In 2018 my word of the year was hospitality. I set goals for ways I wanted to grow in my hospitality and I learned that hospitality means more than simply inviting friends over for dinner. I also learned that just like this picture, hospitality is not a perfect process. Take some time today to read 1 Peter 4:1-11.

In this scripture Peter offers a Christian definition of hospitality;

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter‬ ‭4:9-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Is this the way you view hospitality? Are you serving others with your God given gifts?

On this Transformation Tip Tuesday I encourage you to not only examine your hospitality actions but also prayerfully consider choosing a word of the year for 2022. What is your vision for 2022? How is God leading you? I am still praying about my word, but I am confident that God will give me discernment about the word that will shape my growth in 2022.

Today I encourage you to read all of Psalms 139. I feel sure you have read parts of it before. The underlying message of it is that God is always with us and God knows everything there is to know about us.

On this Mindset Monday, let’s take comfort in the knowledge that no matter what we face in this week ahead, we have a loving God who will be with us, guide us and direct us. You and I just need to trust and obey.

Read John 15:1-17.

Just as the branch in the picture must stay attached to the tree to stay alive, you and I must stay connected to Jesus Christ. What are ways that you stay connected to our Savior? You may read your Bible daily, pray, or participate in Bible study.

Today is Spiritual Sunday. Today is our Sabbath. Today we have to opportunity to worship with fellow believers and stay connect to our vine so that we may “bear fruit.” Will you take the time to worship God either in person or online? Will you be intentional and use your worship time to connect with Christ?

Photo by Ray White.

Aw Christmas is finally here! With just five more Fridays till the birth of our savior. The anticipation, the decorating, the eating, and gathering, all the Hallmark Christmas movies. This is favorite time of year. I think it is important that we check our hearts and be intentional with what we allow in and what we allow to flow from our hearts.

It is easy to allow Satan to step in when we focus our attention on the material side of Christmas. It can be a stressful time of year making sure everyone has the right gift, keeping family feuds at a minimum, and making sure we have that perfect family Christmas picture.

God sees our hearts. Let’s think about what he sees. Like the changing of different seasons brings different flowers and colored leaves, our hearts can change. If we meditate on Gods word, the goodness we allow in will overflow out. We can then stay intentional with our actions and our reactions. It may take a few breath prayers throughout our day or counting to 10 before we make the next move. Through meditation on Gods word we can keep the true meaning of Christmas in site.

On this Finish Friday as you are shopping your Black Friday deals or cleaning up Thanksgiving leftovers, give yourself a little heart check. Let’s remember to keep our hearts pleasing to God and the words we speak full of His love and grace.

A wreath is a circle with no beginning and no end. We know from Revelation 22:13 NIV that God has always been; “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” We also know that he is our safe place, our home; “God, it seems you’ve been our home forever; long before the mountains were born, Long before you brought earth itself to birth, from “once upon a time” to “kingdom come”—you are God.” Ps 90:1-2‬ ‭MSG‬‬

On this Thanksgiving Thankful Thursday I pray we can all find Joy in God being our “No place like home”that we can carry with us wherever we are. No matter who you are with or without today. No matter where you are or are not today. No matter what you eat or don’t eat today. No matter if you have that perfect picture for social media or not today. Let’s focus on what we all have today. That “Once upon a time” kind of love with our Heavenly Father. He will be waiting for you to come sit at His table today, tomorrow, and always.

Happy Thanksgiving from Water Walkers!!

On this Water Walking Wednesday I encourage us all to evaluate our Christian walk. In Matt 5:13-16 NIV we are instructed to be the salt and light;

““You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.””

Are we complacent in our Christian walk? Are we being Disciples to others or just focused on our own spiritual growth? Are we being salt and light? Recently Deborah and I met with our friend Ray White for a Sunrise photo so that we could update our social media profile pictures. our original profile picture was taken by our friend David Martin in January 2019 when we created our Facebook account. Each year we try to stretch our faith by adding something new to our blog. Looking back over the years and how God has grown the blog and stretched our faith always amazes me.

When we started the blog in 2015 Deborah would write a devotion and I would write a prayer. This prayer below came from a 2016 blog post.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for choosing us, your creation to be Holy and blameless in your sight Eph 1:4. You say we are the salt of the earth, but to keep our saltiness we must continually seek you. You say we are the light of the world, a city that cannot be hid, but we must let that light shine for others to see your good works in us that you will be glorified Mat 5:13-16. I desire more of you and less of me Jn 3:30. I desire your wisdom in my daily challenges my world presents so that I may make the most of every opportunity as a mother and your disciple. Let my conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that I may know how to answer everyone Col 4:5-6. Show me your ways and teach me your paths Psa 25:4. When I am weak your strength and power are made perfect in my weakness 2 Cor 12:9. In the name of Jesus Amen

Click here to read the original 2016 blog post. Thank you to all our faithful followers for supporting us over the years! God is good! SDG!

I love Mantras! Lately God has had on my heart; Live for Today! This past year mine has been; Be a Fruit Bearer. In 2018 my Mantra was to; Be Brave. What does that look like to be brave? Last week on Transformation Tips Tuesday Deborah asked the question; Are you ready to be intentional in God’s direction for you? I think part of being brave is going in the direction God has planned for us. Faith isn’t something we can see and God doesn’t give us road maps. In Isaiah He even tells us to forget the past and that He is doing something new. Anytime we do something new, that often takes bravery.

In 2018 my word of the year was rejoice because I wanted to carry the Christmas spirit with me all year. My Scripture verse was from 1 Thes 5: 16-18; “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” On this Transformation Tips Tuesday I encourage us to look closely at these verses. Do you Rejoice always? Do you pray continually? Do you give thanks in all circumstances? I think if we’re honest we would all answer “no” to these questions. Maybe we need to be more intentional in one or more of those areas so that we can move forward in God’s direction. For today, I encourage us to choose one to focus on.

Are you selecting a Word of the Year and/or Mantra? We would love for you to share with us in comments.