As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow here are some thoughts on thankfulness. There are two really important words in this short verse from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, peace and thankful.  A focus on both of those words will help calm down the worry.   Gratitude is powerful and not only does it do wonders for our own troubled heart, but it’s also a beautiful gift to everyone else.  Here is an interesting thing I learned about being thankful. Recent MRI studies have mapped the gratitude circuitry in the brain, which activates a sense of reward, fairness, and decision-making—all aspects that help facilitate survival.  In case you might be looking for ways to ramp up the gratitude here are a few tips to help you sprinkle a little more thankfulness in your day.
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*Make it a habit at least once a day to say out-loud three things you are grateful for.

*End your day by jotting down a few things from the day that you are thankful for.  I often tell the story of how my mom had a practice of doing exactly this very thing.  It was her belief that if the last thing on your mind before sleep was something you were thankful for instead of something you were worried about, you’d sleep better and wake up more positive.

*Tell at least two people a day thank you!  Make it specific if you really want to brighten someone’s day and spread a little joy.  

*Make sure your thank-yous outnumber your complaints.*Check your perspective, if you’re having trouble thinking of something to be grateful for, check out the situation of those around you and that might help you see your situation through a different lens.

*Volunteer…Jesus wasn’t kidding with the whole “serve others” thing.  Turns out, it’s a great boost for our gratitude and our happiness.

*Notice and appreciate the little things. I was in the middle of a train-wreck of a day not long ago and a little boy with Downs Syndrome walked up to me in the store and gave me a carnation.  He said, “You look like you need something pretty and a hug.”  In that one split second my attitude completely changed.  

*Be with the people you love.  Make sure you surround yourself with people who lift you up, make you laugh and bring you joy.

*Find some gratitude scriptures you can call on when you’re feeling a little worried and wilted.  God’s word is always true and always meant to bring good.

We worship freely, we have all we need to eat, we have shelter, we have transportation and people who care about us.  Those things alone make us some of the richest people in the world.  I don’t know about you, but I think I should sit down and make a list of those and the hundred other things I probably take for granted and add them to my gratitude list.  Sounds like a great way to chase the blues away.

A Seed To Plant:  Spend some time working on your gratitude list and then find a few great scripture verses about gratitude you can use when the worry gets heavy on your heart.​

Blessings on your day!

​I’ve chatted with several people lately who have shared that their schedules were pretty nutty!  In case that’s you, I hope todays post touches your heart and brings a splash of hope and comfort to your busy days.  During the busy seasons, remember to take your to-do list to prayer each morning and know God will organize it all for his glory even if we’re feeling a little overwhelmed.  While I was knee deep in a busy stress season recently, I was working my way through the tasks, and I was encouraged when I remembered back to swimming lessons when I was a little girl. Just for the record, I HATED swimming lessons.  I remember the required trip into the deep end and that feeling of complete helplessness when I realized my feet couldn’t touch the bottom and I had nothing to grab on to.  The instructor would yell, relax, close your mouth and tip your head back so the water won’t go up your nose. I didn’t enjoy anything about that feeling.

If that feeling is familiar here is another little tidbit I learned in swim lessons that just might help.   When you close your mouth and tip your head back so you can breathe, you are automatically looking up.  Quietly looking up is always a good idea and it’s a practice that can offer not only survival, but surprisingly, great joy!  Sometimes we cram way too much into our weeks but as the waters rise, keep asking God to keep you from drowning.  Not only will he answer, but he will bless you with lots of little surprises along the way. He will arrange every detail, every timetable and every event.  Things may not be completed as early or fast as we want but it all gets finished.  He provides help when we don’t expect it, laughter when we most need it and great friends along the way.  Sometimes he even arranges great parking when we peel into the parking lot at the last minute.  If we let go of the control and the expectations we will see him guiding and loving us through even the busiest days.

 Sometimes we have to reach out and ask for help and we might have to eat left-overs a few times or pull something “not so dirty” out of the hamper but it all falls in place when we make him the boss of our busyness. I’m in awe of the way God can swoop in and put things in order if we just close our mouth, tip our head back and look up to the giver of life and the master of all time and tasks.  Perhaps I should try that more often!

A Seed To Plant: Tip your head back, close your mouth and look up to the giver of life and enjoy your day!​

Blessings on your day!

These words were a part of last Sundays first reading, and they are stuck to my heart like Velcro!  The noise this verse was making in my head really picked up volume when I threw a little hissy fit because I was making cinnamon rolls to take to a friend and realized the brown sugar container was almost empty.  You simply can’t make a batch of proper cinnamon rolls with just a sprinkle of brown sugar for heavens sake!  As I spit and sputtered around the kitchen trying to figure out who to call to borrow sugar, I was frustrated about the inconvenient task of getting enough to finish before the dough was ruined.  It was a silly thing to get flustered about but right in the middle of my dramatic grumbling, something prompted me to look on the pantry shelf above the canisters and low and behold…there was a full unopened bag.  Once the convenient solution to the problem appeared, I began to feel ridiculous as the words of the widow in the Scripture Reading came to mind.

Nobody was going to die or even notice if the cinnamon rolls weren’t made the usual way.  There was no consequence that warranted me getting all flustered.  If I’m being totally honest, I actually found not one, but two bags of unopened brown sugar on that top shelf…and then I felt really silly, and   my heart was wide open for the lesson to come.  As I stood there rolling and cutting dough, I realized the lesson wasn’t about organization or brown sugar at all,  but about the widows lesson of trust and enough.

