Inviting Jesus~

Greetings,

This past weekend I attended a wedding in Puerto Rico.  It was a lovely outdoor event, and the weather was perfect.  The maid of honor, my daughter, and the flower girl, my granddaughter, were beautiful, and both executed their duties perfectly!  And of course, the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. were the most glowing couple in attendance. I really enjoyed it when the groom, an All-American football player from Nebraska, repeated his vows in Spanish, and the bride, a Puerto-Rican born, volleyball-playing Olympian beauty, who is bilingual by the way, could barely say her part in English because of all the emotions.  

However, the best part of the whole affair was when the priest invited Jesus into the celebration! He pointed out that Jesus never turns down an invitation and when He shows up, He brings blessings with Him.    

“Jesus was also invited to the wedding…the wine ran out…Jesus turned the water into wine…” (John 2:1-9).

We all need miracles, wisdom, joy, love, forgiveness, healing, hope, peace, and provision. And I found myself asking for these blessings for the newly-married couple, for my family, and for all of you too.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You that You never turn down an invitation. We welcome Your presence in every area of our lives. We are grateful You never show up empty handed. Amen!

Free to Speak His Name

Greetings,

Yesterday, one of my husband’s favorite TV programs had a special Memorial Day episode.   All day long Diesel Brothers kept a running countdown that in eight hours then seven then six etc… one of their monster trucks would be jumping over a flying airplane. Jorge was ridiculously excited, but honestly, I wasn’t that interested.  I was busy unpacking from a little weekend trip, cooking up some turkey burgers for dinner, and just tidying up in general.  And then the most soul-touching thing happened.  Right before the stunt, the actual stars of the show held hands, formed a circle, prayed an awesome prayer thanking God for our awesome troops, asked for His divine protection, and sealed the deal the only way I know how, “In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.”

I was waiting to see if they would mention our Lord and Savior, and when they unashamedly did, I rejoiced! It’s not lost on me that not everyone on our planet has the luxury of freedom of speech and freedom to practice any religion of their choice.  

Given that we have these privileges, let us be bold in our pursuit and public acknowledgement of Christ. He is the Giver of life and the One Who Sustains us all.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You that we are free to speak Your Name anywhere and everywhere.  Help us to never back down and be brave as we seek Your blessings. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.  

Angels Like to Party!

Greetings~

A couple of weeks ago the latest Royal Baby was born, and given all the world-wide attention, it can make us feel UN-special by comparison.

However, keep in mind it was only mere mortals celebrating the birth of Mr. Archie.  Those of us who have turned to God, had angels throwing a party in our honor.

“The angels in heaven throw a party every time a lost soul turns to God” Luke 15:10 (The Message Version).

It turns out we are special!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, even if the world doesn’t know us, You do and You celebrate us! We are glad we turned to You seeking guidance and forgiveness for our lives. Thank You for thinking we are special; nothing else matters. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

The Bread of Life

“I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:48).

Greetings,

My little granddaughter loves bread! It’s the one food she could happily eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Somehow, she knows that eggs are for the morning, and lentils for the afternoon.  Chicken is a dinnertime go-to, and milk is for bedtime.  But bread? Toast a piece of nut bread with seeds and chia, slather it in organic butter, and watch out.  She’ll bite your hand off to eat it! Any time is a good time for this grainy goodness.

The same can be said of Jesus. He is the “Bread of Life.” All day every day is the perfect time to feast on His goodness, wisdom, protection, joy, peace, and love. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for the Bread of Life. Christ sustains us, nourishes us, and fills us with blessings.  Give us this day our daily bread! In Jesus  name, AMEN.

Wherever We Go

Greetings,

There’s a commercial on TV that frightens my granddaughter.  It’s about a woman who is about to check her credit score and her husband, in slow motion, yells, “Nooo!” as he lunges toward her to take away the phone.  There’s something about that long, stretched-out no, in a deep and panicky man’s voice that makes the baby cry and run to me.  

Except that lately, all little Ellie has to do is see I am right there in the room, next to her, and that’s enough to calm her down.  

God’s presence can have the same effect on us as well. 

