Tag Archives: God

Slaying the Giants In Your Life~ Destroying Discouragement

13 Jan

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

 

 

 

Can you recognize the enemy?
There’s a battle to be won.
Know what you are fighting-
Your armor is the Son!

 

There are three ways to live:
You can live out-
You can wear out,
or
You can burn out!

 

It’s erroneous to say
working too hard is burnout.
Working hard “at the right thing”
is what it’s all about.

 

Bring everything out of that “anxiety closet”
and expose it to the light.
When looked at as they truly are,
you can put them all to flight!

 

Emotions are treacherous advisors.
We need to be disciplined and stay on track.
Work can be wonderful therapy.
It will get your confidence back.

 

The biblical story of David
can turn your life around.
Get your slingshot ready-
“Discouragement”, you are going DOWN!”

 

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength.
A very present help in trouble,
Therefore, we will not fear.
Though the earth be removed
and though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Tho the mountains shake with its swelling.

 

cross-on-snow-covered-mountain

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The key to endure everything

7 Jan

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

What was I thinking? I only taught him half a lesson.

I held my 6-year-old grandson’s face in my hands. “Sweet boy. Before you go into a room and the door is closed, you need to knock, OK?”

I felt his head nod between my hands.

Later on, he followed my new rule. After a few quick knocks, he walked right in.

“Come here, sweet boy,” I said. “Nana forgot to tell you that you need to wait for someone to say, Come in before entering the room.”

My desire is for that beautiful boy to grow up in Jesus’ footsteps. To follow His lead. Emulate His ways and imitate Jesus’ sensitive nature.

And His sensitivity shows when He says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 16:20).

He stands, waits and lingers at the door of our heart until we open it and say, “Come in.”

And that’s when a new beginning happens. With Jesus residing in our heart, we taste new freedom and rely in new power. We can face all the tomorrows. We endure all adversity. We walk through dark valleys, leave fear behind and welcome a New Year with confidence wrapped in the warmth of His security.

Have you heard Him knock at the door of your heart lately?

Source: The key to endure everything. | Janet Perez Eckles

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What to do when our world turns upside down.

31 Dec

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

11-20-16-convertible-jan-e1478897209951Do I really want to do this? I thought. I sat in the back of a bright red, shiny convertible. As one of the winners of the alumni merit award for my alma mater, I was invited to ride in the homecoming parade.

At first, I was hesitant to do such a foolish thing. But as folks cheered and waved, I waved back. They cheered some more and I was delighting in connecting with the crowds lined along the side of the streets.

“Get the phone, Honey” I said to my hubby seated beside me. “Let’s get a live video on Facebook.”

The bright sun made it difficult to see the screen, yet he diligently followed through. He held the phone showing the scenery, the crowd and the decorated floats as I related the details of the event.

Later, we read this comment, “Looks like you’ve been partying a bit too much.”

Partying? What in the world did he mean? We quickly understood the comment when we saw the video. Goodness gracious, it was upside down!

Isn’t that like life? When we’re enjoying the experiences, thinking all is well, we find that unexpectedly, things happen, turmoil appears, suffering shows up and we find our world turning upside down with sorrow.

But when we know, truly know God, we can wave at the world, cheer our triumph and declare with shining reassurance these truths found in Psalm 23 – The Message Translation (MSG)

“God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.” (Psalm 23:1)
“You have bedded me down in lush meadows; you find me quiet pools to drink from.” (Psalm 23:2)
“True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.” (Psalm 23:3)
“Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.” (Psalm 23:4)
“You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.” (Psalm 23:5)
“Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.” (Psalm 23:6)
What is your life missing these days?

Source: What to do when our world turns upside down. | Janet Perez Eckles

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How to find triumph in tragedy

24 Dec

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

hanging-stockings

My son Joe’s empty stocking on the fireplace seared my heart. It had been twelve years since Joe’s tragic death.

