One of the life questions I’ve been asked is, “How did you get the peace you seem to have?” Looking back over my life, there was a time in my forties and fifties, when my mantra was, “God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life.” The one-liner was never far from my thoughts and became exactly what a mantra is…a statement repeated frequently.
One of my favorite songs at that time was “He Touched Me”. It was always the added touch I needed. Happy Sunday.
God didn’t pick perfect people to make himself known.
Moses was a murderer. (Exodus 2:12)
David was an adulterer and accomplice to murder. (Samuel 2:11)
Saul (Paul) hated Christians and terrorized them. (Acts 8:3)
Jacob was a deceiver. (Genesis 27)
And yet, these people had a starring role in God’s purpose for his people.
What is his purpose for us?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (The words of Jesus in Mathew 5:48)
We are to strive for perfection by making that phone call, paying that visit, forgiving that hurt, loving those who are difficult to love…and the list goes on.
We don’t have to remain imperfect people. Happy Sunday
I was intrigued by Joe Biden’s speech last night. Among many of the inspiring words he spoke, he mentioned a favorite hymn of his late son, Beau. It captured the faith that sustained Joe in his lifetime; a lifetime of much grief and sorrow. And yet he came through it with his faith intact and achieved his goal of being elected President of the United States after two previous attempts.
This hymn speaks to many of us, but not all of us hear it. Here then is On Eagle’s Wings sung by Josh Groban. Happy Sunday.
Do you have a favorite book in the Bible? I have several but today will lean on the book of Romans which has been a blessing to me for many years. Here are a few scriptures from that book.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
Love must be sincere. Romans 12:9
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15
Live in harmony with one another. Romans 12:16
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18
It would be wonderful to hear about your favorite scriptures. Happy Sunday.
Do you sometimes relive your childhood? Does it make you feel glad or sad? How do we reconnect to that childhood? Here is one way gleaned from the Internet:
Start by deciding to abandon caution and to give this a try. Start by identifying the qualities of children you’d like to emulate: curiosity, play, living in the moment, abandoning worries, imagination, creativity, pure joy. Observe children. Watch how they play, how they live, how they create, how they ask questions.
And here is some of what the Bible says about children:
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
“And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:16
Happy Sunday.
Scripture makes mention of the fruit of the womb in Deuteronomy 28:11…The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your womb.
And again in Deuteronomy 30:9…Then the Lord will make you most prosperous in the fruit of your womb.
Deuteronomy 28:4 says The fruit of your womb will be blessed.
My prosperity consists of three daughters and two sons; seven grandsons and seven granddaughters; eight great-granddaughters and four great-grandsons.
Our prosperity comes in many different ways and I consider mine to be the fruit of my womb. Whatever your prosperity, may it bless you in all ways. Happy Sunday.
At our Session meeting last Monday, our Pastor mentioned the prayer of Jabez. It reminded me of one of the many trying times in my life when I cried out to God for help. One day The Prayer of Jabez, by Bruce Wilkinson, jumped out at me in a Christian book store where I worked part time. It helped me in many ways and the Jabez Prayer became a constant in my life for a long time…and my “territory” was definitely enlarged when I became an elder in 2008, and my family continues to grow in leaps and bounds. I also wrote about this book and prayer in 2017. Here, then, is the prayer of Jabez. Happy Sunday.
Here is a great song from the seventies. I suggest we think of God singing it rather than Daniel Boone; especially when he sings, “When you say, say, say, say that you love me…”. God loves when we say that we love him, whether strolling a park, riding a car, getting a burger…whatever.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” John 21:15
Every day is a beautiful day with God in it. Happy Sunday.
Ecclesiastes 3:5…a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
Hugging is one of my favorite things to do, and Covid has really put the kibosh on this life-enhancing activity.
A friend sent me a newspaper article, “Embracing the Virtual Hug” wherein the writer described all the different ways and means of the hug. It made me long for one even more; but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Now I’m wondering how many others are missing their hugs.
That is why I’m sending out this virtual hug. Happy Sunday.
Job 8:21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
This scripture prompted me to post some Sunday humor:
Haircuts and Walking
A young boy had just gotten his driver’s permit and asked his father if he could now use the car. His father made him a deal. “You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, get your hair cut and we’ll talk about the car.” The boy agreed and six weeks later his father said to him, “Son, I’m real proud. You brought your grades up and I’ve seen that you’ve been studying your Bible but I’m disappointed that you haven’t gotten your hair cut.” The son responded, “You know, Dad, I’ve noticed that in the Bible Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and even Jesus had long hair,” to which his father replied, “Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?”
Happy Sunday.
My Precious Life 