Inspirations

  Thank you, God, for my pets. They often provide love, companionship, and devotion. They calm me down when I am upset, and cheer me when I am sad. They often demand so little and give so much.  Our pets depend on us for most of their care and yet they are often happy to see us at the end of a long day.  Thank you, that there are a variety of pets so that no matter what my preference and personality, there is a pet for me. Whether your pet crawls, or walks, or flies is warm-blooded or cold  Thank you, God, for our pets.

  Thank you, God that in times of  extreme sadness  when it seems all is lost, I can pray and receive help in my time of need. When my joy cannot be contained and overflows what a joy to converse with you. When my way is unclear and my steps seem uncertain, my joy is found in coming to you for direction. It doesn't matter whether it's the dead of night or the middle of the day.  There's never a time when God does not care  or when he's not there. No problem is so trivial that you cannot be bothered or so great that you are not greater still. What a joy just to chat with you anytime anywhere. Not just to ask for things  but to let you know all the details of our life. To tell you we care about the needs of our friends and the cares of our family, the body of Christ. As we pray we find that peace is restored and our joy is greater and deeper than we can imagine.

  My day can get crazy! Appointments, work,  family obligations,  church, it all takes a toll on me. I end up tired, cranky And easily irritated. I am around people every day, tons of them. All of them have needs and burdens, Just like me. Desiring to help, I often come away feeling overwhelmed, Drained, Emotionally exhausted. In our pleasure-driven society,  where going places and doing things seems to be the hallmark of success, I am thankful for Our Lord's example of going away to be himself. He hid away from the “world,” so he could get recharged. “After he had dismissed them,  he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,” If the Son of God needed alone time, brothers and sisters, So, do we. I thank God for the times when I can be alone with him, Even if it means getting up early Or staying up late just to have that time. I find myself better able to help others, When I have found a place and time to b...

  Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.    Ezekiel 3:17 God told Ezekiel he was a watchman.   Watchman is an obsolete word.    However, in the ancient world, the watchman was the one in a position to see what was happening.   A city would build a wall. The watchman was the one who would stay on the wall watching to see if an enemy was coming.   If they saw an enemy, they would blow a trumpet and warn the people.   Their job, if you will, was to report what they saw.   They were to warn the people that the enemy was attacking.   Friends, we are God's watchmen.    We are the city on a hill, the perfect vantage point to see what is taking place.    We can see the brother caught in addiction.   We can see the sexual indiscretions.  We can see our friend ready to make a bad choice. ...

You wake up, crawl out your warm cozy bed,  make your way the coffee maker and get your coffee.   With your coffee in your hand,  you sit down to watch the weather before you face the day.    The weatherman tells you about a disturbance in the Atlantic.   Overnight, a storm is looming.  It may or may not come your direction.   You keep your eye on the storm.   You also prepare.   You will gather necessities such as food, toilet paper, water.    You board the windows and sandbag your house.   You may even have somewhere safe to go in the event the storm is too strong.   Often have an emergency kit.   A few things that you might need if the weather gets bad.   Sometimes life can throw a hurricane at us.   It's the kind of troubles and trials that we can see looming in the distance.    These are the things that you try to prepare for ahead of time...

    Some storms pop up without warning out of nowhere.    One moment the weather is fine and the sun is shining,   the next the dark clouds are rolling in,   the thunder roars and lightning streaks across the sky.    There is little time to prepare.    There is no time to prepare for this kind of storm.    They blow in and blow out fast.   In our lives, we may experience some pop-up storms.    They are the situations in our life that pop up without warning.    One moment our life is calm and serene   and in a second the storm has come barreling down on us.    There is no way for us to prepare for these storms.    They may bring rain or a tornado one never knows or a small shower.   The only thing we can do is hang on and wait out the storm.    Don't get me wrong,   they can wreak havoc but they rarely last a long time.    Maybe you're in the middle ...

The past few months have been horrible for me.  I have faced some storms that I never  thought I would face. My life has never been easy, but the things I face now seem  insurmountable.  I don't say this to gain pity or have anyone feel bad for me. Instead, I want  to encourage you with these words from the gospel of John.  " In this world you will have  trouble." Trials and troubles  are a certainty and we can expect nothing less.   We all face  storms and no one is exempt.   For some of us, the storm  is the betrayal of a friend.  For  others, It may be a financial setback.   Still, others face the storm  of divorce.  For many, it is  sickness or death.  If you are not facing a raging storm at the  moment,  hang on it's likely around  the next curve in the road.  Storms always bring so much  uncertainty.  Sometimes as the ...