Smile. It's a powerful weapon!

Grambo with Baby Ev! 😍

A couple weeks ago (pictured above) as I was holding my grandson Everett, I was thinking there is not a time that my heart isn't completely captured by his adorable genuine smile.  It truly gets me every time!

It makes me want to remind us all that Our Father loves LOVES to see us smile.  We are created in His image I believe for reasons just like this.  So that we are aware of the joy He feels when we smile.

Let's be those today looking for the good.  Let's be those that find reasons to smile because they are there. A smile is a powerful weapon...as we smile our spirits begin being lifted up, and also it lifts the spirits around us.

As we smile, we will be making the Father smile. That's just cool!

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart...”

— Proverbs 15:30

Food Family & Fun...or Not

Last week Jon and I were able to spend  a couple days during the Thanksgiving season in Seattle with our beautiful daughter Christy and our son-in-law Seth.  

We ate tons of food and had a bunch of fun, great conversation and lots of laughs.  We enjoyed Seth being funny as always, scrumptious breakfasts at beautiful restaurants, delicious and eye-catching snacks at Christy's cozy home, and Seth served us sparkling cider and a delicious Thanksgiving meal at the restaurant he works at.

As I was thinking of how thankful I was for these beautiful few days, I couldn't help but think of how some people during the holidays are truly heartbroken because maybe they just lost a loved one, have estrangements with family members, marriage problems that seem overwhelming, or are going through some really hard things they never thought they would have to go through and can't picture a warm and cozy holiday season. 

I want you to know you will get on the other side of your worries and problems no matter how impossible it might seem at the moment.  No matter how much it might even be due to your very own mistakes. Or not.

Walk with God and you will find him faithful.  This truth is for every single person. Our loving Father is there for you and as crazy as it sounds, you will look back and actually see how God turned all this around for the good.  He WILL meet you during this time in a special way!

Don't give up precious friends!

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

— Psalms 86:15

A Glimpse of Heaven

Order on Amazon

I ordered my oldest son's book on Amazon and read the entire book in less than an hour.

I will never forget sitting by his bedside the morning he woke up from this vision he shared in this book that just came out.  It was real.

You can read my earlier post from August 30th for more on this. 😊

To try and say more about Peter's book, though, would mess it up so I'm just going to encourage you to get it and read it for yourselves!

My own thoughts for you for today, pray this prayer "...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)  Let's ask our Father how we can bring some heaven to earth today...  Heaven is a beautiful and fun dance party in the purest form. He WILL show us how to do that.  He will empower us to do that! 

“Our Savior is awaiting His bride to dance within the city walls.”

— Peter-John Courson

Step Forward

Synagogue in Capernaum 

Read a great short story in the Bible.  Mark 3:1-6.  The picture above is where the story took place.

Jesus asked a man with a withered hand to "step forward" after he saw that there were people there who thought it was against their religious laws to heal someone on the sabbath.  Jesus did it anyway.  He was so angry  and grieved at just how hard their hearts had gotten. 

Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, "Stretch out your hand," and the man stretched it out, and as he did, he was healed.

There are a couple really important lessons here at the very least to learn in this short story.

1- Don't become the kind of person that loses heart for people.  That cares more about rules than they do about kindness and love. 

2- When Jesus asks us to step forward, step forward.  Where we need help, listen to what the Father says for us to do.  As we do it, we will see Gods faithfulness in making us whole.

“Stretch out your hand. And he stretch it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.”

— Mark 3:5

All You Had to do is Ask 😂

On Jons website last week 

So I went to my husband's website last week and started laughing as I saw that he took a picture of the picture I took hanging up in our living room.  There is a big glare from the glass that covers the photograph and is pretty hard to really appreciate the picture itself. 

Example 😊

All that to say... All Jon had to do is ask me for the original picture to send him for it to be a much more attractive, higher quality picture and look and be substantially better! I would have sent it to him asap!

I wonder if we just asked God more... talked to him daily ... if we might not find that He is actually just waiting for us to ask because He WANTS to help us.  If we talked to Our Father more, might we have a higher quality life?  Would things crystalize? Would things just plain old look better? Would we find ourselves being blown away at what He brings our way? 

I bet all the answers above would be "YES!" 

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ”

— Mark 11:24

Being Thankful is Magical

Happy Thanksgiving from Jon and I 

First I want to thank YOU for joining me for these posts.  

I am also thankful for your sweet emails encouraging me to get back at it after our recent trip to Rome, Greece, Turkey, and Israel. 