Christmas no longer called for a celebration. Not anymore. Not when you have a vital part of your life missing. Festivities don’t have the joy they should.

And Christmas trees don’t emanate the usual scent.

Actually, my days needed to erase the Christmases, the birthdays, the holidays—all ushered pain rather than delight. They reminded me of what I once had and now what was gone.

The world celebrated, greetings of good wishes filled the room. But when tragedy turns your world upside down, no amount of cheer can bring clarity to the fog of sadness.

Strange, though, often, it’s the scorching pain that forces our eyes to open to a bigger picture. It did for me as I rewound memories of past Christmases.

Years ago, when our three sons, including Joe, were still young, I focused on providing a perfect Christmas; a perfect tree to wrap a perfect celebration. As a result, little things tended to roil in me such as a light strand that refused to shine because of a burned bulb. Annoyed at the glitch, I promptly set off to resolve it. I fussed, I rearranged, plugged and unplugged until frustration grew hot in me.

How foolish and silly. I focused on that one bulb, dismissing the glow of the star atop the Christmas tree.

I’ve done the same with light bulbs that burned in my life—from broken relationships to shattered plans. Exerting tons of energy trying to fix them, I missed Christ, the newborn King—the star that gave significance to my life. The star that covers shadows of gloom and sorrow.

Joe’s memories changed—his sweet smile, his tender hugs and his sense of humor now sit atop of my life, casting off that glow to bring back the joy.

To remind me that he’s not gone, not from my heart, not from my mind, nor have the images of his spunky self vanished.

When that void in our heart aches to be filled, it’s Christ’s star of comfort that makes it whole. When bitter sorrow robs the spirit of Christmas, it’s the star of His everlasting love that whispers joy. When a health diagnosis shakes our world, it’s His star of reassurance that shines the certainty of new tomorrows. When our finances rob our security, it’s the star of God’s provision that ushers the radiance of reassurance. It’s the same star that never loses the brilliance of hope. The hope that, through Christ, tragedies turn to triumph.

Source: How to find triumph in tragedy. | Janet Perez Eckles

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31 Days of God’s Comfort~Day 5

19 Dec

clown-with-balloons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture and Paraphrase by DiVoran Lites

Day 5

Good News

Hebrews 9:10, 5:13

 

Beloved,

 

Here’s an interesting thought.

You don’t need to give blood sacrifices in order to have your sins forgiven.

Your sins are already forgiven because of Jesus’ blood sacrifice for you on the cross. If your conscience speaks to you, we’ll talk it over and get you straight.

We have no barriers between us, no sacrifice necessary.

You may walk right up to my throne, and start talking.

I will give you what you need. You will feel My forgiveness and healing power.

You can keep going through fire, high water, and old age.

Trust that I always keep my promises to you.

Accept eternal forgiveness and forge ahead.

Christ’s sacrifice includes eternal connection with me,

Welcome home child.

 

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Why do our prayers go unanswered?

17 Dec

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

12-09-16-airplane

Am I being silly with this prayer request? I thought as I asked God for help.

“You’ll never make it,” the airline agent said on the phone as I booked my flight. “You only have 30 minutes and you have to go through the airport to change airlines. The aircraft is very small with limited seating.”

“Book me anyway,” I said.

Was that faith or foolishness on my part?

Weeks later, I boarded the flight from Orlando to St. Louis. Holding on to the airline agent’s arm, she helped me to my seat inside the airplane. I settled down, folded my white cane and stuck it in the front pocket of the seat.

I buckled in. “Okay, Lord, I need a miracle,” I began my silent prayer, “place beside me a young man who can walk fast, and who’s nice enough to offer to help me to the gate to catch my next flight.”

But as rare as it was, no one sat beside me, I mean no one. Lord, what’s up with that! I can’t afford to miss my next flight.

We were descending and the announcement came through, “Ladies and gentlemen, seems like the air current was in our favor; we’ll be arriving in St. Louis 20 minutes early.”

