My daughter and I went to Panda Express for dinner tonight - I just love their string bean chicken and black pepper chicken. After eating, I cracked open my fortune cookie. I always get a chuckle out of the fortunes inside. But tonight, when I opened my cookie....it was empty. No little slip of paper. How disappointing. I even posted a status about it on Facebook. Later in the evening after having to drive four hours to rescue one of my sons, I read all the comments left on that status. Humorous little bits like "Good luck. It was nice knowing you." and "You get to decide your own future." and "Aawww." And then this one...."AAACK! That's okay. The Big Guy already knows your fortune."
Ah, yes. The Big Guy does.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life
more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the
air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27
And then, this one:
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. Lamentation 3:25
Now, I wasn't REALLY worried about the fortune in my cookie. But, I do know where my true hope and fortune lies...right smack in the middle of God's hands...not some fortune cookie. God knows me. God knows my entire future. He knows the moment I will die and pass from this human life.
I may not know what's in my future. I didn't know this morning that I was going to have to drive to a town two hours away to help my son get home. I don't know how God will use me next week or what will happen next month. But I know the One who does. He gives me all the hope I need.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Friday, October 11, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
31 Days - Counting gifts, adding up the joy
"When I only give thanks for some things, aren't I likely to miss giving God glory in most things?"
~Ann Voskamp
Little moments...little spots of joy. EnJOY them now...this moment...and give thanks always.
Starting at #90 in my current list of 1000 gifts...(because I seem to misplace my journals and start a new one...)
90. kitty snuggles
91. Dinner at a friend's house - yummy, warm stew
92. playing with colors/creating with beads
93. sweater weather
94. a drive in the country
95. a coffee break at work - 91 year old Lucille, hot coffee, a fresh spudnut and a nice visit!
96. the quiet little chattering of my parakeets
97. a crisp, juicy apple
98. fresh squeezed apple cider
99. Kira making funny faces
100. the sound of a rumbly muffler that means Kyle is home
101. finding the house phone that's been lost for days!
102. the smell of coffee in the morning
103. tiny little blossoms on my bonzai tree
104. dogs curled up at my feet
105. a warm blanket and fuzzy socks
106. Hello Mornings with a wonderful group of women
What brought joy to your day?
~Ann Voskamp
Little moments...little spots of joy. EnJOY them now...this moment...and give thanks always.
Starting at #90 in my current list of 1000 gifts...(because I seem to misplace my journals and start a new one...)
90. kitty snuggles
91. Dinner at a friend's house - yummy, warm stew
92. playing with colors/creating with beads
93. sweater weather
94. a drive in the country
95. a coffee break at work - 91 year old Lucille, hot coffee, a fresh spudnut and a nice visit!
96. the quiet little chattering of my parakeets
97. a crisp, juicy apple
98. fresh squeezed apple cider
99. Kira making funny faces
100. the sound of a rumbly muffler that means Kyle is home
101. finding the house phone that's been lost for days!
102. the smell of coffee in the morning
103. tiny little blossoms on my bonzai tree
104. dogs curled up at my feet
105. a warm blanket and fuzzy socks
106. Hello Mornings with a wonderful group of women
What brought joy to your day?
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
31 Days - Joy in worship
If there was one thing I noticed about the 7,000+ women at the Women of Faith conference last weekend, it was the emotion of worship. There was laughter, there were tears, there was delight, there was excitement, there were closed eyes and bowed heads, there were smiles on faces and arms lifted in praise, and over it all - genuine joy.
The dictionary defines joy as:
noun: joy
1. a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
"tears of joy"
synonyms: delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture;
Let's think about this. When we worship God for who He is; when we thank Him out of true gratitude for what He has provided; when we raise our voices in song to sing His praises...what kinds of things do we feel? Have you ever experienced a sunrise so beautiful that you were filled with elation at the glory of the artwork of God? Have you ever felt His presence so keenly that you couldn't help but laugh with delight? Have you ever sang a worship song in a room filled with hundreds of other people and felt a thrill of excitement race through your whole body?
Here's another definition of joy:
noun \ˈjȯi\
: a source or cause of great happiness : something or someone that gives joy to someone
As a Christian, our source of true joy is God. Yesterday, we found in the 15th chapter of John that Jesus tells us to remain in Him...to love Him, and to love others. We discovered that if we follow His command, He will fill us with His joy - and it will be a complete joy.
