Another Year of Potential and Possibilities

What a breath of fresh air it has been to see such optimism on my FB feed lately. Of course it has to do with all these adorable children heading off to another year of school. Wide-eyed wonder and excitement about what this new year will hold: new friends, new adventures, more challenges that open their minds to possibilities, understanding and building those little minds. They aren’t perplexed at all about what’s going on in politics.

And I especially appreciate how optimistic you parents are with your bold confessions of faith for your kiddos. Maybe the first couple of days were a tackle with getting in a routine again, but for the most part, I’m hearing a sigh of relief that another year is underway. I loved one mom’s prayer: “My prayer tonight as G___ gets ready to take those steps into Middle School and D___ starts a new school year with an unexpected twist. Of all the dreams I have for them, Christ follower is at the top. They've got this and He's got them.♥️”

That’s the attitude we should all have for our children and grandchildren. Of all the knowledge they acquire, all the common sense experiences that they will learn from -- the single most important achievement is to be devoted followers of Christ in their friendships, in the decisions they make and their problem solving with God’s wisdom leading the way.

Luke 2:52 mentions four areas Jesus grew in as a young boy: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.” Our Lord grew wiser and He physically grew. His relationship with His Heavenly Father continuously strengthened. Jesus even gained favor with people who saw Him day to day. I love the simple sentence that precedes this: “His mother kept all these things in her heart.” We never see Mary worried and anxious. She pondered about her son, but she didn’t allow her heart to become rattled.

May we all strive to be like Mary, turning our anxious thoughts into treasured prayers, kept safe and held fast by our loving Father — the one who knows our hearts and loves our children even more than we do. When a concern pops up in our mind, we carry that concern to God. When we start to fear for our child’s future, we petition the One who knows what the future holds -- the One Who knows everything about everything.

Heavenly Father, I pray for all these precious children that are starting a new school year. Protect them, encourage them and fill them with strong minds to learn and grow. Help them to be a great friend and to have great friends. I pray the moms and dads turn their concerns and worries into prayers, knowing You are in control. Please help them to treasure each moment with their children as they grow in wisdom and stature and favor with others and You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Dear God, Is it OK for Us to Pray for our Team to Win?

This is Super Bowl Sunday and if you're not a Rams or Patriots fan, you may not be inclined to feel "passionate" about today's game. You probably don't care one way or the other who wins. But if you are one of those team's fans, you may be as passionate about your team, as I would have been if my Dallas Cowboys had made it the distance.

I heard my son and his buddy talking about the game yesterday. Ryan was giving his support for the Patriots: “Why wouldn’t we want to see the Patriots set records and win again? They have proven themselves to be champions. They have arguably the greatest quarterback of all time and Bill Belicheck is the greatest NFL coach of all time. They’ve created one of the most dominant sports dynasties in American sports history.” Then his buddy declared his case for the Rams: "Sean McVay is the youngest coach in history and Jared Goff is the youngest quarterback at 24 to go to the Super Bowl since Brady won his first Super Bowl at age 24. It’s time to give others a chance to prove themselves!” I was amused at their bantering.

I was also amused by a Fox News story of a pastor who was asking: “Is it OK for us to pray for our team to win the Super Bowl?” I was so taken with his article that I make it part of my post today. Here are some excerpts: “I grew up in New England so you can guess who I am rooting for to win the Super Bowl. I was an athlete and my two boys played college football, so I’ve always prayed for a win.

The majority of people don’t believe you should pray for God’s help. I’m sure most of them think God has better things to do than concern himself with whether the Patriots win their sixth Super Bowl. But the Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything.” Everything includes sports. If you care about your team you can pray for them. Of course, there will also be people praying for the other team. We can pray for success because God wants us to be successful. He wants us to live life to the fullest. My definition of success is fully living out your life’s purpose. God equips us with talents, gifts, passions, and opportunities. And He expects us to fulfill our potential. When we do, we are a success.

