Category Archives: DEVOTIONALS

How many times can God renew hope?

September 19, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES, HOPEstatgirl77

Shimmering, glimmering leaves in the wind – let me so yield to whatever You send!

In bright golden times and dark, dreary days – let me so live that my living gives praise!

Running out of hope. This morning, like most mornings, I had coffee while looking at the large oak growing beside the patio door. An early gentle wind of autumn blew through the leaves, making them glint like ripples shining on a lake.

It had been a hard month, with challenging medical and financial news, not one but two bouts with a cold, a flat tire, and on and on I could go with things of the world that had too often stolen my peace.

“Lord, I need Your help every moment now more than ever it seems. This growing older is hard! I am tired of having to work so hard to have a good attitude about it all! It is so hard not to get discouraged as one thing after another pops up with my health and as I see every day why folks complain about a fixed income. And then there’s all that is happening in the world …”

Nature speaks. I carried on like that a little longer. Then, slowly, the beauty and simplicity of nature began calming my pessimistic and destructive thoughts. Those leaves twisting in the wind would soon be gone and replaced next spring with tiny green shoots. Some of the smaller branches in the tree would be blown down by strong winds. The leaves and the branches yielded to the wind, silently playing their part in the grand scheme of nature. The tiny chipping sparrow clinging tightly to the swaying branch would live a few years and then be gone.

Renewed hope. But God says He knows when each sparrow falls. And He says I should not worry because I am worth more than many sparrows.

“Oh, Lord! Forgive me for complaining yet again. Help me remember that You love me much more than many sparrows, that everyone living has problems, and that You have good plans for my life. Thank You for speaking through creation. Thank You for hope that rises every morning, faithful as the sun!”

“His Eye Is On The Sparrow” by Sandy Patti http://yhoo.it/2cE2tRd

When you’re tired of hoping …

August 10, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES, HOPE, TRUSTING GODstatgirl77

... male cardinal dsc 0344b Free Wallpaper Male Cardinal Birds Desktop

Freedom from worry?? Late afternoon sun glinted off the pickup truck parked outside my tiny patio. I took a sip of iced decaf, twined my fingers through Barny’s velvety tummy fur, and read, again, Joyce Meyer’s comments on Hebrews 4:3 “Rest is freedom from excessive reasoning, struggle, fear, inner turmoil, worry, and frustration, which develop because of our working to do what only God can do.” (The Everyday Bible, featuring notes and commentary by Joyce Meyer.)

Peace-stealers. “I am” I said to myself, “once again trying to do what only God can do.” It had been a rough few days. Some new financial issues had to be researched, paperwork had to be put in order, and consultations had to be arranged – and precisely when I needed new glasses, my back was acting up, it looked like I might need even more dental work, that pesky rash would not leave, and on and on and on.

Reminders of joy. I sighed, kept praying, kept reading the Word. The crimson of the dollar store cardinal caught my eye. The tiny bird perched on my work table, propped against a beloved picture of my father and daughter. My oldest grandson and I had had the most wonderful time imaginable last Christmas. He had jumped up and down, putting paper mache soldiers, glittery stars, miniature trees, and much more into our cart at the dollar store. That perky cardinal on my work table reminded me of what was truly important. I felt peace start to bubble up.

God knows what we need. I stroked Barny, my beloved Tonkinese rescue, stretched full length, belly up, across my writing papers. Like his predecessor, he is my constant, loving shadow. As a long-term single person, caressing his silky fur and holding him close is a particular and blessed comfort.

“I need to be still and let my God love me. “Thank You, Father, for loving me so much, over and over and always and always, no matter how weak and frail my mind and emotions are sometimes. My head knows You are working in all these apparent problems. I know that! You have done miracle after miracle for the 35 years I’ve known You as Lord and Savior. I’m truly sorry for letting doubt and fear settle in again. Forgive me, Lord.

Thank You for reminding me of the love You’ve poured into my life. Thank You for, once again, reminding me that You long to cover me with Your peace and all I have to do is to be still, think about unseen, eternal things, and let You love me. Just like the song I heard so long ago …

http://yhoo.it/2aMA5Zf

God gave me love . . .

