Category Archives: Contemplation, Devotional, Inspirational, Meditation, Prayer, Spirituality

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Not My Best Two Weeks

I am a bit dispirited as I write this. The past several days have immersed my siblings and me into a complicated dance of what, when, who, why, how, now, next, should, could… and so forth. We are in a situation where the direction is unknown, the dynamics are unclear, and the details are uncomfortable. It involves a couple of issues related to our father’s welfare, happiness, and well-being, though not a physical crisis or anything of that sort. This is a more sensitive, private matter.

It is further complicated by other needs.

The whole thing is rather delicate. My heart is heavy. You have to be truthful. You have to consider every angle. You have to say things that are uncomfortable but necessary. I also, quite frankly, am scared of what could be, might be, will be, or should be. The tenseness is alive, though not adversarial. My body lets me know when it’s not happy with me. There are the tension headaches, the fuzzy memory, the emotional eating, an inability to relax, and less energy for writing and doing.

Worry does that to you.

The adult-child caregiver role has its blessings. But also its challenges. I look at my father and feel tender love. He is a good father. He has always been good. He is a gentleman. His gracious spirit is a delightful part of his personality. Professionals in the medical field have said that Dad makes them think of Jimmy Stewart, with his lean frame and his way of speaking. My dad loves to talk of his life as a child on the dairy farm, his teen years with a group of chums from the church, and his venture into farming in Northern California when my siblings and I were in grade school.

But life goes on.

You want to do the right thing. You soon find out, it’s easier said, than done. Today I am troubled in my spirit. I look in my spiritual mirror and see a few blemishes that God needs to change in me. I don’t like what I see. It saddens me. The Holy Spirit nudged, and got my attention. I listened. I stilled my soul. I was startled by this new awareness of self and its fragility, like one reads in Isaiah, “Woe is me! for I am undone.”

Praying is my go-to activity whenever I am mystified.

  • I am praying from the heart.
  • I am bothered by the things I said that were not easy to say… but seemed necessary. My peace-maker heart is not fully at peace.
  • I am praying for God to redeem the things that are not good, to bring about spiritual life, healing, and grace where they are needed most.
  • I pray God will bring this to pass in the beautiful way of God.

Christ hears the cry of the heart.

Christ is able to deliver from sin to make alive to spiritual life. He awakens the soul to set it free. Like a bird that’s been set free, the latch is unlocked and the caged bird now flies free. A soul goes from death to life when belief in Jesus Christ–His death, burial, and resurrection–is of the heart, mind, and soul. You and I are not just marking time, no, no. We are here for a spiritual reason. To God be the glory.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Today I am also burdened to pray for a certain person’s soul. This person needs Jesus. I know God has given me this burden. My brother has opened the door to share Christ’s truth with this dear one who needs the gift of eternal life. I believe now is the day of salvation. I prayed several times today with an urgency impressed on me twenty-four hours ago.

My brother and father left on a road trip yesterday. Dad will travel to see family in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. My sister sent some cell phone pictures. My Dad looks happy. It is nice to see him smiling and relaxed at a ranch in Oregon with his granddaughter and three great-grandchildren. In one photo he is holding the baby on his lap. In another, he’s petting a kitty. And another, feeding a cow. The trip had been in the planning stages for a couple months. I think God was in it all along. A break in the action can bring relief.

God knows what He is doing.

What’s going on in your life? Is it hard or easy? The Covid has messed with everybody. So I assume it’s not been a picnic for you, either. I leave you with three questions and three answers.

  1. Do you know Jesus? You can know Him today.
  2. What is the hardest thing in your life right now? You can trust Him with it. He will help you, guide you, and listen to you.
  3. What is the best thing in your life right now? Praise God for it.

There is no time like the present to give your life to Jesus Christ. If this is you, will you trust Christ today? He loves you so much.

Be blessed.

Photo by Irina Iriser, Unsplash

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Verses that Help in a Crisis

THE PANIC embedded in these crazy days–and no one is exempt–means we meet it in some way. And it is not easy. Looking for the good in the moments, which we are best served if we do, is powerful, enriching, and life giving.

A True Story

A man was discouraged; down, down, down on his luck. He called the minister. “Everything’s going wrong for me,” he said on the phone. The minster responded by saying, “So your wife left you?” Well, no, that isn’t it. “You lost your job then.” No, not that. “You’re losing your health?” No. “Having trouble with your kids?” No, no, they’re fine. “You’re heading towards bankruptcy?”

