Happy Father's Day!

Psalm 119:64(MSG)
Your love, God, fills the earth!  Train me to live by Your counsel.

My Daddy taught me well!

Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads out there! 

Once again, I find myself at a  place of thankfulness for the people that the Lord has placed in my life.  My father is one of those people.  He has provided such consistency throughout my life that I find his mere presence to bring stability to any situation that I might be facing.  He has trained me to live by God's Word and be strong and courageous.  His smile and laughter fill my heart with joy.  Hats off to my Daddy on this day and every other day throughout the coming years! 

Lord,
Thank You for blessing me with a father who has modeled grace, wisdom, and consistent love.  Thank you for his counsel and for guiding him to train me in Your ways!
In Jesus Name,
Amen

Commitment

Psalm 119:63(MSG) I'm a friend and companion of all who fear You;  of those committed to living by Your rules.



Celebrating our anniversary with a rainy walk along
 the shores of Cayo Costa Island.

 

Friendship and companionship.  What a great verse to ponder this week as my husband and I are celebrating our 25th year of marriage!  It has been so beautiful to spend these years with a man who lives with a deep devotion to God.  A man who stands firm in the face of adversity; stays consistent in his dedication to the Lord with a palpable reverence for His word; and models clear Godly leadership in our home.  I am truly blessed and so thankful! 

Lord,
Thank You for providing Your word and Holy Spirit to guide and direct our lives.  May Your name continue to be honored in our home. 
In Christ's name,
Amen

 

What To Do With A Sleepless Night

Psalm 119:62(MSG)

May snow storm?  Huh?  In the Midwest?!

I get up in the middle of the night to thank You;  Your decisions are so right, so true--I can't wait till morning!

Confession time here. I'm rarely thankful when I wake up in the middle of the night. I wish I could tell you that I am, but unfortunately, if I find myself coherent in the darkness of night when everyone else is sleeping, my mind is anything but thankful. First of all, this rarely happens, because I am a very good sleeper for the most part.  However, on those rare nights when I can't sleep, I will often succumb to a mind full of worry.  For some reason, the black stillness of the hour brings a deluge of thoughts and like a derailed train headed for catastrophe, if I don't reign those thoughts in, I'm headed for even more distress. 

This scripture gives clear direction for what to do the next time I find myself sleepless.  I will literally count my blessings with a thankful heart and meditate on the Word of God and His promises while I lift up every worry to a God who loves me.  I will not get my eyes on circumstances that I cannot change, but rather, I will choose to ponder on the promise that He will be with me in those circumstances.  In her book, Each New Day, Corrie ten Boom writes, "We are not called to be burden-bearers, but cross-bearers and light-bearers.  We must cast our burdens on the Lord."  Yep...good advice indeed. 

Lord,
Thank You for bringing the light of Your word to the dark and sometimes scary places in our minds.  Your peace will always overcome our anxiety as we remain in You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen

Book Review: The Sky Beneath My Feet by Lisa Samson

The Sky Beneath My Feet”, by Lisa Samson is a well written and entertaining book!

The Sky Beneath My Feet, by Lisa Samson is one of the first fiction books I’ve read in quite some time.  I generally am drawn to biographies, autobiographies, or general information gathering genres, but the title of this book caught my eye.  Stop and think about it for a second.  The sky does not belong beneath our feet, right?  The curiosity for where this book was going didn’t end with the title, either.  What a fun journey the author takes you on!

The Sky Beneath My Feet centers around a middle aged wife of a pastor and mother of two teenage boys.  The reader is drawn into her life and, in fact, her every thought, as she walks through her daily life of leading a strong Christ centered home.  The sometimes mundane and at other times perilous and confusing obstacles that she encounters along the way are what the body of this book is about.  The intrigue only grows as you read further into the details of Beth’s life (the main character) and see how the actions of one person can have a ripple effect on all those around.

The theme of this book begins to surface about midway through the chapters after a flurry of well written narration.  My take away on this book’s message is that our positive behaviors work for the good of all involved and on the flip side, our poor choices could inadvertently serve to be a harmful catalyst descending toward despair.  Either way, the decisions we follow in life are ours to make and will set us on a course for better or for worse. 

I enjoyed reading this book.  It was entertaining, thought provoking, and allowed a bit of escapism from the daily realities of life.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a good read! 

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me with this review copy of The Sky Beneath My Feet by Lisa Samson through BookSneeze.  The positive review of this book was my opinion and not a requirement for receiving this review copy.

His Plan For You

Psalm 119:61(MSG)
The wicked hemmed me in--there was no way out--but not for a minute did I forget Your plan for me.

Never forget God's plan for your life.  He has promised you a future.  He has assigned you a task, or perhaps many of them, here on earth and then upon completion of those assignments, He has a room waiting just for you!  I sure don't want to miss that! 

This verse sounds rather hopeless in the beginning, but it's ending assures me that I am destined for great things here on earth and in heaven!  As we head into this week leading up to Easter, I can't think of a better time to remember His plan of salvation for you!  Jesus lays it all out for us in the following verses shortly before He departs this world.  In my darkest hours.....when it seems there is no way out....I pray that I will not forget the plan that Jesus has for my life.  If you are reading these words right now, please know that I have prayed the same for you.

John 14:1-6(MSG)
"Don't let this throw you.  You trust God, don't you?  Trust me.  There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home.  If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you?  And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live.  And you already know the road I'm taking."  Thomas said, "Master, we have no idea where you're going.  How do You expect us to know the road?"  Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life.  No one gets to the Father apart from me.

Father,
Thank you for the gift of Your son!  Help us to remember that You are always with us...that You will not leave us or forsake us...and that Your plan for our life is perfect.  Empower us with wisdom and strength to walk in Your ways with grace and love.
In Christ's Name,
Amen