‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬ – The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.

We can also honor God by seeking Him in the waiting and by continually seeing His goodness in our circumstances.

Going through a hard season? Maybe waiting for that season to end will never come. Instead of trying to rush through it, look for the positives. Look for the goodness in God Winks. Want answers? Maybe you will never find the answers. Instead of trying to figure it out, turn to God’s word for His strength. Waiting for good news? Maybe that good news looks different than you prayed for. Instead of feeling paralyzed, keep moving forward in your faith journey. 

Notice how the corn stalks in this photo stand tall, reaching up to the sun. Those who hope will find God. Those who seek God will find strength. Whether you are in planting mode, harvesting mode or reaping the benefits of your labor, the Lord is good. As you seek God, I encourage you to listen and worship with “Fill The Room” by Michael Bethany.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You that I can put my hope in You. Thank You that I can seek You and find strength. Help me to see that You are good all the time. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬ – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

As many of our readers know, I haven’t always been a runner. Run For God came into my life when I needed warrior-like faith. My dad had been diagnosed with stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, and while visiting my parents, I connected with a “Run for God” book on their shelf. They had done the couch to 5k devotional program years earlier. I decided to start the journey solo and if I had personal success, I would look into starting it at our church. I not only finished the program but I also learned to use that time for prayer and worship for my Dad. Once again God nudged me to start the program at church.

I thought, who am I to lead a running program? I called my parent’s Run For God Coach, Erin Leopold, for guidance. She was able to answer all my questions and give me the confidence I needed. The program at church was a success. The support of my running group helped get me through the hardest season of my life. My dad was at the finish line for our graduation race. Not long after that he crossed his heavenly finish line. Although I still don’t understand, God has gifted me with a passion to continue in the path He has for me through my faith and running.  

I was blessed to meet Coach Erin in person at my Dad’s Celebration of Life service. I am excited to share that she has recently published a book. You can find Erin Leopold’s book, “Finding My Second Wind” with Xulon Press and Amazon. Through years of undiagnosed chronic pain, she was able to find strength in God and run through her pain. She had warrior-like faith to start her own journey with Run for God and inspired me to do the same. I will be forever grateful and honor God by continually sharing my running journey with others. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You that I can submit my plans to You and You will make them straight. Thank You that I can lean on You for strength and understanding. Thank You for connecting me with Godly friends. I desire to finish strong with warrior-like faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬ – l am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

John Locke first said individuals have certain fundamental rights, such as Life, Liberty and Property. It was Thomas Jefferson who changed it to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness when writing the Declaration of Independence.

This past week I watched the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happiness based on the true story and book on Chris Gardner’s life. He was a homeless father who became a successful Wall Street Broker. In reading today’s verse our pursuit to happiness should be found in contentment. We already know that if we look at our circumstances for happiness our joy won’t always be sustained. We can honor God with contentment. We can also honor Him by relying on Him for strength through all of life’s circumstances. On this 4th of July, I encourage us to pursue happiness through contentment as we celebrate our freedom to worship. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank you for Thomas Jefferson and our Declaration of Independence.Thank You for my Independence to worship You. Thank You for showing me contentment in all my circumstances. I rely on Your strength to do all things. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV – Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Do you sweat the small stuff? I recently heard a New Balance commercial that advertised not to sweat the small stuff. When you’re a Type A personality like me, this is hard to do. I am an overthinker and an over-planner. Just thinking about the coming days and weeks ahead, I start to sweat. 

We can also honor God with our work. For today I will try to let go of one task at a time. I will commit all my work to the Lord. Even the sweaty small stuff. I will be transparent in telling you that I recently had a meltdown because things didn’t go as originally planned. Although it was out of my control, weariness and stress took over. Holy cow, what just happened filled my mind. I lost sight of committing my work to God. I am sure God could see it coming. Thankfully God also rallied my troops and I had an outpouring of support, love and grace. 

I recently had a very wise friend and coworker ask me if I tried my best. When I answered with a yes, she said that is all you can do. What does our best look like? It starts with prayer, a good mindset and positive thinking. Will you join me today in committing your work to God?

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for my troops that support me. Help me to surrender one task at a time. I commit my work to You and ask that Your ultimate plans prevail. Here I am Lord, use me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭13‬ ‭Good News Translation – Honor the Lord your God, worship only Him, and make your promises in His name alone.

What better way to honor God with our time than through movement and worship. According to the dictionary, a salutation is a gesture or utterance made as a greeting or acknowledgement to another’s arrival or departure. We already know that in 1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ our bodies were bought at a price, therefore let’s honor God with our time through movement of our bodies.

I have included a series of movements called a Sun Salutation. You can see the different yoga poses and I have included a photo below. Notice it starts and ends with a prayer pose. If you can’t get on the ground, I suggest sitting in a chair and meditating through the prayer pose, upward solute, forward bend, and repeat. As you move, worship with ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭86‬:‭12‬ ‭English Standard Version – I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever. Like an Oak tree, we can stand or sit tall and find strength in God.

• Prayer Pose
• Upward Solute
• Standing Forward Bend
• Low Lunge
• Plank
• Knees-Chest-Chin
• Cobra
• Downward Facing Dog
• Low Lunge
• Standing Forward Bend
• Upward Solute
• Prayer Pose

Let’s pray. Dear God, I desire to honor You today with my time. I desire to greet You through movement. I worship You and give thanks with my whole heart. I glorify Your name. I lift those up to You in prayer that do not have the capability to move through their bodies. May we all experience Joy by honoring God with our time. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ – Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Join me for See You Saturday as I talk about love.

John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬ – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Have you ever heard the saying: “fake it till you make it?” Basically, you’re looking for self-confidence in areas that you don’t feel qualified.

I am once again writing to you from my back porch. I took a break from writing to take my mom, who lives 5 feet from me, a piece of yummy banana bread that I had made earlier this morning. I asked her to meet me in the backyard. As I went to step off the porch I almost stepped on a snake. Yes, a snake!!!!! I quickly had to change my plans and met her on the front porch, away from any snakes. I am not sure what kind of snake it was. I just knew it was brown and went slithering under the porch at the sound of my scream. The snake is now hiding and waiting in a cool dark place. 

Take a look at the dark wooded path pictured here. Is Satan hiding in your dark places waiting to attack? Are you lacking in self-confidence? Friends, I am here to tell you, don’t let the snakes stop you. Although I am deathly afraid of all snakes, I am not going to let them stop me from enjoying my backyard. I am going to faith it till I make it. Just like we don’t always feel equipped for the call of our lives, God will give us the God-confidence we need to continue on our journeys. We are blessed to have the Good Shepherd walking both in light and dark places. Today, instead of an opening verse or a closing prayer, I leave you with a benediction. 

Benediction and Final Greetings

Hebrews 13: 20-21 NIV – Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.