Life Imagined

I lift my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2  HELP is defined as to give assistance or support.  To provide someone with something that is useful or necessary in achieving an end.   When I have a moment of discouragement, I have to remind myself where my help comes from☝.  My worries are null and void when I'm reminded He provides what is necessary.  He will never tell me to move without providing what I need, even when I can't see it.  And yet, I still hesitate. Lysa Terkeurst titled my devotion today "A Little Girl's Dance."  I remember so well singing and dancing for Jesus in front of my mother's full-length mirror as a little girl.  Oh man, I loved him even then 💕.  I danced and sang...just a little girl who felt confident and able, so she did.  I bet some of you remember a little girl just like that.   I try to remember...

Ephesians 4:32...And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.   Well, here we are, winding down 2023 and getting ready to begin a new year.  Another opportunity to do something new, start fresh, leave the past behind.  God has really dealt with me about forgiveness over the last few months.  I had the opportunity to sit in on a class with my sister recently where we talked about forgiveness. We both shared what that has looked like in our lives.  I shared something the Holy Spirit had spoken to me very recently and I want to share it with you. Several years ago, I had been hurt so deeply that I felt like I didn't know what forgiveness was anymore. I know, I know... You have to forgive, right?  That's what the Bible tells us, right?  A couple of months ago, I was driving and the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "You know, God sees the person who hurt you exactly the same way He sees you." ...

Hebrews 10:23 -  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.   The definition of unswerving is steady/unfaltering - not wavering or weakening.  Hope is to  desire with expectation ,  to expect with confidence .   Boy, that's good, isn't it?! We are heading toward the end of 2023.  What is your hope for the future?  Are you expecting something good?     There was a time when I didn't have much hope for my future.  Man, I was tired...  But, Jesus walked right into my situation and brought me through to the other side, restoring my heart, my mind, my finances, my hope.  These things, these stones of remembrance remind me of why I find my hope in His word.   He is faithful and my hope in Jesus should be FULL of confidence and expectation.  Hope sparks my imagination to see God's vision for me.  My husband and I often talk about our vision for the future, ...

Deuteronomy 11:22-23 - If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow - to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him and to hold fast to Him - then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.   What things are trying to take hold of me, give me stress and anxiety?  What about you?  What things are whispering so loudly to you?  When the whispers become all I can hear, where do I go?  When life's whispers become louder than the voice of my maker, I have to stop and remember this promise in Deuteronomy that says if I love the Lord, walk in obedience to Him, and hold fast to Him, He will drive out these things that seem bigger and stronger than me. Oh, praise God!!  When I feel like I'm drowning, He rescues me.     When I remember to run to the One who has shown up time and time again, I will find my deliverance.  I will find my Savi...

  Matthew 17: 20 tells us that if we have faith even as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move.  Nothing would be impossible.   I see this verse and know it's true and yet, some days, my mountains seem to stop me in my tracks and taunt me, trying to remind me that I'm stuck.  But this verse tells me quite the opposite.  It tells me if I just have faith, trust in Jesus, I can move my mountains.  Jesus tells me " Nothing would be impossible."   God has told me He is doing a new thing, He asks if I perceive it, He tells me He is making a way and giving provision (Isaiah 43:19).  I'm searching my heart.  What is God speaking to me?  What are the desires of my heart?  And what is the mountain that is keeping me stuck?  He has brought me so far, through so much, and together we have moved what seemed like mountains to me.  Praise God!  It makes me excit...

Man, God is really speaking to me about my treasure.  Matthew 6:21 says your heart will be where your treasure is.   What do I value?  What is precious to me?  What do I find myself thinking on, focusing on?  Those things expose my heart.  And when my heart is exposed, what do I see?  I treasure so many things in my life.  My  wonderful husband, my family, my friends, but Jesus...He really is my most precious friend, my lifeline.  He holds my today and my future...Praise God!!  He writes my story, gives me good gifts, makes me better, and life is SO SO good with Him in it.  I owe Him so much and as I think about what He has done for me, my heart overflows and rolls down my cheeks 😭 (but they are happy tears ).  If you know my story, then you know 😊👏❤️ Friend, I hope you experience Him this way.  A way that fills your heart SO full that it overflows.  

Hey, friend!  Thanks for coming!  My verse today is Proverbs 4:20-22 - My child, pay attention to what I say.  Listen carefully to My words.  Don't lose sight of them.  Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.   This verse is one of my favorites.  We are encouraged here to listen carefully to His words for they bring life to those who find   them and healing to their whole body.  When I saw the word find  in this verse ,  it made me think of treasure, something of great value, something worth searching for.  His word is full of great treasure that we are blessed to find, to discover.  God's word is living and full of power (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV).  It awakens us, revives us.  It brings life and health, power and wisdom, provision, and even correction when needed (just like a good father does😊💕).  It just keeps giving, changing us...

