Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. — Romans 12:1
Sunday we made pumpkin succulents, and they turned out beautiful.
Tonight we'll had out candy to the neighborhood kids.
And we'll celebrate with a potluck and constume contest at work.
But everyday we celebrate God's mercy.
Worshiping Him with our actions, words, and spirit.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9
And our friends from Arkansas.
We sat outside in Little Italy and caught up with people we hadn't seen for a couple of years or more.
And it was a beautiful San Diego evening.
Kirk got lots of compliments on his shirt.
It is by grace we have been saved through faith.
Not from ourselves but fromt he gift of God.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. — Hebrews 4:12
It judges the thoughts and attitudes of my heart and finds that I fall short.
Each time I read it, I get something new from passages I've read over and over all my life.
It permeates my joints and marrow, letting the Holy Spirit convict me when I start to go against it.
Or when I start to move in an opposite direction or ignore God's Word.
It divides my soul and spirit.
The Word of God is alive and active.
The Sword of the Spirit is sharper than the sharpest double-edged sword in this world.
It is my one offensive weapon in the battle for the Lord.
For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. — 1 Peter 1:24-25
We are like flowers whose beauty fades.
We fall and stumble.
But God's Word lasts forever.
Isaiah wrote it and it's repeated again in the New Testament just to help remind us.
So we never forget God's promise that His Word endures.
Even when all else fades and withers.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. — 2 Timothy 3:16-17
And for rebuking me when I stumble and fall.
And for correcting me when I start to wander away from God.
When I read it thoughtfully, it trains me in righteousness.
Not just certain verses, but all Scripture is useful.
Helping to equip me for every good work.
And doing so thoroughly and in truth.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. — 2 Corinthians 9:7
After all, He is the Giver of all things.
He gave us all we have.
And our praise to Him is our gift of thanks and gratitude.
God is pleased when we give cheerfully.
Without grumbling or complaining.
After all, everything we have is His.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. — Proverbs 9:19
And I need His guidance in my life each day.
More often than note, I rely on myself instead of turning to God.
But when I get into His Word and talk with God each day in prayer, I begin to walk in His wise ways.
And I start to think before I speak.
I begin to wait for His counsel and advice before I take action.
And I start to understand His will for me on a much deeper level.
Knowledge of the Lord, the Holy One, is the beginning of understanding Him and His ways.
Kirk's golfing buddy gave us tickets to join him for the Aztec game on Saturday.
They didn't play well - at least the football players didn't, but the band was awesome!
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.— Galatians 6:2
She is struggling with custody battles and misses her girls when they're with they're dad.
But she was anxious to pray for me as well as for her needs.
I'm blessed to work with some wonderful people.
And my former coworker sent this photo of their family at the pumpkin patch in Oklahoma.
It hasn't felt much like fall here in San Diego with our warm weather.
But God has called us to carry each other's burdens.
So we lift up the needs of others to Him in intercessory prayer.
And He hears and answers us.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. — Psalm 51:12
And renew a right spirit within me.
Grant me a willing spirit.
Help me to do Your will.
And give You the honor and glory.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 34:7
God will give you the desires of your heart.
Joy in the Lord and honor Him.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
His mercy endures for ever.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. — Psalm 51:12
That He would restore to me the joy of His salvation.
And give me a willing spirit.
I pray that he will sustain me, whatever comes my way.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:6
That my conversation will always be full of grace.
And seasoned with salt.
That I'll think before I speak.
And ask God for wisdom in everything I say.
So that I may know how to answer everyone with God's wisdom rather than with my impulsiveness.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. — Psalm 27:14
So it's not easy to wait.
Moses had to wait for 40 years tending sheep before God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Sometimes God asks me to wait, too.
It's not always easy to be strong when I'm waiting.
But God encourages me to take heart.
And to wait for Him.
Not to plow ahead with my own agenda.
Help me, Lord, to wait on You.
The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. — Psalm 25:14-15
He makes His covenant known to us.
By sending His Son Jesus to save us from sin.
Whenever I see a rainbow in the sky, it reminds me of His covenant.
His love and care for me.
And He always keeps His promises to me.
My eyes are always on the Lord.
Only He will release my feet from the devil's snare.
He will guide my feet along the path of freedom.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. — Romans 12:2
It's hard not to confirm to the pattern of the world.
But God is ready to tranform us into something much better.
