Take Heart, Brothers & Sisters, All is Well

How do I know all is well? It is a deep, inner knowing that God has got this. God has got us. I'm back at home and this sunrise on Tuesday assured me "all is well". I could almost hear these words audibly "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27) All is well!

It’s a brand new day with potential and possibilities! It’s a brand new day to posture ourselves with a can-do-anything, all-is-well mindset. We can purposely leave the remains of yesterday behind with an optimistic "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13) attitude for this new day. When we slip on our houseshoes or athletic shoes or even go barefoot and step out on our back porch, our patio or our sidewalk, we can inhale this new day with faith and determination. If we listen closely, we'll hear those words again that give us new hope for this brand new day. "All is well."

In real time, we may feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders, but take heart -- all is well. If God be OUR Almighty God, our supreme authority and our all-knowing, all loving, omnicient One, then we must make the decision to believe it and trust Him.

We are in good company. The Bible goes to great lengths to show us that all the people on its pages were ordinary, average "Joes". Yes, let's look at two Joes: 1) Joseph, the youngest of ornery, jealous brothers and the beloved son of his father, Jacob. This "Joe" took heart. In spite of a pit and a prison, he succeeded to a palace when he became the Governor of the land and ultimately took care of his entire family. 2) Another "Joe" -- Joseph, the adopted father of Jesus who could have divorced his pregnant fiancee, but instead, took heart, and stayed to love and care for Mary and Jesus. So many other characters in the Bible who trusted even though they were drenched in fear and hopelessness.

Many others in the Bible took heart and conquered because God filled them up with His Holy Spirit and breathed life into their dreams and their plans, and God, through ordinary people who did ordinary things, made miracles happen that changed the world for good. And, WE are the Bible people of today in these times and the same Holy Spirit breathes life into our dreams and our hopes and our plans so that we too will accomplish great things..

Take heart, brothers and sisters! All is well. Breathe deeply. Do your part. Fight the good fight. Offer grace. Love. Work for justice. Move with mercy. Be kind. Keep your focus. Keep moving forward. Keep looking up. Keep offering up every little thing in your ordinary life to the God of good things and miracles and hope.

This is the Day the Lord has Made

Let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)
I sing this scripture as a song and I use it in expressing my gratitude. It’s not unusual to read it as a text message when a friend or loved one has a birthday. I say “This is the day the Lord made you and I’m rejoicing and so glad for it.” And, for you and me, this is the day the Lord made for us.

Notice that scripture isn’t talking about tomorrow and what may happen tomorrow. The psalmist is putting an emphasis on THIS day! That reminds me of another scripture. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:34)

We have had plenty to worry about, haven’t we? As if the pandemic wasn’t enough, now it seems our country is at war with itself Oh, how we need unity! We ponder about the future and what it will look like My friends, two who are pre-school teachers and the other is a special needs teacher, were talking about what school is going to look like come August. Too often, we set ourselves in a whirlwind of worry and anxiety about what tomorrow will hold. Especially during these times: If we are concerning ourselves with the future, we are overthinking. That’s opposite to the point the psalmist was making “THIS is the Day” to focus on, to rejoice in whatever this day holds.

Remember when the disciples said to Jesus: “Lord, teach us to pray!” And Jesus gave them the template for all our prayers. “Our Father…..Give us THIS DAY our daily bread.” He didn’t say “give us today and next month’s bread.” This DAY! Can we trust Him for today’s faith – today’s daily bread?

Each day is a blessing from God. He has blessed us with a new day to live it to the fullest, doing the necessary tasks for this day, loving and helping one another and discovering new things about life and about ourselves. Being present with God Who gives us wisdom for today, may be the game changer we need for what tomorrow holds.

No matter what kind of struggle we are facing, we can be secure in knowing that if we do our best in this day to make progress and trust our tomorrows to God -- He will meet us there tomorrow like He does today. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

God is love and everything He does in the world is out of His love for us. He can turn this day’s struggles and suffering into blessings for us if we run to Him and trust in His promises to us. But, how, Lord? And He responds with these words:
"'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'" (Isaiah 41:10).

The Bright and Morning Star

I apologize right up front for another sky-view blog. I can’t seem to help myself. I think I've officially become an earth-moon-sun- star-gazer! I blame it on God Who keeps awing me every morning. I’m grateful I have His attention, because it would be misery to face blogging every day and wondering “What is there to blog about today?" Today, is my 2,334th blog and my "unlimited" God sure hasn’t let me run out of content.

Yesterday at 6:01 am, I captured this photo of the moon still high in the sky. What drew me in, was the bright star that was slightly above it. When I got home, I googled what that star was all about. I found that it wasn't a star at all. It is Venus, the planet. It can appear larger and closer to the sun than any other planet because it reflects 60% of the sun's light. From the Google site, I saw these words: "Venus, the Morning Star and Evening Star", but if Venus isn’t a star, why the nicknames? When Venus is on the other side of the Sun, it leads the Sun as it travels across the sky and will rise in the morning a few hours before the Sun. As the Sun rises, the sky brightens and Venus fades away in the day-sky. This is Venus the Morning Star. In the evening, when the sun sets, Venus is brightest when the sun goes down.

