Speedbumps

 Even when speed bumps are painted yellow, they sometimes catch me by surprise. In the fast lane of life, the trials and setbacks that come my way remind me of those bumps .While God may not take hardships away, He does promise to be with me through the bumps in the road when I struggle to keep going. God allows the bumps in life to bring growth, to demonstrate His work in my life and to draw me closer to Him.

How I handle the unexpected reflects my deepest attitudes. It's easy to be dissatisfied and discouraged when things haven't gone my way. If I realize that the way things are going is for the best, that they will become beautiful in God's time, not mine, then I can let disappointment go. The things I hope for don't always come the way I expect, but even in disappointment there can be joy.

Lets Go on a Picnic

A favorite psalm of many is the 23 psalm, often referred to as the shepherd's psalm. many things can be brought out of this psalm, but as I was reading it, the idea of a picnic came to mind.

The great shepherd not only satisfies and sanctifies his flock,supporting them in their valleys of fear;he supplies them with a picnic along the way!

Our great shepherd lays a table before us in the very presence of our enemies. Imagine how He covers a table in the dark valley with a white cloth, finding a wide leaf for a plate, and picking some lovely green blades of grass for His jumpy lambs. By the time the lamb (that's you and me) have eaten its fill, he will have had its hear anointed with the oil of gladness, and his cup of joy will over flow.

Do you need a picnic today? Jesus is waiting.....

Not a maybe or perhaps.... but a surely

Whether the sun was shining, or it was midnight in his soul, David was able to say, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me  all the days of my life."

It's so much easier for me to say, "most days" or "some days." yet the Bible promises God's presence all the days of my life. This is not a promise that all my days will be good or happy but rather an assurance that the God of mercy will follow me through the good and bad days, the rich and poor days, the sick and well days, - ALL the days of my life...

When I believe this promise,I bring His presence into my problems. It is His presence in all of my nights that wrings from my lips the certain cry, "Surely!" His sweet friendship lights up good days and makes them even better. so I do not have a maybe or perhaps or a hopefully, but a surely that is rooted in the proven promises of God

Trusting God...Got 2 Minutes?

Trusting God is not necessarily having trustful feelings. It is an act of will. Trsting God essentially is reasoning with yourself to act upon what you know in your head to be true, even though you don't feel like its true...walking by faith despite feelings, walking by faith despite the circumstance, trusting, believing and Knowing God is ever faithful to do as He has promised.

 I find that trusting God with my life is easy - for about 2 minutes. Then I get off course and forget the character of the God I trust. Fear sets in,and logic doesn't help. It sounds funny to say, but its true, I need to trust God in order to keep trusting Him. Only God can Give us the faith we need when we ask Him for it.

So today, I will trust God with my life 2 minutes at a time!

Worship - Release, Relief, and Rescue

 Worship in the midst of doubt and difficulty saves me from a soul-numbing cycle of self pity. Worship helps me to get my eyes off myself and my problems. As I worship, I focus my heart on God, which puts everything else into proper perspective. When the pressure is on and the pain is great, when I am pushed to the end of my endurance, worship is the release I need, the relief I need, and the rescue I need.

I used to think of worship as a Sunday morning series of events in which I gather in a church sing songs and listen to a sermon. If that is the only definition and dimension of my worship my soul will wither away in the heat of difficulty. I worship when I reflect God's glory-his character and likeness-to others in the way I live.

Worship Is a way of life,not a weekly event.

 To worship God while walking through a trial is a precious and powerful testimony to the world around us . Trials equip us to worship in a way we never have before because when we hurt we are acutely aware of our desperate need for God.

Trials put our helplessness and inadequacy in proper perspective to God's power and sufficiency.

We are a work in progress

Just as a sculptor sees the master piece in the stone before beginning to work,God sees the end in the beginning of things.He works carefully,unveiling my beauty day by day,stroke by stroke,with His divine chisel.If I can realize that everything around me is a work in progress,I may be able to release my fears,trust God, and open my heart to the gentle unveiling of beauty in my life

The Road Ahead...

The road ahead may be completely unfamiliar and I may not know where it will ultimately lead.But as I travel it hand in hand with God,my journey and destination will be truly rewarding. Even though the terrain underneath me and the uncharted territory ahead of me may seem rocky, it is pale in comparison to the loving,powerful God who walks beside me...where He leads I will follow.

Kites and Faith....Flying High!

It was very windy yesterday, so I was thinking about flying a kite. My hope is that my faith will be like a kite, where an opposing wind will cause it to rise higher...and it will dance across the sky, closer to heaven than my feet on earth. May the string never tangle in the trials of life, but rather be wound tight around the core of God's promises

Questions and answers

 If I could ask any question of God, and get the answer, what would that be..? Would it start with WHY? would it start with When? would it start with Where? Maybe it would start with another word...after thinking about this, I think I would start with the word What. I would ask Him "What did you ever see in to die for me?" Wonder what the answer could be... What question would you ask?

Being all I can be

 God is amazing.He starts a fire with a single spark,a hurricane with a single raindrop,and a new life with a single cell.God creates each person with enormous potential and promise.God sees my brave heart in the midst of fear.He sees the little grain of faith that can grow into a great work for Him. And He knows the impact of a single willing heart on the world.God encourages me to be all that I am meant to be.

 I am a success story! God created me for success but He never planned for me to acquire it alone.True success comes when I'm willing to say,"It's not about me and its all about you Lord".Then He is free to take me to a level that only I can achieve with His strength and power propelling me.This is how I can discover lasting success in Him.In Him I live and move and have my being...What an amazing God!

 God allows the events in our lives with the purpose of drawing me closer to him.When all is well,I can feel God smiling on me When there are bumpy patches on my life-journey,I trust he is still smiling.God's reasons for adversity may often be shrouded in mystery,but His continual presence is an absolute promise.So I will look for God in both the good and bad and find Him right beside me looking back at me with love