July 22, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, GRATITUDE, HOPEstatgirl77

Thank You, dear Father in heaven, for my beautiful plants! You know how each one delights me as I sit with You at sunrise and again at sunset. I see the fingers of Your dawn through a feathery fern, heart shaped ivy leaves, and the clustered leaves of my poinsettia. I see the last wistful glimmers of sun each evening through the scraggly arms of a plant I found by the dumpster but which has survived.

And I am reminded of my own life. You took what was a wrecked and painful heart and made it live and grow. You gave me love, just like the song that led me to give my heart to You, Jesus.

And dear One, as I look up that song on the internet, tears flow at Your deep and tender stirring. I remember that night, 35 years ago, as I cried out for help to I knew not who – and You answered with this song by B.J. Thomas on the car radio.

Thank You, dearest Father, for healing all that pain and bringing so much joy through all of these years. Thank You for giving me a place of service, through writing, for others who need your love. Help them see that–though they may feel as undesirable and broken as a plant tossed in the trash–You long to heal them and make them whole and to fill them with Your peace and joy.

Help them also learn to let Your love shine through them to reach other hurting souls. Show them that Your full love and Your full beauty reside in each heart given to Your service, no matter the outward appearance of the earthly tabernacle in which that heart dwells.

Dear friend, listen to this song. You will feel God’s love . . .

http://yhoo.it/29R9U4Z

Leaf in the Rain 3 1

Seven Reasons to Be Grateful. . . Every Day

July 13, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, GRATITUDE, HOPEstatgirl77

Blue Sky

Everyone I know has problems, and sometimes they seem overwhelming. My personality type tends to fret and worry and see the negative – about everything! But that is merely a tendency, and by the grace of God, I am getting better at replacing that negativity with a grateful attitude.

How I wish I had overcome this habit of mind years earlier! Recent clinical research is repeatedly showing strong linkages between heart disease and negative states of mind, such as depression and anxiety. But I choose to look ahead, not behind. I am striving to do as the apostle Paul said in Phillipians 3:12, to “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Jesus came so that we may have abundant life – not one filled with sorrow, sadness, and worry!

So, this day, although it is blisteringly hot in Texas and the world in general seems a dark place at this point in history, I am grateful that:

God sent His beloved and only Son Jesus to save me from my sins and give me eternal life. (John 3:16)
God promises to never leave me or forsake me – never, no never!
God always empowers us to do whatever He tells us to do. Jesus said, “Be of good cheer because I have overcome the world!” We CAN have an upbeat attitude!
God has given clear guidance in the Bible on how to live a blessed joyous life – I only have to study and apply what I learn.
When I have doubts about how my life is turning out, I can rely on the promise in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him [act like you know Him—my words] and He will direct your path.”
James 1:5 reassures us that “If any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Verses 6 through 8 tell us that we must believe and not doubt that God will give us wisdom. Remember: He empowers us to do what He tells us to.
Finally, when doing the things listed above seems hard, I read Psalm 103 over and over and over. I especially focus on verses 11 through 14:

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.

As I gaze at the clear blue sky, that vast expanse of moisture that cradles the earth, I marvel at God’s unavoidable reminder of His love and compassion for us. He has placed His blue heavens over every human being on our planet, just like a human father tenderly places a soft blanket over his sleeping child. How dare I doubt His love?

Blue Sky

A Haunting Question. . . Did My Father Make It To Heaven?

February 11, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, FAMILY, HOPEstatgirl77

Treasured Memories of my Earthly Father

I was sitting with the Lord, enjoying a second cup of coffee, replaying in my mind the rich, soothing baritone of Ed Ames I’d listened to last night. Suddenly, tears were streaming down my cheeks. Baritone voices always reminded me of my Dad.

Daddy’s voice had been strong, deep and marvelously resonant. Though every inch a man’s man, when he talked to me his voice was always gentle. Just the sound of him talking – about anything – soothed whatever was wrong.