My analogy: in Revelations 22:16, Jesus referred to Himself as “the Bright Morning Star.” The Morning Star in Biblical times was the brightest star anyone saw in the sky, just before daylight. The famous Bethlehem star led the Wise Men to Jesus. That star "led", and Jesus as our Bright Morning Star is leading us, too -- right here at this time and place, and in the midst of all this chaos and confusion, Jesus, our Bright and Morning Star is wanting us to understand that He is with us and guiding us too. And, like Venus really isn’t a star, but a planet, Jesus isn’t just a star among many stars; He the ONE and ONLY Star. He IS the Way - the Truth - the Life. (John 14:6)

Venus, as the bright morning star, represents the promise of a new day! But let’s stop with this “Venus” talk. Let’s finish this blog by pointing us all to the promise of new days ahead for us. Many people around us are in darkness. They are hopeless, lost, confused and wonder “Could there ever be a better day?” Oh, yes, there is. It is this new day!

I know Jesus, the Bright Morning Star, personally. We talk and walk together daily. I once was lost in darkness, but now I'm found. I used to be hopeless and confused and wondered if I could make it another day, but since I met Jesus, it’s a new day every day. I used to have low self-esteem, but since I met Jesus, it’s a new day now. I used to feel sorry for myself, but it’s a new day now. I used to be afraid, but it’s a new day now. I wake up to each new day with great expectation that something good is going to happen to me today.

Oh, my precious friends, on the horizon is our Bright Morning Star Who tells us that not only will we rise and shine as a reflection of Him on this earth, but best-news-ever: we will forever be with Him "in the city that has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light."
(Revelations 21:23)

New Season.....New Day.....Celebration Time

If you live in San Diego, CA, Maui, HA or Orlando, FL, you enjoy reasonably mild climate throughout the year, but if you live in Tulsa, OK, you'd know the highs and lows of the most dramatic weather that accompanies each season. We get enamored by the changing of the leaves on trees that go from fiery reds and oranges....to no leaves at all. Those trees just spent the entire winter with bare branches. Now, all of sudden, those same bare branches are sprouting small purplish/red flowers and small white flowers. I love watching this beautiful transition. Yesterday, the high in Tulsa was 85 degrees. It excited me so much that I went to Lowe's and bought some herb plantings to get my veggie garden on its way. I loved feeling the warm sun. It's familiar, but also, NEW, all at once.

Isaiah 43:19 says, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it! I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

God is always in motion which tells us He is always up to something new! What He did yesterday was great, but today is a NEW day. I think He is always conjuring up ways to amaze and surprise us. The seasons are a perfect example of the daily mercies He brings to us. Winter changes into spring, spring to summer, and summer to fall. And, we, too, are constantly in motion -- we are growing and changing. Aren't we so thrilled that we aren't just one-season-people? Always in the same-O, same-O of life?

Our lives really are seasonal and when we are unwilling to accept change and grow, we become stagnant in our physical, spiritual and mental state. To come into a new season and to grow in our faith, we must let go of the old one. Isaiah 43:18 says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." One of the many lessons life teaches us is to let go. Whew! That's not an easy one, when we're faced with letting our little ones start to school, or for our high schoolers to go off to college or get married and leave the nest. And neither is hanging on to past hurts and struggles, and past relationships. I assure you, it is possible to feel the loss for a while in those times of life, but NEVER to stay there. To grow and celebrate this season of life, we must pick ourselves up and be willing to go to a NEW SEASON.

As spring is surfacing and the trees are blooming, we can see God’s reminder to let go of the old things and expect the new things He’s wanting to do in our lives. Expect that there are good and beautiful things to come. As the flowers are being resurrected to new life, the trees are sprouting from what seemed to be a lifeless state, the green grass is peeking through the brown remains of winter, may we SPRING FORTH in fresh, new strength and vitality that comes from taking off those grave clothes, and putting on garments of praise and joy! It's a new day, it's a new season, it's a time for great expectation that this will be the BEST day and times of our lives!

Love and blessings to all....Donna

Don't Waste Today

It's a brand new day and a brand new week! Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come, but this day is the day we have an opportunity to practice recognizing God’s blessings in literally EVERYTHING! It's a pretty big deal to simply WAKE UP to a new day, because yesterday, was the very last day on this earth for many.

We are still here, and God has a reason for it! Life is a matter of perspective. No blessing is too small or inconsequential. And though this day may come with some unwelcome and unexpected surprises, remember God has a master plan in place.....and, if we'll look, we'll even see the blessings that come with those surprises!!

Now let's go make memories, celebrate life and all its many thrills -- after all, this is the LAST day we'll have TODAY!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

I sent an email out on the 30th to announce a business meeting we were having yesterday, Tuesday, July 1st, however I typed June 1st instead of July 1st in the email and on the graphic I made for the event. Maybe I was in denial that a full six months has gone by already this year. It made me think – how fast time does fly for me these days – compared to my youth when the time went by so slowly for school to end for the summer, or until Christmas would finally get here, or so long for our wedding to get here, and so long for nine months to pass before our babies would be born.

You know the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun!” I had a lot of fun as a kid, but time sure didn’t fly for me. You remember the movie “Back to the Future” where a teenager (Michael J Fox) is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time machine invented by his friend? The reality is – we don’t get to hit a “reset button” or go back in a time machine, but here’s the really great thing…..we DO get to start each new day with the wisdom and knowledge we gained from the past. We're the pilot on this flight and in many ways, it is like a RESET button. Each experience – good and bad, has equipped us to be better, do better and appreciate time more. It is the dawn of a new day, today. I know one thing for sure -- we can’t live in the past, and the future isn’t ours to predict. But, we can make minutes, hours and days really count for what matters most. I speak a lot about it, but I repeat, treasure THIS day – make memories for yourself and someone else. Live as if there were no tomorrow. Spread sunshine. Give love and laughter and life to those who need an injection of fun, faith, and friendship. The BAD news -- time flies, but the GOOD news, we're the pilot in the hands of the MASTER PILOT!

And, I assure you, if indeed “time flies when you’re having fun”, then I must be having a blast!”