Set your mind and keep it set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.       Colossians 3:2

Hello dear ones,
​
          I pray that you are feeling peaceful and calm this morning.  When you and I are faced with a new week looming large, our emotions can be complex and constantly changing.  This week also begins a new month bringing summer to a close.  Days becoming shorter. A new school year.  Kids leaving for college. Our emotions may be signaling anxiety, frustration, or sadness, and we may be experiencing what Emily Dickinson calls “The mob within the heart.”  We may feel like we are tossed about like a boat without a rudder.  While it is important not to deny our feelings, Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with tenderness, kindness, mercy, gentleness, and patience. When we read these verses, we often tend to think of how we are treating others, and for sure we must love others; but can we please learn to love ourselves and tend to our wounds with as much kindness?   I am learning that when I feel grief, to place my hand on my heart, feel the sadness, and have compassion for my pain.  The sorrow doesn’t go away, but acknowledging, “Oh, this is how I’m feeling right now,” allows me to keep my mind and heart steady and calm.  I can enjoy this beautiful life.  Each day is an amazing gift.  I can make each day a good day even if it’s a sad day.
          Ask yourself often this week, “What am I feeling?”  Acknowledge the emotion.  Sit with it.  What are the underlying feelings beneath the sadness?  Is it fear?  Anger?  When we are not allowing our emotions free reign in our lives, when we trust Jesus to calm the storm inside, you and I can enjoy a peace-filled day.   Linda

But, thou Oh Lord, are the lifter of my head.                                                                                                                                                                                     Psalm 3: 3              

Good morning, my dear one,
​
          It is my earnest prayer that you awoke this morning with a sparkle in your eyes.  If this is your season of joyful living, remember to praise God from whom all blessing flow.  In my season of sorrow, I identify with the woman bent double.  In Luke, although she has been suffering severe back pain for eighteen long years, she is found by Jesus in the Temple.  Clearly, she has clung to hope, to the belief in the One God of her salvation.  Commentators reflect that she may have suffered from osteoporosis while others speculate that her bentness was from burdens too heavy for her to carry alone.  Regardless of your theory, Jesus has compassion for her suffering.  I love that scripture tells us that “Jesus reaches out for her hand” (Luke 13:13).  Our God sees and understands our suffering.   And instead of watching from afar, Jesus comes close to us.  Reaches for our hand.  When Psalm 3:3 says, “He is the lifter of our head,” that must mean he is close enough to touch our chin, to gaze into our sorrowful eyes, to reach out his hand and lift us out of the swirling waters of depression.  Our God is good.  Our circumstances may be bleak, our eyes dimmed with sadness, but He is the Light.  Don’t you dare lose hope.   Your joy will return in the morning.  God promises are faithful.
                                                            Linda

One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray . .                                                                                                                     Luke 6: 12                                              Good morning, precious friend,

          It is my prayer that this week will bring you an abundance of joyful, peaceful, and love-filled moments.  But, alas, even Jesus must have had one of those days.  So, if you find yourself overwhelmed with stress, grouchy bosses, unruly children, or in my case, grief, do you have a strategy in place for coping?  Jesus went to the mountainside to pray.  Almost always by himself.  Sometimes praying all night.

          I am learning to look at my life as a book filled with chapters. And when the chapter of my marriage ended, I was encouraged to look at my life through a wider lens.  I am starting a new chapter of what could be an incredibly beautiful journey of growth.  Hard knocks do that to you.  They change us, transform us, force us to take step one into each unknown, uncharted new day.   Maybe I’ll develop a new passion, a whirlwind of inspiration for writing:  it’s all mine to discover, but I completely understand my dependence on God for strength and direction.

