Choose Joy Instead

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." - Philippians 4:4-6

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8

"Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord." - Psalm 107:43

Dear God,

Choose joy over complaining. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. God, grant me more patience when I encounter the evil and the hate in this world. Give me more gentleness and kindness. Help me kill it with kindness. Help me show more love. But also grant me more wisdom to know when I should just shut up and find an exit. Help me to never be afraid to correct someone that is being ignorant and spreading hate for others. But help me to always do so in love. Grant me the capacity to forgive and love like You forgive and love. Thank You for that which You have provided and will continue to provide even though I am unsure of how You will do so right now.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

Stay on the High Road with God

Micah 6:8 - He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

Dear God, my path is my path and no one else's nor is anyone else's path my path. For those times when churches or other people say that I need to deviate from my path, help me to never go astray and to learn to stand up for justice, kindness, and humbleness. No one should ever make me feel ashamed to be different just as I should never shame anyone for being different. Thank You for valuable lessons. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Taste and See That God Is Good

Genesis 16:13-14 - So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, "You are a. God of seeing," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me." Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

Psalm 34:8 - Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

John 20:19 - On the evening do that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

Colossians 3:15 - And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body. And be thankful. 

Dear God, peace. Goodness. God, You are not the God of the GOP which gave everyone a bitter pill. You are a God who loves every single person because every single person was created just as You wanted him or her to be. In Your loving goodness, You chose some of us to be less rich than others, and in Your loving goodness, You instilled on some good people in our history to design programs to help those less fortunate than others. You spoke clearly in Matthew 25 about how we are to treat those less fortunate. You instilled in governments all the way back to kings and kingdoms the value of humanity, a nation, a leadership, takes care of its citizens. I apologize for the GOP which misrepresents You. I ask for their eyes and their hearts to be opened to the error of their ways. And in the meantime, I ask for Your continued provision for my family. After all, You are a God of love and of peace, and You are good. Thank You for wisdom and goodness and peace. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Special Path

Micah 6:8 - He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 (ICB) - The Lord has told you what is good. He has told you what he wants from you: Do what is right to other people. Love being kind to others. And live humbly, trusting your God.

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Dear God, I understand that each person has his or her path in life. This is why I do not understand why Tom's church did what they did to me. They tried to change the path You had me on. And in doing that, they hurt me more than anyone ever could. When Tom did what he did, he knew he was wrong to do so. Yet he still did it. He knew he should have talked to me. Yet he didn't. Yet this is where things get weird, You, God, have taught me more about Your grace and Your love and Your mercy and Your kindness and Your forgiveness these past few months more so than Tom and most definitely more so than his church ever did. It turns that Your grace and love and mercy and kindness and forgiveness are more real and more alive than what even they could ever comprehend themselves and I have experienced it firsthand and now it is spilling over and You are asking me to share it. With Tom and with others. But You see. I have been through a lot and it was recommended that I write to Tom's church. But I think the reason I haven't printed that letter yet and sent it is because it isn't his church that I need to come to terms with yet. It is Tom. And then if he accepts, them it is his church. So help me God. Help me to write the words I need to say to him, the truth he needs to hear, maybe even for the first time. Or maybe the thousandth time as old and ancient as he is in terms of life experience because he is not really old and ancient. Anyway, God, each person does have his or her own path, and as it turns out, his church was wrong to interfere with Your work in my life and it was wrong to exclude me the way it did. Maybe it would have been different had they not tried to change who I am, who You created me to be. And I think even Ginny knew that which is why she told me some things that they would not be happy to know she told me. Because Ginny knew I needed to come into my own person and that the other two on that "team" were damaging me. They may not have intended to inflict damage, but they were actually very divisive which is what caused the damage. And until they address the root of the problem, they will never be able to grow as a church that is good for the people. They will only continue to fall away from You. I mean, even other people are struggling with that church and for a variety of reasons. Maybe it is time for them to stop and listen. Because they are falling apart from the inside out. God, thank You for the path. You have me on. I may long, it may be rough, and it may sometimes seem like it is a mystery to me, but thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!