We Can Choose to be the Storm or the Eye of the Storm

The eye of the storm is that still, calm place in the middle of a storm. We may think we've been in a storm for some time now with the fierce intensity of the pandemic and the political and racial issues and now Hurricane Isaias has prompted warnings in the Bahamas and parts of Florida. I have known violent weather, spiritual and physical storms. I was tossed about and worn out by them. I also know the eye of the storm when peace prevailed as storms swirled around about me. I realized God actually kept us in the "eye" of the storm throughout the storm. And, better yet, I've realized that I can actually BE the eye of the storm for others in the middle of their situations, conflicts, stresses, circumstances and controversies.

Don’t we desire that others see something genuine in us that represents a safety net for them – someone to go to for consolation, for comfort, for wisdom, for assurance that everything is going to be alright? That safety net or life-vest that we provide during someone’s storm, can be the “eye of the storm” where they find comfort and solace. That is part of the “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” commandment that Jesus said was second only to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.” (Matt 22:37-39)

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that the longer we are married, the more we start to favor our spouse and even take on each other’s characteristics. Last week, I laughed at my kids, Larry and Staci. Time and again, they would finish each other’s sentences. And, better yet, the more we hang out with God, read His Word, cherish it and speak it, the more we’ll start to look and act like Him and take on His characteristics of peace, calm, love, joy, kindness, etc., and the more we'll be able to bring about all those characteristics in situations we may be in or encounter. And, when we listen to His Word spoken or read – we’ll even begin to quote passages of His Words.

So, if we represent His peace in the middle of chaos, then even our presence, can cause peace to come to the storm. The atmosphere of the storm can change simply because we are so calm and peaceful. He can make us the EYE of the storm, not only to ourselves and our families, but even to those around us.
To you, today, my dear friends and family, I pray you not only encounter He who is our peace in the middle of the storms you are facing today, but that you BECOME the peace (the EYE of the storm) that settles the score.....John 14:27 “I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my own peace. I’m not giving it to you as the world gives. So, don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid."

I love Ryan Stevenson's song, “In the Eye of the Storm”......
“In the eye of the storm, You remain in control.
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul.
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn.
Your love surrounds me, in the eye of the storm."

Finding a Peaceful Place to Land

Sounds like I’m looking for a Peace Island – worry-free, troubles-free, people-who-disagree-with-me free, chaos-free, hatred-free, discord-and-distrust free. Peace Island is all peace and calm and comfort. Another name for this Peace Island is Fantasy Island – because, well – we won’t find any place on this earth where peace reigns supreme.

Our Lord guaranteed it. Straight from our Lord are His words from John 16: 33 “In the world you will have trouble!” I have my fingers in my ears because I don’t want to hear about troubles. “No, Lord! I don’t want troubles. With all due respect, that’s not Peace Island!” And the Lord replies ever so tenderly: “Oh, yes, daughter, it is – “IN ME you will have peace because I have overcome the world.” That’s the rest of John 16:33.

My lightning fast mind gets it now. No need to book a flight to a far-off island to find peace, because it’s not a “that” or an “it” place. It’s a “He” place. We find that peace in His presence. It is the only place of peace that we can obtain beyond our thoughts and feelings. It is the peace that comes with Divine awareness AND the Gospel truth where we find goodness, mercy, joy, hope and peace. BUT, we must intentionally and purposefully go there. We must refuse to live in turmoil and confusion. We must protect ourselves from the gloom and despair that outside sources pander to us. Mentally speaking, we must choose to take the pathways, hallways, byways and highways to get to Peace Island.

Jesus promised we could have Peace Island in our everyday routines of work, play and sleep -- in good and bad times. Here are Jesus’ words from John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Let’s go to Peace Island, but not alone. Let’s be promoters of peace. The antidote to opposition and evil is to walk in the opposite spirit -- being peace promoters. We can promote peace with our words of truth, kindness, gentleness and with our actions – reflecting the peace walk and talk of Jesus. Others will see something distinctly different about those who live in AND on "Peace Island" daily. We are the ones wo trust that God will use even the worst things that we face in life, for good (Romans 8:28) -- so we might as well choose PEACE! We pray for that peace – peace for ourselves and others. Lord, let there be peace on earth, and let it begin in me.

