Sing it!

I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.

—Psalm 104:33-34

Those who know me know this is very appropriate! 

I relate so much to music – like everything that happens has a theme song!

Do you sing in the shower?

What words are on your lips?

Singing is such a wonderful gift!

First, it is a gift from God to us, to help us express our joy, excitement, sorrow, and victory.

Second, it is a gift from us to God, to help us communicate our respect, appreciation, love, and confidence in God.

So let's sing, praising God for what He has done, proclaiming what He will do, and sharing what He is currently doing in our lives!

Have a blessed day! 

My Prayer

By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

– Psalm 42:8

It took me a long time to understand that I am supposed to pray daily, not just Sunday mornings in church.

I admit I still fail in my prayer life.

Do you find prayer boring?

I have learned that prayer is not just for when we want things, but to thank God too.

Even when we are sad and struggling (praise goes up, blessings rain down).

Try this: start off your prayer time thinking of all the ways that God directs His love toward us through friends, family and daily provision.

End your day thinking of His presence as we sleep.

Prayer can remind us of how much the LORD loves us.

We can be renewed in our souls as we take the time to quiet our hearts and focus on God.

Have a blessed day! 

Are there dogs in heaven?

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly

- Psalm 84:11

Remember the movie “All Dogs Go To Heaven”?

That question is heavy on my heart this morning.

See, yesterday afternoon I took our two dogs to the vet for their annual rabies shots, and I came home with only one dog.

It has been scientifically proven that people that have pets are happier than those without.

Pets love us unconditionally (whoa – God loves us unconditionally too!) and fill a void in our lives.

Playing with a pet increases the levels of the feel-good chemicals serotonin and dopamine in your brain.

Yet, pet ownership is not always easy – there is training and expenses and more training.

We expect them to live forever, and that simply doesn’t happen.

When we lose a pet we hear all about the Rainbow Bridge and that we will see them again when we get to heaven.

But in reality, the Bible doesn’t directly address whether our pets will be with us in heaven.

The best advice is for us is to love our pets and enjoy them while they are here with us—and trust God in everything for the future.

He sees and knows all, and nothing is too hard for Him to do.

God knows how much we love our pets and how much they mean to us.

Perhaps God may allow our beloved pets to be with us in heaven.

We must be willing to allow God to order things as He sees best – “no good thing will He withhold”.

We can trust God that heaven will be a place filled with everything necessary for our happiness.

I believe that includes our pets.

Have a blessed day!

Get ready. Get set. Go!

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

—Joshua 3:5

"Get ready. Get set. Go!"

These words from our childhood are very important for us today as we seek to do God's will.

God wants us to be ready.

But all the personal preparation in the world is not going to make a difference if we have not dedicated ourselves and consecrated ourselves to do what we do to glorify God.

What plans do you have for this next year?

What plans do you have for tomorrow?

What plans do you have for today?

Before we "Get set" and "Go," let's get ready by dedicating ourselves to the Lord and His work!

Have a blessed day!

a fresh start

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

—Proverbs 21:30

No matter how fresh the start nor how great the plans we have made, if we do not walk with God, the coming year will not be a spiritual success.

As we receive this gift of a new year, let's commit to serve the Lord.

As we make plans for the coming days ahead, let's make sure that those plans are made based on the LORD's revealed will in Scripture, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and prayerful consideration of what our God wants us to accomplish.

Have a blessed day! 

I am made new

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

—2 Corinthians 5:17

It's better than starting over!

As Christians, we get a fresh and new start.

God not only forgave us, pardoned us, ransomed us, and saved us, He also made us a new creation!

And every time we come to Him, every day we rededicate ourselves to serve Him, and every new year we offer to Him, we get a new start and a whole new world.

So as we begin this new year, let's begin by offering ourselves to Him, asking Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and take leadership of our lives

Have a blessed day! 

A new beginning

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

—Genesis 1:1

It’s a new year. 

I arrived at work late this morning because I took my youngest to the airport so he could return to military duty at Fort Gordon, GA.

Someone on the flight gave up their first class seat to thank him for his service. 

It’s hard, being a mom, letting go of the young.

I wonder if this is how God feels, letting go of us?

I mean we are His, but we are also creatures of the earth.

Yes, we are much more, but occasionally we need to be reminded that we are simple creatures.

We can't truly understand existence before time, yet before the beginning of time as we know it, God existed — He has revealed Himself as "I Am," the One who was and who is and who is to come. Before there was an ordered universe to provide the basis of our existence, God is "I Am."

He had existence before, beyond, and without our created universe.

We can't even truly comprehend this in its entirety.

That's why every new beginning — whether it is a day, a week, a year, or a millennium — should begin with God.

He alone is the ultimate Genesis, our beginning.

Have a blessed day!