The poor widow wasn’t being dramatic, that was her reality, and she had embraced it and stated it to Elijah plainly.  It was all she had yet she shared it with him knowing the direness of her situation would arrive even sooner.  As I puddle that through my thoughts, I realize how much excess I have…how much extra I think I need and I had to ask myself why?  Why did I have two full bags of brown sugar?  Did I need them, would we suffer peril if I ran out?  I stood there looking into my pantry realizing how much we have but yet I still had that flustered feeling when I thought I was almost out of something.  Boy, do I have a lot to learn from that widow.  I began to wonder about the security I feel when there is “extra” and I noticed so many places I seem to have “extra extra!”  Is my hope and trust in the pantry, or the closet or the garage?  Do I put faith in the security of my excess or in provider of the abundance?  I have a lot of wonders.  I don’t think the Lord wants me to quit going to Kroger until my pantry and fridge are completely empty but even if I did, I wouldn’t be in the same boat as the widow.  I realized I trust my planning and bargain shopping skills to offer a bit of security and I knew I was being invited to shift those things to a trust in God’s Providence.
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I’m not the widow and I don’t think that’s what Jesus is asking me to be, but he did stir in my heart a desire to trust him more and to grow in generosity.  He isn’t asking me to empty my house of everything but oil and flour, but he is inviting me to look at what I might be clinging to for security and take a peek at all the things I keep around “just in case” that I could share with others.  Mostly, he’s asking me to pray long and hard about the word “enough” when it comes to the things of the world because I think sometimes, they litter the path to him.  Ultimately, he’s reminding me that he loves me just like he loved that widow and her son and he will always make sure I have more than enough of the things that really matter when I seek him first.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Join me this week in taking an honest look at what we have, what we need and what we can let go of to make more room for the Father. 

Blessings on your day!
 

​As I type and upload this post it’s late on election night and I think the whole country will fall asleep with a mind full of wonders.  There are hearts that are troubled, worried and hopeful tonight.  No matter what the news will be, we can be sure that the Father has us tucked tightly and safely in His abiding love and protection.  As I pondered just how close to us the Father is, I remembered a trip a couple of months ago that routed me through the Dallas Ft. Worth airport on a Friday evening which was a crazy adventure to say the least.  It was a stormy night which added delightfully to the chaos and lots of delayed flights added to the crowd.  I had to board a tram to connect to another terminal and when I got on, it was full but not packed but as the tram approached the second stop that began to change.  Each stop added another glob of passengers, and I got packed tighter and tighter toward the middle of the tram car.  Everyone was laughing about it which was great but at one point I had to turn my head sideways in order to breathe because my face was pressed tightly into the back of a tall gentleman in a tailored suit who would probably not have appreciated me breathing on his fabric.  I remember getting off at my stop thinking; Phew! I don’t think I’ve ever been packed so tightly against that many people in my life!

Today’s quote from St. Catherine of Siena reminded me of that tram trip in Dallas.  It also reminded me of a line from Psalm 139, I will hem you in behind and before with my hand upon your shoulder.  God desires to be that close to us; as close as water to a fish and as close as the people in the tram car.  Isn’t it funny though that sometimes we think he’s so far away?  If that’s how we feel, then the ten-million-dollar question becomes; is he far from me or am I far from him? 

I am a visual person.  I learn much better by demonstration and touching than reading so when I came across this quote it made Gods desire to be with me so visual and so clear.  I don’t know about you, but I’ll take the blame for all the bad geography!  You can’t get much closer than water to a fish or being hemmed in from before and behind so if God’s not close it’s because I’m in the wrong place. If I don’t feel him close it isn’t because he’s taken a lunch break, it’s because I’m not on the path he led me to. If I can’t feel him when I reach out it isn’t because he’s not there; it’s because I’m reaching for something that isn’t mine to have. I suppose before I again question his nearness to me, I’d better make sure I’m in the right spot…on my knees with my arms stretched out toward him asking for a rescue and a re-start.  He doesn’t want to be a Father who loves me from a distance; fish and water are pretty close, and he wants to be even closer than that to me.  Come on God…I give you permission to invade ALL my space!

A Seed To Plant:  Find a picture of a fish and put it somewhere visible to remind yourself how close God is to you then while he’s right there, go ahead and ask him to guide and help you!

Blessings on your day!

Last week I had a really cool opportunity.  The local middle school had an assembly planned and a few days before the event, the speaker they had booked hit a snag and couldn’t come so I got to swoop in as backup.  It was the best afternoon because the kids and staff at PW are great and because the topic was so important.   The theme of the assembly was kindness, empathy and being amazing humans.  As I planned for the event it occurred to me that October is the month the church sets aside to “respect life”.  We are reminded during this beautiful month to think about life in all its ages and stages and realize each of us is a precious child of God. Many of us are very passionate about protecting the unborn and we will fight like mama bears if we find out someone is mistreating the elderly.  Those are causes we pray and fight for in many ways but what about respecting the life we are surrounded by every day.  How are we at respecting our neighbors and co-workers and those folks who annoy us?  October is a call to think about the way we respect ALL life.   The lessons last Friday were for middle school students in a public school and they received it well  but today I thought I’d offer each of you a similar lesson rooted in the Gospel.

Each of us was created in the Image and Likeness of God.  I used to teach the first graders that meant when God made us, he put a little piece of himself in our heart, so he was always a part of us.  If we realize God is a part of everyone we meet, and all his children are precious, we realize when we disrespect or hurt someone, we are also offending the Creator.  Most would agree that is a very bad idea! Here are four things we can do to respect each other.
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K - Know that each and every person was created and is precious to the Creator.  Saying or doing hurtful things to others hurts the Creator.

I - Invite and include others.  We love to get invited to parties and weddings and celebrations but   inviting others to sit with us, eat with us, pray with us or spend time with us makes them feel noticed and valued.

N - Notice the people around you.  Notice if someone is sad or lonely or hurting. We weren’t made to be alone in this world, we were made for community, and we all need to know we matter, so be on the lookout for the people who need a little friendship.

D - Decide to show everyone the mercy and love Jesus did.  We decide dozens of things every morning why not add this important decision to the list.

When we put all four of these actions in motion, our hearts will change.  We were created for life and good.  When we hurt or disrespect others we aren’t choosing life.  Life is full of enough difficulties and frustrations; we should be about the business of making life a little easier for those we share our days with. The lesson is simple but powerful, perhaps you can add a simple thing to your days.

A Seed To Plan:  Pick one of the four ideas and put it in motion today.​

Blessings on your day!

​Ugh…it’s election season and it’s getting so close it’s hard to stay out of the way of the slinging mud!  I think this season bothers me so much because much of the conversation is about the mistakes, shortfalls and perceived weaknesses of another person.  I get it, I really do…it’s about convincing and quite honestly, the bad stuff gets peoples attention.  For as much as I hate all the negative, the arguing and the difficulty actually sifting out the truth, there is one good thing about this season; it forces me to ponder and pray about what I really believe.  

