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I've Loved You for a Long, Long, Time Birthday Boy

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Happy, Happy Birthday to My Guy   Today, I pause to thank God for the way he created my husband and brought him into the world on March 18th. I thank Him for the privilege of being his wife all these years and having him as the father of our six children.  (One who was born on this same day 40 years ago.)  I am asking God to order my husband's steps today and fill them with unexpected blessings as he takes the love of Christ into hospitals, nursing homes and the homes of shut ins.  I should have cancelled my plans and ridden side saddle with him, but the nursing home ladies would be very disappointed to not have him to themselves. Instead, I will work on a candlelight dinner with some of his favorite beach tunes playing in the background and we will slowdance in the kitchen. As I read Eccleisastes I said, "Amen." We were laboring picking up sticks and trimming shrubs on the acreage at Shiloh Saturday and held one another up more than once!  Okay, he held me up a lot more

Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

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Our five year old granddaughter at her birthday party at a children's museum      playing doctor with her Papa as her patient. Danny Gokey is an American singer and American Idol winner whose childhood sweetheart, his first wife, died from complications during heart surgery.  He was in deep grief from this loss. He and Sophie had been together 12 years. I've probably posted this video before, but wanted to share it as today's devotional and I am praying that as you read this you will pray for someone with a broken heart and find a way to encourage them today. This is why you must encourage  and help each other, just as you are already doing .                          1 Thessalonians 5:11          Our God has said:  “Encourage my people!   Give them comfort." Isaiah 40:1 The Song “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” Danny Gokey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUHRDCYnFfg

12 Steps

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Sunset from a friend's deck here at Smith Mt Lake A Bible study I am participating in had a weekly challenge to meditate on a passage of scripture and I chose Romans 12:9-18. I turned it into a personal  12 Step Program on How to be Joyful Always.    The process truly brings refreshment, joy and freedom. I challenge you to jot down a specific way you can live out each of these in the coming week. Be sincere in your love for others.  Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.  Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than  you do yourself.   Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord.  Let your hope make you glad.  Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.  Take care of God's needy people.  Welcome strangers into your home. Ask God to ble

Comfort Comments

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Our 7 year old lacrosse player Our 9 and 12 year old skateboarders A bunch of our 5-43 year old snowboarders enjoying the playground of life. We want to be comfortable. What thread count do you prefer your sheets? Do you have lumbar seats in your car (now they even have seats with masasge rollers? The fabrics we can wear on our bodies and cushioning that can be found in our shoes make everyday life a little more comfortable physically. We want to be comfortable emotionally and do some quick head turning to avoid uncomfortable situations and drop calls to stay clear of uncomfortable conversations. I've searched, but cannot find the verse that says... this world is all about you and is free from strife and stress. James 1:2-4 tells us very clearly we will have trials and those trials have purpose. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that yo

Just Shut Down and Start Again

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The newest 5 year old in the family.   Recently, I have stewed over a phone issues and a computer issue finally realizing I probably need to go and get professional help (or a younger mind) to resolve the issue.  Long story short, all that needed to be done in each instance was to shut off the device and get a fresh start.  Isn't that so appropriate for life!!!! Our God is the graciuos King of do overs and allows us to start again with Him. Just the other day I wrote about    Proverb 24:10  (CEV)  "Don't give up and be helpless  in times of trouble."   God will make a way when there seems to be no way. He didn't create us to be quitters.  Earlier this month I was overloaded.  Even more than a "Calgon take me away" moment.  It was "Let's sell everything and move away to a tiny quiet spot and do nothing."  I kid you not, the next morning I picked up a book I was reading I Want God  by Lisa Whittle and she was writing on comfort.  She wrote t

God Had to Do Something with Our Sin

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  All of our church campuses hosted Houses of Prayer this past Sunday evening in preparation for these weeks leading up to Easter.  If you want to draw deeper in relationship with fellow believers gather and pray. We had a written guide with verses to guide us through the Easter story from Jesus' triumphant entry on Palm Sunday, to the cross, his burial and finally, hallelujah his resurrection. My husband was our leader and shared how our faith is nothing without Christ's  death, burial and resurrection .  Something has to be done with our sin and God sent Jesus as the solution. All those we hold in high reguard Moses, Abraham, David, Soloman, the list goes on, had sin in their lives.  So do all of us.  Ros Clarke, with InterVarsity wrote this prayer: "Father God, you know the depths of sin in our hearts and the reality of sin in our actions, and yet, in Christ, you not only forgive us but restore us and, by your Spirit, renew us so that we may live in  faithful obedience.

Resolve

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Our grandson, as King Darius, and below with his buddy, Daniel,  in the the school musical "Daniel and the Lion's Den" Resolve: to decided firmly on a course of action; firm determination to do something;  find a solution to a problem.   Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.  Daniel 1:8 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame,  resolved to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19  In 2 Thessalonians 1:11 Paul writes: To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every  resolve  for good and every work of faith by his power,  On my birthday, a friend mailed me this resolve .   It's only possible with the Holy Spirit's control.   A Morning Resolve "I will try this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly ev