The Lord Will Vindicate Me

The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. — Psalm 138:8

The Lord God will vindicate me.

God's love endures forever.

He will not abandon me, His child.

I am the work of His hands.

And He shows his love for me each day.

Throughout His creation, His love flows.

 

You Will Find Me

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  — Jeremiah 29:13 

God states that we will find Him

When we look for Him.

When we seek Him out with all our heart.

When we seek God we will find Him.

He is not a God who hides from us.

He does not take breaks.

God never abandons us.

He never gives up on us.

Instead, He sustains us.

He gives us living water and redeems us!

Pray to God

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. — Jeremiah 29:12 

When we call on God and pray to Him, He will answer.

He listens to us when we talk to Him.

God knows our thoughts before we even speak them out loud.

He may not answer in the way we expected, but He knows what's best for us.

This is the wedding we attended with friends in April.

A perfect night for a wedding and a reception and dancing under the stars.

Plans to Prosper You

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. — Jeremiah 29:11

God knows the plans He has for me.

He plans to prosper me and not to harm me.

The Lord plans to give me hope and a future.

He has blessed me beyond measure.

Kirk has a green thumb with my friend's orchid.

It looked like it was on its way out just a few months ago.

Now it's blooming.

A beautiful example of God's creation and care for us.

And I am thankful.

I Am the Lord

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. — Jeremiah 24:7 

God will give us a heart to know Him.

After all, He is the Lord.

We will be His people, and He will be  our God.

We will return to the Lord with all our hearts.

Just three weeks ago, this Plumeria looked a bit sad.

But with regular care, Kirk was able to revive it. 

Here it was last week.

My Eyes Will Watch Over Them

My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. — Jeremiah 24:6

God's eyes watch over us for our own good.

He brought His people back to their land.

God will build them up.

He will not tear them down.

The Lord will plant His people where He would like them to grow.

He will not uproot them.

The Lord Fills Heaven and Earth

Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. — Jeremiah 23:24

The Lord is the Maker of heaven and earth.

He is omnipotent and omniscient.

I cannot hide from Him.

No one can hide where He cannot see them.

His glory fills heaven and earth.

Hope in the Lord

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. — Isaiah 40:31

We hope in the Lord.

And He will renew our strength.

We will soar on wings like eagles.

And run without growing weary.

We will walk and not be faint.

God will lead us through dark valleys.

He will guide and direct us.

 

The Lord Will Keep You

The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. — Psalm 121:7-8

Coronado Beach Sunset

God will watch over my life and yours.

The Lord will watch over my coming and my going.

He will care for me and keep me from all harm.

He will watch over my life.

Both now and forevermore.

He is faithful and keeps His promises to me.

I Lift Up My Eyes to the Mountains

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. — Psalm 121:1-2

The Lord created the mountains.

He created the summer solstice and the seasons.

When I lift up my eyes and look at the mountains, I see His majesty.

When I look at this budding Plumeria, I see His beauty.

I realize my help comes from the Lord.

He is the Maker or heaven and earth.

And the Creator of me.

The Father of a Righteous Child Has Great Joy

The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
25 May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful! — Proverbs 23:24-25 

My father-in-law Gary had great joy seeing his sons grow up.

And seeing his middle son become a righteous man,

Serving God with all his heart.

His mom also rejoiced and was joyful.

Rita gave Kirk birth and rejoiced at the person he had become. 

We rejoice in having Kirk as my husband and Abby's father.

Happy Father's Day!

Be Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. — Ephesians 6:10-11 

God's armor includes the breastplate of righteousness.

And the helmet of salvation.

And the belt of truth.

Plus the sword of the Spirit.

And the shoes of the Gospel of peace.

Take up the shield of faith.

Put on the full armor of God to protect yourself and your household.

So we can take our stand against the devil and his schemes.

Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Listen to Words of Knowledge

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. — Proverbs 23:12 

God gives us His words in the Bible.

Our guide for life's journey.

Our travel guide through life.

He calls us to apply our hearts to instruction.

To dive into His wisdom.

And to dedicate our ears to words of knowledge.

Here's Kirk on his high school football team.

The Father of a Righteous Child Has Great Joy

The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. – Proverbs 23:24

We are very blessed by our husband and father.

Here he is playing basketball in high school.

He has done a great job of raising up our child and his students.

The father of a righteous child has great joy.

A man who father's a wise child rejoices in that child.

We rejoice!

We Eagerly Await Our Savior

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. — Philippians 3:20

Our citizenship is in heaven.

We are not citizens of this deteriorating earth.

We are simply travelers on a journey through this land.

Temporary visitors and aliens in a foreign land.

The Lord Jesus reigns in heaven.

And we eagerly await His coming as our Savior.

God Reigns

God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. — Psalm 47:8 

God reigns over my nation and yours.

He rules over all nations.

After all, He created every one of them.

And He cares about the people in each nation.

He lives in heaven.

And is seated on His holy throne.

Jesus is seated at His right hand.

Our mediator between us and God.

And our Savior!

