This is to remember. Because honestly, I forget. I can easily fall back into thinking junk and get myself into a mess. If I write it out, I can return to these pages and remember. Remember to take every thought captive. Remember to think on things that are true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and of good repute and excellent and worthy of praise. Remember to practice. That friend who says she has to learn the lesson before she can teach it, I get it. Experience is a good teacher. Thanking God for many scars and for…
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Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 What do you practice? Music? Art? Sports? Profession? Shopping? Cooking Eating? Scouring Social Media? Precepts of God? Evidence of practices consume us daily. Always running to the next practice, whatever that practice looks like. Do we all have some inner voice that pushes us to find our best selves in something? Is your practice bringing you peace? Paul reminded the Philippians to practice those things they had ‘learned or received or heard…
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My open page fell on Philippians again this morning. In chapter 4, verse 9, Paul speaks of learning and receiving and hearing things. Those things I shared yesterday, specifically in verse 8: whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellence, worthy of praise; those things caused me to think on another verse. So I flipped some pages. 2 Corinthians 10 shares about our thoughts in verse 5. Our thoughts can get us in trouble. Can you relate? In the verses just before, there is the reminder that ‘we do not war according to the flesh.’ God wants…
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I have a small block of wood painted black with printed words tucked into a visible place in my closet. There is a framed collage covered in reminders from past writings of my own. There is a reminder that I am a daughter of the King. Why do I tell you these things? Because of that message on that small block of wood. That message is where I land in my open page today. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is…
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This open page is where I land this morning. If you followed along yesterday, you saw the same page. You can’t rush this. I started this book, Philippians, at some point in the past, laid it down, and have picked it backup. Do you find yourself doing the same thing? It isn’t that these verses don’t hold my attention. Unfortunately, for me, I allow other things to jump in front of them. Sometimes it isn’t too unfortunate because it takes me to another set of verses and I become immersed in those. Immersion isn’t a bad thing when it comes…
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After taking care of necessities, I tiptoe to my kitchen. Coffee is next on my agenda. Yes, I am addicted to coffee. Yes, I am addicted to holding my warm mug of energy in my aging hands, finding comfort for some aches there. The warm liquid and I sit for a while before I have to really get going. During that precious early morning time, with coffee mug in hand, I head to my office. This is a multi-purpose space. I spend quite a bit of time in this space. The elephant in the room is the treadmill. There is…
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Hello. What are you up to today? Really! What is on your agenda today? What was the first thing on your mind when you opened your eyes this morning? Or even before you opened your eyes? Tell me in the comments. My brain started waking up about an hour before my alarm was scheduled to sound. That isn’t unusual for me. I turned it off, knowing I wouldn’t go back to sleep. But I stayed put. I drifted in and out of consciousness until 30 minutes after it was to sound. Once again, normal. I don’t stay put every day. …
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He clears the fog of the world and reveals His light and truth.
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New year. New day. New choices. New opportunities. I am finishing up a study of 1 John. How appropriate this verse comes today! It isn’t the first time reading it. I am hoping it won’t be the last either. One year, a hard one, has passed. It has ended. Times were dark in my heart and mind. Do you know what I mean? Did you have some of those hard patches too? But this truth sweeps in to remind me of the Light. That the Light is already shining. And it is true. Because of Him it is in me.…
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Twinkle in her eye with the excitement of pure innocence founded in the unknown experience yet ahead. Body strong but frail but capable of what she didn’t know she could handle. With fortitude of will she takes each step with unsure courage to tackle whatever comes next. With only a slight curve of her lips, because there is also pain, she expresses her joy even in the angst. Lessons of life can’t compare to what others tell you. You just have to live it yourself. Meeting each new experience with alert intention but the flexibility of determination. Because sometimes unexpected…