Check Out This Peace Zone

My daughter and I met up to nail down our supplies and food list for Payton's annual-birthday-celebratory fishing trip next week. Always his birthday request! Meeting at their courtyard was the perfect place. You can see by Emma’s peaceful demeanor, it is definitely a peace zone. That is – until another dog strolls by and, she thinks she’s a hundred-pound Doberman by the way she’s ready to take that dog out. It's hilarious because, at her ripe age, she has very few teeth left. It is definitely her bark – not her bite that guards their home!

But, this morning, Emma isn’t distracted by anything outside of her domain. She’s at peace. And with that, Staci and I strike up a conversation about less striving, less hustle, less hassle and more living in that place of peace that only comes from a deep, intimate relationship with the Prince of Peace. Emma must know Him intimately.

Don’t we desire that more than anything? That simply flowing, abiding and living in the peace that Jesus lived in when He walked this earth. I mentioned it before and I urge you again to watch “The Chosen” series. Throughout the series you see Jesus meandering along – intentional and purposeful – yet unhurried, not filled with anxiety or trepidatious about what is about to happen, but always on the look-out to strike up a conversation, to bring understanding and peace to matters of strife, to calm troubled waters – both naturally and in the people He encountered.

The scripture that comes to mind is from Luke 4, the passage where people became so angry at Jesus, as He taught in their synagogue, that they tried to push Him off a cliff. But in verse 30, it says “He walked away”. I love that. He walked away from the chaos to get into His peace zone. I purpose to live in that peace zone too. When I choose that peace and something comes up that unsettles me, then I walk away too!

And, in the matters of life, as long as I fix my thoughts on my Prince of Peace, I'm stable and at peace. I know the world's peace depends on calm seas, favorable circumstances, getting our way, things going as expected, with very few challenges. That sounds comfy, but as soon as our "apple cart gets turned over", the peace of the world dissipates and we are left with anxiety and concern. The peace I know well is the peace Jesus gives. That peace helps me face circumstances with a quiet confidence that guides me -- not contingent on what's going on around me, but what's inside me -- better yet, WHO'S inside me. Jesus said, "Peace, I give you -- my peace I give you -- not as the world gives I you! Let not your heart be troubled." John 14:27

Taking “Training Up a Child” to a Whole New Level

During this unexpected schooling-at-home, I have received so much entertainment from many of my friends. I’ve watched some hilarious antics, as well as creative YouTube videos of moms becoming “at-home-school” principals. One meme said: “Homeschool Day 1: Wondering how I can get this kid transferred out of my class”. Another one said: “It’s Day 1 of Homeschool: Out of the four of us, only three of us cried.” And, this one: “Home Schooling Update: My child just said I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year.”

I was able to fly the coop to my Austin family. I'm enjoying my two youngest grands with their homeschooling. Bryson, age 13, is good at it since he's been homeschooled for years. Brennan, age 15, has adapted well. I witnessed him creating and giving a presentation via video in several locations around their property with creativity and ingenuity. Amazing!

Homeschooling wasn't a consideration back in my day. But, church-schooling was. In those years, we learned every Bible story and memorized a lot of scriptures. Even in those early years, we learned to call upon the God of those Bible stories and scriptures to be our "help". The older we became, the more we realized that all of those years of child training established us in life. We carried those same principles on, and into our children, who are leading their own children by that example.

I’ve loved seeing the moms and dads who are integrating Bible stories and scriptures into their homeschooling during this quarantine. The scripture “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he’ll not depart from it” is an ANCHOR scripture from Proverbs 22:6. What if God allowed these times to be the foundation for their present and future – even to the extent of their future children someday?