Though Daddy passed in 1986, the pain of missing him still burns. I was a new believer back then. I had studied, diligently, how to witness to people and I tried talking to Daddy, but I did not do very well Daddy had not gone to church the last few years of his life and did not seem to want to talk much about God with me.

So, when he passed the question of whether I would see him in heaven began haunting me. I have talked about my Daddy in previous posts, http://bit.ly/1SIexOu. But truly, words are inadequate to say how much he meant to me. Daddy and my daughter, Sharon, shown below when she was 10, remain the two great human loves of my lifetime.

Treasured Truth from my Heavenly Father

God sends a comforting thought every time I wonder about Daddy’s eternal home. God promises when I get to heaven, there will be no more tears, no more sadness. . . that somehow I will see things from God’s perspective. So that means if Daddy did not make it, the pain of missing him will be gone, which is another mystery of God far, far beyond my understanding.

But I accept this truth by faith.

And the several times each day when I think of Daddy, I thank God that Daddy showed me what a strong, loving and tender father is like. The love of my earthly father, Fred Farmer, prepared the way for me to walk in grateful closeness with my beloved Heavenly Father. That is a priceless gift, and a deeply cherished treasure.

Thank you, Father, for my Daddy and his love for me and all his family. May those who did not have the good fortune of a Daddy like mine be able to feel the same tenderness from You and the security of a close walk with You. And if they have hurtful memories, You are the Great Physician. Please heal those past hurts and put in their place a deep, deep love and passion for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Sunrise . . . Sunset, Proclaiming God’s Power and His Tender Care

February 2, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, HOPEstatgirl77

God Changes Our World to Focus Our Thoughts and Give Us Hope

My windows face west so I cannot see the horizon change as the day dawns. But God changes the world for us twice each day. At sunset, as well as at sunrise, the beauty is beyond words.

As light dispels all darkness, so His love dispels all fear

Late into sunset, the lacey black silhouettes of trees stand in sharp contrast to the rosey and flamed hues visible just above the horizon. Above that, those rosey hues merge into brighter hues of blue and then finally fade to deep indigo, as God puts this half of His earth to sleep, so the plants and animals – and His beloved human beings — may rest. The following link displays sunrisings and sunsettings, with reverential, worshipful music. Look at it and ponder God’s great love for you, as an individual. http://bit.ly/1OYcq4B

Gazing long at the western sky comforts me. It reminds me that God controls the entire universe, the unseen as well as the seen. The beauty of sunset also reminds me that the mighty One, the God of angel armies, is taking just as much care with my one little life as He is with keeping the planets in balance. What an unspeakable treasure to ponder! How can it possibly be? But, yet, I know it is true.

God Encourages Us Through the Beauty of Nature

The books of Catherine Marshall played a key role in leading me to Jesus. One of my favorites of her books was ” Christy”. (Here is a link to purchase a copy of the original 1967 book, which later became a television series. http://amzn.to/1Vyi5A2) In “Christy”, a man struggling with doubt is advised to arise while it is still dark and watch the sunrise, every day, until he hears from God.

It worked for him, and it has worked for me for decades – without fail, no matter the current challenges in my life. My heavenly Father’s comfort and peace never fail to calm my soul and soothe troubled emotions as I watch His mighty hand paint the sky. Being alone with God like that feels like a gentle hug from my big, strong earthly father, whose calming presence was one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Psalm 19, verse 1 in the Bible says “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (NIV)

For transcendant thoughts on this passage by Bible scholars, click this link – and be blessed! http://bit.ly/1nFhWAv

"The heavens declare the glory of God. . . " (Psalm 19:1,a NIV) — “The heavens declare the glory of God. . . ” (Psalm 19:1,a NIV)

Six No-Cost Ways to Encourage Yourself

January 28, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, GRATITUDEstatgirl77

We All Need Encouragement

Every human being has some ho-hum days and some days when they just feel down. It is part of the human condition. Sometimes, such days are indicators that we need to take time to consider how we are living and whether we need to make some changes. Other days are just those ho-hum days.

God Longs to Give You Comfort and Hope

Here are five cures for those days when you just feel your life is blah, though you know it is not.