Our morals and our beliefs absolutely come into play during an election season and it’s often something people twist and attack.  Christianity just isn’t “cool” according to some and it is brushed away and trivialized like the stuff fairy tales are made of.  I can get a little huffy when faith is dismissed as a part of the leadership equation because it’s hinged to everything.  When I read these words from the late Justice Scalia, I realized it was ok to be offended and suffer as so many dismiss Jesus and his teaching.  It made me realize I put too much stock in what the world thinks and it’s ok if the world thinks I’m foolish for believing the way I do. I guess being a fool for Christ is the best kind of foolish there is.

It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with that “hell in a hand basket” feeling as the election draws closer and recently I had a some conversations with some folks who were definitely overwhelmed.  In his great timing, someone shared this quote and as I passed it along; we all felt some peace and balance. One presidential candidate  isn’t going to fix  America.  People are.  Read to your kids.  Show them how to find joy in work.  Teach them what respect and kindness is.  No politician will ever do that.  It’s not the government’s job to teach people how to be happy.  I wish I could re-write it and add Pray with your kids. Believe in and trust the one who is the author of happiness and the one who is greatness Himself.  America will be great when we remember to live the Gospel.

I suppose the other thing that really bugs me about this season is my intense dislike for conflict!  Christians are often under attack during this season and accused of being old-fashioned, narrow minded and judgmental.  Those words are hard to hear but maybe they’re true.  If keeping up with the times means ditching the Gospel than I think I’ll be old-fashioned.  I can’t count the times in the last couple of weeks I’ve heard someone say, “You need to be more open-minded.”  It was usually in the context of accepting something contrary to Christian beliefs and again, just because God communicates in crazy ways, I saw a quote from G.K. Chesterton that said, “Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out.”  It made me laugh because it just put things in perspective.  

As God’s children we can use this season for good.  We can use it as a chance to ponder what we believe and how our actions back those beliefs.  We can use this time to pray for those who are running for office and those who are doing the voting.  We can also use this time to realize that God is the winner…the power…the authority…the everything, and make sure we’re hitched to his wagon!

A Seed To Plant:  Just for one day, every time you see a campaign sign or hear a political ad, say a prayer for God’s blessing on our country.  For extra credit, do it for a week!

Blessings on your day.

October is so full of changes and new things.  Everything from the temperature to the color to the things we eat and wear and do changes!  October is the month we watched the Detroit Tigers surprise us as they changed from a struggling team to the one that fought their way to the Post Season and then we changed our focus to the Detroit Lions who after decades of struggle have become such a powerful and fun team to watch.  October reminds me that things are supposed to evolve and change and march forward including our walk with the Lord.  We are reminded that our mission on earth is heaven and that requires growing in holiness.

Holiness doesn’t mean perfection, that’s for God alone and we aren’t him.  Holiness doesn’t mean we don’t sin and never turn away from the Father’s love.  Holiness means moving forward…toward God’s perfect plan for our life.  We don’t have to save a country, feed a village or build an orphanage to be holy, we have to seek God, love God and trust God a little more today than we did yesterday.  Here is a little list of things we can do to help us grow in holiness each day.

*Before you even get out of bed, tell God thank you for something.
*Look people in the eye…really see them in such a way they know they’ve been seen, and they matter.  As you look at them, ask Jesus to help you see them with his eyes.
*Listen more than you talk.
*Don’t be afraid to say great, powerful things like; I don’t know and I’m sorry, please forgive me and how can I pray for you.
*When you wake up, ask God for the plan of the day before you map it all out yourself.
*Say a prayer for every person, event and circumstance that bugs you and then tell God thank you for it. Do these two things before you speak or respond so mercy and gratitude have a chance to swoop into your heart and take the place of criticism or negative responses.
*Don’t brag or point things out that will shine the light on you and the things you’ve done.  When we are humble God brings the acknowledgement and appreciation that truly touches our heart in the way no human praise can.
*Show love and respect to at least one person each day you find difficult to love or to someone who can offer nothing in return. Doing it anonymously adds a fun twist.
*At the end of the day chat with God about the days blessings, sorrows and point out to him at least one place you saw him working in your life.
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Doing even a few of these things will create a beautiful change in us.  It might not be as evident at first as the changes we saw as the Lions beat the Cowboys last Sunday but the change is so much more profound and essential than the silly things we focus on from day to day.  Go ahead…change some of this stuff and watch your holiness grow.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Pray with the list and pick a couple to focus on in the days and weeks ahead.  When you’ve mastered one, add another because growing in holiness requires a constant change and forward motion.

Blessings on your day!
 
 
 

​October is absolutely my very favorite month of the year.  I love the change in temperatures, colors, foods and clothes.  We celebrate some of my favorite events in October but what I love most are the trees.  Some trees are so intense with yellows, oranges and reds they look like they’re plugged in.  As I was driving a couple hours to a speaking job last weekend it was sunny and warm and I just soaked in all the color and beauty.  Once I got home, it occurred to me that I take trees for granted the other eleven months out of the year.  That thought hovered with me for a few days and I’ve heard three cool tree stories in the past couple of days so I figured that means a message for all of us.

Lesson 1: Trees change, the color changes, the shape changes, the size changes; everything about them changes from season to season.  None of those changes are permanent.  Some stages are a whole lot more appealing than others for sure.  I suppose life is like that.  There are times when our lives are bright and brilliant and others when things seem dull and unattractive.  Each of the stages come and go, one follows the other and the old makes way for the new.  I’m sure the tree doesn’t pout when its beautiful colored leaves fall to the ground for us to tromp on; it’s just the ebb and flow.  Each stage and each change offer something new and different. Just like the leaves that don’t stay but for a season, our highs aren’t meant to stay forever and neither are our lows.  God is right there in both teaching, loving and then moving us along.

Lesson 2:  Storms deepens the roots.  Trees have a way of adapting to conditions.  Storms of life will come and go so being firmly anchored is a means of survival.  Tree roots sink deeper into the ground for life-giving nutrients and we need to anchor deeply in our faith and trust in the Lord so we can be nourished by his life-giving grace and mercy.  Being rooted in our faith is what allows us to survive the storms and tough spots in life. Strong roots make us steady as the world around us changes.

