​Celebrate God all day, every day.  I mean, revel in him!                                                                                                                                                                                     Philippians 4:4 (MSG)
Hello Friend,
             If I am to be honest with you, I must confess that there are days when I “don’t” celebrate God all day.  I might be overtired, overburdened, overwhelmed, besieged, snowed under, weighed down, or plagued with anxiety.  Surely you have those days also.    Sometimes I can’t even manage a pleasant greeting to Jim in the morning.   When I recognize those feelings, I have some serious decisions to make.  Am I going to be cranky all day?   I can’t just find a cave and hibernate till the cold chill in my heart warms?  I could put on a “happy face” and get ulcers.  Or, I can acknowledge that even the depressing, downbeat, and unconstructive emotions need to be dealt with.
            While reading Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life by Barbara Johnson I encountered an idea that at first reading I thought was pretty corny.  She writes, “Not long ago I began noticing how the household products I use suggest the importance of one’s attitude.  For example, I like to use FRESH START laundry soap because it reminds me that Christians can have a fresh start.”  She uses JOY detergent on her dishes and ZEST, GLAD, and PRAISE to name just a few others.  Later, I found myself looking at the name of the products I use and getting a little boost in my spirit when I made a biblical connection.  Maybe, just maybe, Ms. Johnson has stumbled upon an idea although she says her daughter-in law types out Bible verses that apply to the name of the product and tapes them right on the back of the package.   Personally, I think her daughter-in-law has too much free time on her hands.  But, Philippians does implore us to “Fix our thoughts on what is true and good and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others.  Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about” (verse 8).  So I have been paying particular attention to my product names as well.  For example, I use DAWN dish soap reminding me of a wonderful new day and my shampoo is Pantene RESTORATIVE reminding me that God will restore my soul and my joy if I turn to Him.  This week, give Ms. Johnson’s idea a try.  You have nothing to lose but your sour attitude and I think God just might enjoy the extra attention you will be giving Him.
Affirmation:  I take charge of my emotions.  I choose to pay attention to the good and pure.
                                                            Willing to try a new idea,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Linda
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​We’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else.                                                                                                                                                                                       Romans 3:19 (MSG)
Hello Friend,
            This past week, I had one person come up to me at school and another friend e-mailed me and said pretty much the same thing, “You must have x-ray vision, you seem to know just what is happening in my life.”  Well, of course, I don’t.  When I sit down to write, I spend time reading Scripture, perhaps listen to Christian music, but never fail to have a time of prayer for inspiration.  I try to be an instrument for God’s message.  My guide is often John 12:49 “For these are not my own ideas, but I have told you what the Father said to tell you…and I know his instructions lead to eternal life; so whatever he tells me to say, I say!”   On rare occasions, a burden on my heart propels me to write on a particular subject. 
            So how do I know what’s going on in your life—I know because we are all in the “same sinking boat.”  We all have issues, bad habits, failures, discouragements, malfunctions, collapses, breakdowns and letdowns.  “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings have a human experience” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin).   Sure I don’t currently deal with childcare and discipline, but I have in the past and I understand your frustrations.  I may not currently have marital issues, but give me a few days and I’ll emphasize with you.  I struggle with weight and you might struggle with another kind of addiction.   As my pastor is fond of saying, “If you are not currently suffering, you have either just left a difficult situation or, hold on to your bootstraps, you are headed straight into one.”  That is just life!!    The good news is the Gospel (good news).  Within the pages of your Bible are stories of others who have struggled, stumbled, picked themselves up, and gone on to greatness.  David committed adultery with Bathsheba, arranged the murder of her husband, and directly disobeyed God. Yet he was described by God himself as a man after his own heart. 
            We will always continue to make mistakes, but our sins are forgiven when we trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  And I will continue to try, to the best of my ability, to point you in the direction of peace, love, and hope.
Prayer:  Lord, forgive my sins. Give to me ears to hear your message and a heart willing to obey.                  Your friend in Christ,                                                                                                                                                                                                 Linda