Simply talk to God, out loud , just as if He were a human being and could not understand you unless you spoke in actual words. Putting words to our feelings always calms us down because it prevents wild thoughts from spinning around and around inside. God wants us to bring each detail of our life to Him, the good and the bad. He tells us that in I Peter, chapter 5, verse 7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him [God] because He cares for you.” [emphasis added] It often helps to write out your prayers to God.
Count your blessings – literally. Start making a list. Here is a link to several versions of the beautiful hymn that says to “Count your many blessings, name them one by one. . . and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. ” Listen, really listen, to the words. http://yhoo.it/1SHAXP0
Get the focus off yourself by calling a friend who is going through hard times and give them the encouragement you wish you could hear for yourself. Do this in a conscious effort to obey God by helping to carry each other’s burdens. (Galations 6:2) http://bit.ly/23vE1lk You simply cannot “outgive” God. He always rewards obedience. Try it and see.
Soak your heart in the Psalms, or your other favorite Bible passages. Here is a link to a list of six Psalms that will encourage you, along with comments by a pastor, Zac Poonen, of a church in Colorado. http://bit.ly/1NCSfoR
Listen to uplifting music. Try some of the 30 uplifting Christian songs listed at this link. Whether you feel like it at this moment, you ARE an overcomer by the power of the blood of the spotless Lamb of God! http://bit.ly/1PUWUEr
Get outside and look at the beauty of God’s creation. Nature has power to soothe and to heal.
Nature is everywhere – because God loves us!

If You Feel Down Often

Dear reader, if you consistently feel down, you may be depressed and not realize it. Go to this link http://abt.cm/1CBrYso There is a quiz at the top of the page you can take. If you are consistently feeling down, you most likely are depressed and you need to talk with a counselor. Please, please do so. If you do not get help, you will keep feeling worse and worse. I was in that position many times over my lifetime until I learned to reach out for professional help when I needed it. Depression is dangerous and hurts you as well as everyone around you. If you do not get help, it gets worse each time it happens. Please get help. Do not try to do it alone.

The Magic of Love

January 20, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, GRATITUDEstatgirl77

The first time I held my baby daughter in my arms I felt courage and determination flow into my heart. The hospital window framed the faint pre-dawn light as I nursed her and then snuggled her close. It was a moment I knew I would remember for all my life. I had never loved this fiercely before, ever, and I would do anything to protect her and take good, good care of her.

Not only did I feel an infusion of courage to face my dominating in-laws, I also felt totally, thoroughly happy. Blissful is the word. And that bliss endures to this very day whenever I see her.

This experience of falling in love with our children is common to most parents. And once our babies are all grown up and gone from our nest – but never our hearts – we have time to reflect on how giving love to our children changed us and how it benefitted us as much as them.

Why? Love floods the lover with warm and tender feelings, whether you are feeling love for your baby, a child, a pet, or another adult. There is a scientific basis for this that I did not know way back in the mid 1970s when my precious little baby girl was born. A hormone called oxytocin is released into our bodies when we experience love. Here is one explanation of this blessing God has given us.

This Bliss Hormone Can Heal Your Body: The Many Benefits of Oxytocin

A special chemical in your body, called oxytocin, helps to create the feeling of falling in love.

Sometimes referred to as the hormone of “forgetting oneself,” oxytocin plays an important role in birth, lactation, bonding, and orgasm.

The hormone of love, oxytocin, influences the digestive system as much as it influences the brain. Oxytocin has been proven to cool gastrointestinal inflammation to alleviate food sensitivities, autoimmune disorders, and even Candida infections!

Oxytocin can act like a psychological buffer. Nature wired both men and women to experience an oxytocin surge (or several) during moments of bonding with each other or their children.

Oxytocin naturally enhances a sense of:

Optimism
Trust
Mastery
Self-esteem

(retrieved from http://bit.ly/1Ph4e2E on January 20, 2016)

Simply loving my daughter for all these years has helped me far, far more than it has helped her. Being in love with my daughter has healed hurts so deep I did not know they existed. And trying to take good care of her has shaped my decisions for the good.