Lesson 3:  Destruction often ushers in new life.  The cones on some pine trees are only opened by the flash heat of a forest fire.  The intense heat causes the cone to open up and spill it’s seeds so new life can be spread by gravity and wind.  We often look at destruction as life damaging and not as life giving.  Sometimes being completely disappointed or devastated is what it takes for us to surrender our own plans and let the love of God guide us to new life.

I guess October trees aren’t just beautiful to look at, they have lessons to offer as well.  The next time I’m smack dab in the middle of something stormy and hard I’ll remind myself that I’m working on my roots.  The next time I watch my well thought out plans go up in smoke, I’ll remind myself to watch for the seeds of new life around me and I will certainly be reminded that sometimes my life might look like a bunch of bare branches but something good will pop out soon.  Thank you, God, for some beautiful trees and some great lessons.

A Seed To Plant:  Pick one of the lessons and ask God to show you how he might be inviting you to apply it to your life this season.​

Blessings on your day!

​Do you ever feel like you are at war with yourself?  You try to do the right things and live up to the expectations but some days it just feels like you fall short…I hope that’s not just me!  I had a lousy day; one of those look under every rock of your life and not really like what you see kind of days.  I suppose it’s good to take an honest inventory of your life from time to time but sometimes it’s painful to be honest with yourself.  What I came to discover is that I’m probably like everybody else with some good qualities and some not so stellar ones too.  As I was thinking about this “battle with self”, I remembered a Gospel story about two sisters who had a battle right in front of Jesus.  I could relate so perfectly to this story and the constant struggle to do the right thing for the right reason.  As I re-read this Gospel I realized that I can be both sisters; Martha and Mary.

This epic sister conflict reveals the perfect model for our lives as faithful servants!  It’s easy to read this Gospel and take sides, but the truth of the matter is we all have an inner Martha and an inner Mary.  It’s also easy to read this Gospel and make Martha out to be the “bad guy” sister.  Really, can you imagine having the guts to whine to Jesus about cooking and serving!  In Martha’s defense, the most important guest of all time was in the living room and there sat the chief helper star struck, completely shirking all sense of responsibility and duty, I’m not gonna lie, I think I would have been a bit irritated myself.

As a Disciple of Christ our vocation includes the Martha stuff like cooking, cleaning and serving.  It also includes the Mary stuff like devotion, attentiveness and focus on the better part.  This Gospel should inspire us to be a balance of both sisters.  We need to realize that when the cooking and serving are done as a prayerful offering to God, it is a powerful form of prayer and devotion.  We also need to realize our Mary moments of complete and uninterrupted prayer have to be carved into our daily schedule.   I need to read this Gospel several times and balance my Mary and Martha! I need to read this Gospel several times to realize my battle is normal and as long as I keep plugging along trying to do the right thing and keep it all in balance, God will notice, and thank goodness he rewards us for attempts and not just perfection!

A Seed To Plant:  How can I make my Martha tasks like cooking and serving more of a prayerful offering instead of complaining about it and feeling unappreciated? How can I be more attentive and focused on Jesus like Mary? How can I find balance and have patience with myself?

Blessings on your day!

We just love options and choices don’t we! It’s human nature to shop for the most features at the best price and snatching up the best deal is our quest. Whether we’re shopping for groceries, shoes or supplies we often spend precious time trying to make an informed choice but this verse from Deuteronomy reminds us we don’t always get a choice.  God made it pretty clear in this short verse that we would get both.  I love those words, I set before you, as if both are desirable and appealingly presented.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could say, “Thanks God for offering both but I’ll take a hard pass on the curse and a double helping of the blessing.”  We get a little stuck thinking about both in a positive way because we suffer from “option-itis” or constantly searching for the option that perfectly suits our needs, wants and desires in the most convenient fashion.

I think what this little nugget of Old Testament wisdom is teaching us is that life is a mix of both…there is no option for blessings only.  He is the giver and guider and navigator of both.  He’s offering them to lead us to heaven which is a journey that will require the lessons learned from the great stuff and the awful stuff.  Blessings are easy to understand and lovely to focus on, but the curse or burdens are what most often truly drop us to our knees clinging to our faith.  All of it is a gift even if it isn’t what we ordered or wanted.  Sickness, financial crisis, grief and family turmoil certainly don’t seem like a very good gift, but He is in them which makes them a vehicle to holiness.  The presence of blessings and burdens is so real in our lives and together they lead us to eternal life which is also real!  Jesus didn’t speak of heaven as a mystical place, he spoke of it as our home.  The next time you’re in the middle of a blessing or a burden, remember the Father is right there with you, and here are the things he’s doing for us in the midst of both:

*Healing:  the burdens give us the chance to invite him in and the blessings show us where he’s been touching us with his mercy and compassion. As he leads us from burdens to blessings, we have a chance to be touched by his fanciness!
*The burdens connect us to the suffering of Jesus which was the ultimate sign of love…suffering isn’t about “repaying” Jesus for his suffering, rather it’s connecting our hard to his and sharing his strength and ultimately salvation.
*Character building:  We grow in gratitude, prayerfulness and surrender.  Burdens allow us to strengthen our obedience muscles and our surrender muscles.  They help us grow in trust and help us see with Christ’s eyes and learn to mimic his attitudes and actions.
*They restore hope and remind us to cling to Jesus:  As the Lord walks us through our burdens and shines a light on our blessings, we realize he knows everything, can conquer anything and can be trusted to love, lead and sustain us always.
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A longing heart looks for God in both the blessings and the burdens.  He gets it, if we’re way more enthusiastic about embracing the blessings than the burdens but we have to have the courage to say YES to both and that means we won’t always know WHAT we’re saying yes to, but we certainly know WHO we’re saying yes to…and knowing that, is enough to get a good start on your journey home.

A Seed To Plant: Make a list of all of the blessings and burdens you’re experienced this year and prayerfully ponder where you’ve seen and where you need Christ.