Psalm 100:2 says: Worship the Lord with glandness, come before Him with joyful songs.
When we come before God, worshiping, praying with grateful hearts or singing songs of joy...the gift of joy comes full circle. God fills us with joy when we serve Him, when we follow His commands, when we spend time with Him - remain in Him...and then we give joy back to Him...when we come with hearts focused on worship. When we lift our voices in joyful song, when we raise our hands in joyful abandon, when we let go of the world and hold fast to our Savior - we give back joy in worship.
Isaiah 49:13 Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
The dictionary defines joy as:
noun: joy
1. a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
"tears of joy"
synonyms: delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture;
Let's think about this. When we worship God for who He is; when we thank Him out of true gratitude for what He has provided; when we raise our voices in song to sing His praises...what kinds of things do we feel? Have you ever experienced a sunrise so beautiful that you were filled with elation at the glory of the artwork of God? Have you ever felt His presence so keenly that you couldn't help but laugh with delight? Have you ever sang a worship song in a room filled with hundreds of other people and felt a thrill of excitement race through your whole body?
Here's another definition of joy:
noun \ˈjȯi\
: a source or cause of great happiness : something or someone that gives joy to someone
As a Christian, our source of true joy is God. Yesterday, we found in the 15th chapter of John that Jesus tells us to remain in Him...to love Him, and to love others. We discovered that if we follow His command, He will fill us with His joy - and it will be a complete joy.
Psalm 100:2 says: Worship the Lord with glandness, come before Him with joyful songs.
When we come before God, worshiping, praying with grateful hearts or singing songs of joy...the gift of joy comes full circle. God fills us with joy when we serve Him, when we follow His commands, when we spend time with Him - remain in Him...and then we give joy back to Him...when we come with hearts focused on worship. When we lift our voices in joyful song, when we raise our hands in joyful abandon, when we let go of the world and hold fast to our Savior - we give back joy in worship.
Isaiah 49:13 Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
31 Days - Love and joy
Jesus spoke these words in John 15:
9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love.
11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you.
Jesus loves us, as the Father loved Him. The Father who spoke from heaven and told His Son that He was beloved. The Father who spoke from heaven and told His Son that He was pleased with Him. The Father who sent this Son...out of love for each and every one of us. The Lamb for the sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus asks us to remain in His love. And how do we do that? By keeping His commands. Just as He, Jesus, kept His Father's commands. Jesus knew how to treat other people because He knew that love. And He showed us over and over how to love one another. He is our teacher, our model, our guide. He commands us to love one another...as He loved. To treat each other with compassion, as He had compassion. To correct each other, with words spoken in truth and love. To support each other, by sharing what we have with those who have not. To share the Gospel with the world who doesn't know Him.
He very clearly told us what we need to do. And why. To remain in love. To remain in His love. To remain in Him. To be filled with His joy. A complete joy...not a fleeting "joy", and not just a little bit of joy. Complete joy. It's what He wants for each of us. Love...and joy.
9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love.
11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you.
Jesus loves us, as the Father loved Him. The Father who spoke from heaven and told His Son that He was beloved. The Father who spoke from heaven and told His Son that He was pleased with Him. The Father who sent this Son...out of love for each and every one of us. The Lamb for the sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus asks us to remain in His love. And how do we do that? By keeping His commands. Just as He, Jesus, kept His Father's commands. Jesus knew how to treat other people because He knew that love. And He showed us over and over how to love one another. He is our teacher, our model, our guide. He commands us to love one another...as He loved. To treat each other with compassion, as He had compassion. To correct each other, with words spoken in truth and love. To support each other, by sharing what we have with those who have not. To share the Gospel with the world who doesn't know Him.
He very clearly told us what we need to do. And why. To remain in love. To remain in His love. To remain in Him. To be filled with His joy. A complete joy...not a fleeting "joy", and not just a little bit of joy. Complete joy. It's what He wants for each of us. Love...and joy.
Monday, October 7, 2013
31 Days - Joy Quotes
So today, I thought it might be fun to search out some quotes about joy...here's a few I found:
"Joy, it's always a function of gratitude - and gratitude is always a function of perspective."
