Inspirations

  Even though it's cold and snowy,  I am sitting here in my comfy chair sipping a soda but sometimes it's coffee. On tv, the weather channel is yammering something about another hurricane in Florida. My daughter just ran into the room, tripped over the cat, and fell in a heap on the floor. I must get to bed soon because five O'clock will come early. I'll be sleeping soundly in my warm fuzzy bed  when the alarm blares bringing my slumber to an end. In the past few years, I have turned some corners and life has thrown me some curveballs. I have faced things I never expected to face, and I have seen the faithfulness of God in my life. There have been times that I was sure I would not survive, but every day God shows his love for me. My life is far from perfect and some days are diamonds while others present a challenge but I am blessed and thankful for the life I have and  to God who gives us all things abundantly.

  I love music!    Not just any music,  but uplifting music.   Music holds the power  of the spoken word of God.   I am grateful for music  that connects me to God.  For me, there is nothing better  than a worship song to make my spirit soar.    When I am completely stressed  and overwhelmed by the cares of this world,  I thank God that I can take my phone,  put on the mp3 player  and it seems only a few minutes  before the stress is gone and  I am praising God.   How it happens,   I have no clue,  but I know that it does happen.   I thank God that he gives us  songs that can calm  our troubled spirit and make us one with him.    I am grateful that  we do not have to have a great voice, he cares that we praise him;  that our heart is in tune with him.     

Thank you God for how you lead us. Like a shepherd leading his sheep. Sometimes through the words you spoke in the Bible, your written word. at other times, it was the wise words from friends,  coworkers,or neighbors spoken at just the right time. Still other times it was a gentle tug,   a whisper to our heart to move  in one direction or another;  intuition or a sixth sense that one   way or another was right or wrong    Yet, when I listened and obeyed   I found the way was clear, distinct and easy to follow. You never leave us to guess which way to go.                                                                                                      ...

There are tragedy and sadness in everyone's life, No one is exempt. Yet, in the midst of the hurt and pain, God is there. He takes the things that hurt us and make us sad and turns them into things are beautiful. The death of my mother  was a tragedy to my dad. However, because of that tragedy, my dad began to see his need for God. In his brokenness, he found a God that could make him whole.  God turned his ashes into beauty. My dad, in turn, taught me to love God.   I am blessed to know God as my savior because of my dad. God also blessed me with a lovely step-mom Life is harsh at times, and many things are sad,  Yet, if we let him, he will take our ashes and make them into a work of art.   He delights in making the ash heaps of our life beautiful.   When we are broken, God is near, and where there is sorrow, he will turn it into dancing.   Thank you, God, F...

We live in a world of discord.   There are disputes between governments, groups of people; conservative, and liberals,  and church denominations. There are skirmishes between neighbors over a foot of property  or animals in their yard. There are arguments at work; often over time off, or job assignments. Moms and dads square off over many things in a day. Parents and children are often at odds with each other. Sometimes, disagreements are necessary while at other times the disagreements are over trivial things, things that will not matter in the long run. Often the discord is so great, we forget the  harmony  and all we hear is clashing, crashing notes. We have to work to restore the harmony, the peace. Today I am thankful for the people  who provide harmony, the peacemakers.  They have different views and ways of handling things and yet they can work together ...

In a world, and in a time when people carelessly throw their words around, I am thankful that my Lord and God does not throw his word around. When he makes a promise, he keeps it. so when I read: or and    My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there  to prepare a place for you? 3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back  and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:2 These are just a few of the promises God has given us. We can delight in the fact that God can and will keep his promises. He is not slow in Keeping his promises as some consider slowness. When we are in a storm of doubt or discouragement,   when all around us everything is shifting, we can hold on to the promises of God and find strength and comfort for our souls. No word from God will ever fail.

  The world we live in is crazy!  There are shootings every day. We love new experiences and learning about our world,  but we don't know our neighbor. We preach tolerance but refuse to tolerate those who  think differently than we do.   Disease is rampant in our world. People bit and devour each other in their efforts to get a better place. We marry expecting our spouse to be there, but the first storm hits they run often using kids as pawns to hurt each other.  Yes, this world is a crazy place,  but amidst all the twists and turns and craziness of this world,  I have found a solid rock. One that does not shift or move no matter what happens. God. I lie down at night and sleep in peace. and I can rise in the morning with hope because God is in control. I am thankful that the God I serve is in control,  and he is strong enough to face the fiercest battle and win. Crazy does not bother God. He already knows h...

