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).

God has our Attention

A big smile broke across my face when I saw someone post this: “God just got fed up with His kids not getting along, so He sent us all to our rooms.” And, that’s probably true, too! Here’s what I know about our God. He doesn’t cause disease, sickness, heartache and pain. He is our loving and faithful Father. But, He often allows stuff to happen to get our attention. He definitely has our attention. In fact, the attention of the whole world. So, what are we going to do about it? Become victims or victors as we go through this inconvenient time? Notice I said “through this”. God says in Isaiah 43:2 says “…when you walk through the fire, you will not even smell like smoke…..”

If we stay the course of faith and trust in God, we WILL get through this and we will have a comeback story of gigantic proportions. Perhaps this is a grand setup that launches us into a trajectory of the most blessed times of our lives.

I'm reminded of a dear aunt’s story during these isolated times. She had debilitating Crohn’s disease that confined her to a small hospital room for nearly two years. Her husband passed away during that time. And, after all she went through -- much pain, many surgeries and complications -- she remained joy-filled, thankful, and was a light in the darkness around her. People encountered God’s light when they saw her. She was seasoned with God's peace and joy in that little room..

Another “small” room story is that of the Apostle Paul who was in a cold, dark, damp, dingy Roman prison cell – yet in the midst of his pain and suffering, he wrote these words: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

What are these quarantine and isolation experiences doing to and for you? Are you bitter.....or better because of them? Are all the extenuating circumstances making you....or breaking you? Are you a victor or a victim? Are you comforting others with the comfort that you've been comforted with? If you are a victor, you KNOW you're on assignment.....are on purpose....living in GOD's master plan.....and are causing people to come face-to-face with a better way! Indeed....you are better and are a victor ... and you're causing others to be that, too!

These times will pass. What will be your story?

It’s REJOICING Time! Let’s Go Tell It on the Mountain!

It's the third Sunday of Advent and it's time we should sing "Go Tell It on the Mountain"! Well -- not necessarily from a mountain -- that would mean we'd have to go climbing! Perhaps we can start right here on level ground to be joyful and full of the good news of Christ's coming to this world for you and me.

The third “pink” candle is lit on the Advent wreath today. That pink candle symbolizes JOY. Paul wrote about that joy in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say rejoice.” Can you imagine that he wrote that scripture from a dark, cold and damp prison cell? How could he write such words? He deserved to be in misery – even whining, crying a bucketful of tears and singing “Gloom, despair and agony on me”! But he didn’t. Aw! Paul! My role-model! He’s the kind of role-model we, and our kids, need in a world of idolizing sports figures, music and film stars. Give me the Paul-kind-of-role-model any day! The kind that lives out “No matter where we are or what we're facing....we can find JOY in the good news of Emmanuel....God with us -- right in the middle of our circumstances.

Sweet joy, joy, joy down in my heart – down in my heart to stay. Did you sing that little song? I did! Joy is such a warm, fluffy feeling. But, the REJOICING that Paul speaks of is an ACTION word. In that prison cell, he was definitely taking action..

PINK is the color for this 3rd Sunday of Advent. Typically, when we think of pink – we think “girly”. We put our little girls in pink outfits with a pink bow in their hair to declare "It's a GIRL"! (In my case, my little Staci had NO hair so I scotch-taped a little bow on her head -- I know that's hard to believe when we see that massive head of hair she has today! LOL!). Sorry -- I took a rabbit trail from my train of thought about Advent. Pink isn't just about girls. God painted all shades of pink into a sunrise. And, like the various shades of pink, our expressions of joy can be so different. Joy can be exuberant -- that jumping up and down little child at the prospect of something that excites them so much, or MY daughter when she opened some of her birthday presents recently. JOY is also that calm and peaceful experience of God's faithfulness. It can be calm confidence in His sovereignty, or pure delight as He expresses His love.

PINK is also about a teenage “virgin” girl named Mary who was faced with all kinds of pressure of potential stoning because she was pregnant outside of wedlock. She could have been frozen in fear of her circumstances, of disappointing her fiancée and her parents – never mind the “talk” of the townspeople. But instead of being frozen in a “woe is me” attitude, she took ACTION and “went with haste” to her “old” cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant to confirm that the angel’s words of “Nothing is impossible with God” were true. She took the ACTION word REJOICE to a level that St. Paul did in his prison cell. In Luke 1:46,47 she said these words: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit REJOICES in God my Savior!”

That’s the kind of JOY to this world – that changes everything. That joy that should never be determined by how we feel, but on WHO God is. The joy of the Lord can thrill us AND it can make us steadfast in the secure knowledge of Emmanuel -- God's presence with us. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16: “REJOICE always!” and Jesus tells us in Mark 9:24 "With God all things are possible." THAT combination of trust should help us carry on from this 3rd Sunday of Advent to EVERYDAY rejoicing and being joyful!