“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”
― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen
― Henri J.M. Nouwen
“when we are powerless to do a thing, it is a great joy that we can come and step inside the ability of Jesus”
― Corrie ten Boom
― Corrie ten Boom
“A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love. She gives most who gives with joy.”
― Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers
― Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers
Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.
- Robert Schuller
- Ann Voskamp
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may
be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
--Jesus Christ (John 15:11-12)
--Jesus Christ (John 15:11-12)
Joy,
it’s always a function of gratitude — and gratitude is always a
function of perspective. - See more at:
http://www.aholyexperience.com/crazy-joy/#sthash.qLhW13cA.dpuf
Joy,
it’s always a function of gratitude — and gratitude is always a
function of perspective. - See more at:
http://www.aholyexperience.com/crazy-joy/#sthash.qLhW13cA.dpuf
Sunday, October 6, 2013
31 Days - Joy found
A few grace gifts that brought me joy this weekend:
1. glimpses of mountaintops in the distance
2. lights reflecting off water
3. delicious food that was a pleasure to eat slowly
4. friends who filled the time with conversation and laughter
5. musically talented people who shared their gift and made times of worship fun and reverent at the same time
6. hearing Gods words from many different people
7. long hours of sleep, even in a noisy hotel
8. meeting new people
9. benches to rest on when legs begin to ache
10. colors and textures and designs that are pleasing to the eye
11. time to get away
12. walking in fresh air and warm sun
1. glimpses of mountaintops in the distance
2. lights reflecting off water
3. delicious food that was a pleasure to eat slowly
4. friends who filled the time with conversation and laughter
5. musically talented people who shared their gift and made times of worship fun and reverent at the same time
6. hearing Gods words from many different people
7. long hours of sleep, even in a noisy hotel
8. meeting new people
9. benches to rest on when legs begin to ache
10. colors and textures and designs that are pleasing to the eye
11. time to get away
12. walking in fresh air and warm sun
Saturday, October 5, 2013
31 Days - Lean into Him
I think one of the biggest things I will take away from this weekend at Women of Faith is "lean into Him." We heard talks about how much God loves us, how we are more than we know and that we need to "shake our tree" once in a while and take a risk...and see what God, who is more than we can imagine, will do with it. We heard stories of strength, and stories of pain, and stories of victory in Jesus. We heard that just because we feel offended or insecure or inadequate, doesn't mean that we ARE any of those things.
But one thing that I heard over and over was this one phrase...lean into Him. Just take a moment when you are done reading this to close your eyes and imagine Jesus sitting next to you, gesturing to you to lean into Him. Imagine doing just that as He wraps His strong and mighty arms around you...gently folding you into a hug as He tells you to just let go. Let go of the fear. Let go of the frustration. Let go of the anxiety. Let go of the dreams that seem lost. Let go of the anger. Let Him take it all. And then hear His voice saying to you, "You are My beloved daughter. You are loved. You are beautiful. You are mine."
Do you feel that? The freedom? The joy of knowing that your Savior knows you and all your mistakes and all your troubles and all your worries....the joy of knowing that He has overcome the world and will help you to also be victorious? Just let it sink in for a moment and then let your heart soar on the wings of joy...
Lean in to Him. When you're tired. When you're done with all THIS. When you can't take another step forward because you've tried and tried and tried. Lean in to Him. Let His joy be your strength. Let His strength be your joy.
But one thing that I heard over and over was this one phrase...lean into Him. Just take a moment when you are done reading this to close your eyes and imagine Jesus sitting next to you, gesturing to you to lean into Him. Imagine doing just that as He wraps His strong and mighty arms around you...gently folding you into a hug as He tells you to just let go. Let go of the fear. Let go of the frustration. Let go of the anxiety. Let go of the dreams that seem lost. Let go of the anger. Let Him take it all. And then hear His voice saying to you, "You are My beloved daughter. You are loved. You are beautiful. You are mine."
Do you feel that? The freedom? The joy of knowing that your Savior knows you and all your mistakes and all your troubles and all your worries....the joy of knowing that He has overcome the world and will help you to also be victorious? Just let it sink in for a moment and then let your heart soar on the wings of joy...
Lean in to Him. When you're tired. When you're done with all THIS. When you can't take another step forward because you've tried and tried and tried. Lean in to Him. Let His joy be your strength. Let His strength be your joy.
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