Welcome to my MicroBlog. I don’t write full blog posts as often anymore. Instead, you can find brief, “micro blog” posts on Instagram! They are short reads. These are my most recent posts. To view the entire post on Instagram, simply click on the image. I window will open with the post!
These words of wisdom from my youngest when she was eleven years old.
There is only ONE WAY to heaven--through JESUS.
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6)
I posted her sage advice on Facebook in 2011 and it popped up in my memories a couple of weeks ago.
Abby is our Aggie. She's eager to get back to her Meteorology classes! She and Tim love puzzles. With his working from home, a puzzle is always on the coffee table. When they are both working on one together, you'd think they were in a race to see who could place the most pieces!
Some of the most challenging puzzles have pieces that are similar in size, shape, and color. It can be tricky figuring out which one goes where.
In our world, we often try to fill the void in our lives with anything and everything but the One it was made for.
Do you enjoy putting together puzzles? I'd love to hear about your favorites.
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Do you ever get caught up in the now such that you forget the forever? Sometimes “circumstances” pile up so fast it's hard to focus on anything. It feels like your mind is filled with cobwebs.
I find myself in this place from time to time. Well, maybe more often than I’d like to admit. It leaves me feeling desperate.
Like a neglected room collecting dust, our hearts and minds need a good cleaning.
I ask myself …
What are the cobwebs in my heart and mind that keep me from thriving spiritually?
I’ve discovered that for me, worship and time in God’s Word helps me shift my focus. They don’t change my circumstances, but they change me.
It's a habit to start here first, though. And often I get it backwards. Only after I've pitched a fit or two, or melted into a puddle of goo do I actually s-l-o-w d-o-w-n enough to realize what I need to do.
Jesus' words to the crowds encourage me:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Including an uncluttered mind that can see my circumstances in fresh light.
What about you? Raise your hand 🙋♀️ if I'm not alone. What helps you shift from a cluttered mind to a clear mind?
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Have you ever started a project and then at some point decided not to finish it? A while back I bought a bunch of Bible journaling supplies. They sat on my dining room table for a long time. I thought it might be fun to try with my girls–or on my own. But the more I looked at the ink, stencils, and stickers, the more I realize it wasn't for me.
I quit before I even started. God’s not like that. He has a plan and purpose for each of us. What He plans, He starts and finishes (Philippians 1:6)!
This is great news when we're fearful of what God has called us to do. He doesn’t give us an assignment and then walk away, expecting us to figure it out on our own. He doesn’t leave us alone to wonder and wander without purpose (Hebrews 13:5).
God gives us everything we need in order to do the things He wants us to do (Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 13:21). With every step, He tells us which way to turn (Isaiah 30:21).
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Our power has been out for several hours. Thankfully our range is gas and my coffee maker is a drip, so I am able to enjoy my morning cup.
🕯
I was sitting in the dark for a while and then remembered all my candles! I didn’t have to sit in darkness!
🕯
Sometimes I find myself forgetting that I have the Light of the World to guide me. I forget that the One who created the Universe knows my name and never leaves me alone.
🕯
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
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This morning I worked through one of the "Personal Action Plans" of my new Bible study, STANDING FIRM IN CHRIST: Biblical Principles for Fighting Spiritual Battles. I just finished the week on "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15). (That is always a mouthful to read and say!)
But it's this: ==> Readiness to share the Gospel of Peace.
Be it our personal peace, sharing how those separated from God can be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, or encouraging those who need the Prince of Peace to walk alongside them in their turbulent situations ==> The Gospel of Peace is the answer.
I made a list of people I can share the gospel message with and some people that need encouragement from God's Word. But I, too, need some peace in my life.
So my Personal Action Plan included some Scriptures to encourage my soul. I went to one of my go-to verses, Isaiah 26:3. But I had also underlined verse 4 ... which gives verse 3 greater impact. Here they are together:
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal."
We experience perfect peace when we focus on the LORD ... the ROCK eternal.
Think about that. The Rock Eternal. It brings to mind an immovable mountain -- like Mount Everest. NOTHING is moving that mountain. Many of scaled its heights, but many have lost their lives trying.
OUR GOD is bigger and stronger and more imposing than Everest. We can trust Him with our lives.
