It’s hard for me to even type that title. Not because I don’t believe it, but because it overwhelms my soul. You see, it has been a season of crushing disappointment for me and I wonder how many of you can say the same? I was joking with a friend that I was really tired of being surprised. Not, “oh that’s wonderful news!” surprised, but “I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming.” surprised. And it makes me mad at myself for holding on to my last thread of hope that circumstances will be different this time. But that is not …
You’re Dead And Yet Alive
We came home from the conference we attended and between washing clothes and napping we watched two old westerns. High noon was one of them. Kane, the just resigned as sheriff and married a Quaker, knew he needed to stand up to the man who was returning from prison on the noon train. His efforts to round up a posse at the tavern, and then the church, are met with fear and hostility. Some townspeople, worried that a gunfight would damage the town’s reputation, urge Kane to avoid the confrontation entirely. Others are Miller’s friends, and resent that Kane cleaned …
Great Joy
“… I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 8-9 NIV, emphasis added) My youngest son loves to play with our toy nativity. It is a “Little People Nativity” that has lasted through his older sister and brother and now has been discovered by him. Three different sets of little hands have held the little baby Jesus, made the …
A Rough Patch?
It was just going to be a simple fix up downstairs in our open living area and kitchen. We looked at lots of flooring but there was that idea that we could just have the floors stained since we’re on a slab. That was a great idea. Until we began to pull up the flooring in the kitchen area. What we found was a rough patch of concrete that was flaking off. Because of this small area of trouble we would have to completely skim coat the entire downstairs area – over a thousand square feet. We went back to …
Rejoice!
“How my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me.” These are Mary’s words shared in Luke [1:46]-49. She was a young girl, probably 15 or 16 years old, and she was ready to marry a man who was righteous and good. These are Mary’s words after the Angel of the Lord came to her one night, a night that otherwise would have …
Constant Communication
Communication with my husband is interesting at this time to say the least. This couple who is used to morning and evening talks as well as all through the day is learning new ways to get our words understood. Body language is becoming more important as words don’t simply flow right now. We find that it’s important to focus on each other for health and healing. Oh beloved, whatever issues of life you are dealing with you can have constant communication available with the Lord. As you learn to rely on Him you will be getting your cues from Holy …
Grief Transformed to Joy
“…Mary stood outside the tomb crying…” John 20: 11 The Greek word translated crying is KLAIO. It carries the meaning of not just crying softly with tears, but with every external expression of grief. (My daughter Lydia has a self-made rule for life – -“cry like a winner – on the inside.” Her mother is much more demonstrative with her tears and, in fact, has been known to cry during previews as well as the movie!) When it comes to tears, Mary would not be following my daughter’s mantra! Mary is wailing. Her grief cannot be contained. The Lord she …
Are You Here?
God showed me something recently that I want to share with you because we all go through times of craziness in this life… WE LOSE OUR JOY WHEN WE LOSE OUR PRESENCE. Here’s what I mean: I think the main reason we lose our joy in the middle of chaos/busyness/stress/etc. is simply because we are no longer present in the immediate and are too busy concentrating on what we “should” be doing, feeling, saying, preparing for, and so on. Think about it… picture the last time you were short tempered or sharp with someone when they did nothing to deserve …
Joy Hunt
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Play / pause 1x 1.5x 2x 0:00 0:00 19:30 volume Joy Hunt iTunesGoogle PlayShare Leave a ReviewClammr ItListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSS Podcast: EmbedSubscribe: Android | RSS | MoreDear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy ~ James 1:2 NLT 2016 was an opportunity for great joy! But when life comes apart at the seams it is sometimes difficult to find. That’s why I chose JOY as my word for 2017. I hope you will join me on my Joy Hunt. Listen to my reflections …
Joy From the Savior
DAY FOUR: ADVENT – Joy from the Savior Grandma Murphy gave me joy. When I was young, my grandparents were a full day’s drive away, so we didn’t get to visit often. I remember climbing out of the car after the long trip and greeting the stocky woman with a twisted gray bun. She was usually outside watering a grassy patch in the yard. What astounded me was her solid footing in bare feet while bees swarmed around her legs. She didn’t flinch. We’d always enter the house through the back. The wood framed screen door would squeak loudly in …
Hearts of Gratitude
In looking up the word “gratitude” from various sources, most of the definitions were very similar and what one might expect: thankfulness, the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness; a natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love, etc… One definition, however, significantly stuck out to me: gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God. Researching gratitude chronologically in the Bible, it took me a while to find it, which was surprising to me! Although we don’t see a “thank you” in the first few chapters of Scripture, …
Fall Devotions
Day 4 I lived in Houston, Texas for almost 8 years. The summers were so hot. That seems like not enough to describe them. I can remember walking outside and the heat and humidity being so high that it literally would take your breath away. You couldn’t do very many things outside because of the extreme temperatures and if you did you must take breaks often and make sure you drank lots of water to keep you from dehydration. It was so hot at times the power would go out in our homes due to the magnitude of power being …
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