Inspirations

When you pass through the  waters , I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  Isaiah 43:2 The past few months have been as tumultuous as a sea in a hurricane .    I feel like I have been tossed into an ocean, and the water is rising.   I am facing struggles that I never thought I would face.   The betrayal of a friend, death, financial struggles, and sickness, personal, and now global. Now to top it off, there is a quarantine.   No going anywhere except to work. It's enough to make me want to throw my hands in the air in defeat. I think we all feel that way right now.   We have all face these struggles, and when they assault us all at once It is easy to feel overwhelmed,  exhausted, and stressed, like just one more thing will drag us under. ...

Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.” This afternoon, I realized that I needed to make a transfer from an old-style savings account that had a book,  to my checking account.   I had about 15 minutes before the bank closed,  so I quickly hopped in the car and drove to the bank (Yes, I am aware that there is online banking).  I arrived at the bank with minutes to spare. I looked in my purse to find the book I needed and came up empty. The book was not in the purse as I supposed.   No book means I can't transfer money from the account. That's a problem. I went into the bank, and the nice l...

This year has been full of ups and downs.  Some amazing things occurred that took my breath away, but there were also some things that brought tears. I could wish those moments never happened or I can see them as stepping stones and use them for good. I guess I see each year and each day like a heartbeat, filled with highs and lows, ups and downs. If it weren't would we be alive?  Of course not. So I will see each year as a year. and each day as a day. There will be some wonderful moments, and some things that teach us and shape us, either way, it will be a great new year! 

Well, here it is Wednesday,  and I am sitting here mentally making a list of things to get done in less than a week. I promised myself I would have everything done early, so I could relax.  I failed.   Life got in the way.   There were so many things to get done that I completely forgot my promise to myself.   We have all made pledges either to ourselves or others and broke those promises.   Broken promises leave us hurt and disappointed.   God, however, has kept every promise he has ever made. So when He promised a savior, He kept that promise too. It didn't look the way everyone expected, so people were confused. They expected a ruler to save them from Roman tyranny, but He, in His wisdom, knew that they needed inner, lasting peace, so he came as a baby in a manger. Sometimes we, in our humanity, break our vows, either intentionally or unintentionally. We all understand ...

he will crush [ b ]  your head,      and you will strike his heel.”  Genesis 3:15 As we begin the Christmas season,   I think it's appropriate to look at the beginning of the Christmas story See, the story begins way back in the  garden of Eden when Eve introduced sin into the world, God had a plan. A plan to correct the sin problem that we all have. We see it in the promise he made in this verse.  "H e will crush   your head,   and you will strike his heel.” I love that, God, knowing we would sin, set a plan in motion.   But the plan, though set in motion in Eden, spanned thousands of years. Things had to be just right, and the timing had to be perfect.  His plan was simple a sinless man, taking on the sins of the world. Adam and Eve had long since died, and there was no sign of a plan. nothing to even hint that God had even remembered the plan or the promise. D...

God’s plan to save the world, came with a promise,  and the promise brought hope.   Years before the baby was born, the promise was bringing hope.    They knew that God kept his promises,  so there was hope.    In the darkest of times,  the words spoken by the prophets were  a glimmer of light in the distance that kept them going.   The sign was not yet fulfilled,  but they knew it would happen.   That must have brought comfort to their weary souls.   Then, amid choirs of angels,  and the din of a stable,  and under the light of a star,  and the racket of a crowded town,  God made his entrance into the world he created.   He came not as an adult but as a baby.   His first cries, as all births do, brought hope.   But this birth brought hope not just for...

As we go through our day, we are often faced with things that irritate or annoy us. Someone steals our parking spot Washing the dishes McDonald's messed up our order We spill our drink We lose our keys again We lock ourselves out of the apartment/house We get a flat Shoveling Snow These are all things that can annoy us and make our day sad if we let them. Tonight after work I went to get my jacket only to discover that it was missing.   That in itself is not a problem.  Don't misunderstand me, I like the coat, but I rarely form attachments to articles to things.   However, my keys were in the jacket pocket.  Having no keys meant that I would have no transportation home.  Did I mention it was cold?  It was freezing.  It was irritating because I had to call my husband and have him bring another set of keys.   I was irritated until I put the situation in perspective. The fact that my keys were missing means I have a ...