Blessings on your day

These words mimic those we say during the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass and honestly, they touch my heart and stir up a heap of humility each time I say them…I’m pretty sure that’s the whole point!  There are a couple of things from this Gospel that can help us all prepare our hearts to be more like that of the Roman official.
I used to get in my own head when I professed my unworthiness like it was a checklist I could waddle through and finally get to the “worthy part”.  That feeling of defeat and hopelessness of never being worthy put it all on me but the antidote is the next phrase…”but say the word”.  I can’t…but HE can, it isn’t about me.

Instead of getting stuck in all that I’m not, I add a thought.  Oh Lord I am not worthy…BUT GOSH I WANNA BE!  We have to want it or we’ll stay stuck right where we are not moving any closer to the Father and His infinite love.  That simple line in my head and my heart catapults me to beg for the grace to do better, be better and claim the truth that I am HIS.

If Jesus rang my doorbell today and wanted to come in for a cup of coffee my first thought would be “Holy Cow…give me a minute, I’m not ready.”  I would want to fancy up, pick up, fluff up and even then, I’d notice the thousand ways I wished I had more to offer the most supreme guest.  I would be so in awe and despite the lack in my home, I would absolutely invite Him in.  My friends, that is the Eucharistic Story!  We are the home the Lord Himself is entering and you’re darn right we’re not worthy of such a perfect guest, but He wants to come in anyway.

In just five words the Roman official gives us a giant clue about growing in worthiness…”I am subject to authority…” Perhaps this is a great place to start because His authority is meant to guide us to our sainthood. His authority needs to trump my plan and my stubbornness!
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A Seed To Plant:   What attitudes and behaviors block my journey toward worthiness?  Are there places in my life where I can be more obedient to authority, knowing that will bring peace to my heart?

Blessings on your day!

When I was a teenager my dad had a blue 1950 Chevy pickup that we called the “Blue Goose.”  My brothers thought it was cool; it had a rounded cab, a fifth window and the gear shift on the steering column. It was a classic.  I, however, had a whole different opinion.  The rule at our house was before you could drive a car with an automatic transmission, you had to learn to drive the truck.  If you had a finesse for driving a stick you didn’t have too much trouble with the truck but if you weren’t patient and didn’t do everything right, the gears would get stuck, which required putting on the park brake and getting out to open the hood and fiddle with something under the hood to “un-stick” it. As a teenage girl on the edge of driving I used to have nightmares about that darn truck!  I didn’t want to be the one holding up a line of traffic at the stop sign because I had to fiddle under the hood to make the truck go again.  As I was beginning to prepare myself for going off to college on a bike, a wonderful thing happened.  My high school English teacher who was also my brother’s basketball coach stopped over one day after school.  I remember answering the door in a panic wondering what I could have done at school to warrant a visit from a high school teacher! 
I quickly came to my senses and realized the reason he was at our door had to be because of something my brother did…not me!  As it turned out, the visit had nothing to do with us, but the outcome of that visit impacted my life in a fabulous way!  Mr. Cannon came that day to see if dad would be interested in selling the “Blue Goose”. Much to my life-altering delight, dad said yes, and I was saved from the horror of the stuck gears!
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Looking back, I’m still thankful that I was saved from the “Blue Goose!”  I panicked at the thought of being “stuck” and not knowing how to get “un-stuck” so I could move on.  I think sometimes in our daily life we can get stuck the same way I was afraid that old pickup was going to. We can become stuck in our worry, and our vision of the future and in our fear of the unknown.  Mr. Cannon was the man who saved me from that particular worry, but when the relief wore off, I probably let myself entertain another worry in its place. I’m sure I probably let myself get “stuck” in a whole different spot. 
 
I read the other day that humans are the only creatures God made with the ability to anticipate future events.  As you might imagine, that is both a blessing and a curse!  Some days I’m grateful for that ability and other days I think I’d rather be a puppy, bounding around without a care beyond the current moment. After some prayer and thought on the topic, here’s what I came up with…God gave us that ability so we could trust Him. It is through trusting Him that we grow closer to Him and His will for our life.  How often though do we get “stuck” in our worry?  When the “Blue Goose” came to mind, I realized there are a million times in my life that I got “stuck” in my worry, and it was all such an enormous waste of time and energy.  Sarah Young, in her book Jesus Calling, reminds us to gently call out the name of Jesus when we feel our gears getting stuck in worry or dwelling on future events.  He’s there in an instant when we call His name and expectantly wait for Him to deliver us from our worry with His sweet peace.  We have two choices, we can either enjoy the presence of worries or we can enjoy the presence of Christ working through our worries and stuck gears.  Because we have the ability to anticipate future events, worry is an occasional “given” however, the way we work through the worry is important and it’s the perfect way to build trust in the Father who adores us.  Don’t pray for a day free from worry; thank Him for the worry and then pray for the strength and trust to call out the name of Jesus so He can un-stick your gears allowing you to move forward and come closer to Him.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Write down all the things that are making you feel “stuck”.  Hold that list in your hands and say, “God, Father of Peace, please take the worry of ______from my life and replace it with your peace allowing me to trust You more.”

Blessings on your day!

​Who remembers the commercial jingle that said, “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce. Special orders don’t upset all we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way at Burger King.”  It may have worked with your Whopper but it’s not exactly the motto for growing in holiness.  Even though that jingle is 51 years old too many of us expect our relationship with Jesus to be just like ordering the perfect burger.  The truth is, most of us aren’t even sure what it is we really think we want.

Someone recently pointed out that we have so many choices it can be really tough to figure out what we want most.  We seem to chase thing after thing.  We buy stuff and more stuff trying to figure out what that one thing really is.  How many times have we eaten four or five  snacks before we really even figure out what we’re really hungry for?  I read a question not long ago that made me giggle and think.  The gentleman asked, “What do cats like most? Mice, right? So if mice is what the cat really wants why is cat food made from chicken, pork, beef, lamb and fish instead of mouse?  

I’ve given it a lot of thought and I think sometimes I don’t figure out what I really want because its easier to just try several options and complain when they aren’t what I really wanted than it is to really stop, pray and ponder what I want, examining all the consequences and unintended consequences that go with my choices.  Jesus’ question to the crippled man in Johns Gospel was a bit strange but it really digs down to a deeper level; a level I think I need to visit more often.  The lame man had been there on his mat crippled for decades.  Actually being healed would require responsibility and change for the man, after 38 years Jesus asked a very fair question. I’m sure it made the man wonder how much he really wanted the change that meant moving, pain, work and responsibility.  Jesus wanted to know if it was really worth it to him.

