Thankful Thursday - 1/14

Thankful Thursday is a meme that encourages people to think of 5 things, big or small, to be thankful for each week. This inspires an attitude of gratitude. Here are my five.

1. I'm thankful for medical science, which found yet another mole of mine to be abnormal. So I'll be having some more tissue cut out. Trading moles for scars seems to be my hobby, but it beats malignant melanoma skin cancer! So yay for finding stuff early. And y'all already knew I was abnormal, right?

2. Thankful to be back to blogging. I was so excited to take December off, but am enjoying catching up with all my blog friends.

3. Thankful that I live in a safe place in the world. With the recent earthquake in Haiti, I can't help but think how blessed we are in U.S., and in my little neck of the woods.

4. Thankful that God is always there for me. God loves me when I'm good, bad, happy or sad! And he loves you too! God is love.

5. Thankful for date night coming this weekend. Hubby & I have a black tie event this weekend! I'll be posted pictures and details next week, but should be a fun event! Woo!

What are you thankful for this week? Leave a comment, or link a blog post at Truth 4 the Journey by clicking the button below.

The Power of Faith

By now you’ve probably had a chance to take down some of your Christmas decorations and have reflected on the season. Christmas is full of wonderful things specific only to that time of year. Chances are you don’t have eggnog or fruit cake, except at Christmas time. You’ll never find mistletoe hanging indoors, except at Christmas time. And let’s not forget the wonderful Christmas classics on television. Whether it’s Charlie Brown and his pitiful Christmas tree, or A Wonderful Life’s George Bailey, we love those Christmas classics.

My personal favorite is “Miracle on 34th Street.” “Miracle” is a wonderful movie about a young girl who lives with her mother in New York City. The girl (Natalie Wood as Susan) has been raised to be practical; her mother doesn’t fill Susan’s head with fantasies such as fairy tales. However the man hired to be Santa Claus at Macy’s Store, where Susan’s mother works, claims to be none other than the real Santa. A neighbor who is a lawyer represents “Santa Claus” and ends up proving in a court of law that “Santa” is the true and real Santa.

Along the way Susan’s mother ends up believing and trying to convince her daughter to believe. She tells Susan “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” Susan is disillusioned when Santa doesn’t bring the gift she wants, but she continues to chant, “I believe, I believe, it’s silly, but I believe” to convince herself. And Santa does come through in the end.

Aren’t we a lot like Susan?

To find out how, join me over at Titus 2 in Action by clicking the button below.

A Friend I've Never Met

Do you have any friends that you've never met? If you're a blogger, you know exactly what I mean. I have countless blog-friends that I've never met. If you're reading this, you're probably one of them.


Take my friend, Edie. She lives in Texas. I've never met her, but I consider her a good friend. We leave each other comments regularly. I imagine what it will be like if I ever get to meet her. Surely, we'd sit down over a big pot of coffee and share stories about her grandkids and my kids, all girls around the same age. We'd share stories of her dog Toby, and my THREE dogs! We'd laugh over funny stories about my sister and how much we both like her. I wonder what Edie's voice might sound like and what it would be like to spend time together.


I have countless others, but if I start naming names I'm sure to get in trouble by leaving out someone special, but you know who you are. We've prayed for each other, shared stories via email and blogs, laughed out loud at each others comments, and just thought "wow, a good friend I've never even met."


That's what I think about Jesus! Some people wonder how you can have a relationship with someone you haven't seen! But I haven't seen many of you bloggers and you are special to me.


I may not have ever seen Jesus in person, but He is most certainly my best friend. And just as it is so sweet to have the opportunity to finally be face to face with a special blog friend, imagine the blessed reunion when we finally get to be face to face with Jesus.


John 20:29b -- {Jesus said,} "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."


John 15:14 -- {Jesus said,} "You are my friends if you do what I command."


John 15:13 -- Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

College Bowl Season is about done, and now we enter the play-0ffs for NFL season, finishing with the Super Bowl. One thing you have to say about football fans, they are passionate! The amount of NFL merchandise purchased each season is huge. Football fans aren't afraid to wear their team colors!