Genesis 39:23 tells us, “The Lord was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.” We can certainly pray for God to make us successful too. For the players in Sunday’s game, success means doing their very best with the gifts, talents, and opportunities God gave them. They can certainly pray for that and we can pray that for them as well.

Go ahead and pray for your team on Sunday. Pray that every player on the team plays to his fullest potential. It’s likely that the ones who don’t on either team will decide the outcome of the game. And if by some chance all the players perform to their fullest ability, then the Super Bowl champions will of course be…the Patriots!" -- Pastor Rick McDaniel

I loved the “take away” from this pastor’s post. Pray about everything. That’s our call to action. Pray about our country. Pray about our families. Pray about our neighbors and our friends who need prayer. In the end, God will still be the ultimate, great and sovereign Umpire Who calls the plays and gives penalties OR rewards. That’s what God asks for – to perform to the greatest of our ability and keep praying. We are on the winning team, God’s team and we always win! Just check out the end of His play-BOOK!

Amping Up Back-To-School Prayers for Our Kids AND Us

I see and hear you mamas who are taking those kiddos to school and college. Some of you are elated to get them back-to-school after a long summer. But others, like my niece who took her daughter to college, said: "I'm not gonna lie, I teared up the moment we pulled onto the campus, again while decorating, and more as we walked about. I have a feeling that I’m not done yet!"

To help those moms saying goodbye to their new high school freshmen, I love how Tulsa's Bishop Kelley High School (where my nephew is a Math Teacher and the Girls' Soccer Coach) has a school tradition of the upperclassmen standing outside and welcoming the freshmen with signs that say "Kiss Your Mother Good-bye", and when they do kiss their mom, they scream for joy. Check out the video here: https://www.facebook.com/BKTulsa/videos/2004578409565118/

While the arrival of the school year brings a fresh, new start, it can carry new concerns to a mama’s heart. This photo is of my two on their first day of school (first grade and third grade in Cleveland, OK). I wondered how they would handle a brand-new school and classroom with kids they didn’t know and if they'd find a close "good" friend and not hang around the wrong crowd. I wondered if they'd do well in their classes. Some of you may be fretting about your prank-pulling middle schooler, earnestly hoping he doesn’t make a habit of getting called to the principal’s office. You may be stressing over academic concerns. “Will my struggling second grader ever make progress in her reading? Will math ever click with my fourth grader who gets hives when he sees a story problem? Will my high schooler graduate with honors, or better yet, will my high schooler graduate?"

But more than all those “school days” concerns, we also long for our kids to be spiritually and physically healthy. Long ago, in my children’s early years, I found an antidote to worrying about my children in the story of Mary and Jesus.

Luke 2:52 mentions four areas Jesus grew in as a young boy: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.” Our Lord grew wiser each year. He physically grew. His relationship with His heavenly Father continually strengthened. Jesus even gained favor with people here on earth who saw Him day to day. And how I love the simple sentence that precedes this: “His mother kept all these things in her heart.” We never see Mary fretting and fussing, worried and anxious. She pondered about her son and his growth, but she didn’t allow her mama heart to become rattled.

Let’s strive to be like Mary. Let’s turn our anxious thoughts into treasured prayers, kept safe and held fast by our loving Father — the one who knows our hearts and loves our children even more than we do. When a concern pops up in our mind, let’s carry that concern to God. When we start to fear for our child’s future, let’s petition the only one who knows exactly what the future holds -- THE ONE Who knows everything about everything.

When we turn our worries into our prayers, we'll realize our children aren’t the only ones being taught; we are learning life-long lessons in trusting and treasuring, knowing God is in control.

Heavenly Father, I pray for all these precious children that are starting a new school year. Protect them, encourage them and fill them with strong minds to learn and grow. Help them to be a great friend to others as they, themselves, have great friends. And, I pray for all the moms (and dads) to turn their concerns and worries into prayers, knowing You are in control. Please help them to treasure each moment with their children as they grow in wisdom and stature and favor with others and also with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Worry FREE - Guarantee!