Blessed Santia Szymkowiak had the perfect answer to the question, “What do you want?”  She lived her entire life with one motto, “Jesus make me want whatever you want.”  She believed what Jesus wanted most for and from her was holiness.  I don’t know about you, but that isn’t my usual thought process, but it sure should be.  If I want what he wants, then I can’t always have it my way.  If I do things his way, it means change and being uncomfortable; two things we don’t readily sign up for!  Burger King made a fortune by making customers feel like they could have anything they wanted and there was happiness because of it.  I guess that leads me to ask myself the big question; where do I want happiness; on earth so it can last about as long as that delicious burger or do I want the bliss for all of eternal life?  My way will be temporary, his way will be eternal.  It’s really what I want most but what am I willing to do; what changes am I willing to make in order to want what he wants?

A Seed To  Plant:  Make a list of all the things you want, and make a list of all the things you’re pouting about because they didn’t go  your way.  Pray with that list and ask God to show you what he wants for you.​

Blessings on your day!

A wise man once told me that life is a series of blessings and shadows.  I’ve come to believe that neither one is meant to last forever. I’m all about the blessing stage but the shadows are not my favorite.  It’s funny how the shadows can seem like they are gonna last forever and it’s easy to wallow in the struggles and disappointment and feel like the Father has forgotten all about me.  I suppose one of the great lessons of discipleship is to live the truth that God is with us trough all of it and His plan includes the perfect shift between the two.  I realize when I’m in a season of blessing, I can forget to praise and thank Him and when I’m in a season of shadow I can surely run low on trust and hope but my impatience and self-pity can really take a jump!  I’ve spent some time this summer praying about what the Lord might really be trying to teach me, and He led me to a string of lessons that have been helpful in trying to balance the blessings and shadows.

Time moves so fast and our days are so busy that our weeks can just become a blur.  I think a big key to balance is to take time to think back on the day and really recall what happened.  Sometimes our blessings and shadows are big events but more often they are a string of little things.  It’s a really good idea to ponder the day before the next one begins, so before you tuck yourself in and end the day, these three questions can help us pause, ponder, thank, ask and feel His peace.  You can answer these three questions in your mind, or an even better thing would be to share answers with your spouse or family.  I wish I had done this with my kids before bed when they were growing up…what insight it would have given me.

First Question:  What was a blessing today.  It could be a success or achievement, a fun moment, a kind deed done or received or something lovely that brightened your day or surprised you.
Second Question:  What was a shadow today.  Maybe it was a disappointment or a discouraging event.  The shadow could be a worry or an activity that wrinkles your peace. Perhaps the shadow is a result of a bad choice made by you or someone else that has led you to feel hurt, embarrassed or angry.
Third Question:  Where did you see God today?  Some of the Father’s fanciest work comes in the quiet still moments when things just seem to “fall in place” and we might think such things are “random” or “coincidence” but in truth all things come from God, so we need to give him the thanks and the credit for touching our day.  The more we get in the habit of noticing all the ways He touches our days, the more we begin to see how mighty and busy He is in our lives.

If all we did was ask and answer those three questions each night, there would be so much joy in our blessings and our shadows.  When you answer these questions and let the Father speak to your heart, you might be prompted to apologize or thank or acknowledge things.  He can use this time to show us how to draw closer to Him and discover that all the events of our day are designed to bring us so close to Him that we can be lost in His shadow.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Pray about these three questions and think about how you can make them a big part of your day.

Blessings on your day!

Every now and again I run across something that just doesn’t seem to belong or have relevance anymore.  I was cleaning closets recently and found an old rotary dial phone with a long spiral cord.  I also have a potato slicer and French fry cutter that belonged to my Grandma Thelma.  She used it in her kitchen when I was little girl.  Both of those items have been replaced with more modern, convenient, efficient updated models so the old ones are cast aside as if they are no longer useful.  There is a key word in this scripture passage from St. Matthew’s gospel that might seem as irrelevant as those old treasures hiding in my closet.  That word is meek.
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We strive to be strong and successful.  We pray for the grace of patience, perseverance and wisdom.  We admire people who are confident, powerful leaders with vision.  To tell others our goal is to grow in meekness would be a little like seeing a rotary dial phone in a Verizon store!  To be honest, when I came across the word meek the other day, I decided to give it a look and some prayer.  I think I need to change my opinion about that word.  I think it’s a word we might all be able to relate to better than we thought and I’m certain it’s something we could use more of.

Long ago in biblical times the quality of meekness was highly respected and aspired to.  We tend to view it as weak, timid or passive but that was not the message Jesus was teaching when he shared the Sermon on the Mount.  Meekness in its true meaning is the opposite of those things.  Being meek doesn’t mean you are weak and have to take everything like a door mat, it means an active and deliberate acceptance of undesirable circumstances that are part of a bigger picture we can’t see.   Being meek doesn’t mean throwing in the towel, it means giving God authority to do what he wills with our life.    True meekness can be measured by how closely related we are to the will of the Father.  When we make that relationship first, we are content in his love and his control of our life.  If we let him be in charge, we realize everything happens for a purpose and we trust in his plan.  If we are more centered on ourselves and our comforts and our pride we tend to fuss and complain and point out all the things that don’t go our way.  If we are low on meekness, we tend to see the world through the lens of poor me instead of God’s got it all figured out!

If someone rich in meekness is treated unfairly or wrongly it doesn’t mean that doesn’t sting, but vengeance or revenge isn’t part of their reaction.  Their first reaction is to pray for the person who has wronged them and give the rest to God.   A meek soul realizes that God is the source of justice and that all situations contain lessons.  Sometimes the lesson is for us and sometimes the lesson is for somebody else and taught through us.  In order to grow in meekness, we have to admit regularly that we are not equal with God.  Through our great dependence on Him we grow and we trust and we think WAY more about him than about ourselves.  I suppose meekness is a bit like realizing we truly need to settle into second place and stop trying so hard to be in charge, on top and number one.  I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of meekness building to do!

A Seed To Plant:  What are some of the areas in your life that could use a little more meekness? Spend some prayer time this week with this old word with a great and misunderstood meaning. 