Getting Rid of a Glass Half Empty Attitude

I raised a couple of teenagers and have helped take care of those grown-up teenagers’.teenagers. I know well that they go through all spectrums of emotions at any given time. One day they’re optimistic and in a good mood. The next day they can have sour attitudes that sour up a room like a big old dill pickle. We all know those mood swings because we were once teenagers. I remember me and I’ll admit, I regret those times when I was less than grateful. Oh, how precious was my mother as she navigated me, single-handedly, through those rough waters of boyfriend troubles and school and test troubles – all that seemed so insurmountable – but they all came and passed – literally. I married the boyfriend and successfully passed the tests and graduated. My half empty perspective then, has turned into a half full glass today.

It's almost Thanksgiving Day and I’m already forming my gratitude list in my head. In fact, yesterday morning I sent my usual morning text to my four – my two and their spouses. I said something like this to them: “Happy Thanksgiving week, my loves. I’m so looking forward to our special times together this week. Praying already that God makes this a year to remember in gratitude for His goodness and mercy that has kept us strong, healthy, lots of good food on our tables, being able to be God’s hand extended to so many around us, protection in the midst of storms and accidents, laughter in the midst of tough times, and security and peace in abundance. We are so so blessed. I love you so much!”

It’s so easy to a HALF EMPTY if we allow the negative to overtake our thoughts. You know – like:
I’m thankful for Jesus, but I can’t live up to his standards.
I'm thankful for my husband, but marriage is so much work.
I am thankful for my kids, but they never listen.
I am thankful for my home, but everything is falling apart.
I am thankful for my job, but it's a dead-end job.

You get the picture. I want the half full glass of gratitude that doesn’t add BUT to my gratitude. I want the FULL glass of gratitude list of things that inspire thanksgiving in my heart – not a list that focuses on present difficulties and is void of hope in the good things to come.

We can be thankful, even in hardship, because our future is based on God’s love, not on our perfection or our performance. Yes, we may experience temporary hardships, but they do not alter our eternal absolutes. Our hope is in Christ alone. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Here’s the way to turn a glass half empty attitude into a full one!
I’m thankful for Jesus, who covers me with His righteousness.
I am thankful for my husband and our blessed marriage.
I am thankful for my kids who are full of life and joy.
I am thankful for my comfortable home that is enough.
I am thankful for a job that I can grow in and be my best.

This glass half full list takes a little discipline. It requires a shift in thinking from temporary comfort to eternal security. It means releasing despair and embracing hope. Hope can inspire gratitude for what is and what will be.

I leave you with this prayer for a Thanksgiving full of hope:
“May the God of hope fill you (a glass FULL) with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13).

Wondering What God’s Will is For Your Life?

I saw this Fall embellished version of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – read it, took it to heart, and, whoa-la -- my blog for today! Thanks, God, for the inspiration! I love it when I see and hear from Him. I’ve always said, my blogs are for me AND you!

Clearly, this verse from 1 Thessalonians 5, speaks more about God’s will being in our actions than His actions. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for THIS IS GOD’S WILL for you in Christ Jesus.” When we do our part – staying in a mindset of rejoicing, pursuing Him in prayer and having an attitude of gratitude IN ALL circumstances – we can let go, and LET GOD! BTW – notice the scripture says “…give thanks IN all things” not FOR all things. So in the middle of an illness or a crisis of some kind….right smack dab IN the middle of “the things”, we thank God for His goodness, love, mercy, and grace. That is HIS will for us.

God knows the beginning to the end of our story and when we live in sheer resolve to keep Him up front in our lives – His will, just naturally, is a part of every action, reaction, decision and follow-through. But, dear Lord, how can I rejoice ALWAYS, pray CONTINUALLY, and give thanks IN ALL circumstances? That sounds like a waaay over-the-top, unrealistic challenge! But God never speaks in “impossibilities”. He is always "all things are possible” speaking! I believe that we can ALWAYS purposely focus on our heart’s attitude. It expresses itself throughout the day with silent prayers of vital communication with the LORD. We can always be "on line" with God so when the Holy Spirit moves us to pray, we can instantly agree with Him. When in agreement with the Holy Spirit, we are praying continuously. The heart attitude of praying without ceasing means an ever-open heart to the Lord’s leading.

If we are praying without ceasing -- even while driving, changing the baby, washing dishes, or running a lawn mower -- we can be open to the leading of the Spirit when He urges us to pray for something or someone. We all need a refresher course in clearing our heads and hearts to hear directions from Heaven-Central! And, when we stay connected to the “hot line” by rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks in all circumstances….we can be assured God’s plans and will are being done on earth as they are in heaven.

