Yesterday in church we sang Amazing Love. The lyrics that spoke to me were; “It’s my joy to honor you in all I do”. On this Mindset Monday, I want us to start our week with this on the forefront of our minds. The scripture verse I want us to mediate in comes from 1 Cor 10:31 NIV; “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Every action, reaction, thoughts, or words spoken, let’s ask ourselves;
Am I honoring God in all I do?
Is it my Joy to honor God?
Mondays can feel like a burden full of unaccomplished tasks from the week before. Let’s tackle Monday with a fresh start to whatever may be on our to do lists. With Each task, remember to give God the glory for equipping us because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
Happy Fathers Day to all our Dads! This is the Day the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. When I think of a good verse for a man or boy, I think of Micah 6:8 NIV. Obviously this verse applies to everyone but I have always been drawn to it for my husband Hollie and my son Trevor. I especially think of my Dad, Tom who left me with such a great example to live by.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV
This photo from our friend Ray shows a bird that is walking through the marsh. He or she appears to be walking alone. Thankfully we have the choice to humbly walk with our God whether we are alone or physically in the company of others.
On this Spiritual Sunday, I encourage each of us to evaluate the instruction for our own lives. Do you act justly? Do you love mercy? Do you walk humbly with your God? Whether we are worshiping in church or at home, in the company of others or alone, may we walk humbly towards our Heavenly Father’s loving arms. Let’s give thanks for the guidance he gives us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. If today feels lonely, remember we never walk alone.
Imagine my surprise when one day as while I was taking an afternoon walk in my neighborhood, low and behold I saw dinosaurs in the yard of a house I was passing! Zoom in and see in the picture! What an unexpected sight! Seriously! Who has dinosaurs in their yard?!? It turns out the homeowners have the dinosaur replicas in their yard because their grandchildren like dinosaurs. Can you imagine how excited the children were when they first saw the dinosaurs? Do you think the dinosaurs were an unexpected blessing? Do you think the homeowners were delighted to give the grandchildren an unexpected gift?
Let’s Finish Friday continuing to look for God winking at you. Today I want you to look for the unexpected. Can you imagine how much God wants to give you an unexpected blessing? Do you think God delights in surprising you with the unexpected? Be on the lookout for the unexpected. Keep your eyes and ears open. Don’t blink because you just might see a dinosaur!
Good Thankful Thursday morning! Have you seen God this week? Have you been looking for Him? Have you been open to Godwinks?
Often we wake up with praise on our lips. We spend some quiet time in prayer and devotion and then go about our busy day, move from one task to the other, and then fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day. Are we continually looking for God’s goodness throughout our day? Are we praising God from sunrise to sunset?
This Thankful Thursday let’s be intentional about our praise. Even if you have to set alarms for every few hours throughout your day, take mini breaks today to stop what you’re doing and give thanksgiving. During those moments look, listen and be open to God’s presence around you and give praise.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalms 100:1-5 NIV
Have you been looking for Godwinks this week? Where have you seen them? Was it in likely places or did they catch you by surprise?
The picture today is of a sign that was in an Airbnb house our family stayed in a couple weeks ago. It was a Godwink for me and by chance that I saw the sign…or was it? If you know me well you know that I have gained a good deal of weight over the last couple years. It has been a struggle. In the beginning of 2022 I felt convicted by today’s scripture.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 NIV
My friend and I both felt we needed to make a change. We dabbled with change by leading a Health Challenge at church and even encouraged everyone to buy and read a book titled, “I’ll Start Again Monday” by Lisa Terkeurst. I bought the book myself, but I never read it. Lots of good that did! Over the next several months I continued to struggle with direction. Finally, I opened the book and read it. Wow! My mindset began to change! At the end of March-beginning of April I finally bit the bullet and got in gear at making healthy lifestyle changes, off habit at a time. My friend and I have been diligent about walking together and holding one another accountable. I call our time together our “walk and talk” because during that time, not only do we discuss our healthy habits/plan, but we also share our ups and downs of life.
So, in early June when we were leaving the Airbnb, I did a final walkthrough to be sure we had all our belongings and we’re leaving the home in order, I walked into the bathroom my children had used for the weekend and there was this sign: “Nothing changes…if nothing changes.” These words were a Godwink for me because I had recently chosen a face for my Apple Watch that is of various butterflies. Each time I lift my arm a different butterfly appears with its wings flapping. I chose this watch face to remind me of the phrase, “without change there would be no butterflies.”
