Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. — 1 Peter 2:2-3
We have seen the majesty of His glory.
And He commands us to crave pure spiritual milk.
To crave His Word and to cherish it.
So that by it we can grow up in our salvation.
And walk in His ways.
And follow Him all the days of our life.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. — Romans 15:13
For the hope they give us.
May the God of hope fill us with all joy.
And may He fill us with unexplainable peace.
So that we may overflow with hope as we trust in Jesus.
Christ gives us this hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yesterday we celebrated Pentecost, when God sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples.
May the Holy Spirit fill us with joy and guide and direct us as our Counselor.
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. — 1 Thessalonians 1:2
We thank God for their service and their sacrifice.
And for the sacrifices of their families.
We continually remember them in our prayers.
Giving thanks to God for each person who died so that we may live.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. — Acts 20:24
To complete the task the Lord has set before me.
The task of testifying to the good news of Jesus.
And God's grace and mercy for me.
My life is worth nothing in comparison.
My Savior is the giver of life.
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. — Romans 12:10
And to treat each other with love.
In addition to honoring our parents, God asks us to honor others.
And to put them above ourselves.
Very difficult to do on our own.
Fortunately, God will guide us.
He will give us wisdom in all situations.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. — Galatians 5:13
Cod commands us not to indulge the sinful nature.
He says we are not to use our freedom for sinning with our bodies.
Instead, God calls us to serve each other.
And to do that with love.
To love even those we find unlovable.
But through the Holy Spirit, God can love them through us.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Romans 15:5-6
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| Lake Okoboji |
He helps us persevere.
He encourages us throughout each day.
And He wants us to have the same mind as Jesus.
So we can glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And ao we can glorify Him with one mind and one voice.
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. — Zephaniah 3:17
He is our mighty Warrior who saves us.
The Lord takes great delight in us.
After all, He love us.
He will no longer rebuke u
But He will rejoice over u
And he will sing - covering us with song.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. — James 3:17-18
When Solomon asked God for wisdom, He gave it to Solomon along with riches and property.
True wisdom is considerate of others.
It submits to God's will.
This type of wisdom is of full mercy.
It bears good fruit.
This wisdom is impartial and sincere.
God calls us to be peacemakers.
So that through Him, we may reap a harvest of righteousness.
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. — Hebrews 6:10
He is not unjust.
He will not forget our work.
And the Lord will not forget the love we have shown Him.
Through helping his people in all circumstances.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! — Romans 11:33
The riches of God's wisdom is especially evident in these passages.
His knowledge is deeper than we can comprehend.
And the fact that He gave Solomon wisdom is amazing.
The Lord's judgments are unsearchable.
His compassion and love are overwhelming.
And His mercy is beyond our understanding.
His is our loving and merciful Father!
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. — Ecclesiastes 11:5
Only God knows that.
Or how our bodies are formed in the womb.
Only God knows that, since He alone is our Creator.
He is the Maker of everything.
And His works are beyond our undertanding.
You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. — Psalm 139:13-14
God created me from the inside out.
Flowers from Kirk
He knit together my bones.
And He created me according to His marvelous plan.
I praise Him.
He took care with His creation and has made me wonderfully.
All humans have faults, but God is perfect.
All His works are wonderful.
I know that full well.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. — Proverbs 31:30
And Kirk and I have both been blessed to have had wonderful mothers who loved the Lord.
And we have friends and relatives who are excellent mothers, too.
And sisters who also look to God as they raise their children.
Even when the children are now grown.
So on this Mother's Day week, we celebrate our friends and family who are seeking God's will as they fill their roles as mothers.
A woman and mother who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Thank you, Lord!
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:7
He will guard my heart.
And He will guard my mind in Christ Jesus.
I am blessed.
This weekend marks the anniversary of Dad Gary's death.
Here his is making his famous tacos for all the grandkids.
We miss him each day.
But we are thankful for memories like these.
And the recipes he passed down for us.
And the electric skillet that stlil makes delicious tacos!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. — Philippians 4:6
Here's what our beautiful spread was like last year.
