Saturday, March 9, 2024
Faith in God's Mission for You
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Is the Church a Hospital for Sinners?
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Faith and Soap
I love soap! The fresh natural kind with a soft fragrance and rich lather. The abundance of suds make me feel extra clean. I’ve been told I’m all about some feels.
Friday, December 2, 2022
Faith and Grief
The waning grief seems to be unearthed and dug up again when any holiday rolls around, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I'm not sure why death seems to come calling more often during the holidays. I've attended three funerals in the last two weeks. I cry at every funeral. My heart breaks for the families. These three funerals were "good" funerals or rather, celebrations of life. The three individuals professed hope in Jesus so we know we will live with them forever in heaven. Until that glorious reunion, please allow me to share a wonderful message I heard at my uncle's funeral recently. I pray the words comfort you during your grief as they have me. The minister used the following scripture in his delivery.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to seperate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
His message is "Nothing can seperate us from the love of our loved one", just as nothing can seperate us from the love of God. The love of Christ in us binds us with others for eternity. We can appropriately insert the name of our loved ones into this verse...
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to seperate us from the love of ___(insert name here)___, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The comfort of knowing love remains is powerful. I Corinthians 13:7 (paraphrased) assures us that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Certainly, love helps us grieve.
Much love,
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Five Basic Elements of Unconditional Love
Everyone wants unconditional love. These are the five basic elements of unconditional love we embrace and practice:
- Different is good. Diversity was cool in our home before it became a popular buzzword.
- Compassion not pity. Compassion and pity are synonyms but aren't the same. Both convey sympathetic feelings for others, but pity creates cause for regret or disappointment. Pity comes across as sadness or misfortune. Advseristy encourages strength, adaptation and courage. Those valuable charcter traits desire compassion not pity.
- Wear a smile. A smile is so much more comforting than that furrowed brow frown; no sad faces allowed. Caring is revealed with a happy face. Show your love for ohters by greeting them with a warm smile.
- Do not stare, gawk or crane. When I share my story with groups, I laugh at myself. I've become so used to people staring at me, I get offended when they don't. I wonder what's wrong with these people? LOOK at me! (That is a joke, of course.) I really don't enjoy being stared at for the wrong reasons.
- Take time for all. Individuals are put into our lives for various reasons. We will learn and grow from every person we meet if we invest wisely. Understanding people is a full-time job. Friends are a blessing to cherish.
Lovingly,
Monday, April 25, 2022
Faith and Pickles
- Pickles start in a raw perishable state. We are born into a perishable state.
- Pickles need someone to perserve them. We need a Savior to preserve us.
- Pickles take time to obtain their unique flavor. We take time to obtain robust faith.
- Pickles are "ready"-to-eat. We are "ready"-to-go.
- Pickles must be thrown out if not properly sealed. We will hear "Depart" if not sealed by Jesus.
Friday, April 22, 2022
How to Use Your Faith to Find Something You Lost
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Thursday, April 21, 2022
His Fault
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Faith like Andrew
Five loaves of bread and two fishes is a well-known miracle of the Bible. Jesus fed a multitude with five loaves and two fishes. This miracle is relatable. If you've ever fed a crowd, you know how much food is required. Honestly, couldn't two people eat five small loaves of bread and two fishes? So, we get the picture of just how huge a miracle it was to feed more than 5000 people with a meager amount. You know I'm all about faith. I want to look at faith like Andrew in this story.
Most of Jesus' disciples spoke out negatively about the plan to feed 5000. They were sure they didn't have the money to do it. They didn't see any available food. But there was Andrew, the believing disciple. The faithful disciple. Andrew told Jesus he saw a young boy in the crowd carrying five loaves and two fishes. Jesus said "Bring him to me."
I want faith like Andrew. The other disciples were overtaken by unbelief. Andrew was hopeful. He stepped up to exercise his faith in Jesus. The other disciples thought the task was too monumental for Jesus to perform. It is no mistake Andrew was the disciple who saw the young boy with the food in the crowd. God knew Andrew was the one who would assist Jesus with this miracle. God needed someone who would use the resources at hand to get the job done. If it weren't for faith like Andrew's, everyone would be hungry and noone would have witnessed a miracle!
I also want to be like the young boy who freely gave Jesus his five loaves and two fishes. He gave all he had to Jesus. Imagine how the scene might have played out differently if Andrew had spotted an adult with five loaves and two fishes. I'm suspecting talking an adult out of dinner may have proved very difficult. The Bible tells us we must come as a child to Jesus. This story is the perfect example of how children (the boy) respond to Jesus versus how adults (his disciples) respond to Jesus. The lesson we also see is the boy gave a little and received a lot.
- Believe God can do what his Word says
- Exercise our Faith by stepping up and out
- Give when prompted by Jesus