There has been a lot going on of which I will be posting about in the days to come, but until then I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you.

I love Thanksgiving because we all begin thinking about all that we are thankful for.

There is something magical about being a thankful person.  

Being thankful is more than saying "thank you" ... it's more than showing good manners, although that does cast a pleasant vibe on any relationship. Being an actual thankful person is having a heart of thankfulness.  It's understanding we have a good and loving God. It's letting our mind investigate all the things that have been, are, and will be good, valuable, rich, meaningful, and beautiful in our lives.

This kind of attitude forces us to have less headaches and worries. Being thankful rids us of toxic emotions.  It reduces depression and increases happiness.  That is actually even scientifically proven. 

Being thankful is freeing in a sense.  It's fun.

Maybe why this is true is because in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 it says that we are to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you.  This is God's will for us to be thankful. 

I'm finding myself today being so thankful for God's incredible, magical, and beautiful faithfulness in my life.  He is good.  He is good to me and for me. I'll bet this is also true for you!  

Happy Thanksgiving my friends! 

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...and be thankful.”

— Colossians 3:15

I'm Out!

Boat in the Sea of Galilee - "Shop" Photo

Okay loved ones.  I'm going to be out and about for the next 2 1/2 weeks or so.  Rome...Greece...Israel are calling my name. 🙌

I'm very aware that no one is waiting with baited breath for my posts. 😂 Although many of you have been the very sweetest in sending me encouraging emails, and I seriously thank you for that. It touches my heart. 💛

So I wanted to let any of you know that are curious, I'm not sure when I will or won't have internet so the posts might be a little "here and there." 

But if I'm able to include y'all on the fun of our journey... I sure will.

Hugs and love to you.  Know this my friends... God's journey for you will blow your mind.  Never give up walking with Him.  He will always always always always blow your mind with His goodness and extreme faithfulness.  Don't forget to talk to Him.  Ask Him.  Do the extra ordinary by His Spirit living inside of you.  Our God is a great and good good Father!  And He loves... you!

I'm Out! 😘

Loves a Rush

Love is a rush for me.  To show love to people is a serious rush. 

Rush = A sudden strong emotion or physical feeling.

Some people try and get a rush from drugs, or a sport, or ?

I was giving this a lot of thought.  When or if I do something nice for people--help someone out in a big or small way, show an act of kindness, etc--at this point in my life I do not do it to try and gain approval from whoever I am doing something thoughtful for.  I do it because it is a serious rush to brighten someone's day.  To help make their life a little easier.  To show they matter.

I'm talking about whether it's something nice or kind to a neighbor, stranger, spouse, one of my kids or in-laws or grandkids, co-workers... If they showed no greater appreciation for me, I can honestly say I really don't care.  It isn't about that.  

I'm thinking back, when I was younger, I sometimes did "loving things" to gain approval (which was all right because that was a great start).  And the Bible actually gives us motivation to love for  what even might seem to be for our own gain, "we reap what we sow." God knows we are made of dust.  He made us.

But as I've lived life, I have such a real appreciation for our greatest call in life. To Love. To love without expecting anything back at all is seriously the very best.

Now, there is NO question that when there is reciprocation it touches my heart deeply and means the world to me. And to be very honest, most the time I absolutely feel love and kindness returned to  me in a huge way.  But there has certainly been times where I haven't felt reciprocation, but that will in no way stop me from being loving to that sort of person or situation.  Because that is not why I do it.  I do it for the rush.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

— Matthew 22:37-39

The Bible says "it is better to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).  The funny thing is, is I can't pat myself on the back for doing something loving because I do get more out of it always than what I give.  Not from the person but from the rush that comes.  I believe this rush comes directly from the hand of  GOD.

I used to read this verse and sort of think it meant something like... It will be better if you give. That is the right decision to make.  But as this would surely be true, I'm also starting to think it also just means: it is better to give than to receive.  It means "It is actually better to give... it's funner to give.. it's more enjoyable to give than to receive. 

In Matthew 5 it also talks about loving your enemies... and I'm telling you the truth, there is a huge rush in doing that too.  Because it's against everything in us and stands out like crazy. It's so unique and super cool. People do not know what to do with that. It's a rush.

All I'm saying today... experience the rush of being loving.  You may be misunderstood at times or thought to be trying to gain someones approval.  Who cares.  Enjoy the rush of being loving.  It's super fun. 💛