I grinned. God is so good! That would make it very possible to reach the next flight. So I thought…

“Can you run?” I asked the airline escort waiting for me at the exit of the airplane.

“Sure can,” he said.

And we did. We zipped past passengers, up the elevator and dashed to the gate. I handed my ID to the agent behind the counter.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” the gate agent said. “The flight is completely full.”

I took a deep breath. “No you don’t understand. God made it so I could get here on time. Please, please look again, there has got to be one more seat left,” I pleaded.

“It’s a seven-seater aircraft,” he said, “how much do you weigh?”

“How much do you want me to weigh,” I chuckled. “One hundred thirteen.

“Hmmm…seems like one passenger didn’t show up,” he said. “I’ll get your boarding pass.”

I nearly reached over the counter and hugged him.

That lesson taught me a lot. So often God tests our faith, our trust and our commitment to remain calm.

He probably did that for you, too. When you so badly want to get on the flight that takes you to the answer, you ask and beg. And just when you are specific in your prayer request, He seems silent. He seems distant, ignoring your request.

But if hope seems to vanish and doubt knocks at the door, He’s whispering: “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).

In the desperation of your request, will you trust He’s working on the answer…not in your way but His?

Source: Why do our prayers go unanswered? | Janet Perez Eckles

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God Has Been Watching Over Me~Part 5

7 Dec

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

After we were married, DiVoran and I moved to Inglewood, CA for me to go to college. I was still using the 1955 Harley Davidson Sportster for my main means of transportation (yes, she married me even after that night at the River Bottom). One weekend my lovely new wife and I went on a “Poker Run” with the local Motorcycle Club.* On the way home, after the event, I had let DiVoran drive the motorcycle for a while. I had unconsciously been guiding the motorcycle around slow turns with my weight from the back seat. When we came upon a sharper curve she kept going straight! I reached around her to grab the handlebars, but she wouldn’t let go!! Luckily, with my hands on hers and my extra weight, I was able to get us around that turn and avoid a 200 foot flying drop to the desert floor. We stopped to get our breaths back, and DiVoran never wanted to drive that motorcycle again. There is no question in my mind that God was watching over DiVoran and me with His wings of protection that day!

 

1

 

We didn’t live far from the university or DiVoran’s beauty shop work place, so I rode the motorcycle to school and she drove our 1950 Mercury to work. If you have ever been to the Los Angeles, California area you know what the weather can be like. The fog rolls in every evening and by morning everything is wet, including the streets. Luckily, my route to school was on neighbor streets and not very busy, like U.S.-101 or Century Blvd. One morning on my way to school a lady pulled out of a side street right in front of me. She was looking to the right as she pulled out into traffic and by the time she looked left, in my direction, she was in the middle of my lane and she stopped! I had clamped on both front and rear brakes, but on the wet street, I slid right into the side of her car. Our meeting at that neighborhood intersection, a few seconds earlier or later, and that could have been a deadly accident for me. This had to be God’s timing, as nobody was hurt, only repairable fender damage to car and motorcycle.

 

2

 

Some days at lunch time (if I didn’t have a class) I would ride my motorcycle over to the beauty shop in downtown Inglewood, where Divoran was working, to have lunch with her. There was a wide sweeping curve on Crenshaw Blvd, just before I got to the beauty shop, that was easy on the motorcycle. This one day as I was rounding that curve I hit an oil slick; one second I was enjoying the ride around that curve, and the next second I was on the pavement sliding across three lanes into the curb. This was another case were God had miraculously arranged the traffic on that busy street, in both directions, to be clear while I was sliding across that street burning the skin off my leg and hip. Thanks to Him I only ended up with a case of Road-Rash instead of becoming a case of Road-Kill.

 

3

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

*See Bill’s blog “Death Valley Run”- 6/06/2012.

