“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11-12, NLT)

Good morning DearHeart.

People are, in fact, getting ruder and more sarcastic. They are shooting their mouths off. They just plain are. It should not come as a shock to me. Jesus warned that many will turn away and betray and hate one another. He said hearts would grow cold towards Him and to one another (Matthew 24:9-12).

We are further told what will become characteristic of people as time marches on …

lovers of themselves

and their money,

boastful,

proud,

scoffing at God,

disobedient to parents,

ungrateful,

unloving,

unforgiving,

counting nothing as sacred,

slanderous,

no self-control,

betraying their friends.

Ugly list, isn’t it? But check it out for yourself as I did not write the list (2 Timothy 3:1-5, NLT).

In order for our hearts to remain soft and feeling, we are surely going to need to do a better job of guarding our hearts. We are going to need to be deliberate if we are going to be counter-cultural and remain polite and kind and sensitive to one another.

I’ve noticed people who seeing nothing wrong with being sarcastic or making a rude comment to each other. They seem to think as long as they put “LOL” or a smiley face, the sting is lessened or made less offensive. We slap each other down or talk demeaning without a thought of how it may affect another person. For days.

And, thinking on this scripture, I did a commentary search on this part … –  “God blesses you.., Be happy about it…. Be very glad!” (and yes, the exclamation point is there in the NLT).

One says we should react with leaping and unbridled joy (!). Really. What is my response to be?

Am I truly being told to be happy at being hurt?

Jumping up and down with joy that words have stung?

No, rather I think this is what my response should be …

He blesses me at those times when words have stung deeply. As I respond in a way to please Him, somehow He steps in and brings healing to the sting. As He heals my heart, He refills it with compassion and understanding. He blesses me with more of Himself. And in that I experience unbridled joy. To retaliate and sting back would be to miss the blessing He has for me. The blessing which brings joy is in remembering –

He has called me,

I am His, and I

am fully and completely loved.

“Blessed are you when people insult you.”

Don’t miss His blessing.

Wake up.

Bless the sting.

Accept His healing blessing.

Go.

Good morning, DearOne.

Today, Dale and I have been married 32 years.

I don’t mention Dale much in my writings. He is not a social media fan. So, it is intentional that I low-key him as I post, out of the purest respect.

He is an intentional soul.

He seldom even responds to a text message. When he does the answers are usually short and no nonsense (unless it’s to zinger back to our daughter-in-love, Dani Gayle because … those two 😂❤️). His mode of operation is face to face, or at the very least phone call, voice to voice. Another reason I don’t write much about him is simply that there are no words that can measure up to his loyalty or intensity

He’s a business-man.

Brought me a plan in our early 20’s on how we would buy 8 heifers and over the next 30 years grow a herd. He did it.

Told me about a truck driving operation at his school that was losing money, he was being given the opportunity to turn it from loss to a profit center.

He did it.

He starts with a plan each day. By the time he comes in about 30 minutes after dark,

He did it.

He is intense.

A wrestler mindset.

Wrestling people know what I mean. Successful wrestlers have a very unique frame of reference.

They win.

In a media-drenched world that calls us to move us further and further from our Holy core, Dale is a constant reminder that the most potent way to make an impact is face to face.

And, he makes an impact.

It is his nature.

We’ve shared enough battles and blessings to know that ‘together’ is a basic necessity of daily life . . . not just for new joys, new ventures, new projects, new jobs, our growing family, new babies/grands, and such, but for the problem times, too. For the changing direction times, the caregiver, and the caretaker times, the feelings hurt, and times of loss.

We’ve learned new blessings are released when we take the care of each another into our own heart. A certain challenge happens in that tiny space between a blessing and looking hardship in the face. No matter how dark alleyway, we’ve learned that standing together there’s a place where our losses will be made do-able,

where our blindness focuses to vision,

where damaged goods are made whole,

where the questions asked through clenched teeth and sliding tears open to a barn full of surprise,

where the travails of the seasons have a homecoming.

God shares with us people for the purpose of “together”, where His hand delivers exactly what we need in His perfect timing.

‘Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage’.(Ephesians 5:25 MSG)

Wake up.

Notice your intentional people.

Go.

Good morning, DearHeart.

How many times in life do you scratch your head and go “hmm”?

You ask, “where did this even come from?”

Do you ever say, “God, help me to move forward even when my legs get cut out from under me, when the supports feel gone?”

God has a plan, I know that as truth … but what is it?

Then, you blame yourself for this deal (and, really, it’s just a deal) and blame anyone else you can … because the thoughts can spin off like that. Especially when the circumstances just don’t make any sense. But … when the thoughts come … and they will, we must make a choice about who we will be from this day forward, supported or not. Either we will go through life as bitter servants, or we will continue making our Creator famous with our love. I want Him to be famous.

I want Him lifted up, where all men are drawn to Him. My 3 AM thoughts woke me again, and I began flipping through random books of hope where a couple of quotes hit home, restoring my confidence. I can feel the Holy Spirit breathing these truths into me …

There is no conceivable situation in which it is not safe to trust God.

(J. Oswald Sanders)

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. (Corrie ten Boom)

DearSoul, may we simply and humbly cling to Him and keep His truths close in our hearts ….

