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.

Ephesians 2: 4-5 NIV – But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

It is now Saturday and I have every day of the week for our blog mapped out and written except for today’s post. As I am sitting on my back porch writing to you, I can see my reflection on my computer screen. I have been staring at myself asking God what I should write for today. Earlier in the week I wrote down in my journal “No Take Backs Thursday.” Why did I write that? Looking at my reflection, I see a 42-year-old daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend, who hasn’t always said or done the nicest things. Just like you can’t put back the toothpaste in a tube once it has been squeezed out, there are no take-backs in life. We have one opportunity to walk this earth. I am thankful for God’s grace every day. I am thankful for my family and friends’ forgiveness for all the times I have fallen short. I am thankful that when others don’t see, know, or understand the full picture, my God knows, sees, and still loves me.

Have you heard the saying, “By the grace of God go I?” Take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:10 New King James Version. This Christian walk we are on is the road less traveled. Only through God’s grace, love, and mercy can each of us walk this road. We are not alone, friends. The reflection you see today is your sister in Christ Jesus. In the song, “The Father’s House” by Cory Asbury he says, “Failure doesn’t define me, cause that’s what my father does.” Let’s use yesterday’s failures as good data for today.

Let’s pray. Dear God, With Your grace may I walk and talk through this Christian life. May others see You through me. Although it is the road less traveled, it is well worth Your eternal glory. Thank You for blessing me with another day to share Your word and truth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Genesis 12: 9 NLT – Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.

Last Sunday our Pastor delivered a message titled, “All Things New.” One of the passages shared was from Genesis 12: 1-9 NIV. I encourage you to read the entire passage. For today I want to focus on our key verse. Notice Abram traveled by stages. Often our journeys don’t happen all at once, they happen in stages. Just like Abram traveled a long time, our faith journey is unfolding every day. 

Looking back on our Water Walkers journey, we have made many changes over the years. Every year Deborah and I strive to improve and implement new things. We have been blessed in recent years to partner with our friend and photographer, Ray White. I am still amazed how that stage in our journey unfolded. Ray has been a gift in helping Deborah and I stretch our writing skills. We hope that you have noticed. 

As Deborah encouraged us to remember our journeys last week, we can see the different stages that God brought us through. As you travel through your day and week, I encourage you to look for new things. Like this bicycle pictured here helps us to travel and see a different view, God carries us to see through His eyes. God is always inspiring us and spurring us on for the glory of His kingdom. Thank you to all our supporters and readers for taking this Water Walking journey with us. Hopefully to know us is to know Him. Take a few minutes to really listen to the words of “To Know Me” by Lauren Daigle.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for always showing me new things. Thank You for spurring me on to further the glory of Your kingdom. I desire to be a Water Walker. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.