Everyday MattersThere's a reason for everyday.
Despite the bad and the good, everyday matters. |
4/25/2024
GraceThursday Matters- April 25, 2024
Everyday Good Words How do you know when you’ve given enough to get to God? Don’t you just have to perform a bunch of good deeds? I see Jessica helping the poor and marginalized all the time so she must be close to God. And aren’t there many different roads that can lead to God? But what about the people that have been taught to hate and are the poor just virtuous? That sounds right, but it is not what Jesus said. Jesus said you cannot earn Him taking the executioner's cross for you. We instinctively know this. If a soldier drapes his body over a grenade to save his friends, we recognize it as a sacrifice. Something we honor, but not something we can pay him back for. The same is true with Jesus. He loves us for who we are and not for what we do. The good things we do, like soup kitchens for the poor and others acts of kindness, are out of our love for Him…everyday. 4/18/2024
Fully LovedThursday Matters- April 18, 2024
Everyday Fully Loved I’m thankful for God’s Word because He is the Word! HE is our Redeemer! The Bible isn’t about us. The Bible is about God and His redemption. Of course, wickedness is judged, but that’s not the focus of the story. Redemption and restoration to the glory of God is! That's it. The Woman at the Well ran to tell others about a man who met her thirst (Is He the Messiah?)! She did not run back into town to tell others that she felt judged, but rather she ran to let others know, that despite her past, Jesus accepted her where she was at. He is that same God. Nothing we could do would ever take His love away from us nor is there anything we could do to cause Him to love us more. He knows me, my pain, my ache from the loved one I lost, the cancer that came to my husband, and my anxiety attacks. HE IS here, waiting to make creative, redemptive use of what has happened. He knows, He “gets us” and He loves us unconditionally…everyday. 4/11/2024
PeaceThursday Matters- April 11, 2024
Everyday Flood of Peace Do you feel as if you’re drowning? Maybe it’s literal in the fact that the city you live in is flooding due to a storm. What do you do? You try and move to solid and higher ground to keep from drowning…right? And there you move with the love and help of God through others, so you’re not swept away by the water. Well, the same is true for holding unto the peace God gives us and promises in John 14:27, “Peace, I give you. Don’t be afraid.” “But it’s flooding,” you cry out. He knows. He’s there. God has peace to give no matter what difficult things flood your life. But we have to choose to receive His peace. Sometimes I have to say aloud; “God I choose to receive the peace you give and not this fear I feel.” God is not surprised in what’s happening. He is always on the move. He is there for you…everyday. 4/4/2024
Listen and loveThursday Matters- April 4, 2024
Everyday Future Wives Perhaps you’ve never entered into the teen zone of angry and angrier but me? Been there. Done that. What’s crazy is that our anger can actually stem from love. We see the bad choices our teen is making and we just want them to stop and listen so we yell and then they yell. The book of James says; “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry because our anger doesn’t produce results like we or God wants when it’s NOT filled with grace. One day when I was going at it with my teen I was also in the book of Proverbs 14 reading, “She who foams up quickly and flies into a passion deals foolishly.” Maybe stop, take a breath, ask God to deal with you and you’ll see the grace He gives to you is the way you’ll be able to give grace to your teen…everyday. 3/28/2024
Wanting MarriageThursday Matters- March 28, 2024
Everyday Wives I don’t want to be like Rebekah who said to Isaac in Genesis 27:46; “What good will my life be to me if Jacob takes wives such as Esau did with these Hittite women (women who didn’t know the living God)?” Once my husband Dan began a relationship with Christ, he didn’t see the point in dating, so he prayed very specifically to God for a wife. Three years after this prayer, God answered, and Dan got me! Because God knew both our hearts, He matched us together perfectly. I know, without a doubt, that the prayers of my great grandfather and other family members played a significant part in bringing my husband Dan and I together. When our four sons where young, before school I made it a practice to put my hand on each their heads and pray for their future wives. I wanted them to also have the assurance that God chose someone specifically for them to spend their lives with…everyday. 3/21/2024