May the words of my mouth, Father, and the meditations of my heart be found acceptable in Your sight, my Strength and my Redeemer (Ps 19:14). Keep me, Father, gripping tightly to Your truth … keep me digging in expectation for the mighty revelation of Your witness. Keep my focus steadfast on You. Forgive me when I settle for less – for the lies that camouflage as truth and bring destruction rather than promise. In your cross, I anchor my hope and my sleep as well.

Even so,

breathe on me,

breath of God,

I need You,

and carry me again through this day. Amen.

Wake up.

Press on.

Go.

Good morning, DearOne.

Our place was filled with little loves this weekend. Nephews and nieces scattered everywhere, and boy did they have fun. It reminded me of being at my Dad’s Aunt Edna’s house as a child and kids were everywhere. She had fiery red hair and the most unique, joy-filled, eclectic sense of humor. I vividly remember playing the game called “statue” in her yard and a peacock was strutting all through the yard around us. You probably played that game, too. A bunch of kids full of energy and movement. One kid calls out stop and everyone has to stay still in the position they are in. The one who stays still the longest, wins.

It was never easy. Being still, motionless for a long time, does not come easily.

And life is like that at times. So much to do. It all needs to get done and it all seems to be on your shoulders. So you keep on moving. At times you make progress. Other days, it seems like you moved quickly and went nowhere.

As women and wives and moms, we want to have it all ready. Make things right. Have all the solutions. I think at times, I have thought this was my job in life even.

Yet for the last few weeks, He has called me to be still. It’s not coming easy. For in being still, I am discovering – I am helpless to change or fix every circumstance in our lives. I would feel hopeless except in being still, He has brought this confidence ….

I may be still.

But He is not.

“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:13-14 NLT

“But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” 2 Chronicles 20:17 NLT

Wake up.

Be still.

Know He is working on your behalf.

Go.

Good morning, ThankfulHeart.

I started this month with a mindset to notice my gratitude and to give thanks always. It’s funny how once I started, I began seeing connections through a fresh lens.

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:7, NLT)

Working this backwards, I realized if I want to overflow with thanksgiving, then my faith needs to grow. For my faith to grow, my life needs to be built on Him. And for that to occur, I need my roots to grow deeper still. Roots matter … especially when the surprises come out of left field and slam you.

-Through roots water is absorbed. As our roots go deep in Him, we are promised, “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14, NIV).

-Roots are the means by which we are anchored to the ground and supported. “Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls” (Hebrews 6:18-19, NLT)

-Roots are the storage place of food and nutrients. “When I discovered Your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16, NLT)

-Roots are the means by which fruit is produced. “But they [those with deep roots] are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:3, NLT)

Root development is important so that faith and gratitude will flourish in our lives. Deep roots of faith are evidenced by gratitude for all God has done and continues to do for us each day.

Wake up.

Gratitude always.

Go.

Good morning, DearOne.

Do you see her?

In the midst of leaves that have all turned their color, in the middle of the creek there is one little black wienie dog. Ellie. We were on the creek yesterday cutting cedar limbs for my flower barrels. She smelled a critter and went laser-beam focus on a mission.

She didn’t think about getting muddy.

Or, what the onlooking cattle might be thinking.

Or, what others might think.

Or, if the protocol was right.

She was just courageously doing her job. The kind of courage it takes to be different than everything that might hold her back and cause her to fail.

And yet, isn’t that what we are called to do?

We are called to….

be courageous & not follow the crowd?

to do what is right & godly & hard?

to make a difference in the lives around us?

to live wisely?

kindly?

peaceably?

sacrificially?

to sacrifice and build each other up in the process?

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  (Romans 12:2 NLT)

Wake up.

Be courageous.

Stand apart.

Stand alone.

Dare to be different.

Go.

“…put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” Malachi 3:10 ESV

Good morning, DearHeart.

My men start preparing for deer season in the summer and the anticipation builds. This was deer-rifle opening weekend. Which also means: let the stories begin. Every year there are highs and lows to their routine … outsmarting the hogs, and coyotes … watching the activity of the squirrels and raccoons … making constant improvements to the stands … gosh, just getting out the door with all the gear and attitudes is a victory (we are Lewis’s – we have attitudes haha!). Always being tested along the journey.

My favorites stories that come in every single year are about the quiet moments, though. Because, God seems to break in to the turmoil at some point and my men notice … in the deer stand they become totally surrounded by His presence in the silence. He enters in with no boundaries. Their descriptions are priceless.

Certain sure tingling.

A sudden knowing of their Creator’s presence … and the power that resides within His child.

Sacred. Holy. Moments.

The question I am finding myself pondering this morning is….

TODAY, where will I find that sacred moment?

Where will you find it?

For you see, we may not remember every fact in Scripture but we will, in fact, remember the moments in which our God reveals Himself to us. We will remember the truth imparted. The Scripture He brought to mind. There are benefits that come from the tests and the trials, and those tests yield to the blessings God Almighty assigned to you and pours out onto you through the windows of Heaven.

May we be like Moses, who when he noticed a burning bush, decided to “go over & see the strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”

May we be like Moses, when the Lord called to him from within that same bush, respond, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3).

It was that sacred moment that defined Moses’ life.

And those sacred moments will define our lives as well.

Sacred moments – I don’t want to miss them.

Wake up.

Watch for it.

Go.