How is it possible to NOT WORRY in these days and times?
"Don't Worry???" You may be saying "That's easy for you to say -- you're not facing what I'm facing today." Perhaps not the exact challenge or situation, but I've known troubles and I've had plenty of reasons to worry. And, out of those times, I survived -- so much so, that I sincerely desire to "help comfort others with the same comfort that I was comforted with". (2 Corinthians 1:4). A young mother messaged me when she was facing some tremendous challenges. Her mind was bombarded with the worst thoughts. Her imagination was getting the best of her. She was expressing so much worry, fear and concern. I replied with these words, and in case you are in a place of fear and worry, I share them with you, too!

"Sweet Friend, I want to put my arms around you and help you through this time, and the best way I can do that is to give you a "Worry-FREE Guarantee". I am completely convinced that "If God said it, I believe it and that settles it -- no ifs, ands, or buts. It's a done deal!" That has been our anchor and mode of operation for many years. Plain and simple -- God's Word (the Bible) is the key to overcoming fear, sickness, discouragement, etc. There's an answer for everything in God's Word. God gave Joshua the key to success. "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then YOU will make your way prosperous, and then YOU will have good success." (Joshua 1:8) Wow! There's the key. We always think that it's up to God to take care of this and do that. But, very clearly, God is saying that if WE do OUR part (not letting His Word depart out of our hearts and mouths -- thinking/meditating on His Word) that WE WILL be successful.

Here are some of those words to take to heart:
~ Proverbs 23:7 "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Obviously, this means we want to do our best to stop thinking the negative thoughts. How do we get a handle on our thoughts? A shortcut to is to THINK the things that we feel good about, and avoid thinking about what we don't feel good about."
~ Philippians 8:4 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of a good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."
~ Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You."

It is a matter of disciplining ourselves to put a halt to negative thinking. It's like changing the channel on the TV. A negative thought comes in....quickly change the channel to the positive thought. Let this prayer be your prayer:

"Heavenly Father, I commit to living worry-free. I cast all my cares, all my anxieties, all my worries, all my concerns -- once and for all, on You. You passionately care for my family and me. I cast down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of You. I lay aside every worry. I think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and deserving of praise. I will not let my heart be troubled. I abide in Your Word, and Your Word abides in me. Thank You, Father, for helping me to be care-free. I walk in that peace that passes all understanding, in Jesus' name! Amen."

Perhaps you, my dear FB friends, needed this "word" today. I urge you to take this "word" like medicine.....DAILY. Put it in your heart and mind. You will come through with flying colors......just like the gal that I wrote this original letter to. VICTORY was and is hers, Victory is yours, too!

Worry FREE - Guarantee!

"Don't Worry???" You may be saying "That's easy for you to say -- you're not facing what I'm facing today." Perhaps not the exact challenge or situation, but I've known troubles and I've had reasons to worry. And, out of those times, I survived -- so much so, that I sincerely desire to "help comfort others with the same comfort that I was comforted with". (2 Corinthians 1:4). A young mother messaged me when she was facing some tremendous challenges. Her mind was bombarded with the worst thoughts. Her imagination was getting the best of her. She was expressing so much worry, fear and concern. I replied with these words, and in case you are in a place of fear and worry, I share them with you, too!

"Sweet Friend, I want to put my arms around you and help you through this time, and the best way I can do that is to give you a "Worry-FREE Guarantee". I am completely convinced that "If God said it, I believe it and that settles it -- no ifs, ands, or buts. It's a done deal!" That has been our anchor and our mode of operation for many years. Plain and simple......God's Word (the Bible) is the key to overcoming fear, sickness, discouragement, etc. There's an answer for everything in God's Word. In Joshua 1:8, God gave a "key" to success when He told Joshua: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then YOU will make your way prosperous, and then YOU will have good success." Wow! There's the key -- we always think that it's up to God to take care of this and do that. But, very clearly, God is saying that if WE do OUR part (not letting His Word depart out of our hearts -- thinking/meditating on His Word) that WE WILL BE successful. Here's some of those "God words to take to heart:
~ Proverbs 23:7 "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he......" Obviously, this means you want to do your best to stop thinking the negative thoughts. How do you get a handle on your thoughts? A shortcut to this is to THINK the things that you feel good about, and avoid thinking about what you don't feel good about."
~ Philippians 8:4 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of a good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."
~ Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."