“Stop. You can stop now. I get the point.” A smile began to bloom in the man’s voice. All was not lost. Life is tough in many respects unless we put it into perspective. With the Covid we may not be able to do what we want to do, go where we want to go, visit the people we want to visit, but we have our lives, and we have our Lord, and we have been given much.

You see, it is a lot like the old saying that Helen Keller, who was both blind and deaf, was known to have said,

I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” 

A Matter of Perspective

It is important to put your personal narrative into perspective. As a Christian I have a multiplicity of tools at my disposal; more than those who don’t know Him. God listens to me. He helps me each and every day. I don’t need to lose heart even when life is a struggle. God is my strong tower. He is mighty to save. He is with me all day, every minute, 24/7. God is my Rock in times of trouble. He lifts me up when I am down. His love never fails…. It never, never, never ever fails. That’s just wow!

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NKJV)

The above story was in a pamphlet written by Norman Vincent Peale, as I remember it. He included a list of power verses. He encouraged the reader to memorize these as a way to rewire (retrain) the brain’s reaction to depressed feelings. His approach was to read one verse every day for a week; add another verse the following week, then read the verses together. The process continued by adding another verse every week.

In this way the verses cement in the mind, available for when one is under stress or feeling down. I decided to do that and it took root. Such verses give me an additional tool to anchor my thoughts those times when I am fearful, depressed, uncertain, or distressed.

A Pity Party Defeats

Those ‘down’ thoughts come when we are frustrated, tired, discouraged, hurt, or whatever. Sometimes we are not victorious in the things that may matter the most to us. I had a negative thought yesterday after I listened to a Webinar on making money from writing and editing. The presenter listed out a lot of areas I have worked on but with minimal to mediocre success. What exasperates is a feeling that often plagues me. I haven’t been able to shake the thought that I am running out of time and that no one wants to read a piece written by an older writer.

Hogwash! “That’s ‘stinkin thinkin!'” my brain chastised me. I immediately stopped my negative thought. I put a block up. Quoted a verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” I didn’t go down that road, but I would have if I hadn’t confronted the lie. The real truth is that it doesn’t matter one iota if I don’t make a dime on this venture. All for Jesus, I surrender... It is His work through me. We can be so silly about these things.

I have written out a few of my favorite ‘pick-me-up’ verses for you. One of the best things you can do for your mental-spiritual connection is to meditate or slowly read powerful, kick-starter verses. I like to parse it out by thinking about each word in the verse separately: What the word means by itself, with the rest of the verse, and to me personally. You can personalize it by changing the pronoun. For example: “Casting all my care upon God because He cares for me.” Then take it a step further by adding an action step and list what specific cares you are casting on Him.

Cut, Paste, Print

FOR YOU: Be My Guest: You have my permission to print these verses for your personal use. I used the New King James Version, but any version works. I suggest you come up with a plan for incorporating one or more in your daily routine. They are excellent go-to verses.

Inspirational Verses (NKJV)


Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  
1 Peter 5:7    
1.  		     
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  
Philippians 4:13  
2.
    Trust in the Lord with all your heart; And lean not on your own
understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.  
Proverbs 3:5-6    
3.  		    Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.  
Lamentations 3:22-23
4.
  Be strong and of good courage,
do not fear nor be afraid of them;
for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”  
Deuteronomy 31:6

5.       		But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with
wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.  
Isaiah 40:31
6.

If God is for us, who can be
against us?  
Romans 8:31

7.		 
With men it is impossible,
but not with God; for with God
all things are possible.
Mark 10:27
8.
   
For I know the thoughts
that I think toward you,
says the Lord, thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  
Jeremiah 29:11  
9. 		 
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

10.
   
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.  
I Corinthians 16:13-14

11.		   
Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
12.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward
man is perishing,
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,
is working for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
13.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:1












14.

A couple other things:

!!! Please help: The Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference gets a second chance. Steve Laube of the Steve Laube Agency has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to save the Conference. We could use your help. Here’s the link: Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference Kickstarter Campaign

Join up: Restore My Soul Ministries, founder Jeanette Danielian, is launching a FaceBook page for people interested in joining other overcomers working on their healing journey. Jeanette and I talked a few years ago about her efforts in starting this venue. She’s a thoughtful, godly leader. You can check it out. Restore My Soul Facebook Page and Jeanette’s Video.