Children are so impressionable in their environments. Where there is abusive language and actions or where there is calm and patience – they will potentially take on as their normal. They learn by example. I realize our faith was built upon the example of our parents and what they taught us from the way they loved each other and spoke to or about each other. They instilled in us the fortitude, tenacity, unwavering faith and strength to draw from, and to know that God loves us unceasingly. They taught us that when the going gets tough and pressures seem insurmountable, we have a confidence in knowing God is able and willing to meet our every need. We know our hope and trust was, and always will be, in the One whose steadfast love never ceases and His faithfulness will always carry us through.

Seriously, dear moms and dads – my heart goes out to you and what you have been forced to take on during this time of quarantine. Hopefully, you’ll never be in these circumstances again after this quarantine ends. But, more than that, I pray these words impress you enough to never stop training your children and grandchildren in the ways they should go. I promise you...it is worth the effort!

Is God Sleeping or Wide Awake on Your Boat?

This may or may not be my last post related to fishing. The inspiration just keeps coming! It was Wednesday, May 29th, and we heard it was supposed to rain all day, starting at 7 am. Staci, fisher-woman extraordinaire, announced the night before, "If we’re down at the river by 6 am (sun-up), we’ll get in at least an hour of fishing before it starts. And, so, it was. We showed up at 6 am and at 7 am, no rain; 8 am to 2 pm – still no rain. It was an entire morning of hauling in loads of fish and, to boot, it was a morning of helping a young boy and his mom learn how to fish for trout. For lunch, we made a campfire and roasted hot dogs on dry tree limbs and logs. Thank you, God, for the “little things” – keeping the rain away for us to enjoy this morning. We were satisfied with our full morning and some of the afternoon. Go ahead, God, let it rain!

THEN, torrential rain came which made for great afternoon naps! All of us! By the way, we didn’t have access to wifi at our cabin so we weren’t aware of anything other than a good old downpour and thunder that makes for great snoozing! We all woke up when our electricity went out at 5 pm. Fortunately, we took plenty of flashlights and candles. Our plans for baking our lasagna were spoiled so we had sandwiches, guacamole, salsa, and chips. .Yummy -- no complaints! And, while the thunder rolled, lightning flashed, winds howled, and rain pounded on the roof, we, in our serendipity world….played cards – expecting any minute for the electricity to be restored.

The rain stopped. Larry and Staci and the kids headed out to see when our electricity would be restored because, by now, we started thinking about our refrigerator getting warm and the haul of food we had in there could be in jeopardy. The Park Ranger declared “There’s no electricity between here and Texas – we were just hit by a tornado! There is damage all around the park – trees down, RV’s damaged." WHAT??? And we weren’t warned?? Supposedly, the Park Rangers had been on their air horns announcing imminent danger – but again, in our little calm and peaceful “boat” – we were completely secure knowing Jesus was on board. It never entered our minds that there had been a potential danger.

On the other hand, what good would it have been to have known and been worried and concerned? We didn’t know and we played games, slept, ate and made it through the storm just fine. When we implicitly place our trust in He Who is on board our "life" boat – we can be at peace in any storm -- in the natural, and in our spirits.

I sincerely believe that when we place our faith in our Father, stay closely knit to Him through all phases of life, He will keep us calm in the storms when we live by Psalm 91:1 (911 - our emergency number) "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Remember Jesus, His disciples and their "boat" story in Mark 4:38-40? "But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

God is looking out for His kids -- let's let Him!

In the Eye of the Storm

It has been said that music brings a soothing, healing effect to those in pain or in stress or crisis. Kari Jobe's song, "Healer" soothed my sweetheart's racked-with-pain-body as we played it over and over for him. That's why I chose "Amazing Grace" and "It is Well With My Soul" to post about over the last two days. I know God was giving me those songs to not only inspire me for the tough times, but also those of you that needed an encouraging word that could take you through to tomorrow.

I grew up in church singing hymns, of which many were written and composed during the most perilous and painful times. Indeed the sound of music has brought such healing and calm to me when I needed it most.

While watching the progression of Irma on the news yesterday, I kept hearing them talk about the "eye of the storm" -- that period of time during a storm when it becomes calm. And, whether things get better or worse after it, we know our anchor is God and His love and peace surrounds us....in the eye of the storm. It reminded me of this more recent recorded song that has blessed me so much.