Blessings on your day!
 

August feels very different than it used to.  I remember those feelings that bounced back and forth from, “I love my job, I’m so excited for a new school year” to “Oh my gosh…I’m not ready yet”.  I’m entering my second school year of retirement and August is so peaceful but every time I pass school supplies, I wonder what God has planned next.  I’ve discovered time after time that He is so full of fancy surprises and I’m left saying, “that wasn’t how I thought it would be!”

When I retired, I spent months re-branding and re-building Joyful Words thinking I would launch across the country doing ministry in giant places.  I did everything I felt He asked me to do but some weeks the garden is the fanciest place I go and it’s not how I thought it would be, but my life is wonderful. He still calls me to do ministry, and it is such delightful work, but it isn’t the impressive stuff I thought it would be. One day in prayer a question popped into my head that hit me hard.  I felt the Lord ask who I was trying to impress!  I spent several months writing a book and had visions of being a fancy author but it takes a year to get a book through all it’s stages so I’ve done lots of quiet waiting and that wasn’t how I thought it would be but there is so much peace knowing I did something really hard that was all His idea and if the book doesn’t sell a single copy, I’m at peace because I did what He asked me to.

Growing up, I wanted to be a wife, mom and most of all a grandma. God blessed me with all of those things, and it wasn’t how I thought it would be…it’s so much better!  My husband is amazing, my kids have grown into fabulous adults who married amazing people and the four grandbabies that fill my heart are not what I thought they would be…they are infinitely better than I could have ever imagined. 

I think back on my life and all that I planned and remember the disappointments, frustrations and failures and realize they didn’t turn out like I thought they would…there was always more to the story.  I think about the hurts and frustrations with dating and planning and test scores or friendships which were so tough to wade through and I realize they didn’t turn out how I thought they would.  I look back over the last three and a half decades of marriage and family and recall challenges, hardships and frustrations.  We were met with bills, budgets, schedules and expectations that left us frazzled and fussing about things we never thought of, but we didn’t stay stuck there.  As the kids grew up there were games, fair animals, friendships, report cards and dates that were marked with sadness and joy.  A few things along the way felt tragic and countless things weren’t at all the way we thought they’d be, but great lessons came anyway.  There have been so many times it has felt like the rug got yanked out from under us but by the Grace of God, we always got back up and almost every time, things turned out even better than we thought they would.

The truth is, the Father and I don’t always think alike.  I may not be traveling to giant venues in impressive places, and I probably won’t have books with my name on the cover in bookstore windows or on a bestseller banner on Amazon like I thought I might, but I’m good with that because I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be doing exactly what He needs me to do.  My target audience isn’t a classroom or a fancy place like Hawaii or Los Angeles, but His plan for my life right now is playing out in my house rocking babies, writing blogs, cooking and playing with little people and loving my big kids.  When I saw the picture on my camera roll of the grandkids and me, I couldn’t imagine anything greater and I’m pretty happy that this season of my life didn’t turn out like I thought it would.  Trusting in His plan brings great hope and with that hope comes the peace of knowing things shift and change.  As long as I’m standing upright and drawing breath, I know He has work for me to do and I have to be willing to follow where He leads me and serve who he leads me to.  I hope I never quit saying, “this isn’t how I thought it would be!”                                                                                                                                                                                               A Seed To Plant: Make a list of the times God hijacked your plans and things were not how you thought they’d be…and make note of how he blessed you in those times?
Blessings on your day
 
 

​I remember hearing a long time ago that if you were dating a person and you wanted to really understand if they were the “right person” you should read this passage from 1 Corinthians and insert their name.  I thought that was excellent thinking, but I was already married so I didn’t give it much thought.  I have no idea what made it pop into my head the other day, but it just sat there.  I began to see the power intended in this verse from St. Paul as all of social media simmers and steams with opinions about the Presidential race.

As the latest political commentary bubbled in my heart I came across this quote by St. Teresa of Calcutta. "Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”  I’m not sure we understand how important it is to love one another.  It was the basic command of Jesus yet we seem to get it so very twisted up.  

As all of this tumbled around in my heart and my head, I remembered that I have absolutely no control over anyone else’s actions but my own and it made me start to think about how I loved others.  The teacher in me thought about a scoring rubric or grading scale for judging my “love ability.”  Somewhere in the middle of a really long bike ride on a beautiful Sunday afternoon this reading had a purpose, and I realized the rubric already existed.  I pulled out the New Testament, found 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and began to read it slowly inserting my own name.  It sounded like this, “Sheri is patient, Sheri is kind.  Sheri is not jealous; Sheri is not pompous…” I’ll be honest, there were parts I really couldn’t say out loud because they weren’t consistently true.  I wanted to say, “Sheri is not quick-tempered…most of the time or Sheri endures almost all things.”  It was not an easy read!  It was glaringly obvious where I fall short.  

I can’t change the world, but I can change me.  There will always be awful stuff going on in the world;  there always has been and one grandma from Michigan isn’t going to end world violence but God isn’t asking me to.  He’s asking me to love others as he loves me.  This reading from St. Paul’s letter is a great place to start.  The cool thing about it is, if I try harder to get it right, not only will I feel better, but the Father will be pleased and who doesn’t want a new way to please the Father.  It might sound so simple, but I really believe the world will get better if we all learn to love a little harder.

Blessings on your day!​

A Seed To Plant:  Spend some quiet minutes reading this passage and inserting your name and see where the Holy Spirit leads your heart.

​I was preparing for a staff training I will be presenting in August and came across some “warm-up” questions.  One question on the list made me snicker was, if you could be any animal which would you be.  I pondered lots of choices and dismissed most of them for silly reasons.  I didn’t want to be a lion or gator because I didn’t want people to be afraid of me.  I didn’t want to be a cheetah because I hate running and I didn’t want to be a skunk for obvious reasons.  I wondered about being tiny like a hummingbird and giant like a hippopotamus.  After much thought I settled on a dog.

Dogs are loyal, enthusiastic, friendly and affectionate.  Puppies especially are adorable and tend to bring laughter and delight.  Dogs are also intelligent, helpful and easy to get along with.  They don't need a lot of expensive stuff and they are usually very content.  In my mind, it was the answer that made sense.  The funny thing is that those are all qualities I really admire in people.  I thought about this question far longer than I care to admit so then I turned it to prayer and wondered what the Father was teaching.

