Remember the neon-colored, fuzzy little dolls of a few years ago that said, “Please be patient; God isn’t through with me yet.” This morning I thought of that saying and almost jumped up and down in glee. God’s not through with me yet! That’s a real praise the Lord. The same is true with you. Continue reading
Category: Meditations
Realizing how to put God’s Word into action.
Praise the Lord
How often do we praise the Lord, if we’re not in church that is? I started thinking of how often I praise Him and decided it’s not often enough. I probably thank God more than I praise Him, unless I’m in a church-like setting or worshipping Him at home. Is there a difference between thanking and praising God? Continue reading
Hidden Diamonds
A friend gives me a beautifully wrapped present, a 4″x4″ square but quite heavy. Why did she give me a gift, I wondered? It’s not my birthday or anything special. Excitedly, I open it and know she can see the disappointment on my face. But I can’t help it; I’m almost crying. Inside the gorgeous box was a dirty, ugly rock. I wished she had not given me anything rather than something like that. What must she think of our friendship?
Hummingbirds, Whooping Cranes and Mountains
My husband and I enjoy going to Rockport, Texas where in September we watch as thousands of hummingbirds
gather to stock up on food before making the long trip to South America for the winter. These miniature jewels barely weigh 0.11 ounces, being only 3.75 inches long with a wingspan of 4.5 inches; yet many of them fly directly over the Gulf of Mexico. What a wonder our Master Creator made. Continue reading
The Apple Tree
For his birthday, our son gave my husband a small apple tree about twenty years ago. Because of similar climate, the person who sold it recommended a green apple from Israel. We watched it grow, hoping it wouldn’t be too long before we had delicious apples to eat year round, since it should produce several different times. When apples started growing, our expectations grew – a bit longer and we could pick our own instead of buying them at the store. Continue reading
The Rainbow’s Promise
Rainbow over Lake Yellowstone, Wyoming
This beautiful rainbow over Yellowstone Lake came after a thunderstorm, while my husband and I boated on the lake with a fishing guide. Thankfully, we were not in the main part of storm but the waves got close to two feet high as we bumped and rocked our way back to the dock. Continue reading
Serenity
Mt Moran & Jackson Lake
This sight speaks such calm, peace and serenity to me. I’ve always loved this view of Jackson Lake and Mount Moran with its Frying Pan Glacier. On our many trips to Yellowstone, we always go south to Teton National Park, where these majestic mountains rise 7000 feet above the valley. On this late June day in 2015, the wind had quit blowing, making the reflection perfect. Usually a ripple plays across the lake. Continue reading
The Gray Thumb
I tell people I have a gray thumb because I can keep plants alive but not make them thrive like people who have a so-called green thumb. Rarely will a plant flower for me after its first bloom period. Some people can make them flower year after year. Why do I mention this? It reminds me of some believers in Jesus Christ. Continue reading
Walk in His Presence
And Keep the Light Burning in the Darkness
I live close to the Texas Gulf Coast and lately we’ve had lots of days when you can literally feel the outside humidity. It’s even harder to breathe for people with respiratory problems because the air is so heavy. Then we go into our home or a building and instantly notice the difference. Continue reading
Yet Will I Praise Him
Famine, near starvation. What could be worse? That makes my problems seem not quite so bad. How about yours? Yes, they don’t go away because someone else’s are worse; they don’t even lessen. But it does help me gain perspective. Poor Habakkuh. His situation could not get any worse, but look at what he did! Continue reading
You Afflicted Me in Faithfulness
Ever experience a situation that’s a real pain in the neck? Certainly you have. Three years ago I felt the same way. ‘Unfair and undeserved,’ I called it; something completely unnecessary for me to endure.