May the words encourage those of you who are facing storms today -- literally AND figuratively -- with the calmness of knowing....God is in control. The YouTube link is at the end of my post.

In the eye of the storm, You remain in control.
And in the middle of the war, You guard my soul.
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me, in the eye of the storm.

When the solid ground is falling out from underneath my feet.
Between the black skies, and my red eyes, I can barely see.
When I realize I've been sold out by my friends and my family,
I can feel the rain reminding me.....

In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me , in the eye of the storm.

When my hopes and dreams are far from me
And I'm runnin' out of faith.
I see the future I picture slowly fade away.
And when the tears of pain and heartache,
Are pouring down my face,
I find my peace in Jesus' name.

In the eye of the storm , You remain in control
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul.
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn.
Your love surrounds me, in the eye of the storm

When the test comes in and the doctor says
I've only got a few months left.
It's like a bitter pill I'm swallowing, I can barely take a breath.
And when addiction steals my baby girl,
And there's nothing I can do
My only hope is to trust You, I trust You, Lord

https://www.ccmmagazine.com/media/stream/video/music-video/ryan-stevenson-eye-of-the-storm/

BE the EYE of the Storm

I remember my 7th grade science class enough to know about the "eye" of the storm -- that still, calm, quiet place in the middle of a storm. As I read the post I made 7 years ago during one of the greatest storms of our lives, I realized that God kept us in the "eye" of the storm throughout the storm. And that made me think about how we can actually BE the eye of the storm when we are present and in the middle of situations, conflicts, stresses, circumstances and controversies.

The closer we become to God, the more we'll take on His characteristics: peace, calm, love, joy, kindness, etc., and the more we'll be able to bring about all those characteristics in situations we may be in or encounter. So, if we represent His peace in the middle of chaos, then even our presence, can cause peace to come to the storm. The atmosphere of the storm can change simply because we are so calm and peaceful. I urge you to read this post that I made 7 years ago and see how He can make us the EYE of the storm around us.

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Dr. Whirlwind and Dr. Peace -- Relax. Trust Me. (July, 2010)
Seven years ago my sweetheart was taken to the hospital. We were in another "emergency" situation with his health.

We were faced with yet another major decision. Our primary Neurosurgeon (NS) was enjoying himself as he rode in the Tour de France. His partner was acting in his behalf -- handling our case. Unlike our Neurosurgeon, this NS was hyper, abrupt, negative, and sincerely lacked the "bedside manner" that we had been used to. When it appeared that Ron's kidneys were not functioning, when his legs were losing feeling, when a mileogram indicated that his spinal cord was being compressed, and when lab results were unfavorable, this NS said "I don't want to operate!!! I don't want to operate!!! But I will not have you go paralyzed under my watch, so I must operate! Tomorrow morning, we'll see what the lab reports say and then we'll operate if your kidney function numbers are better!! I'm posting NPO (no food or water) after midnight on your door! I'll see you in the morning" Whew!!! Whirlwind in……take a deep breath…..PEACE OUT!

It was then that I grabbed Karen's hand (Ron's sister) and said "Let's go for a walk around the hospital!" As we did, we prayed for God to encamp His angels around the hospital, for God's healing touch to Ron, for wisdom and knowledge to our medical team, and then, God gave us a sincere desire to see our stand-in NS touched by God's love, to witness the Light of Jesus in us, and to experience the same peace that we were experiencing. As we made our 6th round, we noticed lying on the grass at the corner of the hospital grounds was a Mama cat and her baby. They watched us intently, and never flinched. Immediately, we could sense God saying to us "RELAX -- peace -- I am with you -- Trust Me!" We made our final and 7th round, and just as we had not seen the cats in rounds one to five, they were gone on the 7th, but those words resonated within us. We came back to the hospital room and Ron, Staci, our daughter and her husband, Larry, were singing and praising God for the answer we knew He would give us the next morning. We went to sleep that night, completely at peace, knowing that God would be orchestrating the plans for the next day.

