New Beginnings

Before my feet hit the floor this morning, I knew.

With every fiber of my being, I knew. The rubber would meet the road today. 

Today would be a day of a "new" beginning. 

Sounds great, right? What' s not to love about new?

New is exciting. 

New is fun.

New is exhilirating. 

Yes, yes and yes ... new can be all of those things. 

But as anyone who has ever walked in anything "new" knows ... 

New can be very risky. 

New can be very costly.

New can be very scary. 

I'm a pretty adventurous girl and have walked with Jesus a long time but ... there are times when "new" shakes me to my very core. How about you?

Father God, as women, we are often driven by our desire for safety and security. Help us to remember in times of "new beginnings" true safety and security are found only in You. Give us the strength and the courage to say "yes, Lord" when You bring us to something new. No matter the cost. Amen. 

Sunday Celebration - No More Suffering

 As my pastor so eloquently said today ... each of us is either:

•  in a storm right now

                        Or

•  just coming out of a storm

                        Or

•  out on the horizon, a storm is brewing, and it's headed our way

A book that has brought me great comfort in the midst of a storm is: Heaven, My Father's House. Anne Graham Lotz, the author, asks the following question:

In what way are you suffering? Are you suffering ... Physically, Emotionally, Mentally, Financially, Materially, Relationally, Socially, Spiritually. She then offers these words of exhortation:


One day, God Himself will take your face in His hands and gently wipe away your tears as He reassures you there will be no more suffering in My Father's House. No more ....

• pain, or hospitals, or death, or funerals, or walkers, or canes, or wheelchairs

There will be no more ...

• suicide bombers or fiery infernos
• broken homes or broken hearts 
• broken lives or broken dreams

There will be no more ...

• mental retardation or physical handicaps
• muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis
• blindness or lameness
• deafness or sickness 

  There will be no more ...

• Parkinson's Disease or heart disease
• diabetes or arthritis
• cataracts or paralysis

NO MORE ...

• cancer or strokes or AIDS

NO MORE ...

• guns in schools
• car bombs
• terrorists
• missiles
• air strikes

NO MORE WAR! You can look forward with hope, because one day there will be no more separation, no more scars, and no more suffering in My Father's House. It's the home of your dreams.

Sunday Celebration - Remain In My Love

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. 

Now ... Remain in my love. John 15:9

One would think after making it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year ... Valentine's Day would be a breeze. Right? Not necessarily. Enduring the expectations of the 'holiday of love' can be torture. Especially, if you are grieving the loss of a loved one.

• Perhaps, your loved one is now in heaven. 
• Perhaps, your loved one is now living across town following a divorce.
• Perhaps, your loved one is lost to an addiction. 

In times like these, we don't feel loved. Our loss or rejection may even spill over into how we see God. We might begin to question if He can be trusted. In times like these, we need to be reminded ... 

Circumstances change, but Jesus never does.

People will let us down, but Jesus never will.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is love. He can be trusted. Hear that again ... God is love. God can be trusted. 

God is good and His grace is sufficient. Yet, there will be storms of life. 

The pain is real. The grief is real. The heartache is real. 

So, how do you make it through the storms of life? You remain in His love.

Resist the desire to withdraw or run from Jesus. Run to Him. 

Remain in His love. Remain in His love. Remain in His love. 

Sunday Celebration - Praising God When It Hurts

If we are honest with ourselves, and before God, there are days when we are tempted to give up the fight. As we walk around bloody and bruised from the attacks on our minds, body, and our spirit ... we can begin to focus far too much on our attacker. And in our weakened state, we can even begin to accept defeat.

Ever been there? If you haven't, you will.

On days like these, when you can hardly manage to drag yourself to church. Much less, sing Hallelujah. That's when you need to be in church the most. When life hurts  ... when the last thing you want to do is worship ... this is when you must CHOOSE to worship.

God wants us to turn our hearts to Him. Not just a heart full of gladness. But (dare I say) ESPECIALLY a heart full of sadness. 

If your focus has been on your attacker ... your focus has been taken off of your God.

Choose today, to praise God even in the storm.