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God Has Been Watching Over Me~Part 4

30 Nov

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

It was about this time in my life that I decided I needed a car to keep me warm in the winter, so I bought a very used 1940 Chevy Coupe. The plan was to restore the car as a “Street Rod” that would catch the attention of the “chicks” at the local A&W Root Beer Stand (teen hang-out) in the Nob Hill area of the Northeast Heights, on Central Avenue (US-66) there in Albuquerque.

 

1a

 

 

The first thing I needed to do was to rebuild the engine. Of course, that took a lot longer than I had planned. While I was doing that, in my spare time, my trusty 1955 Harley Davidson Sportster was my main mode of transportation.

 

2

 

I had met DiVoran in, of all places, a Basic Typing Class during our senior year of high school (as I mentioned earlier my interest in school was waning by then). You might ask, “What motorcycle “Jock” would take a typing class?” And, I would tell you, “The kind that was just looking for an easy senior year last-choice course that didn’t require homework.” That was me. As it happened, DiVoran used the same typewriter I did in the next class.

 

3

 

As a quick prelude to this next incident, I would like to explain that, over the decades, when the wind blew from the west toward Albuquerque, some of the desert sand the wind kicked up ended up forming a “V” shaped sand dune at the edge of the Rio Grande River. This “V” shaped dune was approximately ¼ mile long and extended from the edge of the river up a 30+ degree incline to the top of the mesa. When the river was low (which was most of the time) there would be a small area, along the river, of hard dirt where the water had washed away the sand. One of the motorcycle sports, some of my school friends indulged in, was what we called “Pulling the River Bottom.”   This involved riding our motorcycles from the mesa down to the bottom of that “V” shaped sand dune to the edge of the river. Then we would get up as much speed as we could, on that small area of hard dirt, and try to get back up to the mesa. It was always a challenge, and I had participated in this thrilling ride many times.

 

4

 

One night I took DiVoran to the River Bottom to show off my riding skills and have some romantic time in the moonlight.* Since I didn’t have a buddy seat, I sat on the gas tank and she sat on the seat with her arms around me (Now wasn’t that cozy?) and her feet resting on the foot pegs. I told her, “Hold on to me tight and try to use your knees as shock absorbers.” With the engine at full throttle, we hit 2nd gear, and the acceleration was trying to pull both of us off the motorcycle. It was all I could do to hold onto the handlebars. We hit a couple of small bumps as we started up the incline and her feet came off the foot pegs. When we hit the next bump, the seat spring sent her flying. The first thing I noticed was her arms coming unwrapped from around my waist… then I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye going over the side and she was gone! I slammed on the brakes, stopping the motorcycle, killed the engine and ran back down the incline as fast as I could looking for her.

 

5

 

 

As I approached her, I noticed she wasn’t moving and I panicked. “Oh God, I hope she isn’t dead”.   When I fell down on my knees beside her, I could hear her moaning and she was moving some. “Thank goodness!” I asked her if she was OK? (which of course she wasn’t) and she said, “I think so.” She had landed on her backside and it knocked the wind out of her. It took a few minutes for her to recover before we could walk up to the top of the mesa. Boy, was God ever watching over DiVoran and me that night!

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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God’s Shining Light

29 Nov

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are….
The second greatest is being happy with what you find…..
unknown
Let your light shine so brightly that others can see their way out of the dark.
Katrina Mayer
Speak to your children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful and magical humans on earth, for what they believe is what they will become.   Brooke Hampton
light-painted-sunflower

 

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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Thirty One Days of God’s Comfort Day 1

21 Nov

trees-of-the-hills

Painting and Paraphrase by DiVoran Lites

Day One

Trees of the Hills

Isaiah 55:8-13

 

Beloved,

My thoughts are not your thoughts,

You receive my thoughts to replace your thoughts,

You follow My ways which are not your ways.

Now the mountains and the hills sing.

The trees of the fields clap their hands.

You are led forth in light and joy.

You are filled with truth, grace, and peace.

 

 

 

 

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