Early, the next morning, we were awakened by the lab technicians to draw the blood for the lab tests. At 6:30 am, our stand-in NS (aka Dr. Whirlwind) came in the room exasperated, saying "I'm so upset! The labs are not in yet and I have a surgery at St. John's in 15 minutes. I have a full day of patients that I will have to reschedule. Let me check your legs. They appear stronger. I believe you're stable. So, are we going to operate or not?" Ron, so at peace, replied, "I don't think so; I think we'll wait until next week!" Then Ron shared about his Dad's healing of cancer and lived another 15 years. We watched Dr. Whirlwind calm down, relax and experience a few moments of peace -- even though he was late for his next surgery. I asked him if he liked his work. He said, "Yes, but I can't stop thinking about it -- at work or when not at work." I said, "Then you are a dedicated, gifted physician and, obviously, God called you to do what you do. We're going to pray that He gives you balance and that you find peace." To that, he let me hug him and, in a complete shift in demeanor, he gave us his best wishes, and peaceably removed the NPO sign off the door. Ron enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Later that day, the lab results came in. Ron's kidney functions were drastically improved, his legs were stronger and we relaxed in knowing that God would cradle us in His arms….until our primary NS would return to Tulsa.

When our NS, Dr. Tomacek aka Dr. "Peace", returned, he reviewed all the excitement we'd been through in his absence and gave us his optimistic expectations about the surgery he would do in a couple of days. He told us that while in France, he went to Notre Dame de Lourdes. He said he saw thousands of people coming there for healing, and he prayed for us. I told Ron, "I choose to believe that Doc received a healing touch so much so that when he operates on Thursday, that his hands which were touched by God, will impart that healing to you." I was bold enough to believe that God uses many different ways to bring healing to us.

The next night, my sister-in-law, Karen, and my dear friend, Sheila Michie, and I, took another march/walk around the hospital. With the same fervor, determination, and faith, we expected the same peace that carried us that far in our faith journey to carry us through that surgery and onto complete wholeness. We looked for the Mama Cat and her baby. They didn't show up, but we still heard the words "Relax. Trust Me." And we did.

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And, to you, today, my dear friends and family, I pray you not only encounter He who is our peace in the middle of the storms you are facing today, but that you BECOME the peace (the EYE of the storm) that settles the score.....John 14:27 “I’m leaving you at peace. I’m giving you my own peace. I’m not giving it to you as the world gives. So don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid."

Surprise! It Snowed Last Night!

I'm feelin' the love. God's love, that is, because yesterday morning, here in Tulsa, there was a "sprinkling" of snow everywhere. The morning welcomed me with such tenderness and peace. I just had to quickly grab a couple of photos. Though I find that peace here everytime I visit her, Mom still has her sweet little Christmas tree up, lights burning brightly, and over the fireplace is this "Peace" wreath and the manger scene that reminds me of God's amazing grace. Mom just walked into the room and said, "Look at my little deer -- they're still sleeping." I told her to look outside and she said, "Look what we gave you! (I knew she meant -- her AND God!) LOL! I told her I'd be glad to help her take her decorations down while I'm here and she said, "No, I'm having Helen over on Sunday for lunch and I want the Christmas cheer here still." Don't you love that? My 94-year old mother-in-law still loves to entertain and welcome friends to her home. I get inspired every time I come here.

I said "sprinkling" of snow earlier and that reminded me of a post I made a few days ago where I said "Oftentimes, we just want a "little sprinkling of Jesus" into our day, when, in reality we need a "whole lotta' Jesus in every moment of every day of our lives". That's God's grace.....we certainly need way more than just a "sprinkling" of His grace -- that amazing grace that forgives us and makes us white as snow. Isaiah 1:18 says: "Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;"

That causes me to recall a beautiful song, "Somewhere It's Snowing" written by a dear friend, Stephanie Boosahda. I've been humming it now since I saw the snow this morning. It was also a song sung by another dear friend, Sharon Daugherty, at my daughter's "Winter Wonderland" Wedding.

