WALLS AND HEARTS - 8.10 (missed)

Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Faith makes all things possible... love makes all things easy. - Dwight L. Moody

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13 (MSG)

Early July was tough on my family. I was happy to see AUGUST, even though I am NOT a fan of summer, come up on the calendar. A tumultuous time indeed.

My wife lost “her wife” to cancer (her best friend Dawn was often referred to as her wife). We lost the family dachshund of 10+ years 1 week or so later to pancreatic cancer. Doctoral school pressure was at full tilt for my wife, not to mention the close of the semester for the students she professors at CEDARVILLE and one or two changes for me to boot.

Lots of stress. Quite a bit of sadness and a measurable dose of pressure.

So it was decided we were going to “freshen things up a bit” to alleviate a little of "that".

So with a pretty tight budget in tow, we decided the front of the house could use a little face lift; some fresh flooring, a little splash of paint and some deep cleaning. So that has been going on for “a little while”.

And it has been great. Maybe not so great for my dad and father-in-law who are co-laboring, but it has been a real labor of love. And my wife has had the opportunity to pour her heart and mind into something other than grief and even some of the sad memories of the pooch are starting to fade.

And one of Beth's decorative ideas was to STENCIL on the back wall of the room that little passage from 1 Corinthians 13:13 and Petersen. So she knocked that out Saturday. We even found it with a DISNEY-esque font for my DISNEY-esque crew!

TRUST steadily it says.
What a wonderful thought for today. Circumstances will arise, problems will come, death will try to steal our peace and joy but we are to TRUST steadily. Steadily infers that we can stay even keeled on GOD, His Word, and His faithfulness.
We can do that you know.
Numbers 23:19 (GW)
God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn't change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.

We can trust STEADILY in that!

Hope unswervingly.
Don’t lose hope today. GOD has got you. Always has, always will. Especially in the tough times.
Psalm 33:18 (NIV)
… the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love

Love extravagantly.
Can you do that today? Love makes things “easy today” according to Moody. So why not love? Why not love with extravagance.
Love without measure
Will that not make today an even smoother journey?

That means:
Love your enemies.
Love your neighbor.
Love GOD.
For:
“Without love, our earth is a tomb” ― Robert Browning

I am glad Beth has chosen to place this reminder in our home. I think it will serve our family well. I pray it serves you well today!

I pray this little prayer will too.

“Lord, make us an instrument of thy peace…let us sow love…
Where there is doubt, faith & where there is despair, hope…”― Francis of Assisi

Write that not just on our walls but our hearts as well.

I love you all.
Have a great day.
FREEDOM CHURCH (CHAMPIONS NETWORK)