          Let me ask you a hard question.  Do you have a formal spiritual discipline that you practice each day at a particular time?  A discipline that will sustain you for one of those days.  A ritual of spiritual nourishment that will feed your soul on those desert pilgrimages of loss? 
​
          Just starting out on the spiritual path or been warming a pew for a long time, God has a good plan for your life.  You and I need to become students and willingly and openly seek daily His guidance.  We’re on this spiritual quest together.  Let’s develop an action plan.  Love to hear your responses!  What works for you, etc.  I’ll be praying for you each morning right after my devotional reading.  With coffee, of course.
          Loving my spiritual pathfinders,
                                         Linda

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. . .                                                                                                                                                                    James 1: 2

Good morning sweet friend,

            Sometimes I read a scripture like the one quoted above and I choose to ignore or gloss over it because I don’t understand it.  Or, like it.   Of, course, God put this scripture right in from of my nose this morning.  Just when I was having myself a good pity party.  “Consider joy when you are going through trials?”   I put the question mark in red. I made it a question, not a request.  So, I took to my journal and because I’m trying to be honest and vulnerable on this journey of sorrow, I have included some select notes from my journal:
         I don’t want wisdom.  I want relief.   Linda, I wrote, become better, not bitter.  How can I be better without Jim?  What is my new normal?   I didn’t choose this suffering.  Then, from deep within my soul, this scripture came to mind: “The devil intended this to harm you, but God can (and will) use it for good” (Genesis 50:20) .
I used the Comic Sans font because that is how I felt.   How can God use this suffering?  Upon reflection, I realized that I have a responsibility.  God gave me respond-ability.  I can choose to become bitter or better.  So, for right this moment, I am considering joy and by golly, I found some.  Todd helped me plant some flowers this morning.  I contemplated seeds and thought maybe, for now, that’s enough for God.  To consider looking for seeds of joy which in biblical terms means “calm delight.”  Writing for you now requires me to focus my thoughts, “set my mind on higher things“(Colossians 3).  Paul also said “to clothe myself with kindness and gentleness.”  I will stop being so judgmental about my grief and allow God to plant seeds of joy. I can’t predict the future, but I can trust God with my journey. 
​
So dear one, if your soul is troubled, be gentle with yourself knowing God is working out, even this, for good.
                                                                                                            Linda

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Good morning my dear one,

As always, I try to impart to you my spiritual journey with honesty.  We all face life’s challenges and when Jim died, I could not write a word.  For several months there were no messages.   When I started writing again, I could not bring myself to use the word Joy. My messages were entitled Weeping May Last for a Night or Practicing the Presence, but certainly not Joy in the Morning.  As I write this devotional, I still use the word Joy trepidatiously.  I grieve and will always miss my Jim.

On June 4th, our 56th wedding anniversary, I had a complete shutdown.  I did not want to live without Jim beside me.   I desperately needed to feel God’s presence with me in my suffering.  I felt no peace from scripture nor from listening to traditional hymns which had always soothed my soul.  I was drowning under the continuous waves of grief and struggled for a breath I wasn’t sure I wanted.  I share the following very private struggle with you, dear one, in case you are ever drowning in a sea of dysfunction and are unable feel hope for the future.

 I determined that desperate struggles called for desperate measures.  I called a psychiatrist and was able to see her the very next day.  Perhaps, she recognized my agony.    As I shared with her that I was diagnosed with three cancers in two years, Jim had cancer, a life-threatening bacterial lung infection, and had suddenly died when all indicators were that he was doing well with his treatments.   In addition, we had been isolated from support because of our immune-compromised conditions during the pandemic. After listening for hours, she determined that I was suffering from severe depression and PTSD.  I was put on two, for me, life enhancing medicines.   As I returned to scripture and devotional practices, I remembered that in Genesis, God calls out to Adam, “Where are you?” I have come to understand that the noise in my head, the racing thoughts in my mind were crowding out the still, small voice of God.  God had never left me alone in my suffering and was in fact calling to me saying, “Just be still and know I am with you.” With my new medications calming my terrified mind, I can be still long enough to feel God’s presence.  I read the story of Jesus reaching down into the swirling waters and pulling Peter to safety and daily I ask Jesus to reach down into my sorrow to pull me to sanity and serenity.  I need the presence of God to give me hope, to show me a way through this dark valley.