We had a fun time.
Listening to harp music.
Trying various flavors of tea.
Toasting each other with champagne.
And eating finger sandwiches, puff pastries and macarons.
Just spending time together was the best thing.
We are blessed.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. — Ephesians 4:32
And to be kind to others, even when they're not kind to us.
To be compassionate to one another.
Just as God forgave us and was compassionate to us in showing us His mercy.
All this through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.
Today was my coworker's last day with us so we all wore black in mourning.
Then we gathered outside for a final photo together.
She 's the one in the maroon skirt in the middle.
We'll miss her.
She was an example of being kind and compassionate to others.
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. — Hebrews 15:18
We want to spread the word.
And show that we're in the know.
But when we point out someone's fault privately, they can work on it themselves.
When we gossip, it's just like this alligator at the zoo.
Way too much to handle.
If they listen, you have won them over!
Praise the Lord.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:5-6
It's much harder for me to be full of grace with my family than with my coworkers and friends.
I'm much more patient and kind to acquaintances.
And I don't lose patience as easily with friends.
So the family becomes a good proving ground to let me know how well I'm following God's Word.
Usually I miss the mark by a long shot.
I pray that God will give me wisdom so that my actions toward others please Him.
So my conversation is full of grace.
And so I know how to answer everyone, even those I don't agree with.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. — Romans 8:1-2
When we believe in Jesus, we are no longer condemned.
Christ paid our ransom and set us free.
Through Jesus, the Spirit gives us life.
And we are now free from sin and death.
Praise the Lord!
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
That's not always easy to do.
Sometimes our circumstances are lousy and difficult.
It can be hard to see the blessings from God in some situations.
But when we ask, God's Holy Spirit will help illuminate those blessings.
Even in the midst of sadness and uncertainty.
This is God's will for me in Christ Jesus, His Son.
Here's my coworker with her baby girl.
So precious!
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. — James 5:16
He tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful.
And it is very effective, thanks to our loving and merciful God.
But often, unconfessed sin stands in our way of praying to God.
We come to Him asking for something but forget to thank Him.
Or we forget that we have not admitted our sin.
And sometimes He gives us our heart's desire in spite of ourselves.
We were praying for Rita's cousin Marvin as he was in the hospital.
They were ready to wheel him in for surgery when the doctors discovered that the procedure they thought he needed was no longer necessary!
They unhooked him from his IVs and sent him home.
God answered the prayers of people around the country, and Marvin didn't need his procedure after all.
Praise the Lord!
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. — Romans 12:12
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| On the Beach at Mauna Lani |
Since yesterday was the National Day of Prayer, I was thinking about how we talk to God.
He wants us to talk to him in the name of Jesus.
And the only way we can do that is if we know Jesus personally.
He is our hope.
Through Jesus we can be patient in affliction.
And He guides us to be faithful in prayer, even when our days are full.
Perhaps especially when our days are full.
We need to tune into Him in prayer even more during those hectic times.
He is our source of joy.
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14
Around the nation, people will gather to thank God and praise Him.
And to pray for our leaders and our country.
God has promised that He will hear our prayers.
When we confess our sin, He will forgive us.
And He will heal our land.
Thank You, Lord!
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. — Job 19:25
Even so, He was confident in his faith.
And he was confident in his God.
He had faith that his redeemer lives.
And that in the end He will stand on the earth.
And that one day he would see God.
I have that confidence too.
These flowers are called yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
They remind me that God was here before I was born.
And He will reign today and forever.
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. — Hebrews 7:25
He saves us through faith in Jesus, His Son.
Jesus Christ always intercedes for us.
He is our pathway to the Father.
Jesus told His disciples, if you have seen me, you have seen my Father.
We have seen Jesus, and we believe.
My sister Becky is also my sister in Christ.
Happy Birthday, Becky!
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. — Hebrews 11:6
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Our roses have started blooming.
And our geraniums are bursting from their pots.
Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists.
Looking at His creation, it's hard to understand how someone can't believe.
Without faith it's impossible to please God.
Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists.