Animals have characteristics that are meant to help them survive and take their place in the order of creation.  The same is true for each of us.  We aren’t supposed to all be alike.  Each of us was perfectly created by the Father who loves us to be, act and think differently.  Our differences were meant to make us stronger and to help us grow in holiness.  We seem to have lost sight of that.  We would never expect a shark to be as cuddly as a kitten or a giraffe to snuggle up at the foot of our bed.  We wouldn’t expect a tiger to help bring in the cattle and elephants perched in trees chirping delightfully would be a little terrifying.  Maybe God was reminding me to open not only my eyes but my heart to the differences he purposefully designed in each of us.  We have so much to learn and appreciate and respect when we walk among God’s sons and daughters, but we have to open our eyes and notice.  

As I pondered the silly question that started all of this, I realized it helped me notice the beauty in everything God created. The next day I found this line in a prayer book and it seemed like the perfect lesson.  Lord, Lord, I could learn so much if I would notice before I nag and pray before I panic.

A Seed To Plant: Spend some time this week with that line from the prayer book and if you really want a distraction think about the animal question too.​

Blessings on your day!

It’s hard to believe that we’re already slidin into the last bit of July! It’s been a lovely summer and I love all the great summer things there are to do in this beautiful lake dotted state.  A few weeks ago, I was sitting by a lake watching a beach full of swimmers and dozens of boats pulling skiers and tubers. One thing the boats had in common was no matter how big or small they were, they left a wake.  I spent a long time peacefully watching the waves from the wake make their way to shore.  I hadn’t thought much about that afternoon until last weekend when one of the readings was from Psalm 23.  Someone wise once told me that at the beginning of each Mass or service, ask God for at least one nugget to take home.  I don’t always remember to take that good advice but last Sunday morning I did and verse 6 of the 23rd Psalm was that nugget.

That one line jumped into my ears and stuck in my mind like glue!  I thought about it all day and then I remembered the day at the lake and the wakes from the boat.  I gave the Psalm, and the boat wakes some thought and realized there was a lesson.  As a boat moves through the water with any speed at all, a wake is unavoidable and that wake spreads and touches many things.  I suppose what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me was we are just the same.  As we pass through life and go in and out of people’s lives, we too leave a wake.  What we do and say spreads farther and touches more than we know.  In this one verse, God reminded me what should follow me and what I should be leaving in my wake…mercy and goodness.
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A boat never looks behind and once the wake has been set in motion, there is no taking it back…it just keeps speeding along.  Sometimes the wake can be a lot of fun for the tubers or skiers but sometimes the wake can be harmful or hurtful.  I had to stop and think about what I leave in my wake.  We all leave a wake and quite often, like the boat, we aren’t even aware of what’s happening behind us.  I thought about people in the same aisle of the grocery store…what do I leave in my wake as I speed to the end of the row?  Since the number of places we leave a wake is large, it just might be our biggest opportunity to grow in holiness and discipleship.  I wondered how many times I have sped by people so fast I didn’t even notice the person that needed a little help or encouragement or even a simple smile.  How many people do I leave in my wake unnoticed who simply needed someone to acknowledge them?  This Psalm did a great job of describing what we should be leaving in our wake…mercy and goodness. The Father is so fancy isn’t He!  Heaven doesn’t depend on giant things like building an orphanage or feeding a village.  Thank goodness He makes it simpler than that.  Mercy is love in action and goodness is the definition of the thoughts and actions of Jesus.  That’s what we should be leaving in our wake.  I think I’ll spend some time paying attention to what I leave behind instead of being so worried about charging full speed ahead.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Pray about your wake and pay attention to those who leave good things in their wake…let’s see if we can’t make a difference before summer ends.

Blessings on your day
 

I was walking through the living room with a load of laundry the other night and paused to see a hunting show Dave was watching.  A small group of men were following a guide through brush and up inclines and through tall grass in pursuit of some kind of wild game.  The guide led the way whacking out a path with a machete.  All along the way the guide was pointing out the dangers and beauty of the trip and it really made me stop and think.  The men following the guide had no idea where they were or where they were headed.  They were unfamiliar with the path and had only a mental vision of the destination.  They were fully dependent on the guide to lead them to the bounty or prize of the day.
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I couldn’t get that show out of my mind for several days.  All I could keep thinking about was how dreadful the whole adventure seemed to me.  As the guide pointed out snakes and bee hives the size of Volkswagens and loose gravel near cliff edges I know for certain I would have turned around within the first few hundred yards and gone back to the camp to drink coffee. 

On my next pass through the living room, I noticed that the guide had indeed led the hunters to a beautiful clearing with a breathtaking view and exactly the game they had been in search of.  After an adventurous hike filled with peaks, valleys, danger, delight and blind faith, they got exactly what they were hoping for.  I walked out of the living thinking there was probably a lesson.

I have been blessed to share a rough journey with a few friends this summer.  Each of these beautiful, strong women has faced fierce battles of different kinds.  I’ve laughed, cried and prayed with and for these friends as they picked themselves up and trudged on after each setback.  I’ve been inspired by their courage and faith and then it dawned on me; their lives were a little like the hunting show Dave was watching.  Isn’t life like that sometimes; tough, dangerous and tricky to maneuver.  The wrong turn can lead to more difficulty and forging off in an unknown direction without a guide would certainly not end well.

God is an awful lot like that hunting guide.  He’s always ahead clearing a path and offering direction and warning.  Even in the thick of it all, the only thing he asks is that we stay close and follow his lead so he can guide and protect us on our way to a destination far more beautiful than we could ever imagine.  Just like the guide on the TV show, nobody was forced to follow but it sure made sense to do so.  I had to ask myself what kind of follower I am. As I think back on that show, I see so many places in my life where I felt like I was stuck in thick brush, and he led me through it every time and led me to a place greater than I had imagined.  I suppose the next time I get stuck I’ll remember this image of God as my guide and trust and follow a little more easily.

A Seed To Plant:  Are there some adventures going on in your life that you need to invite God to lead you through?​

Blessings on your day!