Dear one, if you are suffering with an addiction, troubled relationships, fear or grief, and are unable to feel God’s guidance and peace, reach out for needed support and help.  Perhaps, seek medical attention. God wants to be your safe refuge and uses all means, including doctors and medications to heal you.  Be willing to reach out for help.  God’s calling your name, come out of your hiding place and seek help for your suffering soul.
                  Loving you too much not to share my sacred, truthful journey,
                                                     Linda
 

​Weeping may last for a night,                                        Psalm 30:5
                                                    
Good morning, my dear ones,
​
          The parents in Uvalde, Texas are weeping. Not for a night; for a lifetime.  As you are well aware, there was yet another mass school shooting, this time at Robb Elementary School.  Nineteen precious little ones were killed as were two brave teachers who tried in vain to shield their students from a gunman with an AR15 weapon which can shoot 100 rounds (bullets) in seconds.  It is absolutely not enough to say our hearts go out to the families and those impacted by this senseless tragedy.  Please don’t say, “You are in my thoughts and prayers.”  It is time, now, for every American to take a long deep look into the mirror and ask ourselves, “What can I do to make our nation, state, neighborhood, and yes, schools, safer?”  Action is needed now!  Sensible gun regulations are needed now.  We need a nationwide ban on assault rifles now.    The Bible states clearly, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:14).   You can and must do your part to end the murder of innocent little ones. 
          On Monday morning look on the website of your local, state, and national representatives.  Check out their stance on sensible gun legislation.  Major elections are happening across our nation this year.  If your candidate is advocating for arming teachers, vote them out!  If your candidate is taking funds from the NRA, vote them out!  If you candidate is not advocating for reasonable gun legislation, vote them out!  Your vote counts.  Ask yourself, “Would Jesus vote for this candidate?”  Your faith demands that you advocate for change.  On this one issue, there can be no debate.                                            
                                                                                       Linda           

Weeping may last for a night,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Psalm 30:5
                                                    
Good morning, my dear ones,

          It has been several months since I last sat at my computer to write to you.  My messages have always been entitled Joy in the Morning as inspired by God many decades ago.  And if you are one of my followers, you know I always try to keep it real, telling stories and trying to help you find inspiration and encouragement to experience joy in your life.
          As such, I am sharing my very personal struggle to find glimpses of light in my season of sorrow.  I have had three different types of cancer in the last two years, two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation and continue on meds.  Jim was my rock as he always has been.  I could not have traveled on this journey without his support.  He was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and a bacterial infection in his lungs about the same time so we were both fighting serious illnesses.  And just when we both appeared to be recovering and gaining strength, Jim’s body could take no more treatment and within two weeks, he was gone.  Oh, God, help me continue to write.  It’s so painful to share but if it helps one person to know that they are not suffering alone and that God has not abandoned them and is, in fact, very near holding you tenderly in his arms, I’ll continue on with my story. 
    Losing my dear Jim, my partner of 56 years, well, the pain is excruciating.  I struggle to be functional. I also understood that I desperately needed help to begin healing.  Grief is not a problem to be fixed, but a journey one has to travel step by stumbling step for the rest of life.  I knew I needed guidance so I found, with I am sure God’s help, a grief counselor who spent most of his career helping cancer patients and their families. What an amazing fit!  I joined a weekly support group.  I bought recommended books and a study guide and began the hard work of facing my uncertain future.  I would be remiss if I did not mention my close friends who provided little glimpses of sunlight by carefully and lovingly listening and not judging.  My oldest son and his wife put their house on the market and moved in with every animal in Noah’s ark.  Just kidding, it only seems like it, but activity and bustle have returned to this so silent house.  My youngest keeps me busy with lunches, dinners, and outlet shopping.  In these ways, God has blessed me and I am grateful.
          My faith in a good God has not wavered.  In fact, I am so comforted by Jesus’ words, “Because I live, you shall live also” (John 14:19).  My Jim has a new healthy spiritual body, have no idea what that looks like, but I believe.  The Holy Spirit is my comforter reminding me of God’s promises. 
This weeping season is a daily struggle even with all the amazing support.  My message to you is:  Whatever you are currently going through, you are not alone.  I could not pretend that I was okay. As difficult as it may be, be real.  Christians suffer greatly on this earthly journey.  Don’t walk alone.   Reach out for help.  Please don’t give up.  Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation. . .” (John 16:33).  The “be of good cheer” part reminds us to look for glimpses of sunlight, to seek The Light. Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
​ 
Prayer:  Lord, in this season of darkness, help us, your children, embrace you as our Loving Father trusting in your protection and guidance.  Be the lifter of our heads.  Amen and amen.
                                 Your, keeping it real, friend,
                                                    Linda   

