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Words
Remember the old adage, ‘Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me’. It is said to have been written to show that true courage consists in doing what is right, despite the jeers and sneers of our companions. According to Wikipedia the rhyme persuades the child victim of name calling to ignore the taunt, to refrain from physical retaliation, and to remain calm and good-living. Sometimes that is easier said than done. When we started remodeling our home we both had ideas of what we would like to do. I began to pick out paint colors and decor ideas that I would share with Tracy. He…
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Hands up!
Jesus always believed the best about people, saw them as they truly were and as they could be. He knew what they were capable of and encouraged them to become all that they were created to be. I struggle with believing the best in people. I allow disappointments, wrong expectations and my own opinions skew my view. One day at church during worship, as hands were raised during a song, I thought about how much more I focus on the worship involved when I raise my hands and it made me think about my prayer posture as well. When I’m fully committed to singing a worship song from my heart,…
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It’s A Given
I love how God will give me a message and then follow up with an opportunity to put it into practice. The lesson He gave me on answered prayers was perfectly timed and gave me an even deeper understanding of His word. Mitch is scheduled to leave for a training in Denver in a few weeks. He hasn’t flown in 20 years and this time he will be traveling by himself. His work took care of the travel arrangements so I feel disconnected, a little panicked and should anything go wrong, I want to be available to help him. He called me the night before his flight to talk about…
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Answered Prayers
I have a notebook that I write down my prayer requests and praises in each morning. When the prayers are answered I go back to that entry and write, “answered” in the margin. It’s a beautiful thing to read back at the prayer requests and see God’s hand working in so many of them. He is so faithful! I was reading a commentary on Acts 4 and it really made me stop and think. Peter and John had just been delivered from prison and returned to meet with fellow believers. The believer’s prayers for deliverance had been answered and then they all prayed together. In their prayer they spoke of…
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A Blessed Day
So often when I pray I will ask for a blessed day. It just rolls off my tongue and has become a part of my morning prayer. I do want a blessed day, but I find that sometimes I’m just saying the words because they are comforting and it feels like I’m covering my bases. As I thought about this for a moment a question came to mind, “What would a blessed day look like?” It made me stop and think about what I was really asking for. What makes a blessed day? Do things like the weather, possessions or everything going my way make it blessed? Sometimes, yes. In…
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Flowers for You
One morning I looked out my bathroom window and saw a beautiful large red rose even with the window. This was amazing because the bathroom is located upstairs and that meant that the rose had a stem that was over 6 feet long. I told Tracy about the rose and how it was larger than my hand and just amazing. I then proceed to get ready for the day. While in the shower my mind imagined Tracy cutting the rose and quietly placing it on the bathroom sink to surprise me when I came out of the shower. I would smile and giggle to myself just imagining the sweet gesture of…
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This Day
I finished reading a book last night by Mesu Andrews called Isaiah’s Daughter. It was a fictional book based on the story of King Hezekiah in the bible. The bible tells how Hezekiah was ill and to the point of death. The prophet Isaiah had been sent by God to give him the message to put his house in order because he was going to die and not recover. After receiving the message, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the court, the word of the Lord came to him telling him to go back to Hezekiah…
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The God of Miracles Cares for You
The bible study that I was reading the morning after my miracle was Luke 8:43-48. The story of the woman who touched Jesus’ robe and was healed. It was a continuation of a lesson God was teaching me. Part of me wanted to shout from the roof what had just happened. Another part wanted to keep my personal business private because I had seen first hand how people can treat you differently when they know you have had a medical issue. Not to mention I was wrestling around some big questions and a bit of guilt. God’s loving response of being healed because I trusted Him was both incredible…
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Walk Boldly
Remember in yesterday’s blog how I said that I wanted to be a woman with a trusting heart and how timely the message on fear was? Well God was going to give me an opportunity to practice becoming that woman. Each year I make sure that I get all my preventative doctor’s appointments scheduled and completed. I compare my test results with the previous year and always hope that the cholesterol levels and weight are better than the year before. This year when I went to my mammogram I was given the option to have it done in 3D. If I opted for this I would have to pay…
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Fear
I read a book called Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar. It was a fictional story based on Lydia from the Bible. In Acts 16:14 (MSG) the bible describes her as follows, “On the Sabbath, we left the city and went down along the river where we had heard there was to be a prayer meeting. We took our place with the women who had gathered there and talked with them. One woman, Lydia, was from Thyatira and a dealer in expensive textiles, known to be a God-fearing woman. As she listened with intensity to what was being said, the Master gave her a trusting heart—and she believed! Lydia is…