Tag Archives: Inspirational

Three questions we must ask before reaching the final destination of life. 

2 Jul

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

His Way

06-24-16 checklistTurbulence made us shake and jostle up and down and from side to side. We were about 20 minutes before landing in Orlando when the announcement came:

“Ladies and gentlemen, turbulence is too severe for us to walk down the aisle,” the flight attendant said. “We’ll go with the honor system. Please make sure your seat belt is on, bags stowed under the seat, tables are secured and your seat is in the upright position. And please look to the person beside you and make sure they have also complied.”

Look to the person beside us? Good idea. We can hold each other accountable.

“Make sure you, yourself have complied first before checking others,” the flight attendant added.

Makes sense. Before we try to correct the person beside us, we have to do a self-check first.

The check list is important as we all encounter life’s turbulence. Whether it’s slight or severe, without exception, we all approach the final destination. And being wise, sharp and alert, and recognizing our human vulnerability in situations out of our control, we prepare.

And in the preparation, fear leaves, anxiety is gone and peace soothes our heart when we answer these three questions:

  1. Are we secure in Jesus our Savior? If so, we’re guaranteed life eternal, and we prepare the attire for the journey: “As God’s chose people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)
  2. Do we have any baggage of resentment stowed away in our heart? “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)
  3. What do we hold high, above all? “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:14)

In the turbulence of our days and in the fast pace of this world, our final destination may be closer than we think…so…how would you answer these three questions?

Janet

Source: Three questions we must ask before reaching the final destination of life. | Janet Perez Eckles

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What Keeps You Going

1 Jul

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

It’s important to have an answer to that question.
You truly need purpose as you age.
Purpose is fundamental, so
your day is not hum-drum
or ‘just another page.”

 

I want my life to matter.
i want to touch another soul.
If you take the time to read my words,
then I feel I have reached my goal

 

.

We are expected to glorify Christ
in all that we do.
When your heart is filled with His love,
others will see Christ in you.

 

Open new chapters of your life.
It’s important to be more bold.
Take more risks, not physical,
but being more yourself.
That’s growing whole, not old.

 

Painting by DiVoran Lites

Painting by DiVoran Lites

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You Are Not What You Think You Are…

24 Jun

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

”You Are Not What You Think You Are,
But What You Think, You Are’

 

Now that is controversial,
and truly is confusing.
You are toying with my thinking,
But I do find it amusing.

 

If I think that I am coping
with the problems of old age,
And truly believe that my life
is not ruled by a calendar page,
Then I will continue on my journey-
finding meaning as I go,
Trusting God to teach me
all that He wants me to know.

 

It never ceases to amaze me
when I think about the past.
The trials never seemed to end-
While the good times went so fast.

 

Everything in life happens for a reason.
God wants to conform us to the image of His Son.
When confronted with life’s problems,
Remember, the battle has already been won.

 

Travel Together copy

Painting by DiVoran Lites

 

 

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No Stress Zone

21 Jun

A Life to Live
Melody Hendrix

“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.”
– David Allen

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
– William James

“Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.”
– Hans Selye

“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”
– Lee Iacocca

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”
– Winston Churchill

Take rest a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”
– Ovid

 

 

Dawn Twilight on the River

 

 

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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How to be set free from sin.

18 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

His Way

 

 

luggageThere I was last week, holding on to the escort’s arm, pulling my luggage behind. With quick steps, we made our way through the airport.

“This way to immigration,” he said.

Immigration? I had forgotten I was coming in on an international flight and of course immigration and customs were part of the process

“I need to call my husband and let him know,” I said. “He’s waiting for me outside the airport.”

We stepped in the immigration area, and I pulled my cell phone out. And as soon as I gave Siri a command, I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Ma’am, this is security,” a man said, “cell phone use is prohibited in this area.”

Gulp. I gave a silly smile. “So sorry…”

What was I thinking? I remembered the announcement made loud and clear earlier detailing the regulations and Homeland Security laws. But, busy with my own agenda, I dismissed them.

But what’s new? While navigating through the airport of life, we do the same thing. Pulling behind past sin, current sin and on-going sins. Sometimes we hide them; we ignore them, or even live drowning in shame because of them.

Know why we do all that? Because we dismissed this important announcement God made in Isaiah 43:25, “I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

Did you know that in the area of God’s grace it’s prohibited to recall past sins? If once on our knees we repent, freedom comes. And in His grace we can let go of the suitcase of sin, release the shame, and leave guilt behind.

If God remembers your sin no more, why do you?

Source: How to be set free from sin. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Slow Down

14 Jun

A Time to Live
Melody Hendrix

It’s okay to slow down, even if there’s a lot you have to do. In fact, it’s essential to slow down, rest, recover, refill the well and regain your energy consistently as you work towards achieving goals. The down time of burnout can be far longer than those few moments, hours or days you take to do what you need to do to feel awesome.

Awesome Life Tips

 

Slow Down copy
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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Five mistakes that bring on regret. 

11 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

His Way

 

 

I woke up, and while still in bed, I stretched and yawned one night during my visit to Ecuador. As I pondered about the time, I had no way to find out. My cell phone didn’t work—no connection. Unlike here in the States, there was no land line phone to use to call for time.

Most of you who are sighted, would glance toward your phone or clock and know the exact time. Not so for this blind gal.

Surely it must be morning, I thought. So, I started my morning routine. But before getting dressed, I realized it must still be the middle of the night as I heard no birds singing.

Have you done the same? We all do it, don’t’ we? We take action and begin our routine at the wrong time. Even worse, we forge on without checking God’s timing. Without consulting His will. And without seeking His guidance.