Praise him with tambourine and dance.                                                                                                                                                                                       Psalm 150:4 (NRSV)
Hello Friend,
            I pray that you woke with joy in your heart.  But perhaps, you didn’t.  I would love to tell you that being a Christian means I walk around in total joy all the time.  But you know, and I know, that life deals us some hard knocks.  This morning you might be experiencing a period of suffering.  Perhaps you are mired in fear or sadness?  Maybe free-flowing anxiety has you shaking in your shoes?  What are we to do during those dark times?
            We have choices and 1 Corinthians 16:13 has an action plan that we can adopt during our stormy times.  First, scripture tells us to “keep alert.”  I think this means that we must monitor our moods; we need to acknowledge that what we are feeling is real.  Name the emotion:  tired, boredom, frustration, or grief.   We are going to have difficult times.  Peter says that we will have to endure various trials (1 Peter 1:6)   and Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33).  We can’t deal with what we are unwilling to face. 
            Step two, “stand firm in your faith.”  Perhaps my favorite scripture is Matthew 11:28 which says, “Come to me all ye that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  Tell Jesus all about your suffering; he cares, and I believe that just by getting it off your chest, the rest he promised will come upon you.  You have a friend in Jesus.  Rely on your faith.
            Next Paul tells us to “be courageous and strong.”   Sometimes, we might just need to have a good cry or allow ourselves to have a “sad” day.  But, notice, I said “day.”   In reality, we can’t sit around and wait for the storm to be over.  It is what we do in the “midst” of the storm that determines if we are acting courageously.  You and I just might have to learn how to dance in the rain.  Many years ago, a friend gave me a ragged slip of paper with the words “Your feet can learn the steps, but only your spirit can dance!”  Get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other.  Step!  Step!  Now a little faster.  Listen to the thunder and pretend it is God tapping out the beat on his heavenly drum.  Be courageous and maybe a little nutty.  Dance in the rain. 
Prayer:  Lord, I praise you for your constant and abiding presence in times of trouble.  Amen
                                               
​Loving you and urging you to dance,                                                                                                                                                                                           Linda

Are you really in earnest about getting well?
                                                                                       John 5:6 (Message Bible)
Hello Friend,
            What are your expectations for this week?  Same old, same old.  Are you stuck in a rut?  Do you have an action plan for meeting your long-term goals?  Is your highest aspiration just getting through the day without losing your mind?  I have one acquaintance that sleeps till noon unable to face the day.  Enough already!  Jesus said, “Get off your duff” (my paraphrase).  He did say, “Get up!  Pick up your bed (sleeping pad) and walk!” 
            In this story, I believe Jesus was exasperated.  Jesus approached the pool in Jerusalem where the crippled, sick, and blind would gather.   It was the belief at that time that an angel would move the waters and the first one to enter the pool would be healed.    As Jesus walked among the ill and suffering, he encountered a man who had been lying there for 38 years and said, “Do you want to get well?”  The first words out of the unnamed invalid’s mouth were, “I have nobody to help me.”  He didn’t say, “Oh yes, please, I will do anything.”  Instead, he gave excuses. 
            If Jesus’ words to the man, “Get up” sound harsh to you, you should know that most commentators state that this man’s sickness was in his mind.  Emotional pain and anguish is quite real, but curable.  But, you have to want to get well.   Just as heaven has many rooms, I believe hell does also, only hell is right here, right now.  There is the room of alcoholism.  A room of fear, another for worry, etc.
             Jesus wants your life to be joyful.   Monday is a great day to begin anew. No more excuses.  Jesus says, “Get up.”   Next, he says, “Pick up your mat and walk.”  In other words, take an action step.  Reach out!  Make a phone call to a professional for help.  Join a support group.  Call your pastor.  Maybe you don’t spend your whole day in bed, but if  you are sleepwalking through life—barely  making it—held together by pills or one two-many glasses of wine—stop making excuses.  Thirty-eight years is a long time to suffer.  Now is the time to accept responsibility for the choices you make?  Choose to live joyfully!
Affirmation:  I choose to get well.  This day I seek wholeness in body, mind and spirit.
                         Loving you too much to be silent any longer,                                                                                                                                                           Linda