"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)Weary and burdened. Yes Lord that is how I feel this week. Weary from too much whirlwind traveling and demanding busyness.Burdened by consuming shifting emotions that swing wildly from deep heartbreaking hurts to indescribable joy.I read once that we are like sheep and need to remember sheep are not burden carrying animals.So this little lamb comes to You seeking Your arms of comfort and rest.I need Your strength to renew my spirit so I can continue to live as You called me.Your rest is the place I dwell and release my heavy burdens and unwind my weariness. … [Read more...]
Celebrating Weddings – Lectio Divina
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 (NIV)Today is my son, Brian’s, wedding day. He is marrying a marvelous young woman – Mandy. I am thankful and celebrating today! I delight greatly in the Lord!Apache Wedding BlessingNow you will feel no rain For each of you will be shelter to the other. Now each of you will feel no cold For each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no loneliness for you For each of you will be companion to the other.Now you are two persons But there is one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness And may your days be good and long upon the earth.I love you both – May God drench you with many, many happy days and surround you with His love. … [Read more...]
Thankfulness to God – Lectio Divina
Therefore, my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Psalm 30:12I will give you thanks forever.Lord, the more I offer you my thanks and praise, the more I see the depth of Your blessings.Lord, the more I pay attention to Your gifts, the more words of thankfulness burst from my heart.Lord, the more I dig though the mud and muck of life, I find Your treasures and nuggets of love surrounding me.Lord, the more I try to express my gratitude to You with inadequate expressions, the more I fall before you with wordless tears.Lord, I will give you thanks forever. … [Read more...]
God Can Do All Things – Lectio Divina
I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Job 42:2You can do all thingsAll things, Lord.You can do all things – even what the ones I think are overwhelming and impossible. You can do all things – even the unattainable that the world shouts, “It’s out of the question.” You can do all things – restoring hope for our bleak circumstancesYou can do all things – whatever is Your will, will be done.Why do I doubt you?Why do I fear?Why do I hesitate to fall fully into Your more than capable arms?Once again I return to you with gratefulness and only through Your grace and mercy and place my trust in my God, my Creator, who can do all things.All things.All. … [Read more...]
Giving God my Entire Attention – Lectio Divina
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34 (The Message)Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now.My entire attention? You want it all? But I am so good at multi-tasking God. Couldn’t I just sort of listen, kind of pray, and pretend to fully love you and continue to work on my all important to-do list, cling to my worries, and fiddle with what I think is best for me?My entire attention? What would that feel like? Would it hurt me that much to let go of my ego and fully dive into Your presence?My entire attention? Divert my eyes from what I think is important – the shiny, the urgent, the busyness jumping up and down demanding my time? Look closely for You, Lord? My entire attention? If I did that I would have to let go of old habits, worldly desires, and comfortable ways. You may ask me to … [Read more...]
Make a Clean Break – Lectio Divina
"Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32 (MSG)Make a clean break.Lord, it is so much easier for me to be sarcastic than accepting. I am quicker to criticize than to love. I jump to conclusions, assuming fault in the other person and letting my self-protecting defenses rule my heart instead of You.You tell me make a clean break. Reminds me when I am in my stained glass workshop in the garage cutting glass. I score the line on the glass and with one quick jerk, SNAP, the glass breaks evenly and precisely as designed. If I don’t score completely or break quickly, the glass shatters with jagged edges that cut my fingers.Lord, Your death and resurrection forever settled the score, so we could make a clean break with the world and its sin.Make a clean break.I will keep this as my prayer this week that with Your strength, I can break … [Read more...]
God’s Strength Lectio Divina
"Go in the strength you have..." (Judges 6:14)So often, Lord I have no strength left. The world crushes my hopes and zaps my energy. I don’t think I can go on.Yet you tell me to “go in the strength” I have. Lord, when all seems hopeless, I still go on.Lord, when everything takes an effort, I still try.Lord with your help, your strength, I can take one more step, live one more day.I used to think this verse referred to my strength, but now realize I possess access to Your limitless strength.Your strength makes all the difference.I arise todayThrough the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom. I arise todayThrough God's strength to pilot me;God's might to uphold me,God's wisdom to guide me,God's eye to look before me,God's ear to hear me,God's word to speak for me,God's hand to guard me,God's way to lie before … [Read more...]
My Thoughts or God’s Thoughts – Lectio Divina
“For as a man thinks within himself, so he is.” Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)“Thinks within.”How do I “think within” Lord? What do my thoughts reveal about my heart? About my relationship with You?Lord, my thoughts scatter.My thoughts worry.My thoughts wonder off onto desolate unmarked paths.My thoughts wrapped themselves with ego, fears, and anxiety.I give power to my thoughts instead of YouI allow them to control me with their negative nature that draw me away from You.Reminds me of a verse from my favorite Psalm:You perceive my thoughts from afar... How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! – Psalm 139: 2b, 17 As I “think within” Lord – let Your thoughts saturate my thoughts. Your thoughts lead my thinking.Your thoughts direct my attention.Your thoughts shine light on my reflections.Your thoughts fuel my imagination.Your thoughts guide my opinions.Your thoughts infuse wisdom into my foolishness.May I always reflect your presence as I “think within.” … [Read more...]