Thirsty?

One of the essentials for life to survive is water. Jesus spoke often of water and called Himself the living water. "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within Him." John 7: 37-38 Sometimes we get to a dry place in life and we wonder where is that water? If you have ever been in the desert you know how dry it is. Yet even there God provides water, one just has to search for it...inside the plants. I have read stories of people who survived by cutting open a cactus and receiving its life-saving moisture. If you are in that dry place right now, it is not the end. Yes, it is dry, arid, and you are very thirsty. But if you spend time really looking around you will find places within this desert where you will find life-saving blessings. They might be disguised by thorns but within there is water. Instead of despair you will find bits of hope and you will be refreshed. Today, look for God in the hidden places...you will find the sweetest water.

Camp musings

Today is the 2nd day of Camp Nonahdeia! We are learning about the true vine and the branches. (John 15) Even though this scripture is familiar, I am reminded once again that I can do nothing good on my own! Jesus said twice in the first 4 verses: Remain in me! That word remain can also be, Abide. Stay. Attach. It is a strong word which means hold on tightly. Listen, you are going to hold on to something...let it be the True Vine! Today in your prayer, ask God to reveal to you what you are holding on to more than Him then have the courage to let it go while you attach once again to Him. It will change your life.

July 19 Diary entry

Charles Spurgeon once said that when a jeweler shows his best diamonds, he sets then against a black velvet backdrop. The contrast of the jewels against the dark velvet brings out the luster. In the same way, God does His most stunning work where things seem hopeless. Whereever there is pain, suffering and desperation, Jesus is. We must not give up. We must show Christ as our hope against a backdrop of darkness Today, view this darkness as a place where you can shine His light and when you do what better place is there for the brilliance of Christ to shine?

July 18th

I have a confession to make. I love to sew but since high school I have only bought patterns that did not require a zipper. In home ec. I could never put in a zipper and somehow in my mind, I thought I would never ever be able to. Yesterday, because of my grandson wanting a Ninja costume, (which required a zipper) I put one in. It was easy. My point? Often after a failure we tend to avoid things thinking we will never be able to do the task. What I had forgotten was that I had learned from my former mistake and had grown because of it. Don't miss out on the great things in life because of your past. God is there to move you forward into His purposes. My sewing world has opened to wonderful zippered outfits...oh what I have been missing. Does your world need opening up? Try something you fear and see what God will do!!

July 17

Lots of things going on in the world! Have you noticed? It is easy to get distracted and even discouraged---maybe even afraid! My son reminds me often that this is not even close to how bad the world has been in the past. When I read OT history I know he is right. BUT the thing is, it is happening to ME and my time! What I need to do is do what others in those dangerous times did: Remember the LORD Your God! I was drawn to 2 verses from Psalm 9 this morning: 10 "Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." and then 15 "The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden." In the same Psalm, David acknowledged that even when things are really bad, God is there and he will NEVER forsake those who seek Him. Today, what are you seeking? What are you focusing on? Write the words in verse 10 on a notecard and put them in your heart today. Our God is in control.

Diary entry July 16

Believers, my reading today was clear and convicting. I started not to write anything but God wouldn't let me ignore this Word: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him, but if Baal is God, follow him. But the people said nothing." 
I Kings 18:21 (Baal represents following the world's way of doing things.) John wrote something similar in the book of The Revelation to the church at Laodicea when God said that they were neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. God then said He would spew them from His mouth...this lukewarmness made Him sick. We are at a crossroad...either we follow the LORD or we don't. The telling part of the I Kings verse was, "and the people said nothing!" They did not want to commit either way. Today, make your decision. Joshua, when faced with this same situation said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

New Idea!

Each day on Facebook, I post a short devotional.  I am, starting today, going to post that same devotional thought on my blog so those who are not on Facebook can read it if they like.  I am starting with my post from yesterday.  Please post comments!


Sometimes the grief is over-whelming. Sometimes evil seems to be winning. What should we do? This is where the message of the Gospel gets hard folks. We have for so long basically have lived in ease and our faith has not been tested. We put on the Armor of God as Paul says in Ephesians 6...but then we don't do what he says in verse 18,"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Believer, be honest, are you talking to others about the situation in the world more than you are talking to God? Are you posting more on social media or writing in a journal your heart felt prayers? There is more to prayer than just saying, "we need to pray!" Jim Cymbala in his book, "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" says, "Am I the only one who gets embarrassed when religious leaders in America talk about having prayer in public schools? We don't have even that much prayer in many churches!" May I add, in our homes or in our personal lives. Today, quit talking about prayer to each other...be alert and keep on actually praying!