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, Genesis 3:8               On days when I am faced with things beyond my control.  When my troubles seem to overwhelm me,  one of the most calming things that I can do is head outside and go for a long walk.   As I walk,  I find my muddled mind cleared  and I can clearly see the mind of God.   My worries disappear as I set my focus on God and my peace is restored.   As I commune with God,  my spirit and soul are renewed so that I can face my problems with new energy.   Thank you, God, for those long walks when the air is warm,  and I can enjoy nature.   These times are a blessing.   Other times, my walks are more fun than anything else.   My mind and heart is already calm, so I revel in the creation of God. ...

Thank you, God, for work. Thank you for creating us with the desire to work. Thank you for the direction that work often gives us.  Thank you for the work you gave me, even though it comes with it s own set of  struggles and challenges and i t's not perfect. I'm thankful that it also comes with its own reward when you know, you did a job well. So whether your work is detailed, intricate, and demanding or simple and easy be thankful for it. I'm thankful for the friends I've made at work.

 I woke up this morning and went to work.   I wanted to stay in bed and sleep a little longer, but I chose to do the adult thing  and crawl out of my comfortable, warm bed. I often choose what I want to eat, and wear. In fact, sometimes we have so many choices it's hard for people like me to make decisions. I thank God that everyone makes choices, no one is exempt. I thank Him for the good choices I have made, like living for him and following him. I also thank him for the bad choices I have made. They were learning and growing experiences. I thank God that he loves us regardless of our choices. I am grateful that most choices are not fatal or irreversible.

But his mother  treasured  all these things in her heart.  Luke 2:19 As I grow older, my memories have grown sweeter each year. Thank you for my precious memories.  Memories of long walks in the woods. and a winter when there was snow overtops of the trees.                                yes, it did happen.   I wish I had taken pictures. I'm thankful for the many memories we   created in this house                                              I'm thankful for the memories of playing softball. with the pastor of our church. As he stepped to the plate, he said,  "You need to move back further" to the outfield. They laughed until he hit the ball a mile over their heads and into the woods.  He did not run the bases; he walked each...

 Panic alarms.   I love them! When you are in a large parking lot and you can not find your car or remember where you parked, you can push this tiny little button on your key fob  and your car will sound the alarm letting you know where you parked. Today I asked a guy walking into Walmart what he was fixing  and I thought he said he was fixing the panic button.  I saw the humor in the answer he gave and laughed way too hard. As I reflected on the humorous situation, I was reminded that I do have a panic button. So do you. When we get scared, or can't find our way out of situations, we can respond in fear, anger, or temper-tantrums or in some other manner that the world would respond or we can respond by going to God with our problems. I am thankful that God is my panic alarm. When I am afraid, I can trust the one who has gone on ahead to make the way for me.

From the beginning of time, when we were created, God intended us to grow and mature.  Plants start as a seed.   Imagine if potatoes or apples stayed the same size as they were when you put them in the ground,  or watermelon never got any bigger than what it was as a seed.     We would all starve!  Imagine your cat staying the same size as she was the day she was born.   I know kittens and puppies are fun,  but I am sure that it would only take a few days or weeks for us to grow tired of them. As parents, we would panic if our children did not grow.   We love them as babies, but they are not supposed to stay babies.   We want them to grow and become toddlers and teens and adults.   I think God wants us to grow spiritually too.    I imagine he takes as much joy in our growth spiritually as we take in our growth into adults.   I am blessed to see that my children have grown into responsible adults but more tha...

  Today I want to thank God for rest.   In the busy hurry-up lifestyle in which most of us live, we forget to rest.  Sometimes, we look at busyness as something to be envied. We are taught that this is the way to achieve success.  Make no mistake, I believe in hard work. However, God rested. He rested on the seventh day. In fact, he set rest into The Ten Commandments that's how important that rest is to God. Jesus napped in the bottom of the boat. Peter slept chained between two guards. Jonah slept in a storm. Some days I am up early, and I need a God-ordained nap.  For some even when they are in bed and should be resting errrr..... sleeping, they can't turn their brains off long enough to really sleep. God planned rest into our schedule. Even animals understand the need for sleep.   Babies do not need to be told to sleep, they just do anytime, anywhere. Sometimes when we are irritable, the most God-like thing we can do is put the cares of this wo...