FOUR times in Joshua chapter one God says, “be strong and courageous.” Why? Because “the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

You mean God is with us in the dentist office, on the side of the road late at night with a flat tire, or when the boss calls us into his office?

The Bible says “wherever” we go, wherever we’re at, no matter what we’re doing, God is right there with us.  

I needed this reminder. And my prayer for each of us is when we’re feeling overwhelmed, afraid, uneasy, or nervous, that we would say, “I am strong, and I am courageous because GOD Almighty is here with me.”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we praise You for Your always being with us.  May we accept Your calming and protecting presence as easily as a child knows when their grandma is nearby. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

What Nerve!!!

Greetings,

We all have something very beautiful and amazing in common: MOMS!  As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, let's look at one fabulous, inspiring mom from the Bible.

Hannah desperately longed for a baby, but she could not get pregnant. It was heartbreaking, and to make matters worse, another woman, who had the blessing of children, "taunted her cruelly" because of it (I guess mean girls have always been a problem).  And - surprise surprise - her husband didn't understand her either. He was so clueless he asked her, "Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 

Hannah did the wisest, most powerful thing she could do.

"Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried - inconsolably. ‘Oh, God...take a good, hard look at my pain, go into action for me by giving me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline’" (Samuel 1:11-12).

Hannah prayed a desperate, no-holds-barred, anguished plea, which was also a mighty invitation.

“GO INTO ACTION FOR ME!”

That's bold.  Specks of dust us telling Almighty God to take a good, hard look at our suffering and then demanding He do something about it? What nerve!

But that's precisely the kind of "nerve" God responds to.

By the time we get to verse 20 in this same chapter we read, "Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, 'I asked God for him.'”

This phrase, "before the year was out," really touches my heart and fills me with hope.  I have several prayer requests that I would love to see answered before the end of the year.

Do you? 

Then let's pray! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for moms. Some of our moms are in Your tender care, and we are grateful we will see them again. For those moms here on earth, bless them with long healthy lives. We also praise You for the bold language of the Bible; GO INTO ACTION FOR US.  I especially need to see Your power displayed in this area of my life _________________________, and may You grant my request before the year is out. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

A Praying Mom~

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.  "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Greetings,

The verse above is one of my all-time favorites because part of God's good and hope-filled plan for my life was to give me a praying mom.

I think of her often - especially this time of the year - and of all the things she could have left me when she went home to heaven, nothing is more precious or more valuable to me than knowing she prayed for me.  

Every single day she asked the Lord for His blessings, guidance, healing, protection, forgiveness, wisdom, and moral clarity to overflow in my life.  

If you had or have a praying mother, praise the Lord for that incomparable gift.  If you didn't or don't, then pick up the mantle! Be part of that good and hope-filled plan God has for you and your family.  There is nothing you could do that is more beneficial or powerful for your family. And there is no greater legacy you could leave behind.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for moms. We also thank You for opening our eyes to the importance of prayer.  We want to be part of Your good plans, so we pray for those we love and ask You to send mighty blessings. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

God's Lullaby

“The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you, He quiets you with His love, He rejoices over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

Greetings,

I have jumped onto the Baby Shark bandwagon because it’s my granddaughter’s favorite song.  She listens to it at least once a day, and her love of this toddler tune was even the inspiration for all of us to dress up as sharks and act out the song for the family at Christmas! I trust that one day when she is older, she will have fond memories of me singing it to her as well.  Whether she’s playing, waddling around, chomping down on yogurt bites, or going down for a nap, that catchy tune always brings a huge, toothy smile to her face.    In these tender moments, the world is a perfect place, and there’s not a worry in the world.

And no matter how old we get, God has lullaby for us too.  He quiets us with His love and rejoices over us with singing. We desperately need our Lord to lean in close, take us in His arms, and breathe lyrics of comfort into our weary souls. Let’s praise Him because He cradles us with a special, powerful melody – especially when life gets hard.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, thank You for singing over us. Pour out healing music, a hymn of peace, and a chorus of joy! Thank You for quieting us with Your love. In Jesus' name, AMEN~