Where we are – He is and when we trust Him as we’re doing our part to rejoice, pray and give thanks – He gives us peace and understanding. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6). Get that? We’re “IN ALL HIS WAYS” when He gets our attention. We don’t have to look far or go far --- because He’s already there.

Rejoice and Go Tell It On the Mountain

Yesterday was the third Sunday of Advent and we should be singing “Go Tell It on the Mountain"! Not necessarily from a mountain. That would mean we'd have to go climbing! Perhaps we can start right here at ground zero to be joyful and full of the good news of Christ's coming to this earth for you and me.

The pink, third candle on the Advent wreath was lit, The pink candle symbolizes JOY and REJOICE. The theme scripture that Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4 is “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say rejoice.” My pastor shared that the laughter statistics in a single day is 400 laughs a day for children versus 4 laughs a day for adults. Maybe we need to hang out with the kiddos more so our joy "bank" fills up! When St. Paul penned those words, he knew something about making it through tough times. Can you imagine that he wrote that scripture from a dark, cold and damp prison cell? No matter where we are or what we're facing....we can find JOY in the good news of Emmanuel, God with us, right smack dab in the middle of our circumstances.

Typically, PINK is girly. We put our little girls in pink dresses or outfits with a pink bow in their hair to declare "It's a GIRL"! (In my case, my little Staci had NO hair so I scotch-taped a little bow on her head. I know that's hard to believe when we see that massive head of hair she has today! LOL! Sorry -- I took a rabbit trail from my train of thought about Advent. Pink isn't just about girls. Hot pink, pale pink, rose pink are all shades of pink that God painted into a sunrise. And, like the various shades of pink, our expressions of joy can be so different. Joy can be exuberant. We saw that joy and jumping up and down by little children on Saturday at the Birthday Party for Jesus child at the prospect of something that excites them so much. (See my post from yesterday.) JOY is also that calm and peaceful experience of realizing God's faithfulness. It can be calm confidence in His sovereignty or pure delight as He expresses His love. I felt that peace and calm yesterday, as I watched my grandson, play the piano at their yesterday morning’s church service or when my granddaughter, asked to sit by me in church and proceeded to put her arm around me or lay her head on my shoulder. I felt that joy and I wanted to rejoice about it. has truly come to be linked with "Pink" in our culture.

Joy AND pink are also about survival. Oh, the sweet joy we feel when one of our friends expresses "I've just had my last treatment of chemo! I'm a survivor!" A celebration of survival has truly come to be linked with "Pink" in our culture.

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, PINK is also about rejoicing that our Savior, as a precious BABY BOY Who brought so much JOY to this world.

My pastor said in his message, “This has been a challenging year for me and when I start to feel sorry for myself, I remember Paul who knew suffering. Paul led a challenging life. Paul knew difficulty. Paul had people who hated him. But, Paul expressed the key to overcoming is in rejoicing. He urged us to rejoice and rejoice some more. The joy of the Lord can thrill us AND it can make us steadfast in the secure knowledge of God's presence with us -- Emmanuel. Paul further tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to be joyful always and Jesus tells us in Mark 9:24 "With God all things are possible." THAT combination of trust should help us.....carry on not just through Advent, but for the entire year to be rejoicing and rejoicing some more.

She Needed a Hero So She Became One

The recent indiscretions of high profile men has been the topic of conversation lately. The good news is that women are “coming out of the closet” to reveal their stories that were hidden for years, for fear of loss of job or other consequences. They are stepping up to, hopefully, help other women stand up for making wrongs right. This post isn’t to express my opinion “on the news”, but it is to speak out on behalf of “sisterhood”.

Sisters, if ever we need our sisterhood, we need it today. To have friends that encourage us, cry with us, rejoice with us and pray for us is worth more than silver and gold. I do that a lot on Facebook. When I see friends’ photos of their child’s wedding, I rejoice with them. I celebrate with my friends when they celebrate the accomplishments of their family – the school wins, the graduations, the awards, birth of babies, and I also love it when friends are bold enough to ask for prayer. then I pray with them.

This photo says “She Needed a Hero, So She Became One!” I’m so proud of my friends, and even those women I don’t know, who aspire to being strong, resilient, determined, tenacious women and who say “I can do this. I can survive this. I am an overcomer. I am powerful – not because of my own abilities and my own self-talk – but I am powerful because the Greater One lives in me. (1 John 4:4) I am more than a conqueror.(Romans 8:37) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)”

I learned very quickly, after I became a widow, that I had a choice to make. I could whine and I could wallow in self-pity because I didn’t have MY HERO to lean on or give me advice on important decisions, or to repair something around the house. I could have thought “I need a HERO to see after me!” If I stayed in that mindset, I would have never realized all I could accomplish, on my own. Now I know I am a wonder woman with wisdom and I will be powerful, passionate, positive, and, above all – peaceful. Rarely do I call out for help from anyone, but I also know my limitations. For example, I needed help pulling down that heavy, high attic door in my garage to bring down my Christmas decorations. I knew I needed some “man-power” to lift those heavy boxes and bring them down for me. Fortunately, both of my sons and grandson were my heroes on the day after Thanksgiving.