Renewing our mind so we can test and approve God's will for us.
His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Yesterday, my writing team took me out to lunch to celebrate Boss's Day.
I am blessed by my coworkers and friends.
How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. — 2 Samuel 7:22
And there is no God but the Lord.
He is Sovereign.
We have heard with our own ears.
And seen with our own eyes.
That God is great and glorious!
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. — Proverbs 1:8-9
After all, He is a disciple of Jesus and he has years of wisdom.
And I was careful to listen to my mother's teaching.
I loved late-night discussions with her.
She also had the mind of Jesus and years of wisdom.
I still miss her, even though it's been over 20 years since she died.
God gives us a wonderfu promise when we listen to our parents.
Their teaching will be a garland to grace our heads.
And a necklace to adorn our necks.
We will live in beuaty and grace.
Today I made scones to celebrate my coworkers' two-year anniversary.
The catch was that they had to be gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free.
So they aren't as good as the cream scones - I made some of those too!
But they'll do in a pinch.
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
He knew them before I was born.
He numbered the hairs on my head.
And He assures me He has plans to prosper me.
Plans that do not harm me.
Plans to give me hope.
And to prepare my future for me.
I am blessed.
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. — Psalm 62:1
My salvation comes from the Lord.
He is my Rock and my Salvation.
He leads me beside still waters.
And He restores my soul.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me.
All the days of my life.
It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. — Deuteronomy 13:4
Last week, my fellow singer Patti lost her son-in-law after a long illness.
And another singer Linda lost her sister.
Following God through the valleys and revering Him helps us get through these rough times.
Serving Him can be more of a challenge during the good times.
It's easy to ignore Him and forget to thank Him when things are going well.
To ignore His commands and forget to obey Him.
Lord, help me to serve you and hold fast to you every minute of each day.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. — Philippians 1:9-10
That God's love may grow in us.
That our knowledge of Him may deepen and grow.
That God wiill illuminate His Word to us so we can understand and obey it.
So we have insight into God's will for us.
That we can be discerning and do what God wills is best.
So He can use me for His purpose.
And can mold me into someone pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
This is my prayer, too..
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. — Psalm 63:1
God is my God.
I try to look for Him earnestly each day.
Often I completely miss the mark.
Even so, I thirst for Him.
My whole being longs for Him.
In a dry and parched land, it often feels there is no water.
Here we are at the zoo last year for our friend's wedding.
This year she's expecting her first baby.
Our friends Mark and Rachel celebrate their 11-year anniversary yesterday and today.
Another story.
Very exciting.
God is great!
I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God. — Isaiah 43:11-12
His Son Jesus, is our Savior.
Apart from Him there is no Savior.
He has revealed Himself to us in creation and in His Word.
We are His witnesses, that He is God.
Each time we sing His praises, we're proclaiming that He is the Lord.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. — Isaiah 26:4
It's hard to believe!
We are so blessed.
This is the beautiful display Abby put together for our 35th anniversary celebration 4 years ago.
39 years ago we were married in the sanctuary at First Pres. Church San Diego.
Our friend Bob was our organist.
And our friends Burt and Paul were our officiants.
God has overwhelmed us with His goodness and mercy over the years.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. — Proverbs 27:1
Our fridge is stocked with good food.
And Kirk has prepped the house so it sparkles and shines.
We're looking forward to a fun evening with these couples.
They taught together for many years.
Some of them are now retired.
Others are still working.
God has blessed us with good friends and fun times together.
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6
To get into His Word.
To listen for direction from His Holy Spirit.
And to call on Him while He is near to us.
last night we joined friends for dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Antica Trattoria.
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. — Proverbs 29:25
He will keep us safe when we trust Him.
If we put our trust in people, they will fail us.
If we fear mankind, we'll be trapped in the devil's snare.
But our Lord will keep us safe.
Helping us lie down in green pastures.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. — Matthew 5:11-12
And to continue to preach the gospel in spite of the world's reaction.
Jesus said something similar in Matthew.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you.
Our friends serving in other countries deal with persecution.
I haven't experienced it much here.
God calls us to rejoice and be glad.
Great is our reward in heaven.
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. — Philippians 1:27
Then he will know that we are able to stand firm in the Holy Spirit.
And we'll be able to work together.
Not arguing or trying to go our own way.
Striving as one, with one purpose, for the faith of the gospel.