Never before or since has there been a day like that one                                                                                                   Joshua 10: 14 (NLT)
 
 
Hello Dear Friend,
          Have you discovered the child within you that is yearning to be free?  Children take great delight in the simple things of life.  Running around in the backyard with a canning jar with holes punched in the lid and catching lightning bugs was one of my favorite summer pastimes.   Or mom would tie a towel around the neck of my brother and his imagination would soar as he raced from room to room waving his light saber.  Every day is an adventure when you’re three. 
          How about you?  Do you wake each day ready for an exciting journey?  What a miracle we have been given—twenty–four hours to savor new quests and discoveries!  If you are in a pattern of living whereby each day is the same, change it up, rev it up, and get excited.  As adults, too often we focus on the broken faucet, the Visa bill, or the looming sneer on the face of our boss. I know you have those bone-tired, doomsday moments, or months, or years.  You and I need to lighten up.  God says, “He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy” (Job 8:21). Laughing and shouts of joy are not just childhood utterances.  When was the last time you had a good belly laugh?   Trust God with your troubles.  In truth, there is always something we can choose to worry about.  Let’s make a new choice.  Let’s choose a new attitude.   God wants you to laugh—to enjoy your life—to experience wonder and awe at each sunrise and praise and thanksgiving at sunset—to say “never before or since has there been a day like that one.”   Isn’t it time you tried something new? 
          Ask God to fill you with enthusiasm and power.  Tell him you’re ready for an adventure.  Then get off the couch, tie that terry towel around your neck, grab your light saber, and prepare to go where no man has gone before.   Let’s enjoy being a child of God!    Linda
​

​Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.  Luke 9:62
Good morning, dear one,
          Our scripture today in Luke 9 comes after a section in which Jesus is addressing several who had made excuses as to why they must delay following Jesus.  When we “put our hand to the flow” we must be ready for a lifetime relationship with Christ.  Many approach the altar and accept the Lord as their Savior.  But will they follow Him?  When you look back, you are not all in. As a follower, you must do it with your whole heart, not looking back with regret on earthly pleasures, wealth, position or honors. My Bible’s heading for this portion of scripture is “The Cost of Following Jesus.”   Christ will not accept a “conditional” servant.  Matthew 7: 24 says, “Anyone who listens to my words and follows (is convicted by, believes them, writes them down and puts them into practice) is wise.”  Jesus asks each of us, “Will you live this way?”  Are you an almost follower or all in follower?  In Matthew 5, Jesus tells you and I that we are to be the light of the world and warns us not to hide our light under a basket, but place our lamp on a stand where it spreads light to all. So, my question for you this week is:
List three ways your light is impacting the world?
1._______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3._______________________________________
          Or, list your excuses.  Would Jesus accept your excuses as to why you are not following?    I have decided to follow Jesus.  Have you?  Linda

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12 NIV

Good morning my dear friend,
​
          Well, I am on a roll this week.  A friend came to our house to visit and only mid-conversation did she say she was unvaccinated and she was also not wearing a mask.  She was well aware that Jim and I both have health challenges and yet chose to put us at risk for Covid.  Clearly that is not, according to my definition, loving and caring for your neighbor as Jesus commanded. According to Jesus, He wants us to follow him.  Not just believe in Him.  Not just sing hymns about Him.  Not just wear a cross around our neck to identify ourself as a believer.  He clearly said, “Follow me” which implies an action; to step out in faith, out of our comfort zone, into our neighborhood, our community to show Christ’s love in action. He also commanded us to look after the orphans (young children unable to get the vaccine) and widows (the elderly). Get your vaccination and/or wear a mask to protect your neighbor from this deadly virus.  Getting immunized has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with being a follower of Christ.  Love your neighbor.  Are you?   Here is my challenge to you this morning: 
List three active ways that you are following Jesus:
1.___________________________________________
2.___________________________________________
3.___________________________________________
Would you be comfortable telling Jesus, “I can’t ___________________ because_____________?”    Would Jesus accept your excuses as to why you are not following?   More on excuses next week.  Be ready!
          I have decided to follow Jesus.  Have you?
                               Linda