Reading the book helped me change my mindset. Changing my mindset helped me change my habits. Changing my habits is helping me prepare my body as “a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” one small change at a time.
What about you on this Water Walking Wednesday? Has God convicted you about a change to make in your life? Have you been afraid to take the first step? Today I encourage you to continue to listen, continue to be open, continue to look for Godwinks. If there is a change God is calling you to, be ready and willing. Open the book!
I have always wondered how anyone could really look at God’s creations and not believe in Him. Look closely at the picture of flowers. Zoom in on the intricate details. How marvelous! That is just a flower. Now think about the miracle of human life.
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalms 8:1-9 NIV
This week I have asked you to look for Godwinks and notice God’s presence around you. On this Transformation Tips Tuesday I encourage you to pause. Close your eyes. Be aware of yourself and your surroundings. Notice your breathing in and out. Imagine all the systems in your body working together; circulatory system, nervous system, digestive system, etc. Maybe even take a few moments to Google the various systems of the human body. What a miracle that all of these systems work together as we go about our day. You and I are pretty much mindless of that miracle as it is happening. Today be intentional about your mindfulness. Be aware of the miracle of life. Be present. Take moments throughout the day to declare;
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalms 8:9 NIV
Yesterday I encouraged you to keep your eyes and ears open for Godwinks. What did you see? What did you hear?
I heard a song that reminded me of the promise of blessings from God. Those of you who have followed the blog for a while know that I feel a connection to the prophet Elijah. I have always been drawn to and encouraged by stories about him.
My favorite comes from 1 Kings 18. The land has suffered a three year drought. Elijah has just had a showdown with the prophets of Baal and challenged them to pray to Baal to start a fire. Long story short, nothing happened but instead, God showed off! Then…
“And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” 1 Kings 18:41-46 NIV
I love, love, love this story. I love the faith Elijah shows in the promise of rain…the promise of blessings. I love that he tucks in his cloak and runs ahead. So yesterday, as I was looking for Godwinks, I was overcome with emotion when I heard this song. Click here to listen to the song and worship.
Then, after church, we went to the beach for a couple of hours. I love the beach. The massive ocean, the tides, the roar of the waves all remind me of God’s power. While we were there, the clouds rolled in and rain drizzled on us sporadically. As I covered up with my towel and the large, cold raindrops pelted me, I couldn’t be mad. While it wasn’t the perfect day to get a tan, it was another Godwink so I soaked in the hope and promise of God’s blessings.
On this Mindset Monday I again encourage you to look and listen for Godwinks as you go about your day. The idea of a Godwink comes from the book “When God Winks” by Squire D. Rushnell. The book explains a Godwink as an “event or personal experience that some call coincidence but is so astonishing that could also be viewed as divine intervention, especially when perceived as an answer to prayer.”
On this Mindset Monday keep your eyes and ears open. Where do you see God intervening on your behalf? What have you heard that underscores the presence of the Almighty in your life? What answers have you received to prayer? May our Mindset this Monday be that of hope and focused on God’s promises. When we see a cloud let us praise God for the blessings that come with rain.
Last Sunday, while waiting on a baseball game to start, I walked on this trail located beside the ballpark. The further I went into the woods, the trail became darker and more shaded. As I walked, I prayed and talked with God. I took the moment of solitude to share my joys and thanksgiving as well as my worries and burdens. Realizing the time was drawing near for the game time, I turned around and made my way back towards the entrance of the trail. Then I noticed the light shining through the trees. I snapped this picture as a reminder of the Godwink. As I continued on the trail I recalled the various Scriptures about Jesus and light and praised God for the beautiful reminder of the presence of Christ.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” John 8:12 NIV
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46 NIV
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 NIV
Spend some time this Spiritual Sunday looking intentionally for the Light. Click here to begin your day of worship. Spend some time in Scripture by looking up one of the verses listed above. Read the surrounding verses to get a sense of the context. Finally, as you go about your Spiritual Sunday, have your eyes and ears open to the presence of Christ in the light around you. Look intentionally for Godwinks. We would love for you to comment below your Godwinks or Christ sightings today so we can share in your praise.
Water Walkers 