Nations Are in Uproar

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. — Psalm 42:6-7

This sounds like our world today.

Nations are in uproar.

Kingdoms fall.

God lifts His voice and the earth melts.

The Lord is Almighty.

And He is with us.

We are His.

And He is our fortress.

Sing Praises to God

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. — Psalm 47:6-7 

Last night we went with friends to see Million-Dollar Quartet at Lamb's Players Theater.

A fun musical about the day that Johnny Cash, Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis met at Sun Records and recorded some music together.

Right before most of them signed on with RCA and Columbia.

And when Jerry Lee Lewis was just getting into the music circuit.

It was a terrific show with lots of great music, including "Great Balls of Fire," "Peace in the Valley," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Wichita Lineman," "Down By the Riverside" and "Fever" among others.

Afterward, we met for drinks and appetizers in Coronado.

We enjoyed the sunset and walked along the beach.

Exalted in the Earth

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” — Psalm 46:10

These days our lives are so busy and jam-packed that it's hard to stay still.

We are constantly on the move.

The world around us clamors for our attention.

But when we're still, we can feel God's presence and hear His voice.

He is the Lord God.

And He will be exalted among the nations.

He will be exalted in all the earth.

I will praise His name.

Bear With Each Other

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. — Colossians 3:13

Put up with each other.

Forgive each other.

Talk out your grievances.

God forgave us while we were undeserving.

Now He asks us to forgive others in the same way.

Even if I have a grievance against someone,

God asks me to forgive them.

Actually, He commands me to forgive them.

It's not a question but a statement.

Forgive them as the Lord forgave me.

The Sovereign Lord Is My Strength

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. — Habakkuk 3:19

La Jolla Shores Beach

God is my strength and my song.

In the midst of Covid, He protects me from infection.

Last week, a singer next to me during our rehearsal found out she had Covid.

Another one came down with it a few days ago.

I've tested negative so far with my at-home tests.

And I have no symptoms.

I took another Covid test yesterday morning at Kaiser, and I'm waiting for the results.

I should know more in a day or two.

In the meantime, I'm masking up and staying 6 feet away from people, not touching Abby or Kirk.

And I've been swimming every day except today.

God the sovereign Lord is my strength!

Like a Day in God's Sight

A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. — Psalm 90:4

A thousand years in God's eyes are like a day that has flown by.

He is not tied to time or space.

Rather, He is omniscient and omnipresent.

With me all the time.

Going before me like a watch in the night.

Guiding me on the path of life. 

The Eternal God

Even before the mountains came into existence, or you brought the world into being, you were the eternal God. — Psalm 90:2, 4

God is eternal.

He was before the earth was created.

Even before the mountains came into existence.

Before God brought the world into existence.

He was and is the eternal God.

Providing for the birds and the creatures of the sea.

Caring for us daily.

Be Patient Toward All

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all. — 1 Thessalonians 5:13 

Abby and I had a fun time at the beach on Friday.

We probably stayed in the water at least 45 minutes, it was so warm.

Then we walked along the beach and took time for a selfie.

I wore my big hat so I wouldn't get burned.

God's Word urges us to comfort those who are discouraged.

To help the weak.

And to be patient toward everyone.

Patience is a virtue, but it's also hard to do consistently.

So when Paul urged the people of Thessalonica to be patient, he know they would need God's help to make it happen.

Just as we need His help today.

Put on the Breastplate of Faith

But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation. — 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Since we are of the day, we must put on the faith of Jesus, daily.

The breastplate of faith to protect us from satan's arrows.

The love of Jesus to combat anger and discord.

The helmet of salvation to protect us from evil.

And to keep our thoughts focused on God.

Asking Him to guide us and give us wisdom.

Encourage One Another

Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing. — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Encourage one another.

Build up each other.

Yesterday Abby and I headed over to La Jolla shores for the afternoon.

The beach was beautiful and the day was sunny.

The water was chilly at first but then warmed up the more we swam.

We had a great time together enjoying the day.

God has blessed us.

 

A Gentle Response

A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. — Proverbs 15:1

Sometimes it's difficult to give a gentle response when someone says something unkind or treats others badly.

I feel like lashing out instead of responding with gentleness.

In that moment, I just have to bite my tongue and ask God for wisdom.

So I don't blurt out the first thing that comes to mind,

And then regret it later when I end up with foot in mouth disease.

But God's Word is true.

A gentle response turns away wrath.

And the opposite is true.

A harsh word stirs up wrath.

Give me a gentle spirit today, Lord.

Christ Will Appear

After Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation. — Hebrews 9:28

Christ offered himself as a sacrifice in my place.

He bore my sins and the sins of everyone.

And He will come again.

The first time He came to bear our sin on His shoulders.

The next time He comes, he will bring salvation.

He is our hope and our life.

God's People

The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. — Revelation 21:3

God lives among us.

We will be His people, and God will live among us.

God himself will be with us.

And He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Today is June 1st. 

Just a few weeks until summer!

Yesterday we went to see Top Gun Maverick.

Lots of San Diego and California scenes.

Very fun.