Highlighting God's Presence to Inspire Your Life!
Are you finding that life seems so busy?
Do you find alone time to be with the Lord?
How many times do you walk by your neighbor without taking time to interact?
How many times do you walk by a stranger without a simple smile or hello?
It seems like the pace of life has picked up these days, with life getting more back to “normal.”
Life changes so quickly, and sometimes we need a reminder to make the most of every moment. God is present and working even in the simplest of interactions.
A friend and I recently shared a few thoughts about the Body of Christ that have made me reflect more on that phrase and what it means in our lives.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. –Colossians 1:15-18 (NLT)
I have recently been thinking a lot about “expectations.”
The Google definition that best represents expectations for me is: “the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.”
I read something this week that inspired these thoughts.
Consider an old-fashioned flashlight that uses batteries to shine a light for you to see.
*What do we do with a flashlight that starts to grow dim or stops working? Do we just throw it away?
No, we put in fresh batteries.
*What do we do when someone messes up in life and is in a dark space not shining their light?
We come alongside to help them.
*What if the person’s light still doesn’t shine?
We keep shining our light and sit with them patiently, sharing God’s love. Continue reading “SHINE BRIGHTLY”
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” –John 14:1 (NLT)
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after He told them He would only be with them a little longer. He knew the appointed time for Him to return to God was coming quickly. Jesus did not want their hearts to be troubled while they waited to be reunited with Him in heaven. They needed to trust God in everything.
Jesus knew the disciples would be sad and scared of being alone, so He stressed the importance of trusting in God. He wanted them to have a positive attitude, trust, and not dwell on the negative. Continue reading “THE POWER OF THOUGHTS”
“Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.” ― C.S. Lewis
A friend shared this quote with me. It has been a good exercise thinking about what it means to me personally. I believe we each might have a different interpretation based on our life experiences. Continue reading “PATCHES OF GODLIGHT”
Our area has experienced sudden thunderstorms the last few weeks. When they are accompanied by rainbows, it always makes me smile with seeing God’s goodness. The latest was a severe thunderstorm with 75+ mph winds about 9:45 pm, which downed trees in the area and left us without power for almost a full day. We were grateful it was only for one day, as there were people who were without power for three days. Continue reading “THE POWER SOURCE”
I saw that quote which struck me, as the day before I was waiting for a weather storm to pass. It was another sunny, very humid day as I began my walk for the day. Bringing an umbrella with me was not on my radar. Partway into my walk, I noticed a few darker clouds rolling in, yet was intrigued by the sun shining forth. Continue reading “DANCING IN THE RAIN”
As soon as I started driving to go to my daily walking spot, it began to downpour. I kept going as it looked a little brighter in the direction I was headed. When I got out of my car, it was just sprinkling a little. I grabbed my big golf umbrella and started walking. After a few minutes, I put my umbrella up as the rain picked up. Without warning, I found myself walking with no umbrella for shelter as the wind blew it inside out. I was not able to close it properly. I hoped nobody saw me walking back to my car carrying this inside out, poles sticking out everywhere umbrella. Continue reading “RAINBOWS”
God uses every detail in our lives to provide His perfect orchestration of our steps. One day a sequence of events led me to be earlier than usual to church.
I was sitting in my pew praying and turned to get something out of my bag. At the same time, a woman came to the table right behind me to use hand sanitizer before talking with the Pastor. Since I was there so early, I decided to go outside for a few minutes to collect myself and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and warmth. A few minutes after returning to my seat, I looked up to see this same woman next to me. I have never seen her before.
She said, “Would you please pray for my heartbroken son? You seem like you must be a good pray-er being at church so early.” She then shared more detail so I would know how better to pray for her son and the situation. I felt inspired to give her a copy of my book, hoping it might encourage her. She seemed delighted and said, “Well, it must have been the Holy Spirit that prompted me to share with you. Thank you so much.” I asked if I could hug her and she said, “Sure.”
Continue reading “UNITY IN PRAYER”