God Will Be With You

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9 

God commanded Joshua to be strong in the Lord.

And to have courage.

Not to be afraid.

Or discouraged.

When I remember that God is with me wherever I go, I can take on these traits too.

Not to be discouraged.

But to be strong in the Lord, even when friends are struggling.

When their loved ones are dying.

The Lord our God is with us wherever we go.

Be Strong

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9 

God has commanded us to be strong.

Just as He commanded Joshua.

To be strong and courageous.

Not to be afraid or discouraged.

God was with Joshua wherever he went.

And God is with me.

What a huge relief.

Here we are at Mean Girls last night.

They offered us signature cocktails that were created to go with the musical theme.

Very fun.

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.

Be Strong and Courageous

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9

God has commanded us to be strong.

And courageous.

Just as He commanded Joshua.

God also told him not to be afraid.

I'm no always good a listening to His Word.

The Lord tells me not to be afraid.

And not to be discouraged.

But I often get discouraged, which doesn't say much for my trust in God.

He reassures me that He will be with me wherever I go.

Here we are at Carmines in Las Vegas for an Italian dinner with friends two weeks ago.

Now we are praying that God will be with the citizens of Ukraine, protecting them from the bombs and warfare in their cities and towns.

God Will Never Leave You

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” — Deuteronomy 31:8

God helps comfort us during these discouraging times.

In the evenings, Abby and I will often play a game of scrabble.

Here's our board from one evening last week.

We can find comfort in the company of loved ones.

God is with us.

What a reassuring Scripture.

He will never leave us.

There is no need for me to be afraid or discouraged.

Happy Birthday, Steve!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

Today is my brother Steve's birthday. 

When he was born, he was premature so he had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks.

My mom and dad had adopted him, so when he came home to our house, he was my little brother.

He was scowling much of the time so my sister and I were instructed to smile like crazy every time we passed his crib.

From his smile today, it apparently worked!

You would also never guess he was a premi!

He now towers over me.

What a treat to get to sing next to him at church today.

Words of Encouragement

He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people. — Acts 20:2

Gary with Mary and Richard

A few days ago, I was feeling great, having lost a few of the pounds that I'd managed to gain since Memorial Day.

I understand it's normal to gain weight while on chemo, but I still don't appreciate it!

So when I discovered I was a pound heavier yesterday, I got a bit discouraged, feeling that I looked flabby since I haven't been able to exercise as hard or often as I used to.

Walking in to our office building, I hopped on the elevator with two guys and a girl in her early 40s. When the guys got off, the girl turned to me and said, "I didn't want to say anything while the guys were here with us, but you have great-looking calves!"

I was shocked, but thanked her and explained that I jump rope. She said she had been doing it occasionally, too, and it was much more work that it appeared.

I agreed, we arrived at her floor, and we wished each other well.

Then I said a quick prayer of thanks to God for the word of encouragement just when I needed it most! Little did she know that she had made my day.

It made me think that I need to make sure I'm an encourager to others, too.