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Sun and Clouds Together
I love all beach sunrises, even gray days, because…well, we’re at the beach. But my absolute favorite is a combination of sunshine AND clouds.There’s just nothing quite like the beauty of seeing the colors as sunshine peeks through the clouds. Only a creator God can design this kind of beauty. As I watched these views, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the beauty that comes through the sunny joy filled days AND the gray seasons of life as well. Romans 5:3-5 reminds us that … we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope…
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Joining In
Have you ever been sitting on the beach and enjoying the peace of the surf and sun? Next thing you know someone has speakers blaring out music that is not your style? And it’s ruined the peace you were enjoying. I often wonder if they think we all want to listen to their genre of music! But what can you do? Go ask them to turn it down? Give them dirty looks? Just put up with it until you leave the beach? Or, like I found myself doing, do you notice your foot is tapping to the beat? All of a sudden I realize what I’m doing and that I’ve…
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A Reminder After the Storm
During our beach trip this year, we kept our eye on not one but two hurricanes. One landed in Louisiana (Francine), the other in Tallahassee (Helene), about 3 weeks apart. There is another one brewing that could also land on the Gulf coast, but we will be home by the time it arrives. After the eye of Hurricane Sally went right over us in 2020, we are much more cautious about any category hurricane anywhere close by. Around 36 hours after hurricane Helene made landfall, destroying so much and taking over 225 lives in several states (at the time of writing this), I awoke to the most amazing sunrise we’d…
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Getting Through the Muck
After a month at the beach, you can expect Beach Lessons in my posts! Here’s the first. This year we had a some seaweed just beyond the shore. If it’s out a ways, I don’t mind walking in the shallow water. But walking on and through wet, grassy gunk is not something I enjoy. But, what’s just beyond the seaweed? From the 18th floor balcony of our rental, I get a great look at the clear water beyond the dark mucky stuff. There is a sand bar out beyond as well. It’s shallow enough to stand on and draws many, including me at times, especially when it is clear and…
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A Short Fuse
Being Scotch-Irish through my dad’s side of the family, I grew up seeing a short fuse in action. And I inherited that short fuse! For a long time I just blamed it on my family background. But eventually, the Lord convicted me of my impatience and quick response of anger. I’m still learning about patience, but over the years I have seen God’s work in helping to lessen my quick, hot anger. One day I came across this quote from an unknown author: The wind of anger blows out the lamp of intelligence. Quite convicting. Proverbs 29:11 says… A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man holds it…
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A God Assignment: Eyes on Others
Where are you right now? What neighborhood do you live in? Where do you work? Who do you Iive with and are responsible for? Where do you shop? And what’s on your heart? What have you learned? Who do you often pass by and hardly notice? Questions worth considering from time to time. Chris Tiegreen said: God has not placed us where we are simply for the output we can produce, whether at a factory, at a desk, at school, or at home with children. He has put us there because that is a context in which He wants to display Himself. Really? At my nail salon? In my workplace? Within…
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Be Alert to Satan’s Tactics
My pastor is preaching through Revelation this year and as we got to chapter 12, we studied John’s vision of spiritual warfare in the heavens and the earth. Another quote from my favorites list (see past posts) is by one of my former presidents at LifeWay, Thom Rainer, who said, Satan has a simple agenda…to keep people lost. But another tactic of his is to keep saved people ineffective as disciples. Pastor Robby Gallaty recommended a book by C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, and since I hadn’t read it, I ordered a copy. It truly exposes how subtle the devil is and how naive we can be about how…
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Something Better
Unanswered prayer. A loss you can’t wrap your head around. A betrayal from someone you thought loved you. A life threatening health diagnosis. How do you handle this type of experience? My answer would have to be: different ways at different times and in different life phases. Even when I struggle to hold on to hope, my goal is to find a way to trust what I know is true about the Lord’s love and faithfulness. George Muller once said, Our heavenly Father never takes anything away from His children unless He means to give them something better. Priscilla Shirer prays it this way: God give me what I ask…
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Vessels of Christ
What is your favorite way to minister to others? What have you seen Jesus do through you as you obediently serve Him? Are you serving as God’s vessel daily? Because God is sovereign and omnipotent He does not need any help to get His work done. He chooses to use His followers so we can shine His light in the world and experience the blessing that serving Christ brings to us and to those we serve on earth. My ministry friend Kay led worship at many of our You Lead training events for LifeWay Women where I had the joy of serving for over 22 years. She also led in an…
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A Passion for the Impossible
Sometimes I find myself in a comfortable place, not looking for a new thing, or a challenge that would move me out of that rut. After a while, I become comfortable with with my rut to the point of feeling stagnant. Then I find myself seeking a challenge to show me new steps to take, or new things to learn. Perhaps that’s where the disciples were as they were going out to share the Gospel, heal the sick, and perform miracles in the name of Jesus. When they failed to drive out a demon from a possessed boy, they asked Jesus why. His response was: “Because of your little faith,” he…
