Be Wise in the Way You Act

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 

God calls us to be wise, just as Solomon was.

Asking the Lord to give us wisdom in the way we act.

Especially toward outsiders.

Making the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel.

Letting our conversation be full of grace.

Not strident or off-putting.

Well seasoned and thoughtful.

Listening to God so we are able to answer everyone who asks.

And so they will hear.

Revere Christ as Lord

In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, — 1 Peter 3:15

Honor and revere Christ as Lord.

Let our hearts show forth our respect and honor for Jesus.

He is the reason for the hope that we have.

And He commands us to be prepared.

So that when someone is confused, we are ready and prepared to share the hope that we have in Jesus.

And to share that hope with gentleness and respect.

Conversations Full of Grace

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. —  Colossians 4:6

That's my prayer, too.

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.

Call to Me and I Will Answer

This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. — Jeremiah 33:2-3 

God our creator made the earth and everything in it.

He formed it out of nothing.

The Lord established it.

He created this beautiful sunset we marveled at earlier this week in Palm Desert.

He created me.

Yaweh is His name.

And He says we can call to Him.

In fact, He commands us to call out to Him.

And He promises to answer.

Even more, He will tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know.

Amazing!

Let Your Conversation Be Full of Grace

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 

I think God put us in families just to practice His commands in extremely difficult situations.

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.

In Your Hearts Revere Christ as Lord

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, — 1 Peter 3:15

Jesus Christ is Lord.

And we are commanded to revere Him.

God asks us to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope we have.

And to do this with gentleness and respect.

So that others, too, can come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.

God Answers Us With Awesome Deeds

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. — Psalm 65:5 

God our Father answers us with awesome deeds.

His acts are righteous.

He is our Savior.

Jesus is the hope of the world.

The hope of all the ends of the earth.

The hope of the farthest seas.

Happy Birthday, Rudy!

Always Be Prepared

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. — 1 Peter 3:15

God calls us to be prepared.

24/7 ready to give an answer.

To everyone and anyone who asks to know the reason for the hope that I have.

But to give that reason with gentleness.

To respect the person I'm talking to and with.

To live out the hope that I have in Jesus.

Two weeks ago we celebrated James and his bride-to-be with a wedding shower.

Very fun time with family and friends and new acquaintances.

Prepared to share our hope in Jesus with others.

May the Lord Answer You

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. — Psalm 20:1

Saturday morning I met some friends and we hiked around Santee Lakes.

It was a beautiful morning, and we met some friendly people along the way.

We saw lots of ducks and some geese.

A fun morning to be outdoors.

And to thank God for His wonderful creation.

The Lord Will Answer

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. — Isaiah 58:9

When I call, God will answer.

The Lord is near.

When I cry for help, God will hear me.

And He will respond, "Here am I."

When I'm not sure what to do, God will lead me.

He has a plan for my life.

He guides and directs my path.

He knows what's best for me.

 

The Lord Will Answer

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. — Isaiah 58:9

When I call to Him, God answers me.

The Lord answers my prayer when I stay in close touch with Him.

When I cried for help, He heard me.

And He gave me His strong arm to carry me through my sickness and troubles.

He uses my times of discouragement to remind me that He is sovreign.

And to support me in my weakness and doubt.

He says to me, "Here I am."

And I am comforted. 

A few weeks ago, I reconnected with my former boss.

We had lunch in La Jolla at Barbarello's with my friend and former coworker.

A fun day of rekindling our friendships.

Let My Conversation Be Full of Grace

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:6

Yesterday marked the first day of July.

Today Kirk and I met for lunch — a welcome break from my usual work day.

Tonight we are looking at possible restaurants at Caesars Palace to see where we might want to eat when we travel with our 14 friends.

Monday we'll call to see if they recommend making reservations for 16 people or for two tables of 8.

In the meantime, we'll enjoy the weekend and perhaps Abby and I will go for a swim tomorrow.

Lord, help us season our words with salt. 

Let my conversations be full of grace.

Give me the wisdom to answer everyone who asks about You.

We've been enjoying the great weather! 

Thank You, Lord.

 

Conversation Full of Grace

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:6

Today I went hiking with friends from our church.

We drove out to Ramona, about 40 minutes away.

Then we hiked for about 6 miles down to Cedar Falls waterfall.

Some people were climbing up to the top of the rocks and jumping into the pool below.

After sitting awhile at the falls, we started hiking back up to the top.

Fortunately, there was a slight breeze on the way up.

We also ran into a swarm of bees.

But no one got stung.

We had a beautiful day hiking.

God's glory surrounded us.

Christ As Lord

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. — 1 Peter 3:15

Help us, Lord, to revere you in our hearts.

And to honor Jesus as Lord.

Guide us and give us your wisdom so we can be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks.

Help us to give the reason for the hope that we have.

So we can be respectful of others.

And patient and gentle with them when they just don't comprehend.

Remembering that we were once in that state of mind, too.

And you had mercy on us, even then.

Conversation Full of Grace

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:6

This week I hired a new writer for our content team. 

It will take a couple of weeks to get her onboarded and ready to start with us.

What a relief!

After months of searching, God has provided us with just the right person.

His timing is always best, even though it is not on my schedule.

My prayer is that my conversation with all of my coworkers, family members and friends will be seasoned so as to add flavor rather than divisiveness.

Hopefully my words will be seasoned with salt and God will close my mouth to any unkind words.

My conversation is not always full of grace but that is what I aspire to.

Dear Lord, help know how to answer everyone.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

God Will Not Forsake Us

I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. — Isaiah 41:17


God will answer me when I cry to Him.

He hears me when I pray.

He will not forsake me or leave me.

The Lord will make rivers flow on barren mountains.

He will cause springs to flow within hte valleys.

These are the cupcakes Abby made me for Mother's Day.

A bouquet of beautiful mums for her mom.

I am blessed and thankful.

Always Be Prepared

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. — 1 Peter 3:15

Yesterday I made oatmeal bread.

Of course, it was best warm, but it is very tasty.

I have another recipe to try that includes butternut squash in the recipe.

Now that I have some cooked, I can try that one, too.

God calls us to revere Christ as Lord.

And to be prepared to give the reason for the hope we have in Him.

I Wait for God

Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. — Psalm 38:15

This week Kirk's brother Kyle celebrated his birthday.

Next week our niece Maggie celebrates hers.

Maggie's is on the same as my mom's was.

Here she is with Becky - carrying Vicki, Aunt Judy, and her daughter Peggy.

Love this picture of the Turner/Drayer/Kunz gals.

When I wait for God, He answers me.

He is the Lord, my God.