ReligionThursday Matters- March 21, 2024
Everyday Religion My husband Dan did not become a Christian until he in his 20’s and in college. He never grew up going to church so in college he wanted to know if there was a God. He studied the religions of the world and THEN saw the uniqueness of Jesus. Jesus claims to be the way, not just show the way. And there is an enormous difference in religion and the forever-relationship Jesus offers. It’s not based on what we do but what He’s done. ALL religions require us to do something or sacrifice to please God so we can earn heaven. Most religions are intolerant of people who disagree with them. Some even hate and want to hurt those who disagree. Jesus' message is just the opposite He says, "Let your love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold on to what is good." "Love your enemies" not just tolerate them. What? The message of Jesus is to LOVE and forgive others, which you can only do once you have seen your bad self and accepted His forgiveness…everyday. 3/14/2024
AnxietyThursday Matters- March 14, 2024
Everyday Anxiety The earth experience is hard but it’s not our home. Knowing what we need to do and then doing it are two different things. I sometimes get these crazy anxious thoughts and then have a physical response by having an anxiety attack, but courage is to go forward despite it. I know I need to turn to God 100% to get to the other side. Turning toward God and from the direction you were going is what “repent” means. In God’s holiness He must punish sin but, in His love, He didn’t want to punish us. Christ proclaims our infinite worth and His eternal love for us aside from any human standard, even our own. We will live forever in a community of equals – saints and sinners, all, saved by grace. Remember Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” Our temporary imperfection is a quality which actually connects us to others rather than a secret shame which sets us apart. I still get anxiety attacks, but in faith I trust Christ…everyday. 3/7/2024
LaughterThursday Matters- March 7, 2024
Everyday Laugh Don’t you just love to have a good laugh or the kind of laugh that triggers the giggles where you can’t stop? Sometimes laughter comes when you’re not supposed to be laughing like in a meeting or at church but it’s such good medicine. Laughter draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and even protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner. Ecclesiastes 3:4 tells us there’s: “A time to cry and a time to laugh.” Let’s find ways to put more laughter into our diets instead of obsessing on everything that bugs us. You really can find humor in a hard place and it’s so freeing and truly one of the best medicines for overall health…everyday. 2/29/2024
Jesus is EverythingThursday Matters- February 29, 2024
Everyday The Great I AM Think about how crazy it was for Moses to hear God speaking from a burning bush. It seems a little weird too. God speaks in love but He’s direct when He tells Moses, “Get to Egypt, get my people and GO!” And when Moses asks “What should I say to the people when they ask me your name?” it seems that God didn’t want to spend a lot of time telling Moses all the things He was, so He simply said in Exodus 3:14, “Tell My people I AM has sent Me to you!” “Okay, whatever that means”, Moses must have thought but upon “seeing” who God really was, Moses probably realized that I AM meant everything! God IS saying, “What you need… I AM! I AM your navigator, speaker, provider, comforter, and strength …I AM EVERYTHING YOU NEED when you need it. That gives me incredible hope to carry-on, and I hope it does for you too…everyday!” 2/22/2024
Trust IssuesThursday Matters- February 22, 2024
Everyday Love and Trust Is trusting and loving someone interrelated? Well, we can love without trusting. We can and should love someone imprisoned for theft as Hebrews 13:3 points out; “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” That does not mean we have to give them access to our bank account just to prove we “love” them. We show compassion for an alcoholic by offering our help. We also show compassion by not “enabling” the alcoholic by protecting them from consequences for their bad actions. Many times, consequences are the “severe mercy” that is needed to get their attention. The caution is to make sure we have not elected ourselves their jury and judge. It's the Holy Spirit who guides and directs us in how we should move forward in love which might be setting a boundary or not continuing in conversation with someone when they repeatedly spew out garbage to us. Trust in God who loves us no matter what…everyday. |
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