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Let’s be honest with each other. Sometimes this verse:
*JOY COMES IN THE MORNING*
falls a little flat when you are in the middle of what comes just before that:
*WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT*
(Psalm 30:5)
Our weeping may endure for many nights (even countless nights) & the hope of dawn seems distant.
I’m living this right now. My family lost my brother suddenly last week. We are swimming in grief as we manage the details of our final farewell. We know that James is with the Lord! He is experiencing perfect joy, perfect healing, right now. Meanwhile, my family and I are experiencing acute grief.
We find ourselves “instructing our hearts” as we grieve our loss. We don’t grieve as unbelievers grieve. Because of Jesus, we have hope beyond the grave. We *will* see him again!
I’ve lost many loved ones before. All of my grandparents. Some aunts, uncles, and dear friends. But none have cut my heart as deeply as this loss. I’m re-reading everything I’ve written about brokenness. All of it—yes, every word—is still true.
GOD IS NEAR THE BROKENHEARTED
Because of His presence, because Our Shepherd carries us—we can endure this season of weeping.
We catch glimpses of joy as we read the letters James wrote us, recalling our conversations with him, sharing pictures of him. Knowing he is safe with Jesus.
❓But where is the joy when grief crushes us so hard we can barely breathe?
Honestly? Right now, the only place I experience joy is in worshiping our Savior!
Death was never meant to be joyful. Death is from the enemy of our souls.
LIFE is in Jesus. True JOY is in Him.
So for now, I'll plug in my earbuds & listen to some Kari Jobe.
We can find joy joy in mourning.
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Still mulling over the theme of brokenness from my IGTV on Monday. (again, sorry it's sideways!!)
God sees everything that brings us to our place of brokenness. To Him, it is the most beautiful part of who we are. He is ready to use our brokenness to point others to Himself. He is ready to bring healing.
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Have you heard of the “Shema”? (pronounced sheh-mah)
I knew it was a Hebrew prayer taken from Deuteronomy 6. But that’s about it. Recently, I read a devotional that discussed it briefly. The Shema is taken from 3 passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; and Numbers 15:37-41.
The first verse:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
The first word, *hear* is “shema,” and means to listen and to obey. It’s not passive, it is active. And sets the stage for all that follows.
God calls Israel to love Him whole-heartedly and to obey Him fully. He calls them to fix their eyes on Him and keep His commands close to their hearts. And to teach their children His commands at every opportunity. When they walk, when they sit, when they lie down and when they rise.
I'm reminded of James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” This is the essence of "shema." Actively listening to God's Word and following in obedience.
This isn't a "difficult obedience," like a child doing what his parents say because he doesn't want to be punished. The shema tells us that our obedience is motivated from love, within every part of our being. We honor God by doing what He says. And we love Him and this obedience so much that we share it with our children all the time. (If you're a parent, you know the broken record. "Mom, do I have to listen to that *again*?!?")
The result of loving God and obeying Him? We have the same benefit that God gave Israel -- His blessing. Not a perfect life, to be sure. But one that pleases God and fully satisfying.
Read more on the blog! Check the linkin.bio.
How do you put this into practice with your children?
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But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
The apostle Paul saw visions he described as “surpassingly great.” They must have been, because to keep Paul from becoming arrogant, God gave him some sort of physical ailment. The Greek describes this as “pointed or sharp,” thus Paul’s moniker, “thorn in the flesh.”
Ever had a thorn or a splinter you couldn't remove? Some are more painful than others. They annoy and distract. With annoyance and distraction come irritability and short tempers. (I’m not implying Paul had a short temper. Just considering where he may have been mentally and emotionally as a result of his thorn.) It’s clear this wasn’t a mild annoyance—it was extremely painful.
Paul begged God to remove it—3 times. But instead of healing, this physical pain became Paul’s constant companion.
When we read God’s answer, we may think God said, “No.” But God said a greater, “Yes.”
NO, to physical healing from intense pain.
YES, to Christ’s power
YES, to God’s grace.
When I read these verses, I tend to think more about the NO. I realize God will provide everything I need to endure whatever I’m asking God to remove. In reality, power and grace are God's greater YES.
May we, as Paul did, embrace God’s greater YES as we endure weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. For when we are weak, then we know God’s strength.
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