                                        I'm not extremely athletic.  A few years ago, with the help of God,  I started to develop a healthier lifestyle.   Part of that lifestyle included exercise.   Even though it's a daily battle, it's one I am learning to win more often.   I've come to see the benefits of exercise.   I feel better and I'm more alert.  My favorite exercise is walking and or running. As I exercise,  I can feel the stress leave my body.  I find myself gaining strength in body soul and spirit.  Exercise also allows me the time to commune with my creator.   Yes, there are many benefits to exercise  and I want to thank God for the blessing of physical exercise.   There was a time when exercise was a bad word that I didn't want to hear.   Thank you, God, for allowing me the privilege of exercise.

 As I think about the things for which I am Thankful.  I want to say, "Thank you, God, for the family that God has blessed me with.    God blessed me with a husband that fills in the gaps in my personality.   I can not imagine my life without him.  So glad you blessed me with him, God. God also blessed me with amazing children each with unique personalities and likes and loves, but I could not imagine my life without them. God has also blessed me with some sisters in Christ.   You have taught me many things, over the years. We encourage each other in our faith.   Share coffee and dreams disappointments and struggles.  But often, we just love each other. You are the friends I needed but was afraid to ask for. There are so many others, my church family. What would I do without you? You loved me first. And friends that though separated by miles are near to my heart. I love you all and I thank God for all of you.

  As we draw closer to Thanksgiving, I want to thank God for reminders.    The fact is that we all need reminders,  from time to time,  to help us stay focused.   Thanksgiving serves as a yearly reminder that we have much to be thankful for.  It is incredibly easy to take many of the blessings of God for granted.   We forget to cultivate a thankful heart.   So at least during the Thanksgiving season, we are reminded to be thankful for what we enjoy.   I know a couple of friends that write down things they are thankful for each day.   Perhaps it's not a bad idea especially if it allows us to remember what God has done for us.   God wants us to remember his blessings.   So while we need to be thankful each day,   Thank you, God, that once a year we can devote a day  to give thanks for all the blessings you have lavished on us.

  I  am thankful today for the valuable gift of time. What a blessing that it is given to each person with impartiality. No one gets more or less than twenty-four hours in a day. Each person is responsible for how they use their time. I am reminded not to  spend all my time working, I can use my time to invest in people.  I can give time to my children and family, help an elderly person, Listen to someone who is struggling. I am grateful that  as time moves on, it  can change things, but mostly, it changes how we see things.  Often a moment,  changes everything as well. I am grateful for the reminder to live well; and make time for what really matters.

  We go to the sink and get some water from the faucet to drink.  We put some water in a pan so we can cook. We toss clothes in a washer, push a button, and wallah we wash clothes. We jump in the shower and hot and cold water is at our disposal. None of us would dream of using dirty, muddy water for any of these tasks. I am grateful that I have clean water to use. It's easy to take the blessing of water for granted, using it without a second thought. So, thank you, God, for the blessing of water. Some people live in places with little to no water, and it's not fresh. Their water is dirty and they  share it with animals. So as you drink some crisp, clean, refreshing water Thank God that you have this luxury. It's easy to forget that not everyone is blessed with clean water. Here is a  link that you can use if you want to help people in other countries to have fresh water. http://waterwellsforafrica.org/

  Today was my turn to teach Sunday School.   Usually, I have a well-organized plan and know exactly what I hope to achieve.   This week was different.   The lady that usually taught could no longer teach, so I ended up with her position.   I knew I wanted to have a Thanksgiving theme but had no idea how to achieve that with this group.   Last night, I had a rough idea of verses to use and a general plan.   As I began the lesson, God put together a lesson way better than one that I would have done.   The lesson was God's.   I am thankful that God often uses our weaknesses  and inabilities to do what we could never do on our own.    It was a perfect lesson, taught by an imperfect person.   I love the times when this happens because it reminds me that  it is ok to not have it all together every time.