“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Doesn’t this picture by Ray White fill you with hope for tomorrow? I chose this picture because of the beautiful reflection. As we move through the last quarter of 2022, I wanted to reflect on my word, prayer, scripture, and mantra. I hope to get us all reflecting on the words we have selected. Have you been taking the time to reflect on it throughout the year? Or maybe you’ve never chosen one. It is never too late to start.

My word has been Serenity which means the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. I pulled this from Serenity Prayer; God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. My scripture verse is listed above, from Romans 15:13. My mantra has been; Live for Today. You can read my 2022 Word of the Year blog post by clicking the link.

2022 has been a challenging year for me and my family. I will say that I have reflected a lot on my selection through each trial. It has given me the comfort, peace, and hope that I needed. Have I thought about my word for 2023 yet? No, but will plan to start praying, thinking, and planning soon. I hope you will join Deborah and I this year in selecting a word and/or mantra for 2023!

Feel free to share with us how your word and/or mantra has been going for 2022.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I am calling today Movement Monday which all starts with our mindset. Would you be motivated to get moving if every day you were reminded how our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit? I love to move, whether it is through running, walking, pilates, or riding my bike. Most days I look forward to movement because it is my mental therapy. We all have days we need a little motivation, including me.

In this beautiful picture by Ray White, we can be reminded that God made us for a purpose, just like He made the light and the ocean. one purpose is to be a vessel for God. Two weeks ago I talked about winning the day with God by choosing joy over anxiety. We have been talking a lot in our Sunday school class about winning the day. What does winning the day look like for you? For me it is being able to get active for at least 10 minutes every day.

I challenge us all this week to make at least 10 minutes of movement our daily goal. Remember, it starts with a mindset. Let’s get moving together for God! If you are confined to a chair or bed, get your upper body moving by raising your arms and worshiping. I encourage you all to share with us. Tell us how you got moving for God this Monday and throughout your week.

“so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭32‬ ‭New International Version (NIV‬‬)

We have made it back to Spiritual Sunday. Wasn’t it refreshing to read Deborah’s daily take away on Psalm 51: 7-15. My prayer today is that we will all be refreshed through God’s word, worship, and human connection. There is something about joining in the company of others to worship in God’s house. There are several instances where the word refreshed, refreshes, and refreshing are used in the Bible. Along with our key verse for today, I have a included few more for us to read.

“he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬ ‭New International Version (NIV)‬‬

“They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream,”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36‬:‭8‬ ‭Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB‬‬)

“The king’s wrath terrifies like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is as [refreshing and nourishing as] dew on the grass.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭12‬ ‭Complete Amplified Bible (AMP)

Isn’t this picture by Ray White a great image to connect with these verses? It really brings the Bible to life as we envision walking with God along a peaceful stream of water on a crisp Fall day.

How do we carry this refreshed feeling throughout our busy weeks? By walking, talking, listening, and feeling God. I encourage you to really listen to the words of this song, Walk With You by Michael Bethany. When God pursues us, our response should always be just like these lyrics; “I want to walk with you. I want to talk with you. I want to hear you speaking. I want to feel you breathing”. I pray that this devotion today leaves you feeling refreshed to start a new week as you walk with God.

“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,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Join us for See You Saturday as I talk about the Ripple Effect!

Below is my painting project that I mention in my video.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Last week Deborah shared about Faith-filled Friday. That was the beginning of many God winks throughout my day. My eyes were opened to the goodness of God. One, in particular, was a devotion that also had mentioned being Faith-filled. Are you familiar with the analogy of a pumpkin. Cleaning out the seeds and slime is representation for our old self to be gone so that we can be made new in Christ. With that new self, we are Faith-filled, sometimes, maybe, always?

Maybe on this day, you are more like a doubting Thomas or a busy Martha than feeling Faith-filled. Sometimes, maybe, always we need to see the goodness of God through God winks so that we are filled with faith and not doubt. Sometimes, maybe, always we need to be reminded to be still in God’s presence to listen for what we cannot see.

I encourage us to listen and worship to the song, Stand In Awe by Bethel, Paul McClure, and Habnah McClure. Some of the lyrics sing, “Where we made it complicated, realign us to stand in awe of you”. Sometimes, maybe, always we need to ask God to realign us daily so that He can uncomplicate the Thomases and Marthas. I guarantee with every surrender, that we can be made new and Faith-filled.

“may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” Ephesians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This past Sunday our church choir sang a song called, Healer of my heart. The lyrics that grabbed my attention, were “Lead me to the deepest well”. As I sat in my usual balcony seat, I took this picture, where the cross looks deep. The pastor talked a lot about being Thankful, even when going through difficult things. 2022 has not been the easiest year for us but looking back we have a lot to be thankful for. In the middle of difficulty, God would always lead us back to Him.

This verse from Ephesians talks about that deep love for God. In the song, Your Love Is Strong by Cory Asbury, we should rejoice because God has chosen each of us. On this Thankful Thursday as we sit with God, let’s remember to thank him for the deep love that not only rescues us but chooses us daily. In the difficult times, ask God to open our hearts to find something to be thankful for. I know one thing, our family’s love has grown stronger as a result of 2022. I am so thankful for the deep love, full of grace that God has and continues to freely give. Let’s pray!

Lord, thank you for the deep love, full of grace that you freely give. Lead us to your deepest well. Open our hearts to be thankful in all circumstances. May we all feel your strong love and rejoice for choosing us. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” Isaiah‬ ‭26:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I love how in this verse from Isaiah, uses the words, walking and waiting. My interpretation is that as we wait for God’s return, our hearts desire should be to walk in His will and to bring God glory. We have lots of heart desires. Some are personal, some are for our family, some are for our church. Have you ever thought that our number one desire should be to bring God glory? That question steps on my toes!

On this Water Walking Wednesday, I encourage us to evaluate our desires throughout our day. Does gossiping bring God glory? Does eating to the point of gluttony? Does comparing ourselves to others? There are lots of things I can think of in a given day that does not bring God glory. We are human and the good news, God loves us anyway.

Today I challenge us all to make bringing God glory our number one desire. As the sun continues to rise and fall, let’s not forget how good our God is!