As I look back over my life and all that God has allowed me to experience on this earth, I am grateful. I am taking a couple of weeks off from thinking too much…a mental health break… and have decided to share some of my favorite photos with you instead. As you view the various photos, reflect. What kind of God could imagine all of these things and create them so beautifully for us to enjoy? Our God, The One and Only, The Almighty, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth! Praise Him for His wondrous works!
Our back yard in the fall.We’re not at the zoo people! This is the real thing!My daughter cooling off with the kids in India.Touring England. God didn’t create these buildings of course, but they are still awesome for us to enjoy!A walkway in Florida through a nature perserve.You’ve got to love a random bug!Castles in England fascinate me!A cow in India.I got up early and went to Cades Cove to see a bear. All I saw was some deer. That’s OK with me!The morning sun has still not burnt the mist off the horizon.A momma and her calf in Florida.A bird in my backyard. Anyone know what kind it is?Take off!Views from our boat ride in India.Yes, that’s a real live herd of elephants!I’m intrigued by the old buildings in England.An Ohio frog being held by my braver than me, daughter-in-law! Frogs remind me to Fully Rely On God! Get it?Another view in my backyard.A couple of monkeys in India. This baby has ears only a mother could love!My favorite picture of a monkey on the streets in India.A barren Mt. St. Helen.A view of mountains from the plane.India is so cool. Love this!We’re on our way to Gatlinburg in the spring.A double rainbow on the way to Mt. Hood.Florida beaches.Pigeon Forge in the fall. Lovely!Yep, they’re real. Swept up by the boat we were on in Oregon.Photos don’t even express the majesty in a sunset.Sunset in San Diego.Love a Florida sunset!Beautiful!I think this is a tea farm in India.Seattle Fish Market sells flowers!A couple of turkey buzzards in Florida.This looks like a love story. Don’t let them fool you. They were fighting for a space on the dock!Arf, Arf, Arf!God’s promise of a better tomorrow!
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—
have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Did you ever have a day that nothing went right? It is now 9:01 am and I am declaring that today has been a hard day. Today would have been my brother’s 65th birthday if he had not passed away in October. March 11 to me is a big, fat, reminder of what I have lost. After realizing what the date was, then accidentally breaking a glass, and knowing a few other struggles in my path today, I was beginning to feel sorry for myself.
Then a good friend called. She said, “Lori, The Lord has put you on my mind this morning and I don’t know why. All I know is that He asked me to call and pray with you today.” I was quickly put back on track to know that no matter what trials and tribulations, heartbreaks, disappointments or fears we might face; God is always there for us. He might come to us through a song, a scripture, or even through a stranger that crosses our path. Other times, He might just come as the peace that passes all understanding. That’s like when we know and can feel that He is calming our spirit and giving us strength to face another day. Today He chose to come to me through a friend. So today, I’m not going to feel sorry for myself. Rather, I will once again choose to praise Him through the storms!
You’re probably wondering why the picture of my coffee pot fiasco a few days ago? I once again forgot to put a cup under it when I pushed brew. I laugh and I like to say, “That’s my brain not on caffeine!” However, I know now that it was God, once again, giving me the perfect illustration. You see, we can load our brains with scriptures and head knowledge, just as we would be loading the coffee pot with coffee. However, if we don’t open our hearts and allow them to be filled with God’s Spirit, as a coffee cup would be filled with coffee, we never really can understand the fullness of God. Because you see, it first requires us providing a vessel for Him to fill and then secondly, we have to drink from the cup. Psalm 34:8 (NKJV) Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Just know that whatever you are facing, God wants to be there for you. As a matter of fact, He wants to fill your cup to overflowing. Pray and ask Him to be Lord over your life and your struggles then expect to taste and see the most magnificent expression of love from the Creator, Himself. Perhaps you’re too tired to pray or don’t have the words. Ask a friend to pray with you. You can even send me a private prayer request at justtryingtobeablessing@gmail.com and I will pray for you this week too.
I want to keep it short this week because in closing, I want you to have time to enjoy this song that was sung a few weeks ago in our church. May it speak to your heart and help you to find strength for another day no matter what your circumstances might be. Then don’t forget, once you are filled…go out and be a blessing!
Image courtesy of SweetCrisis at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I don’t want to freak you out if you’re a hypochondriac, but did you know that having cancer cells in your body is normal? Even healthy bodies produce thousands of cancer cells every day. However, since our body’s immune system is designed to manage and kill these cells, many people don’t actually get cancer even if they have cancer cells in their bloodstream. It’s basically when your body stops working properly that it allows cancer cells to grow and create problems. In that regard, cancer is a symptom of your body’s immune system not functioning properly.
Similarly, we all have a sinful nature running through our veins. Some of us choose to pray and trust God to help us overcome it. Others allow that sinful nature to chew at their soul until there is nothing left…like a cancer. You might then say that sinning is a symptom of a malfunction in our relationship with God… similar to our body’s immune system malfunctioning and not protecting us from cancer.
There is a song that we sing in church called Marvelous Light, by Charlie Hall that says, “Sin has lost its power, death has lost its sting…” Since we sang that song last week, those ten words have constantly been in my mind. Not being able to shake the thought, I figured I would write my blog about it this week and work it out on paper. Then maybe I could stop it from repeating in my mind all the time. It’s way cheaper than a counselor and much less inconvenient!
I’ve had a lot of people check-in on me to see how I am and how things are going. I have been happy to report that as a result of prayer and God’s protection, I feel great! I truly have peace that surpasses all understanding. I realize though that there might be some tough days ahead; I’m human. However, I am blessed by the way God is taking me through this and I am convinced that I have peace because God, my spiritual immune system, is at work in my life. I am overcoming my need to focus on woe is me as a victim and am being shown how God is taking me through as a victor.
We all have a choice. Do we allow the sin and dark thoughts to win or do we stay focused on God and trust Him when we face a challenge in life? The words, “Sin has lost its power” have come to life for me this past week. It is not worth it for me to fall into the darkness anymore and not trust God. To me, that would be sinful. I have tasted of the sweetness of my Lord and Savior and no matter how much I must suffer, I will continue to call on God to protect me. Sin has lost its appeal.
Whether I overcome my physical issues is irrelevant. God’s plan for me is unfolding and whatever the outcome, it is His will for my life. He is teaching me in an intimate way that I can trust Him through EVERYTHING that this life leads me through. I don’t have to succumb to my carnal ways and entertain fear and anger; rather, I just need to trust and believe. If I win the physical battle, I will praise Him for healing me. If I lose the physical battle, I will praise Him for seeing me through to the end. Either way, I see it as a win…death has lost its sting. When you know this life isn’t your home and there is something waiting for you on the other side far greater than you could ever imagine, it is easy to praise and thank God for whatever challenge you might be facing.
I’ve said having cancer is like wrestling an alligator. Some days you’re on top and others it whisks you to the bottom of the swamp before you know it. However, even the bottom of the swamp can be OK when you know the Savior Who created the universe and everything in it has your back. So today I choose to follow, trust and give Him my life whatever that may look like for the rest of my days on this earth.
If you don’t have a relationship with God that you know He will see you through anything you face, pray and ask Him to come into your life today. Ask Him for ways to overcome the sin and temptations that you may be experiencing and take away the fears that cripple you. Trust Him to see you through…all the way to the end. As His servant and witness, I can truly say, “He is faithful. You can put your trust in Him.”
1Corinthians 15:55-58 (NIV) “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Psalm 56:3-4 (NKJV) Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
Lori Kempton, Author/Speaker 