again.     That was certainly not a moral issue and only affected my time which affected the volunteers who waited for me to cross the finish line.   It was a beautiful day yesterday so no one seemed to mind my blunder.  I wish all my blunders could be so harmless.   It's peaceful to know God can take my worse mess up and make it right.   I hope you like this today too😇🦅🙏🌸♥️PEACE

He makes our cricked path straight

Psalm 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.  9 As the Heavens are higher then the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."    These verses are so loud in my heart today along with; Proverbs 3:6 " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."    Loosing our Lovely Erin hear on Earth, has been the hardest thing for my heart to handle; but when I firmly Trust in God and His word I can keep walking forward in Christ.    I hope you like these verses today too and they help you walk forward in Jesus today and always😇🙏🌸🦅🦅

Serve with gladness it’s healthy

 1 Peter 5:1 "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's suffering and one who will share in the glory to be revealed:  2Be Shepard's of Gods flock   That is under your care , serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  4 And when the Chief Shepard appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."   I went to 1 Peter 5 today to read 5:7 " cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you".  Always one of my favorites.   But the whole chapter is wonderful.  I like how Paul is telling the elders to watch over those entrusted to them out of love, to be an example.   This reminds me to do all things in love and intentionally try to set an example.   He also uses the words " eager to serve".  I like that too.   Today let's be inspired to put God first, trust Him all the way....with an eager to serve attitude 😇🚴🌸♥️🦅🙏

Think right for hope

Philippians 4:4-8 " Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all.   The Lord is near.  6 Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."    Pray and trust God He is a good Father that loves us and hears our every prayer.   Sometimes I start looking at the things in my life that I think are wrong.  These verses help me to remember to look at what's right and KNOW God's got this and everything.   I hope you like this today too😇🙏🌸♥️🦅

Thrive in the prunning

 John 15:2 " Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."   We can see the tremendous beauty arise in a  rose bush, after it has survived its pruning.  If left unpruned, a rose bush gets pretty straggly, not close to the beauty of a pruned bush.    I have to TRUST in the pruning to bear fruit.  Many times in life, things were going well.   Then, the bomb dropped, the pruning.   Without the pain, consequences and disappointments in my life,  I am confident I would be a much more prideful person, trusting in my stuff not the one who gave it all to me.    We are pruned to thrive!   Ultimately, what we go through here is simply preparing us for Heaven.    Each of us will face pruning throughout our humane time.   Today be inspired keep your eye on the Prize, our life with Jesus in Heaven. Let's look forward and try to take as many with us as we can😇🙏🌸♥️🦅 I never like the pruning but when I Trust Him through it I continue to bear fruit😇Praise the Lord!!

Prayer is powerful...Pray

Proverbs 15:29 " The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous."   We are righteous when we pray through Jesus.  On our own we fall short, but when we TRUST Jesus as our Lord and Savior He washes us clean from all our sins, yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's.   And He hears our every prayer.   Hearing our prayer doesn't mean answering in the way we want.   But we can TRUST He hears!!!   He loves us and will answer our prayers in His timing and His way.....TRUST and Pray😇🙏♥️🌸🦅