#breathedeep

This week I have been intently listening and looking for God winks. Earlier this week the thought, “breathe deep” came to mind. Breathe means to take air into the lungs and then expel it, especially as a regular physiological process”. Do you ever find yourself holding your breath when you are overwhelmed, excited, or anticipating something? If we have breath, we should praise the Lord, right? If we compare our breathing to our worship, would you be praising the Lord with every deep expel? Or would you compress and not take notice to God. Next time you catch yourself compressing a breath, I encourage you to intently take a few deep breaths and praise the Lord.

Ps 150:6 NIV “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”

Often while running I must remind myself to take deep breathes. Sometimes I get so caught up with my goals and agenda, that I do not take time to enjoy God’s beauty in my run. God winks are all around us. It is up to us to be open to receive them. When we are in a posture of praise, we tend to see our surroundings in a different perspective. If you live on the East Coast, you may have experienced Hurricane Isaias this past week. That night there were frogs all around making noise. The next morning, we awoke to a beautiful pink pathway. We may have a limited view of the path ahead, but we can find joy in a pink speckled path along the way. Every different species of frogs makes different sounds such as a; whistle, croak, ribbit, peep, cluck, bark, or grunt. Next time you see or hear a frog, remember it stands for Fully. Rely. On. God

Is 26:4 “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal”.

What sound will you make for God? Will you worship him with each expel? There are so many ways to make a joyful noise. Just look in awe of how God created the frogs.

#watchexpectantly #optimism

To watch expectantly…… What does this look like to you? In Micah 7:7 NIV “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord; I wait for the God of my salvation, my God will hear me”.

As someone might stand at this boat landing watching for boats to come and go, we too can watch EXPECTANTLY for God to move. Other versions use the word, “Confidently”. If you are at a boat landing, you can confidently expect to see a boat. Are you waiting with confidence?

As a child of God, we can confidently expect to see God move. In the meantime, we can wait and watch with optimism byenjoying the view while we wait. We can take time to find gratitude in the little things like the sun shining on our faces, the breeze coming off the water, the images the clouds paint in the clear blue sky, and the birds singing a beautiful song. Are you positioning yourself for a blessing?

Let us optimistically watch expectantly for God to move in our lives. I encourage you to listen to this song “Blessing I can’t see” by Building429 and learn to trust God in everything as he holds the whole world in His hands.

#stepintothepottershands
As I was cleaning a beach house one Sunday, God used a piece of clay to grab my attention. I was unloading the dishwasher to find the footprints poem beautifully painted on a clay coffee mug. I almost missed the words as I scurried to put the dishes away. I received this as a God wink and took a moment to allow this interruption to bring me great joy. The footprint poem derives from Psalm 77:19 NIV “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen”.
This poem has become words I cherish since my Dad lost his battle to Pancreatic Cancer. Early on in his diagnosis, he heard God speak this poem into his heart one morning as he walked his dog Baylee. For the first time since his death, I realized that same God that carried him through his cancer journey is the same God that is carrying me and my family through our grief. Just like a clay pot can be molded and remolded, grief strikes, and I am like a piece of clay cracked with sorrow, watered with tears, and remolded with God’s grace.
It was God’s perfect timing to present this song to me this week, “In the Hands of The Potter” by Casting Crowns. Some of the lyrics sing; “But now sorrow beats down on me, waiting for you to come through. I’m all alone with my questions. I’m dry and cracked open, I thirst for you. And as I fall apart, come flood this dessert heart. Fall like the rain, living water. I know your way is best, Lord help me find my rest. And I’ll be the clay in the hands of the potter”.
There are angry days where I could throw that coffee mug till it shatters in million pieces. There are joyful days that I find myself smiling at my coffee cup, sipping as I reminisce. Whatever emotions come my way, every day I have the choice to step into the potter’s hands and let him continually mold me. We read in Isaiah 64:8NIV “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand”.
Grief could be so many things. Like the loss of a dog, a broken marriage, the death of a love one, or the guilt we often impose upon ourselves. Whatever grief you find yourself in today, intentionally start each day by stepping into the potter’s hands. He is waiting to hold you in the palm of His hand.

In The Hands of the Potter by Casting Crowns

#Liftmeoutofmypit
It is so easy to get stuck in a routine that I fall into a pit. Get up and have devotion. Pack lunch and go to work. Go for a run and come home to cook. Do a little homework and watch TV. Go to bed and it is the same process all over again tomorrow. Before I know it, I find myself in the pit. It becomes easy to focus on the fact that my house is still for sale or that COVID19 is ramping back up. While I am in that pit, I find that Satan’s voice becomes louder than the Holy Spirit. Thankfully, I have God to pull me out of that pit. In Psalm 40:2 NIV “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand”.

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#liveyourlifeinhim
Have you ever pictured Christ building us up in him? Recently while running, I noticed this tree being held up by a piling. I immediately pictured us as the tree, rooted in him and the piling as Christ, strengthening us in our faith. We read in Co 2:6-7 NIV; “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

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#way #turnnorth
We as God’s children have a renewed life under His blessings. For generations to come we continue to see His provisions. Today, this week, this month, or even this year you may feel like you cannot hear or see those blessings and provisions. Think of how the Israelites felt after wandering for 40 years.

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#youareessential

I want you to think of yourself as this beautiful blossomed tree. You are strong. So strong that you can carry this birdhouse for the birds to feed. You are beautiful. So beautiful that you are admired by all those that see your beauty. Now I ask this question from 1 Cor 3:16 NIV; Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in your midst? I am a firm believer in nurturing both our mental and physical health. Since we are a temple for God’s spirit, shouldn’t we take care of our bodies?

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