What is the source of all love? Chapter 4, verse 8 in First John tells us “Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.” (New International Version) [emphasis added]. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

How like our loving Heavenly Father to make what He tells us to do be so beneficial for us. And how can we not love Him for loving us? Loving Him floods us with an even more intense feeling of bliss that truly transcends the power of words to express. Thank You, Lord!

Join me in returning this love to Him as you listen to the song “The Love of God” by Mercy Me. http://bit.ly/1V8qxWD

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is the love of God for those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:11 (NIV)

Think about it.

Daddy called me “baby doll”

January 12, 2016DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, FAMILY, GRATITUDEstatgirl77

Words can hurt

Words can hurt and words can heal, as we all know. Bullying labels from childhood can sting long into adulthood. As a six-foot-tall teenager back in the 60s, my constant greeting from one boy was “Ho, ho, ho. Here comes the jolly green giant.” You can see the commercial that led to this emotionally crushing moniker at http://yhoo.it/1KaYAHH

It took decades, literally decades, before I could accept that God did not make a mistake when He made me six feet tall.

Words can heal, encourage, and nurture the heart

Fortunately, although I had the painful experiences common to all teens, I also had a loving, tender father. On the outside, and in the outside world, Daddy was a John Wayne kind of man – masculine, no-nonsense, strong and often silent. He was the superintendent of a rock mine and in that role as a leader of men, he had to be strong.

But as soon as Daddy came home each night, my world was complete and my heart was at peace, just because he was there. Daddy called me “baby doll”, a term of deepest endearment I still use with my own grown-up daughter. And it is a strange thing – whenever I call Sharon “baby doll” I still feel Daddy’s love – and that feeling gets richer and warmer each passing year.

A father’s love – a priceless inheritance for his family

My parents both did a wonderful job raising their family. They taught me values that have shaped my life for the good. As a Daddy’s girl, the tender love of my father was the greatest of all possible gifts. That love helped me accept the concept of a Heavenly Father who was loving and tender and who would take care of me and keep me safe.

This unfathomable love of God for us is described in Psalm 103, verses 11 through 14.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His [God’s] love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. [emphasis added] (New International Version)

I am grateful beyond words for an earthly Daddy who showed me what my Heavenly Father’s love is like. And I am so very grateful I get to pass that love on to family and friends!

Trees. . . so pleasing to the human eye!

January 5, 2016CHRISTIAN VALUES, DEVOTIONALS, ENCOURAGEMENT, GRATITUDE, Prayer, TRUSTING GODstatgirl77

Few things are as calming to my soul as trees. All kinds of trees, in all seasons, in all locations – they all comfort my heart and, “magically”, make me feel secure. And I can explain why.

Pleasing to the eye

In telling us about creation, God says in Genesis chapter 2, verse 9:

“And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye [emphasis added] and good for food.” (New International Version).

I have always loved the outdoors, though I’ve been a city dweller all my life. Maybe that’s one reason I’ve always loved trees – they are a part of nature that is in cities and yet remain much as they would be in the woods. Their branches reach outward from a trunk in the same way, their leaves sway with the wind in the same way, and they stretch their branches up toward heaven in the same way. Trees do this whether they are in a city or in a wilderness where no one but God sees them.

The Bible tells us that God called all that He created “good”. I believe God thinks trees are beautiful, too. I believe that they are pleasing to His eye, just as they are to mine. Our all-powerful Father in heaven, our Creator and the Creator of the universe, could have made earth obtain its oxygen in an invisible manner. But He chose to cover the earth with beautiful flowers, bushes, and trees. . . majestic, glorious, upward-reaching trees.

Whether you live on a mountain with a panoramic view all around or, like me, in an urban area with one tree outside my window, I pray you will pause and let the beauty of trees bring you pleasure, as God intended. Let them remind you to lift your heart towards heaven, just as the trees lift their branches to heaven.

“The heavens declare the glory of God. . . ” (Psalm 19:1, NIV)

Together with all of creation, let us praise and glorify and love the wonderful One who made us and gave us such a beautiful earth to call our temporary home.

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