Even when faced by rivals, a football fan doesn't stop backing his team. Locally, the Redskins and the Cowboys are the big rival teams. And no matter which you root for, you support, even when them seem to lose time and time again. Football fans are loyal. Even when the ref says the instant replay shows that our player was out of bounds, oh no, we'll argue to the death that he was in.

Isn't it funny that we are able to get so "gung ho" about something that really is inconsequential in the big picture? I mean, the 2010 Super Bowl winner is a big deal I guess, but come 2011 it might be a whole different team in there.

Why can sports fans support their team fanatically with out issue, but if you show your support of Jesus that way, you become known as intolerant, or a religious freak. Why do so many fans have no problem painting their face for their team, but won't risk "losing face" at the office by mentioning God. Why do some fans spend big money on team apparel, but scoff at tithing or donating at church?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could be as passionate about Jesus as we are about football? I'd love to put on my Jesus Jersey (He's #1!) and scream and shout for Jesus with the rest of His fans, wouldn't you?

Are You Ready for Some Jesus? I am!

Editiorial Opinion: Brit Hume

This isn't a devotional, but I just heard something I thought I'd share with you all. On Sunday morning on national TV, correspondent Brit Hume was asked his opinion on the Tiger Woods scandal. Mr. Hume suggested that if Tiger wanted true forgiveness and redemption that he should turn to the Christian faith.

I'm excited to see that little piece of the gospel go out into the world on national TV. Not surprisingly, Mr. Hume's remarks are being criticized as intolerant and he is getting a lot of flack for the comments.

I personally applaud him for speaking out in faith! As Christians we no longer have an open forum. The U.S. is heading toward religious persecution quickly. Are you willing to stand for Jesus, like Mr. Hume?

Matthew 5:11, 12 -- "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The video clip:

Happy New Year?

Are you happy this new year? Or is the weight of the past year still holding you down.

When I look at my "resolutions" from 2009, I see failures. One goal was to finish writing a devotion book to be published this year. And while I still think my idea to write devotionals based on hit songs of the 70s was good (and so did a literary agent), the music industry holds such tight copy rights, that I would spend more on copy right permissions that I would make selling my book. FAIL.

I hoped to exercise more and lose weight. I did hit the gym some, but I came to learn that after age 40 (barely after!) exercise doesn't make you lose weight, it only allows you to maintain. And with skipping the gym comes weight gain. FAIL.

My goal to read the entire Bible within a year? BIG FAIL.

I think of those who lost battles with cancer this year, especially the young son of a blog friend. The weight of failures and sadness seem too heavy to consider a "HAPPY" new year.

I pulled out the devotional "Jesus Calling," by Sarah Young. A gift from my blog friend Sharon, it signified another FAIL on my part. I'd started reading strong, but had fallen out of the habit. But I read it last week as I felt the weight of everything except a happy new year coming. Here is the entry I read on December 31st. (Each entry is as if Jesus is talking to you).

As this year draws to a close, receive My Peace. This is still your deepest need, and I, your Prince of Peace, long to pour Myself into your neediness. My abundance and your emptiness are a perfect match. I designed you to have no sufficiency of your own. I created you as a jar of clay, set apart for sacred use. I want you to be filled with My very Being, permeated through and through with Peace.

Thank Me for My peaceful Presence, regardless of your feelings. Whisper My Name in loving tenderness. My Peace, which lives continually in your spirit, will gradually work its way through your entire being.

God longs to fill us with HIS peace. Happy new year? Perhaps not. But a new year filled with His peace sounds just excellent about now. May we all experience His abundance in our empty places this year.

Star Light, Star Bright

Star Light Star bright,
The first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

My daughters love to wish on stars. Before you jump on me for bad theology, just know it's all in fun. We also make wishes on birthday candles, turkey wishbones, and dandelions before blowing them. It's childhood fun.

The other night as I drove my ten year old to an activity, she saw a bright "star" in the night sky. "Is that a star or the moon?" she asked.

To find out what it was, read the rest of this post at Titus 2 in Action, by clicking the button below.