It is a matter of absolutely disciplining ourselves to put a halt to negative thinking. It's like changing the channel on the TV. A negative thought comes in....quickly change the channel to the positive thought. Let this prayer be your prayer:

Father, I commit to live free from worry. I cast the whole of my cares -- all my anxieties, all my worries, all my concerns -- once and for all on You. You care for my family and me affectionately. You sustain me. I cast down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of You. I lay aside every worry. I think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and deserving of praise. I will not let my heart be troubled. I abide in Your Word, and Your Word abides in me. Thank You, Father, for helping me to be care-free. I walk in that peace that passes all understanding, in Jesus' name! Amen."

Perhaps you, my dear FB friends, needed this "word" today. I urge you to take this "word" like medicine.....DAILY. Put it in your heart and mind. You will come through with flying colors......just like the gal that I wrote this original letter to. VICTORY was and is hers, Victory is yours, too!

The Rhythms of Life and How They Ebb and Flow

Life is interesting, isn’t it? We go through different stages of life in what seems like a blink of an eye. After my sweetheart left for his heavenly assignment, the sweet rhythm of God’s grace and love had steady flow that kept me wrapped up in such peace and security. I had my family, church, church family, a home in a lovely community and the friends that went along with it. Sure there were ups and downs, but they came in and went out – like the tide’s ebb and flow. Beautiful rhythms.

Then the big change came for me when I moved from those comfortable rhythms in that season of life, to Texas where, honestly, I’m still endeavoring to establish some consistent rhythms again. I get it -- I've wandered for a while from city to city and church to church – store to store – street to street – looking for familiarity and a consistent rhythm.

Night before last, I went to bed feeling completely out of sync. But, during the night, I had one of those “King David” moments (1 Samuel 30:6) when he encouraged himself. I encouraged myself. I determined to give the worries to God and recognize that I can’t, but HE CAN! He tells us so in this scripture: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest (sweet rhythm) for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29.

I bounced out of bed yesterday morning with an empowered mindset. I took matters into my "rhythmic" hands that are empowered by God's strong and mighty hands and made some positive decisions. The best part, I realized I have the opportunity to use my faith to make those “walls of discomfort” tumble down by praising and thanking God for so many blessings. Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything, but in EVERYTHING, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Did He say EVERYTHING? Yes, and what’s so exciting is that we are told to come in confidence, knowing, with relief, that He loves us enough to want us there, right at His feet resting in His love and grace.

Most importantly, I got out of myself and into sharing God’s love and encouragement with a young tow truck driver (that's a story for another day) and an air conditioner technician (another story for another day) -- and was even able to pray with one to find his way back to God. It’s amazing how people open up when they sense "a rhythm" of God’s love coming at them.

Thank you, Lord, for the slow and smooth rhythms that are so sweet, but I thank You for even the staccato, disconnected rhythms – because more than anything I desire to be in sync with Your ebbs and flows – in tempo that connects me to your ways which are so much higher than my ways!

Worry Less; Smile More Often

Worry Less; Smile More Often
I've posted this photo before, but it is such a powerful reminder of the childlike faith and trust that we all need so much. I just had to share it again for you AND me.

Don't you just love watching a baby sleeping? His/Her adorable little smiles that just indicate their satisfied, care-free existence. Life was worry-free when we were kids and when we had parents who were bigger and stronger than us and were the answer to all our needs and wants.

