Are you my friend?

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

– Proverbs 17:17

Yesterday I received some very sad news.

A man, a mentor and a friend to many has passed away suddenly.

Out of respect for his family, I will not dwell on the circumstances surrounding his death, but I will say that his departure has left a huge void for many of his friends and coworkers.

Sometimes we are blessed to have a lot of friends.

Social Media reconnects us with people from our past, and introduces us to new people.

But remember, our true friends are the ones that are with us through the rough times.

There are many “fair weather” relationships, but the true depth of a relationship can only be seen when there is turbulence and storms.

For those in the storm: who can you lean on?

Find them and do so, don’t go through the storm alone.

For those not in the storm: who around you needs a friend’s love and a brother (or sister) who can stand next to them?

In either case, take a step today to serve each other in Christ.

Have a blessed day! 

filling the holes

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word.

– Psalm 119:28

Lately I have been going to God in prayer with holes in my heart.

I am not even sure I can explain the holes, but that is what I say to Him.

How do we handle depression?

It seems that we see images of happy people everywhere, especially in advertising and media.

This can become the unspoken “ideal life” and then when we encounter emotions that may contradict this imagery we find ourselves unprepared.

If I had a dollar for every time that someone told me to “just get over” my depression.

Did you know that the Scripture sees sorrow as a part of being human?

Many of the Psalms deal with feelings of overwhelming depression.

Look in your Bible!

As the feelings of sadness and hopeless ness are addressed,  we find that the Bible gives us the guide to navigate through sorrow—the promises of Scripture itself.

God’s word assures us in our sorrow and gives us lighthouses of hope to help us navigate through the dark moments of our soul.

Have a blessed day! 

Hope

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

—Romans 5:5

Hope.

Sometimes it seems so far away.

Dictionary dot com gives eight definitions of hope (eight!):

1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn outfor the best:

to give up hope.

2. a particular instance of this feeling:

the hope of winning.

3. grounds for this feeling in a particular instance:

There is little or no hope of his recovery.

4. a person or thing in which expectations are centered:

The medicine was her last hope.

5. something that is hoped for:

Her forgiveness is my constant hope.

6. to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.

7. to believe, desire, or trust:

I hope that my work will be satisfactory.

8. to feel that something desired may happen:

We hope for an early spring.

For a Christ follower, hope is the assurance that what we believe will happen.

We could call it spiritual confidence.

We have that spiritual confidence because more than just a wish, more than just an emotion, more than just a belief rests in our heart; God himself lives in us through His Holy Spirit.

When we become Christ followers, Jesus pours out the Spirit upon us as God's gift to us to cleanse us, make us part of the same Body, and live inside us.

One more thing to add to that list of blessings from God's presence within us — God's love.

We don't just have it; God keeps refreshing it through the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised.

Don’t ever lose hope.

Have a blessed day!

what did you say?

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

—Proverbs 10:11

I had a conversation one time with someone about how people behave differently in different situations.

The person said that he was totally different around his family than he is at work.  

I commented that I am the same person, inside and out, at work, at home, at church.

I don’t put on a different personality when I go to work – what you see is what you get, every day and always.

I am not fake, I feel like someone who has to change their nature depending on their surroundings might be hiding something.

Do you want to know the difference between a righteous person and a wicked one?

It’s simple, check the fruit of their life.

Notice how a person behaves in a professional setting and in a social setting.

One of the most visible forms of fruit in a person's life is his or her speech.

The righteous person finds a way to impart life with his or her speech.

The wicked will nearly always reveal themselves by what his or her mouth says.

Have a blessed day! 

a simple reminder

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

—Psalm 100:5

Song reference!!

For the Lord is good

And His love endures forever

He's a faithful God

To all generations

For the Lord is good

And His mercies will not fail us

They are new each day

O lift your voice and say the Lord is good

Great is Your faithfulness O Lord

Your loving kindness fills our hearts to overflowing

Songs of rejoicing and sweet praise

They fill our hearts

They fill our days

Oh to be reminded that God's love, mercy, and faithfulness not only continues through all generations, but also blesses and nurtures each generations (yes, even the millennials – lol).

As He has done in the past, God will do so even more in the days ahead as we await the glorious return of his Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed day! 

are you listening?

To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.

– Proverbs 18:13

Arguing with me is a challenge – ask my husband or my kids. 

I am terrible about assuming things, especially someone else’s answer or reason.

One of the great principles of negotiation is to seek first to understand, and then be understood.

Humans are prone to give answers before we know the full situation, which only makes the person we are talking to feel invalidated in their perspectives.

Parents need to listen to children, children to parents, spouse to spouse, worker to worker, and on it goes.

Take the time to listen to each other.

You may find it the most profitable thing you can do.

Have a blessed day!

Worry, worry, super scurry

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

– Matthew 6:34

Holy catfish . . . 

This verse comes up a LOT.

Is God trying to tell me something?

Short answer – YES!

God knows our every need.

If He feeds the birds of the air, will He not feed us?

Think about this: our anxiety is connected to doubt and unbelief!

To worry about tomorrow is a sign that we don’t trust our heavenly Father to take care of us.

We are called to deal with the things of today and trust that the God who knows our name has our tomorrows in His hands.

So anxiety or worry is a symptom of an unbelieving heart.

How do we get rid of worry?

Our answer comes with repentance, then realigning our heart with God’s promise to meet our needs.

One of the reasons that I send this email and post this blog is to remind myself of His word.

To remind myself to have faith in Him, trust in Him, know that He is in control.

Have a blessed day!