From back problems with a herniated disc, to a tear in the retina, then on for a thumb issue (again), I passed go and dropped in for knee trials. There always seems to be plenty of physical ailments to endure in this transitory existence. Not to mention the most painful, losing family members in death, it can all seem impossible to endure. But . . .

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33, NLT

Jesus is informing believers to prepare for a life of sorrow and trials. However, it seems many Christians want to avoid those passages of Scripture while claiming others that make one healthy and prosperous; Looking for easy commands instead of passages which instruct a believer…

Day 17

No sugar or dairy

Here I go again marveling about the awesome ways MY God works the events of our lives. When we enjoy the people He puts in our paths it certainly can be a buffer for taking our focus from food cravings. If you read my “Day Three” post, you know that Sundays are my favorite day of the week, and why. This morning, our pastor was especially motivated with the prospect of our joint heir’s status with Jesus. And as he admitted, we can’t really fathom what all that entails, let alone completely grasp. But we should be living in such a way as to give all of earth a correct estimate of what’s to come!

I love belonging to a great place to worship! And it is always interesting whom you just might see. In our Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School for…

Every visit to the farm is an interesting spectacle to a pig’s life, not to mention, SMELL! And understanding Jewish law concerning pigs, paints a thought-provoking picture. Especially challenging is Proverbs 11:22:

“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion”

Dan Phillips explains it this way:

The mental image is that of looking at a lovely, sparkling gold ring, admiring a twinkling in the sun—then seeing that it is in a pig’s snout. Wasted! Misplaced! Thus, Solomon says, is a lady with a beautiful outside and nothing going on inside.

Phillips translates “discretion” as “good taste.” …the ability to discern, to judge, to distinguish among “flavors” of good and evil, of wisdom and folly.

He goes on to say:

The picture is not simply of a pretty woman without a lot in the area of native IQ…. She is not simply…

I love to hear the waves and watch the foamy currents race across the shoreline! I find going to the beach to be an exhilarating experience. Especially exhilarating is to try and walk through the crashing waves yet being knocked off your feet. And then, finding it impossible to stand back up because you cannot stop laughing.

This reminds me so much of real life when we lose our footing. And what is worse, being dragged further and further from the shoreline. Of course, when this happens, it is no laughing matter and panic mode (like the time my backside slid down our staircase!) sets in. Many times, I wonder, “will I ever stand again?” It seems like an impossibility!

Even more agonizing is the spiritual warfare that creeps in without any warning. Like a dark cloud that comes out of nowhere and will not leave. It can certainly send…

With Valentine’s Day approaching there are candy hearts, roses, chocolate and love notes in high demand! But let me offer a more satisfying Valentine gift that we can give one another. It is the gift of Unity and let me tell you why. We are so focused on ourselves and our own personal wants that we miss out on what really brings the greatest level of pleasure:

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”

Philippians 2:3-5, NLT

Jesus Christ came and taught Unity for all Christ-followers. That bond of putting others needs ahead of our own, serving and not looking for reward, we all need unity that binds us together and causes us to work…

After being incapacitated for a period of time, we lose muscle tone. They say it happens rather quickly. Sadly, it is painless to lose it but very painful to build it. I am in training building muscle once again and gaining strength in my leg, not to mention my back. And of course the stabilizing factor to all of that, is the stomach muscles, our core. “Lord, this is too hard!” As I groan through these workouts, that I do not want to do, but am rather sternly encouraged to do by my dear husband, as well as my physical therapist, I hear Paul’s words “But I [discipline] my body and make it my slave . . . ” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Which leads me to the monster of the mind! Yes, my mind has been undergoing training as well, and there is a reason I refer to it as…

“Time is the least thing we have of”

this quote by Ernest Hemingway caught my attention~ But thankfully, Charles Swindoll argues that we have more time than we realize “once we get our priority ducks in a row” (Day by Day with Charles Swindoll).

Joe Stowell outlines how we can “[Embrace] The Virtues of The King” by making this observation:

Embracing the reality of the world to come radically alters everything in this world. Our values are prioritized and purified. . . .

If anyone should express the reality of eternity, it’s those of us who have been guaranteed safe passage to the other side through Christ, our divine passport. Yet interestingly, we who are marked with heaven in our hearts usually live as though it were real but irrelevant. We are consumed with the tyranny of the temporal, and we trade both the character and power of a…