But for us -- all grown up with lots of responsibilities, cares and concerns, there's certainly plenty for us to worry about. Income tax returns (just started getting my records together), identity theft (some pranksters put fraudulent charges in my bank account), too much month left and too little funds to make it through, who our next president will be (Dear Lord, help us!), or a medical report that wasn't so positive (Had those, too!)

But, even more loving and caring than our parents when we were kids, is our loving and caring Heavenly Father who wants to help us "worry less and smile more often". As God's children, should we worry and fret? Would He teach us to walk, to watch us fall? Would He give us life, to watch us fail? Would He be nailed to the cross and then disregard our prayers?

Philippians 4:6-7 says "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us -- so let's purpose to WORRY LESS and, by the way....SMILE MORE OFTEN! Smile a while and give your face a rest. Let the world know, you know Who's got all the stuff in your life and in the world under control. Smiling could just possibly be the magnet that attracts the people, circumstances, and things you need to succeed and overcome all that is trying to pull you down. I think that's exactly how our DAD wants us to live -- complete trust in His wise and sovereign ways that ensure we are in His loving care.

Worry FREE Guarantee

Day 181 of Photo Inspirations – Worry FREE - Guarantee!
"Don't Worry???"  You may be saying "That's easy for you to say -- you're not facing what I'm facing today."  Perhaps not the exact challenge or situation, but I've known troubles and I've had reasons to worry.  And, out of those times, I survived -- so much so, that I sincerely desire to help comfort others with the same comfort that I was comforted with.  (2 Corinthians 1:4).  A while ago, a young mother contacted me when she was facing some tremendous challenges.  Her mind was bombarded with the worst thoughts.  Her imagination was getting the best of her.  She was expressing so much worry, fear and concern.  These are the words that I gave her.

"Sweet Friend, I want to put my arms around you and help you through this time. Mostly, I want to give you a "Worry-FREE Guarantee".  As you know, I am a huge believer in "If God said it, I believe it and that settles it -- no ifs, ands, or buts.  It's a done deal!"    That has been our anchor and our mode of operation for many years.  Plain and simple......God's Word (the Bible) is the key to overcoming fear, sickness, discouragement, etc.  There's an answer for everything in God's Word.   In Joshua 1:8, God gave a "key" to success when He told Joshua:  "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; FOR THEN you will make your way prosperous, and THEN you will have good success."

Wow, there's the key -- we always think that it's up to God to take care of this and do that.  But, very clearly, God is saying that if we do our part (not letting His Word depart out of our hearts -- thinking/meditating on His Word) that we will be successful.

Proverbs 23:7  "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he......"    Obviously, this means you want to do your best to stop thinking the negative thoughts.  How do you get a handle on your thoughts?   A shortcut to this is to THINK the things that you feel good about, and avoid thinking about what you don't feel good about."

Philippians 8:4   "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of a good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

Isaiah 26:3  "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."  

It is a matter of absolutely disciplining ourselves to put a halt to negative thinking. It's like "changing the channel on the TV".  A negative thought comes in....quickly change the channel to the positive thought. Let this prayer be your prayer:

Father, I commit to live free from worry.  I cast the whole of my cares -- all my anxieties, all my worries, all my concerns -- once and for all on You.  You care for my family and me affectionately. You sustain me.  I cast down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of You.  I lay aside every worry.  I think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and deserving of praise.  I will not let my heart be troubled.  I abide in Your Word, and Your Word abides in me.  Thank You, Father, for helping me to be care-free.  I walk in that peace that passes all understanding, in Jesus' name!  Amen.

Stay tenacious in your faith.  Don't give up.  I love you and please don't hesitate to call, e-mail or ask us to come over for a "faith pow-wow" anytime.  You are so precious and you are going to make it!"

Perhaps you, my sweet FB friends, needed this "word" today.   I urge you to take this "word" like medicine.....DAILY.  Put it in your heart and mind.  You will come through with flying colors......just like the gal that I wrote this original letter to.  VICTORY was and is hers,  Victory is yours, too!