The sun rises. The sun sets. People go about their business. People die, others are born. What does it all mean? Is there any hope that there is more to this life than the motions we go through? Without love, it is all meaningless under the sun. So what is hope then? Hope is this: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen or trusting something to happen. So is youth wasted on the young? Is there hope that there is something more to this life than all the motions we go through on a day to day basis? My answer is YES! A thousand times yes. God is intertwined in everything we do. All the tasks we do, all the homework and lesson plans, grocery lists, spreadsheets, and anything else I didn’t name. He is always there, wanting to be a part of our lives and an integral role in our day to day lives. He wants to be a part of our lives a to z, beginning to end. So I...

Have you ever received encouraging words from someone or a nice compliment? I have and I am here to tell you it is so good to be encouraged. Well I have mentioned but maybe you need a refresher. I get pictures from God to help remind me of His love or how to solve an issue or problem I am facing. Enjoy! Vision My son Mark putting on rock climbing gear in heaven. Helping me with mine. My mighty warrior! Jesus is so evident in everything I say and do. He is so good. So righteous and just and true. Vision Little girl pushing away her sadness and regret, getting new confidence in her countenance as she gazes at the Son. A new person emerges as she looks at the Son. Vision I grapple with the Word of God. Sensing Your presence, looking up from reading it, sensing a good luck token pressed in between my fingers. His Word is so rich with encouragement and love. Vision Seeing me go back in time...

Jesus is holy. There is no doubt in my mind that you already know this. So we need to live with His holiness in mind and to revere Him as our King. He is good all the time. Even when I feel like life is spinning out of control, He is my peace. He is my hope. He always knows our hurt and wants to heal our wounds. He is Abba Daddy. He is the God who sees all and knows all. And yet He chooses to let us be a part of His plan to see the lost come to salvation in Him. Nothing should excite us more than that we get to be used by Him in helping the lost to get found. He is number one, or should be in our lives. Everything we do or think shouldn’t be far from Him. So if Jesus is holy and full of love and grace, what does that mean to us? Well, we need to conduct our lives in accordance with His will. Following Him, knowing He is with us one step at a time. He will never leave us or...

Have you ever wondered why people are so depressed and sad all the time? (And on screen time so much?) I try to get outside to go on walks and enjoy the fresh outdoors. But sometimes I forget to meditate on the goodness of God, and instead I turn my focus inward. Me me me. My problems seem to grow and no matter how I try to change my situation, my problems just grow and grow. Satan, the deceiver, loves to harp on my problems and thereby distort my view heavenward. He loves to inch in and nit pick on everything. It’s so good to know, however that God always wins in the end. In fact, it is true that He has already won the battle and the war. Even before the problem arises, God has already fought for you. So what happens when I try to focus on Jesus instead of my growing problems? I start to notice people more and how to serve them when I think of Jesus and lift my gaze heavenward....

Ever hear the phrase “Pride goes before a fall”? I have. When you think too highly of yourself is right before you fall. Humility means taking the back seat even to wisdom. But as you thirst for knowledge you will find wisdom. Wear it around your neck and keep it in a safe place. Never stop searching and questioning God for wisdom. But it is also important to fear God. Asking for wisdom from God is a good thing. Just be respectful and fear Him, even as you ask. Allow God to speak. Give pause for His voice to become aparant to you even as you ask. Even when you search the Scriptures for wisdom and inspiration you find time and again examples of imperfect people who mess up and time and again do things the wrong way. It is only when they seek God by humbling yourself can you gain wisdom. I think of David as he was running for his life from King Saul. He constantly sought out...

You know where the enemy gets us? He gets us at our weakest point. He gets us and leaves us wishing for things of the past or future that we regret having or doing. He is so tricky sometimes. The good news? The good news is that unless we let him, he has no power over us. Even today, just now this blog post deleted half my text so I have to rewrite it. I have a good attitude about it instead of my words, I wish His words here encourage you today. Stand firm then, in the mighty power of God and don’t look back. You know He is always there for you to talk to Him or sing to Him, like I like to do. He always has a better plan. Believe that, and you will never be the same again. So where does the enemy get us? He gets us when we are weak, and he appears as a ghost of a being. You know when he gets us? When we are at our very worst, a moment of weakness, a sad goodbye. Thoughts from...