Good morning, friend!  I hope you are ready to enjoy this weekend!  I know I am! 1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us that beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.    I read this and think about how we look at ourselves in the mirror.  What do we see in our reflection?  I remember a time not long ago when life had really taken a toll on me.  I was a Christian woman, but I was emotionally spent and exhausted.  I didn't like the person I saw in the mirror anymore.  And when I found myself at the end of my rope, hurt, alone, and desperate to pull myself back together, I began to lean HARD  into Jesus. I was depending on Him.  As I spent more and more time with Him...time in the word, devotions, journaling...things began to chang...

I typically enjoy my mornings.  First, I wake up, tell the Lord good morning, and let Him remind me why I'm getting out of bed so early 😁😁.  But, once my feet are on the floor and I'm awake, I'm usually feeling good and ready to start my day.  My routine looks the same most days.  I make my morning drink, sit down to do my devotion and journal (my favorite part of the morning), then do a workout with someone like Caroline Girvan or MadFit on YouTube before getting ready for work.  But today was a little slower...I was a little tired and had something on my mind.  I mentioned this to my husband who quickly reminded me to pray and let the Holy Spirit speak to me about it (what a good hubby😍).  I read my devotion and still felt uninspired as I stared at my blank page.  I thought about just putting it away and trying again later, but then I asked the Lord to help me hear what He would have me hear. I decided to just start writing and see where that...

Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.  Romans 8:34  Intercede means to intervene on behalf of another (to negotiate, arbitrate, to step in, take action).  Romans 8:34 above says Jesus negotiates and steps in for us.  He did it all on the cross and yet still intercedes for us.  He steps in, negotiates, and takes action...For US !  He never stops...never leaves...never gives up.  Praise God!   Oh, how I know the truth of this verse because there was a time I needed Him to take action for me, to step in on my behalf, and He did!!  I watched Him change people's minds and reveal truth to them.  He reminded me that NO weapon formed against me would prosper and that I would refute EVERY tongue that accused me (Isaiah 54:17), and then I watched as person by person reached out to me proving that no weapon formed against me was prospering, truth was reveale...

Who doesn’t love a good vacation?!?!  We just came back from a trip to Tybee Island and Savannah, GA, and boy was it HOT!  I loved every minute of this vacation and did not  want to come home!   No high-rises on Tybee! I love the “Nicholas Sparks” vibe it gives me 🥰. Ugh…Take me back!!  Beach walks, long talks, sunshine, ocean views, the sound of waves crashing, time with my hubby, no real plan, just time… Savannah, GA…Mossy trees (all the feels), old cemeteries, the city squares, fountains, cobblestone streets, watching the barges on River Street. What a beautiful city 😍 We ate pretty well, so I thought I’d share the places we tried… We got a local suggestion for Bubba Gumbo’s on Tybee. The floor was leaning 😂, which was a little awkward, but the food was good!  The Crab Shack on Tybee was a neat place with outdoor dining on the water.  It was surrounded by trees and had an alligator pond where you could feed those cute little guys 🐊 The Shrimp Fa...

 Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us settle the matter," says the Lord.  "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Accepting Jesus as our savior cleanses us of our sin, tosses them away never to be remembered again.  That's good news!  A clean slate, a new start!  But what happens next is up to us.  Change in our human nature isn't automatic but as we build relationship (connection, bond) with Jesus, we will begin to see change, to desire change.  I completely believe that time with Jesus changes everything .  In my own experience, time with Him will change things we didn't even realize needed to be changed.  My husband often says he doesn't recognize the man he was before he really began to spend time with Jesus and build relationship with Him.  I've heard him say he was a believer, but now he believes Him.  That is powerful!  That's personal, that's...

 Psalms 89:15-16 (NIV) says Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, Lord.  They rejoice in Your name all day long; they celebrate Your righteousness.   Acclaim means to praise enthusiastically and publicly.  This is how I'm feeling this morning as I start my day with a devotion and I'm reminded in Psalms to praise God enthusiastically.  I want to do this!  I want to walk in His light.  The definition of light is that natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible!   Did you feel that!?!  Boy, I did!  Don't you want to see and have vision??  I do!  I want to see.  I want to see and be led by Him today, but I also want to have vision and imagination for what He has in store for me, for all this life can be.  That's what walking in His light does for us...I love this!...It makes things visible.   What I have already received from God is SO GO...