Then when we’re in the middle of the journey, things begin to fall apart. That’s when we try to hide our regret, and, with a sorrowful look, we ask God for His input, His help and rescue.

Jesus told that very story in Luke 15. He relates how a young man chose to follow the recipe for bitter regret marinated in foolishness. And often we do, too. We go through these five stages:

  1. We follow our own intuition, our wisdom and whims. “….the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13).
  2. Later, we evaluate the situation and scratch our head, wondering how we got there. “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need” (Luke 15:11).
  3. We scramble, looking for an answer. “So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs” (Luke 15:15).
  4. We recognize our bad timing, our mistakes and our pitiful ending. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you’” (Luke 15:17).
  5. The glorious good news is God welcomes us back:  “The son came back home and…while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 ).

The father delighted in the son’s return. God does the same. No matter the foolish path, the sad mistakes, the pitiful choices, we can always, always come back. God will run to meet us, throw His arms of compassion around us and give us the kiss of forgiveness.

What regret still nags at you today?

Source: Five mistakes that bring on regret. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Expiration Date

10 Jun

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

Our life is in God’s hands.
All of our days are fashioned by Him.
In His book they all are written,
not by accident or whim.

 

Every jug of milk or can of tuna
has an expiration date.
Well, so have we.
God’s timing is best,
but it is not for us to see.

 

Psalm 139, Verse 16

Thine eyes did see my substance
yet being unformed, and
in Thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance
were fashioned, when as yet
there was none of them.

 

When asked, “What is the greatest surprise
you have found about life?”
Your response will be, “The brevity of it”.
Yes, life is but a minute,
but eternity is in it.
Keep looking up, dear friend.
Jesus is waiting at the Cross for you.
His dearest desire is to communicate with you.
Life on earth is not the end.

 

clouds meet sea

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The Power of Words

3 Jun

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

Choose your words carefully
for they are powerful, you’ll agree.
They can encourage one’s heart
and turn sadness into glee.

 

How does one express love?
How do you define it?
It stems from the heart-
There is hope and promise in it.

 

“Colors fade, temples crumble,
empires fall, but wise words endure.”
Edward Thorndike

 

Words of love
“Therefore comfort one another with these words”
1 Thesalonians 4:18

 

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.
Have you used one to say “Thank you”?

 

Words copy

 

 

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Thanks for the Memories: Jesus Loves Me

30 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

DiVoran, Mom and brother

David, Dora, and DiVoran Bowers

It was a time of childhood and Mother took us to the church she’d been reared in. It was, and still is, a beautiful church built from some kind of red stone. But I see on the Internet that it is closed now. How sad. Mother, David and I could walk there from our grandparents’ apartment house where we lived while Daddy was away fighting in WW2.

I must have been in first grade the year Auntie Elvira was my Sunday School teacher. She had taught my mother, then my mother’s younger sister and later she taught my cousins and even their children. Elvira, a maiden-lady lived alone, but she was well-beloved by the entire Canon City, Colorado community.

Our Sunday School room was clean, well-lit, and cheerful with carefully crafted wooden book cases holding children’s books we could read if there was time. Auntie Elvira always told an exciting Bible Story and let us know how much Jesus loved us. The one thing she never forgot was to lead us in, “Jesus Loves Me,” a song I have remembered all my life.

“Jesus Loves Me,” has helped me out of many low places. One day when Bill was working at the Kennedy Space Center I was pushing the iron around on one his white shirts when I began to feel so discouraged about myself I could hardly stand up. I recalled our minister of counseling telling us that he had a congregant say she had tried to feel as if she measured up to God’s expectation, but she never could. One day she fell to her knees and prayed fervently but that didn’t help, so she stretched out flat with her nose pushed into the floor thinking God might smile on her then.

I decided to get down on my face, too, and see how it worked for me. I put the iron in its holder, but that moment I remembered a tale told by our pastor, Peter Lord. He said he knew a professor in seminary who was the best educated, and the Godliest man he’d ever known. When a student asked him what his favorite song was, the professor answered, “Jesus Love Me.”

Still standing at the ironing board I decided that if it was good enough for a fine man like that, I’d give it a try. As I sang, Auntie Elvira’s love for the children came back and then I felt a warmth in my heart. That warmth assured me that God did love me, after all. I went back to ironing, but by then I had the song where it needed to be and I repeated it over and over. I have now depended on it for many years. God did, however continue to solidify my conviction that I was all right with him, as well. During that period I had two memorable dreams.

Charlene and Billie png

Charlene and Billy Lites

The first dream was about a dog. When Charlene and Billy were children, we gave them an adopted puppy for Christmas. They were thrilled. Right away Renie dressed the pup in doll clothes and put her in the doll buggy. We named her Dingo because she looked like an Australian Dingo dog. When she became full-sized, she couldn’t do enough to show how much she loved us and wanted to be with us. Then, one night, I dreamed that Dingo came to the side of my bed and she was blind. I didn’t feel pity, instead I knew it was a message from the Holy Spirit, God telling me that He didn’t see my sins any more than that blind dog could see me. That was confirmed by Corrie ten Boom at a meeting in Melbourne when she said: “God has threw our sins into the deepest sea and put up a, NO FISHING sign.

Trust in the Lord

Those dreams and the reassurance that God loved me happened over fifty years ago, and yet I remember one other dream as vividly: In this one, I run through the sky as light as a butterfly, totally free of all shame and blame. Though I’ve had doubts about my own “perfection,” I never doubted the Father’s love again.

“Jesus love me, this I know,

For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak, but He is strong.”

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