As I look back over the course of Julie and I writing together and creating the Water Walking blog, I am amazed at how far we have come. God has stretched and grown us over time. Each new thing we tried has forced us to take another step out of our boat to walk on water. Then as we become comfortable with that step, God calls us to take another step. The very first step of sharing my faith on social media was sharing a verse of scripture on Facebook. I do not remember what verse I first shared l, but I vividly remember the moments before I posted it and how I felt. I was terrified! To be honest, at the time, it was rare for someone to put anything faith based on their social media so I was worried about how it would be received. Would others judge me? Would I be ridiculed? Fast forward many years to now. Julie and I are now sharing our faith journey with all of you very publicly. Wow! Look what God has done! God has even sent Ray White to partner with us by sharing some of his beautiful pictures like the one featured today. What a blessing!

On this Water Walking Wednesday, examine how and what God has called you to do. How has God asked you to grow and change? Is God calling you to take a further step? Trust God. God will amaze you when you look back and see how many steps you have made.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This Transformation Tip Tuesday let’s examine ourselves. Julie has shared with us that her mantra for the year is to be a fruit bearer. What does that look like in your life? Take a moment and read John 15:1-17 below.

““I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What does Jesus tell us is the bottom line in bearing fruit? First, we must remain in Him and then we must love each other.

Examine yourself. What are you doing to “remain” in Christ? Are you spending time with Him each day? Are you allowing Christ to guide and direct your steps? Is this an area that you need to transform?

Now examine your fruit bearing. How are you loving others? Do you show your love in actions or only in words?

My tip for you this Transformation Tip Tuesday, is to adopt Julie’s mantra for the day and be a fruit bearer. Let’s all be intentional. First, spend time with Christ and “remain” in Him. Then show love in your words and actions. How will you bear fruit today?

Every morning God paints the skies with beautiful hues to greet us but do we rejoice every morning at the promise of the day? Or do we dread the mornings? Especially on Mondays? This mindset Monday let’s rejoice. Let’s be glad. And let’s thank God for the blessings today holds!

“This is the day which the LORD hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭118:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This past Friday found me in a hospital waiting room as my husband, Clark, underwent surgery. As I waited, I was at peace as I knew many people we love were praying for us. I spent the beginning of my wait time reading my daily devotions and writing in my gratitude journal. The scripture that day from the Upper Room devotion book was Psalm 16:1-11. The scripture was a great reminder to me of God’s love, presence, and guidance. On this Spiritual Sunday I encourage you to also read Psalm 16:1-11 and reflect on God’s love, presence and guidance in your life. In what ways do you feel God’s love? When and where do you feel God’s presence? Where is God leading you today? Let’s use today to sit at the feet of our Maker and revel in the blessings of the day.

What does your day hold? Do you have everything mapped out? Or do you not have clear vision of all that may unfold? In reality, none of us really know what today will hold. Today we may face obstacles. We may be surprised and find ourselves in a patch of woods with tall trees all around. On this Finish Friday, let’s not lose sight of who is leading us. Let’s trust God to reveal our path as we travel through the thicket. With the help of Christ, let’s persevere.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Almost every work day morning I am blessed with watching the sunrise on my drive to work. As the seasons pass I am in various parts of my drive when the sun makes its appearance. Today’s scripture reminds me that I am called to praise God all day, not just during my morning devotion time. As I studied this morning I found that Psalm 111, 112, and 113 begin with “Praise the Lord.”

On this Thankful Thursday, begin your day by reading one of the above Psalms of thanksgiving. May the words of praise remain on the tips of our tongue today, may we look today through a lens of thanksgiving, and may we praise God throughout our day.

Last Sunday, as we arrived for worship, our church family was greeted by the words of Psalm 91 written on the sidewalk leading to the sanctuary. What a beautiful surprise! Although no one has come forward as the person who took such time and patience to write out the scripture, I am in awe of the courage it took to undertake this task. This person didn’t choose to write a short scripture, but one that included 16 verses. I wonder how this person would have responded if someone happened to come to the church as he/she was writing? Was he/she nervous while writing or confident in his/her purpose? Was this act a mission or ministry carried out with deliberate purpose? One thing is certain. The person who took such time did so for no attention or self glory.

Now examine your daily walk. Do you have a mission or ministry that you do quietly or without others knowing? It could be leaving encouraging notes or messages. Perhaps you randomly pay the order for the people behind you in the drive-thru. Maybe when you go to Aldi you leave the quarter in the cart so the next person doesn’t have to put in a quarter to borrow the cart.

On this Water Walking Wednesday I encourage you to step out of your boat on a mission to “secretly” show the love of Christ. Sometimes it’s hard for us to do secret acts because we will likely not see how the act is received. However choose your mission prayerfully and allow God to do the rest.

As you pray about what your secret mission will be, take some time to read the entire chapter of Psalm 91 that was so beautifully written on our church sidewalk.