Whether the circumstance is a literal pain, a relationship development, a problem on the job or a financial issue, you want it to disappear! Possibly you’ve prayed about it; maybe numerous times, just like I did. My past prayers did me no good at all, as far as I could see. Nothing had changed. Continue reading
The Terrible Waiting Time
“Lord, I don’t care which way we go, just move us!” I prayed one day after my husband and I talked about putting our home on the market and moving. After two years passed, I didn’t really care if we moved or not, I simply wanted off that fence. Many pros and cons made us undecided which would be the better course for our family. My husband was unhappy in his job and didn’t find similar work in Austin. We were looking at other options out-of-town and even considering moving back to our hometown where our four parents lived and we had a few rentals. The more we looked the more confused the picture became. Sitting on the fence for so long became unbearable. I simply wanted a decision, at that time not really caring what the consequences were. Continue reading
What If You Are Wrong about Heaven?
“Heaven is what you make of life right here on earth, and I’ve got heaven on earth,” a friend told me. Totally happy with her life, Ann didn’t believe in a literal heaven and hell. She knew she would die one day and thought nothing else happened. Life ended and the body was buried. End of story. Continue reading
Faith Requires a Decision
A victim of your circumstances? Yes, some things about our situation we can’t change. But we can change how we think about and react to that problem. We can have a victim mentality or we can have winner thinking. What do I mean by that?
In Luke 4:24-25 when Jesus spoke to the paralyzed man lying on the mat and told him to get up, the man had to choose to obey. He could have chosen not to believe Jesus and stayed lying there and been bedridden the rest of his life. But he chose the winner’s way. Jesus put mud on a man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam (John 9:6-7). The man made a choice. He could have said, “Here’s water that’s closer, I’ll just wash in it,” but he wouldn’t have been able to see because he didn’t obey Jesus’ word to him. Again, faith required a decision. Continue reading
Family Blessings
Being able to spend time with all our family some part of the last two months blessed me tremendously. With children and grown grandchildren spread around Texas, Georgia and California, getting to see them for several days only happens occasionally. At Thanksgiving or Christmas we all try to get together somewhere, but then only get about two days by the time we travel. Having a little more time means we are more relaxed and enjoy being together and talking about more than we do when crowded into the rush of Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner and presents. Continue reading
What Is Shalom?
The Jewish people treasure the word “Shalom,” greeting each other with it when they first meet and again on leaving. Shalom implies peace, as we commonly think of it, but very much more than that. Shalom suggests wholeness, completeness, health, security, prosperity, fulfillment, contentment, restoration, unbrokenness, joy, peace between you and God as well as between you and other people – in other words, we might say it hints at heaven on earth. Continue reading
Abide in Christ
In many species of birds a mother bird lays one egg per day and they hatch in that order. The mother, and sometimes the father, feed the newborns with digested food. With wood ducks, however, the eggs all hatch on the same day. Since eating their way through the shell is such hard work, they become exhausted and rest in their nest high in a tree until the next morning. Then one by one, they make their way out of the nest, falling – since they’re still unable to fly – into the water below. There they feed themselves wherever the mother shows them while she carefully watches for any danger. God puts this instinct into them as they form in the eggs. I wouldn’t characterize abiding in Christ exactly like this, but in some ways it might be similar. Continue reading
The Fight of Faith
Stepping out in faith never comes easily, but sometimes the battle turns long and drawn out. I think faith costs more dearly during those times. Look at Abraham, “the Father of Faith,” for an example. Abraham’s father Terah with Abraham and Sarah left Ur of the Chaldeans, where his family had lived for generations, to go to Haran. There they made their home and Terah died after a number of years. God told Abraham to leave there and go to a land He would show him. So Abraham took all his servants and all his possessions, including many cattle and sheep, and left without any idea of where he was going. Taking giant steps of faith, Abraham started walking. Continue reading
Hope and Faith
HOPE WISHES.
FAITH EXPECTS!
Am I Like Harry Houdini?
Phillip Baker, in his Daily Move, sent out this short message:
Harry Houdini once failed to unlock a door. He had never failed to pick a lock. So, what happened? The door was already unlocked. All he had to do was kick it open. Many times Christians believe a door is locked to them, when all they have to do is kick it open. What took place at Calvary unlocked everything. Continue reading
Daily God 