Following are the lyrics -- but, please, as you read, click on this link so you can hear Stephanie sing it with her beautiful, God-given voice. I promise you -- it will bless you. In fact, why don't you join me in having a little talk with the SNOW-GIVER and ask Him for a good snow cover today to our hearts and soul?

http://stephanieboosahda.bandcamp.com/track/7-somewhere-its-snowing

I once read in a poem, when snow covers the earth,
That it hides the worlds scars, and gives nature new birth,
And they say when a man turns from sin to the Lord,
That forgiveness, like snow, covers him evermore!

And somewhere it’s snowing – see the soft drifting down
As the snowflakes surrender to the hardening ground.
Like the good grace of Jesus that now covers our sin,
In the kingdom of Heaven, it’s snowing, again.

And it's told that the angels lift their hearts and rejoice,
When one traveler turns homeward from his way, to the Lord.
If somewhere someone’s turning, He’s giving His all,
Then God’s grace, like the snow, is beginning to fall!

And somewhere it’s snowing – see the soft drifting down
As the snowflakes surrender to the hardening ground.
Like the good grace of Jesus, that now covers our sin,
In the Kingdom of Heaven, it’s snowing, again.

What is PERFECT Peace?

A couple of weeks ago, I awoke with the words "perfect peace" going on in my mind. I'm always quoting Isaiah 26:3 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."  I don't think I've ever thought about PERFECT peace before.  What is PERFECT peace?

I did a little word study and this is what I found. When that Isaiah 26:3  promise was given, Israel was in a dark period of her history. Now, it helps us during this time when we are surrounded by gloom, doubt, fear and worry. When all is going well, it's easy to read a promise like this in a very superficial way, but when clouds of trial, disappointment, anxiety and alarm blow across our skies and the sun is hidden, these words become very precious to us.

There's not a promise in the Bible that says we will be free from troubles, but God promises something better. He promises peace in the midst of the storm.  In the fiercest of battles, while the storm is at it’s height, the trusting soul can know inward peace and tranquility. There can be a deep down calm and quiet confidence.  PERFECT peace is a condition of freedom from disturbance within the soul.  The Hebrew word for peace, "Shalom," has the idea of soundness of health. Being filled with spiritual peace is to be spiritually healthy and free from all discord in the soul.  There is no room for jealousy, envy, discontentment, uncontrolled temper, selfishness, pride, intolerance, harsh criticism, fear of anxiety, in the soul that is filled with peace.

My photo inspiration, today, gives visual to this PERFECT peace, and so does the story that accompanies it.

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked. One was of a calm lake. It was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This picture did not look peaceful at all.  But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest ... PERFECT peace. Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. Do you know why?  "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.  That is the real meaning of peace."

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

"I have told you all this so that you may have 'peace' in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Enough said.  I wish you this PERFECT PEACE today!

And His Name Shall Be Called Prince of Peace

“And His name shall be called…………Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:7

Of all the scriptures that we hear during the Christmas season, this is one of my favorites. That’s because I have first-hand experience of knowing that peace that can only be found in knowing the Prince of Peace.   He has kept me calm, assured, peaceful and confident during some of the greatest challenges in my life -- dealing with loved ones' illnessses, financial crises, having to make critical decisions and handling day-to-day responsibilities  -- both personally and professionally.

When all seems chaotic and questions loom, and I wonder, “What do I do now?”  -- the light comes on, and, once again, the scripture, "Him (or Her) I will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Me (my Prince of Peace)." Isaiah 26:3, comes to me.  I fix my mind on Him, and His peace always pervades my world, my circumstances, my home and my heart.  Any time anxiety, concern and distraction tries to overtake me, I put on praise and worship music, and the atmosphere is replaced with calm peace and assurance that God has me and all my cares in His control. God knows about this life journey we are all on. He even knows the outcome!

So why should we worry, fret or be concerned?  As 2015 is fast approaching, we may have questions about what our future will look like.  No doubt, we'll encounter our share of ups and downs. But, let's listen, and take to heart the words of Jesus, our Prince of Peace, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

While we can’t know all that 2015 will hold for us, we can know the peace that the Prince of Peace provides and He is able to sustain us through anything that might come our way.
#PrinceOfPeace #GuaranteedPeace