Writing and Art From A Life Redeemed by Jesus Christ

Thanksgiving Day is a few hours away and I want to encourage you to count your blessings. Yes, one by one. It might sound time consuming, but try it. You will be surprised at how much better you feel. Thanksgiving is a national holiday. But thanksgiving is something we can celebrate daily as we think on those things which bless us. In the Old Testament there were different types of offerings. Some were required by the Old Testament law and some offerings were free will offerings. In other words, offered at will by the individual in gratitude.. Today, Jesus shed blood made the final sacrifice by the offering of His shed blood and body on the cross. And His offering fulfilled all that was needed. Yet, I can still offer God by my free will, a thanksgiving offering. A thanksgiving offering of looking for the good and thanking Him. Offering Him my grateful attitude. By expressing in word and deed, that I am thankful for His provision. You can chose to look for the good in your life and be t...

You have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. Your input, your presence, are needed. Reach out. How can you add value to another person or a situation? By volunteering to help outside of yourself and your needs. This might be as simple as helping someone close to you. Example: A neighbor. You have been gifted to bring about positive change in your world. There are people and things that make up your world and your circle of influence. You can make a positive difference. Prayerfully consider the needs around you. The world is full of needs. Make a choice. Not once, but daily. Prayerfully consider where your time and effort should be spent today. Do not make a job of it. Today. You are giving something from yourself today. Your gift of volunteering could be 10 minutes of undivided helpfulness toward another persons need. This is not an opportunity to be used but to be useful. Regardless of our time commitments we can schedule a bit of volunteering. Obviously you have commit...

I love to have a gourmet meal prepared for me. To see that someone took the time and effort to gather the ingredients, prepare and serve a great meal intended for me. How great is that? Even leftovers can be a great meal from such an effort. But for most of us, a thrown together batch of ingredients make up our meals and our lives. Bits and pieces gathered together as we live and shop in a hurry to just get the task accomplished. I have noticed that we tend to handle our relationships with one another in the same way. This will work for a while, but eventually you will discover that something is missing. Relationships are not prepackaged meals. And a great leftover is still a leftover. Relationships require hands on prep work. They take time. Your time. Relationships require a gourmet meal approach on a regular basis. This ensures that our emotional bank will be replete. We all need to be fed. No exceptions. When cooking, you can find nutritious viable options for feeding yourself...

There are times and seasons in which we need to let go, but not give up. There is a need to hang on to God's word and God's timing. There have been times, when I started to give up on a situation or a person. Yet, the Lord would impress me to give the situation or the person a bit more time. Time to grow, time to be watered, time for the light of God to shine forth in our hearts. In the natural our faith is matured through a growth process. As with all things this takes time. If the Lord plants a seed in your heart to believe for something beyond your natural mind, you need to let it mature. Maturity happens as a thing, person, or situation is left in the ample, sovereign hands of God. If you try to make something happen before its time, results can be less than expected. It is hard to wait. And wait. And wait. But wait. The Lord of the harvest knows when the seed is matured and ready to be harvested. God knows the desires of our hearts and the good plan that H...