God's Way Is Perfect

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. — Psalm 18:30 

God's Word is flawless.

Scripture is inerrant and true.

God's way is perfect.

He shields all who take refuge in Him.

Yesterday we celebrated our friend Donna's 90th birthday.

Her daughter-in-law had these cute cookies made for all the guests.

It brought back lots of memories of her husband Ralph and his astute Bible teaching.

And his book, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences. 

Happy 90th Birthday, Donna!

I Have Kept to His Way

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside — Job 23:10-11

I haven't actually kept to God's way.

Even so, He knows the way that I take.

And His hand guides me, catching me when I veer off the course He has planned for me.

My feet have closely followed His steps some of the time.

Occasionally I have kept to God's way.

But I am guilty of turning aside more often than I care to admit.

In spite of my errant footsteps, He loves and cares for me.

Thank You, Lord!

A Prophet of the Most High

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven. — Luke 1:26-28

John the Baptist went ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for Him to come.

He was a prophet of the Most High.

He came baptizing people, calling on them to repent of their sins.

Sharing with them the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.

Thanks to God's tender mercy and grace.

 

Jesus Is the Life

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." — John 14:6 

When Pilate asked "What is truth?" Jesus had a ready answer.

Jesus assures us that He is the way to eternal life.

He is also God and therefore the ultimate truth.

And He is life everlasting.

Our living water.

He refills and refreshes us when we are parched and dry.

No one comes to God the Father except through Jesus, His Son.

Start Children Off in the Way They Should Go

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. — Proverbs 22:6 

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Today we celebrated Abby's 26th birthday.

Yesterday we walked on the beach in Coronado after dinner.

And we came to the carvings by the sandcastle man.

Lo and behold, he had created a birthday sculpture for the next day!

It says, Sept. 4, 2023 on the left heart.

And Happy Birthday to You! on the right heart.

A perfect early birthday wish for Abby!

God is good.

All the time.

Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. — Isaiah 48:17 

God tells us he is our Redeemer.

The Holy One of Israel.

His is the Lord our God.

He teaches us what is best for us.

The Lord directs us in the ways we should go.

This Sunday we had a wonderful preacher, Andrea.

She reminded us to show gratitude each day to God.

He alone is deserving of our praise.

The Way of Faithfulness

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. — Psalm 119:30 

God's way is not always the easy route.

Nevertheless, Joshua chose it and asked his countrymen to decide whether or not to follow it.

The psalmist says he has chosen the way of faithfulness.

Help me, Lord, to choose the same.

And to set my heart on your laws.

Thank You, Lord!

God's Way Is Perfect

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. — Psalm 18:30 

God's way is perfect.

And His Word is flawless.

He shields everyone who takes refuge in Him.

Here's the Spain cathedral we sang in.

Beautiful place to worship our God.

We All, LIke Sheep, Have Gone Astray

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. — Isaiah 53:6  

All of us have wandered like sheep.

We have gone astray.

We have walked away from God and His word.

We have each turned to our own way.

And God has laid the iniquity of us all on His Son, Jesus.

Jesus Told Them, "I Am the Way"

Jesus told them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14: 6  

Jesus our Lord explained that He is the Way to the Father.

And He is the Truth.

He is also our Life.

Our living water.

No one can come to God the Father except through Jesus Christ.

What a Savior!

God Will Provide a Way

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. — 1 Corinthians 10:13 

God does not send me temptations beyond what I can handle.

Unfortunately, I tend to give in to them and then turn to him afterward.

Even though God is faithful.

And He provides a way for me to get out of it when I'm tempted.

Sometimes He sends others to remind me not to tell the white lie.

Other times He sends my family or coworkers to show me how to do the right thing.

If I just stay in touch with Him and follow the Holy Spirit when He nudges me in the right direction, He directs and guides me.

Thank you, Lord.

This Is What the Lord Says

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. — Isaiah 48:17 

Today is our daughter's 25th birthday!

It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since we had her just down the street at Kaiser.

She now has her masters degree and enjoys her job as an enrollment counselor.

Her college friend will be here in a couple of weeks to visit from Spokane.

And we're headed out to dinner at a French restaurant in Coronado to celebrate.

Her coworkers brought festive red velvet cupcakes for her at work this week.

And Kirk and I picked up this cute chocolate mousse cake at Flour Power.

Our friends brought us yellowtail tuna that he caught a few weeks ago.

God directs us in the way we should go and teaches us what is best for us.

We are blessed!

Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. — Proverbs 22:6 

This is a tough verse.

Even though it's true lots of the time, other times, even the best training can't prevent some children from falling away.

The good news is that even when they fall, our prayers can lift them up and get them back on solid ground.

My friend's 30-something son was dealing with drugs, alcohol abuse, anger issues, and threats of suicide.

With lots of prayer and professional help, he is now on the road to healing.

This is a complete miracle that we could not have predicted just a year ago.

His mom's perseverance even when he resisted and her constant prayers along with God's guidance have completely turned him around.

And we give God the glory.

Even when our children do turn from Him, He reaches out and brings them back into the fold.

Thank you, Lord!

God's Way Is Perfect

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. — Psalm 18:30

God's way is perfect.

His Word is flawless.

He always keeps His promises.

And He guides me in the way I should go.

He shields me from disaster and all who take refuge in Him.

He is my rock and my fortress.

This was our view of Lake Murray from the top of Cowles Mt. when Abby and I hiked up on Monday.

Beautiful!

We All Have Gone Astray

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. — Isaiah 53:6

Today is the start of a new month - April.

It's also the middle of Lent.

Preparing our hearts for Easter.

Since we all have gone astray, just like sheep.

Each of us has turned our own way.

We have not followed God's direction.

And the Lord has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all.

Thank You, Lord!

God Will Also Provide a Way Out

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. — 1 Corinthians 10:13

God has provided us with a way out whenever we are tempted.

He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.

God is loving and merciful.

He provides everything we need.

Here's the orange blossom dessert we tried at Mister A's.

Delicious.

Follow God's Example

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love. — Ephesians 5:1

Tonight I headed down for choir after work.

When I arrived, the parking lot was almost empty.

Kate and Felipe were the only ones there.

We guessed that we had missed the email telling us that choir was canceled.

Our choir director just had a new baby boy.

We guessed that he needed a night off now that he has three children.

Here I am visiting the zoo last week with Abby.

A great place to bring the kids.

So thankful that God created families.

Joy in the Lord

And if you honor [the Lord's day] by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord. — Isaiah 58:13-14]

It is sometimes a challenge to honor the Lord's day each Sabbath.

There are so many other things to distract us from God.

That's why we worship together every Sunday as a family.

It helps ground our week in the Lord.

And helps us focus on our Creator instead of on ourselves.

Sunday morning worship get's us into God's Word.

And gives us a chance to sing praises to the Lord.

And to fellowship in community with others.

And to study His Word together as the body of Christ.

The Way of Faithfulness

 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. — Isaiah 119:20

God is the way of faithfulness.

His laws guide my life.

His Word is true and right.

He knows what's best for me.

I have chosen the way of faithfulness.

I have set my heart on God's laws.

He is the light to my path. 

Here's the Plumeria plant that we got from Mary and Gary.

A great example of God's creation.

 

Be Wise in the Way You Act

 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. — Colossians 4:5

It's easy to slip into grumbling and complaining.

Especially when those around me are doing the same.

But God call us to be wise.

Even in the way we act and speak.

Especially when we are with outsiders.

God commands us to make the most of every opportunity.

He asks us to let Him guide our ways.