An Amazing Day—An Amazing God

My funky purple lamp.
I added the glyphs.

Today was a pretty amazing day filled with all sorts of small, yet wonderful surprises. To mention just a few:

• I found a funky, feather-trimmed, purple table lamp at Target discounted to only about $7! This instantly cheered me up because although I wasn't looking for a lamp, I needed one for my night stand (I like to read in bed), and purple is my favorite color. Plus, it was the only one left like it was just waiting for me to buy it.
• A sinus allergy that has been quite bothersome for some time now stayed under control today. 
• My neighbor called to say that she'd set aside some cinnamon bread for me to take to my mom who had just yesterday asked if I could bring her some (my neighbor gets the bread for free and my mom loves it!).  
• At the Giant, which always has long lines on Sunday, someone let me get in front of the them. I didn't ask—I didn't even think to ask—but a really sweet older woman with a cart full of groceries noticed that I had only four items and offered to let me go first. Anxious to get to my parents house, I definitely appreciated the gesture. 
• I finally figured out a more efficient way to get black text rather than dark gray when using the Blogger text editor, which for reasons I don't understand doesn't accept all HTML codes.

There were other surprising things that happened today that on there own might not seem like much. And yet, as each of these moments unfolded throughout the day, I could really sense God's presence all around me, reminding me how much He cares for me—and that He hears even the unspoken desires of my heart. From desiring a lamp for reading at night to needing relief from overactive sinuses to wanting cinnamon bread for my mom, whatever it is—big or small—if it matters to me, it matters to Him. 

I needed this lesson today, because learning to have faith for the little things builds your faith for the big things. And I believe he wants to do big things for me and for all of His children, like any loving parent would. Amazing day, amazing God.

The Father's Blessing

Home again, home again, jiggity jig... Sorry, I had to go there. I arrived home safely today—a blessing I suspect many take for granted when traveling whether a short or long distance. Having driven by two accidents on the way back, one that looked pretty serious, I said "Thank you, Lord!" as soon as I turned the corner into my building's parking lot.

Anyway, I wanted to share a truly special video that one of the ministers I follow on Twitter posted on yesterday with the promise that watching it would change your life. It's a little more than five minutes long, but extremely powerful. You'll find it especially uplifting if you're going through a difficult season of life or have ever felt at some moment unappreciated, unloved, unworthy, discouraged, disconnected or, as one of my dear friends would say, "like a hot mess." Even if you're feeling perfect and all together, watch it for an extra bit of encouragement. I've actually decided to make this part of my daily quiet time.

The Father's Blessing

Life from the Beach

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28


Tonight's my last night at the beach where I've been for the past few days enjoying a much-needed vacation. I would love to spend another few days here, but I'm extremely grateful for the four days I've spent just laying on the beach, soaking up the sun's warmth, and being serenaded by the sound of ocean waves splashing up against the shore. I feel relaxed and renewed in mind, body, and spirit.

Today as I lie on the beach, I was awestruck looking out over the horizon where it seemed as if heaven and earth converged. And for a brief moment, I didn't have a care in the world. I had no deadlines to meet, no place in particular that I had to be, and—surprise of all surprises—my phone, which I carried with me to take pictures, didn't ring once. Everything was just calm. Perhaps, this was God's subtle way of letting me know that I create my own cares. In the midst of a seemingly chaotic world and life, I can experience peace by learning to rest in Him and discover true bliss by simply taking time to enjoy the earth He created just for me.

Tomorrow, I return home—a little bit browner and very definitely refreshed. I hope to carry my lesson from the beach with me.

You Have What You Say

"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says." - Mark 11:23 (NKJV)

For several months now I've been contemplating the power of my thoughts and my words and I have been taking care to watch both what I think and what I say—for you are snared by the words of your own mouth saith Solomon (Proverbs 6:2; And who would know better than Solomon). It's been quite a challenge as my logical mind is accustomed as most logical minds are to dwelling on or reciting the so-called facts of a situation. But real faith, God's kind of faith, calls those things that be not as though they are. Real faith, God's kind of faith, understands that things which are now seen are temporary, ever-changing, and came about from things that are unseen, yet eternal and everlasting. Real faith, God's kind of faith, knows that so-called facts are subject to change, truth on the other of hands, never does. And the truth is that God watches over His word to perform it, so that anything He has promised will come to pass if we will only with our words come into agreement with Him.

In talking with His disciples, Jesus made this bold statement: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63) Because we are created in His image and likeness, the words that we speak are also spirit and life. In fact, whether we choose to believe it or not—we hold the power of life and death in our often carelessly used tongues (Proverbs 18:21).

Consider this the next time you're tempted to complain about how bad your life, job, health, relationship, the economy, the weather, or whatever is. That which we meditate on in word or thought, we draw to us. So, rather than state the seemingly obvious, call forth the good that you want to see. As Joel Osteen writes in his new book, I Declare: "Don't use your words to describe the situation. Use your words to change the situation."

You have what you say, so say something good. Better yet, say something wondrous.

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Musical theater geek that I am, here's a little song inspiration from one of my favorite musicals:  Everything's Coming Up Roses.

Thought for the Day

Two posts in two days... I'm feeling encouraged.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit down. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe it was my lament over the seemingly endless cycle of medical appointments (radiologists, endocrinologists and ENT specialists, oh my!).  And yet, always, deep within my spirit stirs an incessant hope of better days ahead. So, it's not at all surprising to me that today of all days, just when my rational mind felt like giving up on something that I had been believing for, I happened upon this:

"Sometimes it feels better to take the easy way out, but it's never truly satisfying."

In the past when things would get tough, I tended to jump ship, just disappear—physically or emotionally, or both. That hasn't served me well. To my dear friends, just hang in there! Your dreams are only as out-of-reach as you think they are.

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Shoot for the stars! If you miss and only hit the moon, so what?!

Something to Think About

It's been a while since I've posted and to my friends who enjoy reading this blog and find it encouraging, I deeply apologize. Lately, it has felt as if my life has been turned upside-down just a bit, but I'm still here. And so, thankfully, are my parents and loved ones.

Anyway, over the past month, I've been seriously dealing with the issue of fear and, as God would design it, today I came across the following quote attributed to Nelson Mandela:

"Our greatest fear is not that we are powerless, but that we are far more powerful than we think."

Meditate on that for a moment. I sure will.


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By the way, the Glad Game experiment of last month was a success. I had a pretty amazing week that week—lots of unexpected, yet pleasant surprises. But then the following week, I slipped into my old habits of complaining about the least little thing and life offered me more to complain about. So I've discovered experientially what I've long suspected might be true: thoughts and words have power. Good thoughts and good words = a good life.