Memorial Day

God, may I never take for granted the hard-won freedoms that we have in this country! Today, on Memorial Day, may I be even more aware and appreciative of the price paid by so many over the centuries to bring us to this place where as a nation we are free to worship, to succeed, to come and go in our homes - so many things we hardly give thought to because we've been so blessed for so long.

God thank you for the blessing of this nation, of this town, of this house I live in. And thank you today for each and every person who gave the ultimate sacrifice on my behalf.

Missed church

I missed church this morning and I'm feeling lost now. I had no choice, really - illness made me stay inside today. But how I missed the fellowship with your people God!

I've belonged two churches in my life. The first one I attended from the time I was very small and was there for over forty years. The one I attend now is the one I started attending when I had to leave the first one. So my "home" churches have been few! But they've both provided me with a loving, caring church family and friends that mean the world to me.

Interestingly enough, the churches I've belonged to have been very different in their nature and it's taken me some adjustment to feel comfortable in this new body. Truth be told, sometimes I still feel like an outsider, but I think that's my issue, not the church's. For they've been nothing if not welcoming and friendly. I think its a simple matter of attending one church for my entire life and then making a change as a middle-aged woman to a church so different in its "style". It hasn't been an easy adjustment for me. But I love my present church and I enjoy the people as well as the teaching and the fellowship. They're good people and they let me know they care.

I missed church this morning and for the rest of the week I'll feel somewhat incomplete, Lord! Thank you for the blessing of a place to worship that I love!

Here I am

Once again I sit before your feet God, yearning for your presence. I'm heading into battle and I need to hear from my commander in chief. I need to listen to your words of instruction, to know the strategy, to feel confident in the outcome. I am waiting for the sense of assurance I know will come.

These are unsettling times, God, these times of facing the unknown. But you already know the final scene. You alone are in charge of the movement of your troops and my confidence is in your leadership.

I am ready for battle God. I have taken on the armor you've provided, listened to your words and instructions, and follow you willingly wherever you will take me. Let's get on with it God! Let's raise the battle cry and win this one!

New day

Lord you've given me a new day. I barely know what to say. I don't deserve grace, and yet you've given it abundantly. I don't deserve mercy yet it's here for me. I don't deserve your love and yet you offer it freely. Once again I'm in awe of who you are.

How is it God that you can be so good to us and yet people still turn away from you? I know that I cannot turn away. I also know that if I did turn away you'd be standing right there, waiting for me to turn once again toward you, knowing that your grace, your mercy, and your love were all that I would ever need in this life. Because it is.

Thank you God for the gift of this day. For the gift of this life. For the gift of you.

Discouragement

How do I fight discouragement, Lord? Sometimes it seems as though the world is conspiring against me and the forces of evil are overpowering me and I'm so discouraged I can barely pray. Help me Lord!

I'm thinking about your servant Job. How he lost everything - EVERYTHING! He lost his property, his money, his possessions, his family. And yet he refused to curse God. He held his faith and he declared his loyalty. He told his friends that he would never turn from God.''

But I wonder Lord: Did he ever, in his heart, question you? Did he ever get discouraged and wonder why things were happening to him? Did he ever wonder if his faith was misplaced? I think I would feel better if I thought perhaps he had his doubts and his moments of discouragement. Like me.

I want to be like Job, Lord. But sometimes I feel like Thomas, who doubted. Help me Lord. Strengthen my faith. Keep me in your arms and make me aware of your presence. Let me be like Job.

Come, Lord Jesus...

How?

How can it be, Lord, that I am up so high one day and down so low the next? Why am I so unsteady in this wild and wacky journey I'm on right now?

Yesterday I was feeling so optimistic, so ready to deal with the things that lay ahead. Today I'm feeling as though nothing is going to work out right - that things are not going to go well for me. I am desperate for your touch. Lord. I need to be aware of your presence, which feels distant to me right now. Help me Lord. I know you are there but I cannot see you today. I long for triumph but I feel defeat.

Sometimes it's just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other to move forward. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel like running again...

Blessed escape

Lord - thank you for a peaceful, blessed escape from my everyday, crazy schedule.. A short trip out of town, a visit with family, a chance to just "get away from it all" has given me a new perspective and allowed me to feel ready again for the months ahead. Sometimes it's just a break from the action that's all it takes to make us feel invigorated, and armed for the battle. I'm rested and my mind is at peace. I feel I can take on the world now. And all it took was a couple days away from my calendar, away from my telephone, and distracted from the challenges I'm facing. A vacation for a world-weary traveler...

Thank you for such blessings. And thank you for traveling with me...