Honestly, there really are times I think about how awesome it would be to have a HERO again, like I once did, who I could go to for support and who would give me that extra hug, soothe my troubled soul, and boost me up with encouragement and compliments. But, I know I have God Who is more than enough. He is faithful to me. "Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." Psalm 68:5. He lifts me up with His love. I may be alone, but I’m not lonely. He is for me and encourages me daily with His Word

Still, there are times when, it's up to ME to set ME free. It's up to me to apply the band-aids to my body and my spirit. It's up to me to change the channel of "pitiful me" to "powerful me". It's up to me to do what King David did. "When King David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, David ENCOURAGED himself n the LORD his God." 1 Samuel 30:6

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother or mother or FRIEND and it’s ME. I never leave me. I never forsake me. I don’t EVER let ME beat ME up and I don't let me pity me. I put on my armor, pick up my sword and raise it high. I have come to realize I am my own HERO.

Yes…..there are times when we need a HERO......and that's when it's up to us to BECOME ONE! Excuse me, I most end this post, because I need to get my 6' ladder out to repair my garage door opener!

Don't Be Normal. Be Different. Take the High Road.

How “different” are we from what is “normal” to others? Some say that “It’s NORMAL to be stressed, fearful, overwhelmed, exhausted, angry, sad, speaking hateful about people, and on and on. “Normal” to some is ranting and raving right along with all those who are dissatisfied with politics and politicians.

My contention is that “normal” isn’t where God called us to be. He called us to live a radically ABNORMAL life where kindness, love, joy and peace RULES. Believing that way, makes us not just different, but we are also DIFFERENCE MAKERS. We take the High Road.

In Matthew 5, Jesus told us to be so different that in the face of being treated unfairly and wrong, He told us to be glad. What? THAT’S just not normal. In Matthew 5:11-15 He gave us a completely DIFFERENT way to handle those normally cranky and grumpy folks. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

To live the life God wants us to live means we will be DIFFERENT. It will be different from the way the world and the enemy of our soul wants us to live. And it will be different from the way many of the people we know want us to live. It will be DIFFERENT when we don’t side in with hateful, mean and angry people.

There are many differences to be found in devoted God-followers. These differences are seen in our relationship with God, in our place in the world, in our purpose in life, in our personal goals, in our commitments, in our motives, in our values, in our choices, and in our beliefs. One of the greatest differences is found in the attitudes of our hearts:

~ We are LOVINGLY different -- extending His love freely and unconditionally to others.
~ We are TRUTHFULLY different -- believing the truth and loving the truth, we speak the truth and live the truth.
~ We are MERCIFULLY different -- knowing that God’s mercies are new every morning, we extend His mercies to those who have failed and disappointed us.
~ We are PRAYERFULLY different -- we pray in faith, we pray because of who God is and what He can do, we pray because of what God has said in His Word. We pray because we have the assurance that God hears us and answers our prayers.

We are NOT normal. We are DIFFERENT, and DIFFERENT never felt and looked so good! I think I'll cruise on over to the High Road. How about you?

And They Lived Happily Ever After

I don't like movies that leave you hanging, or have a disappointing ending. I LOVE the happy ending ones! I'm quite sure that the movie my Life Group and I are going to see tonight will have a happy, encouraging and uplifting ending. We're going to see "Miracles From Heaven". I'll give you a movie review tomorrow!

Speaking of endings…..this is Tuesday of Holy Week aka Passion Week – when we journey toward the ending of Jesus' life on this earth. We're moving toward Holy Thursday (the Passover, Last Supper, Jesus washing his disciples feet) and then on to Good Friday, when He was tortured, suffered and died). As despicable as it was……we can still REJOICE. It's really good news! We know the end of the "movie". Our Champion, Jesus Christ wins on Resurrection Sunday aka Easter……so, we win!

Right now, life may be tough for you. You might have some health issues, or experienced the recent loss of a loved one. There may be strife in your marriage. You might not have enough money to make ends meet. But, DON"T lose hope! Just when you think the "movie" could get no worse, our Champion will be there because HE LIVES!

And in the end, we win in a big way. There will be no more tears. No more mourning, or pain or even death, but life eternal. Everlasting. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah destroys the enemy once and for all. Just hang on. The end of the "movie" -- the last chapter recorded for all to read is such a "and they lived happily ever after" ending. No, actually, it is THE BEGINNING! God wins and those who love and believe in Him will live with Him forevermore! Oh Happy Day!