The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.                                                                            Psalm 92:12                                                                                                      
 Good morning precious soul,

            I love doing research.  When I looked up scriptures about vitality, all of them connected vitality with righteousness.  “They grow from strength to strength, every one of them” (Psalm 84:7).   “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter” (Proverbs 4:18).  I have been obsessed with my health (and rightly so). After all, I am a cancer thriver.  However, I am learning that health is not the absence of disease and has everything to do with your vitality. As a society we need to redefine our concept of wellness.  At 78, I will never have the physical appearance I had at 20.  There is no wrinkle cream or magic potent to achieve that;  however, scripture informs us that we are to “grow from strength to strength, shine brighter as we age.”  So, let me pose some questions to you:
             How are you growing stronger?
             Is your faith stronger?                                                                                                                                                    How about your ability to forgive?                                                                                                             
            Is your focus on helping your neighbor?                                                                                                                      Are you shining brighter day by day?  Do people notice your vitality?

            If your answer to any of the above is NO, it’s not too late to change some old habits and beliefs. Get a vision of what you want to become.  You have to see it to become it.  Picture the energy you want—the outcome you want. Don’t try to re-create your 20’s ideal.  Decide to love the body you have and take care of it.  For example, my son is a vegan and has been cooking amazing foods.  Breakfast today was sweet potato hash and guacamole.  Delish!  Not the bacon and pancakes of yesteryear.  I am making better choices now. There will be days when you don’t want to exercise.  Just walk more than you did yesterday.  You and I can do hard and holy things.  Like the palm tree, we can bend under life’s challenge without breaking, and our roots are strong like the cedar in Lebanon and nothing can vanquish our spirit.  Let’s grow. Let’s gain some amazing vitality for life.  Love and encouragement on your wellness journey.        Linda

Come to me all ye who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.                                                              Matthew 11:28-30 
                                                                                                             
Good morning, dear one,

          How are you feeling this morning?  A little weary and burdened?  I get it. Life can bring you down to your knees.  This morning I was notified that my high school best friend died.  And then, just a little later, I got an e-mail from a dear friend with a poem her mother had written about loss and I felt my soul sink a little lower.  You might think that is a bad thing, to have your heart, your soul, and mind sink.  But when I go deeper, it is there that I discover a Presence that is always with me.  I hear words of comfort from scripture.  We have to go deep beyond the surface, beyond the bustling, beyond the world’s noise and sink into the loving arms of the Savior always available—if we are willing to sink deep.

           Listen to the above verses of scripture in the Message translation.  “Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.  Learn  the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

          I long to live freely and lightly always trusting that God has a plan for my good.  For me, it’s a daily return, minute by minute decision to sink deep into God.  It is only there that you and I will find rest and the promised peace Christ so freely offers. 
        Grab my hand, let's travel deeper together, Linda.        

     Jesus said, “I came that you may have life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows}.”  John 10:10

Hey friend,

            Happy Monday to you!  Not feeling it this morning?  Do you have the blahs?  I love to journal and the question I have been asking myself each day is, “What is my intention today?”  Is it my intention to grouse and complain?  Is it my intention to worry today—about money, the kids, my health?  Is it my intention to fault-find my co-workers? Or, is it my intention to enjoy today?   You and I don’t sit with our journals and deliberately write I am going to be cranky today.  Yet, we often wander through our precious hours dragging our feet and just trying to make it to dinnertime.  Then, we tell ourselves, I’ll relax and be joyful.   Then?  Don’t wait till later for joy.   Intentionally, set your compass to joy.

            Friend, we need to revel in each beautiful day.  It is a gift God gives us: one day.  And then the next. And it can be joyful no matter the circumstances.  We can find reasons to be happy.    Deep breathing first thing when I get out of bed.  Praise God, my lungs are functioning.  Joy!  The aroma of my morning coffee brings me joy. A butterfly unexpectedly flies by kitchen window.  Beauty in nature.  Joy!  Grab a pad of paper and write down three things you are grateful for.  Don’t miss the small, oft-overlooked blessings.  Soon you will find joy, joy, joy, joy, down in your heart and you might even break out singing.
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                          Wishing you sunshine and lots of smiles, Linda

​Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still.  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39
Good morning my dear one,   
          I wish for you many blessings this coming week: peace, joy, love, all the good God fruit just hanging on the vines waiting for you to select for yourself.     Will you pick peace?  Will you reach out for joy?  We always, in all circumstances, have a choice.  You and I can choose to look at our troubles and grumble.  Or, we can actively participate with Jesus in calming the storms of our inner minds.   Through mindfulness training I am learning to identify my thoughts and consequently, my feelings, because feelings always follow a thought.  And when I’m sad or fearful, I am learning to speak kindly to myself with compassion.   I wish to share with you one of these techniques.
           Of course, my session always starts with being still and closing my eyes.  Next, I use my breath as my anchor to rule out any negative thoughts.  Then, I place my hand on my heart and repeat loving phrases to myself such as:                                                                                                                                                     May I be filled with loving kindness.                                                                                                                             May I be safe and protected.                                                                                                                                         May I be well in body and mind, strong and healed,                                                                                                 and may I be happy.
          Jesus said that we are to love others as we love ourselves.  It is only from a compassionate heart that we are able to empathize with our neighbor.  Friends, try this exercise.  Say the words slowly and with kindness to your own hurting places. I am healing.  You can as well, it just takes intention and practice.  I wish you peace.                                     Linda

A man was at the pool who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” (John 5:2-9 NASB)

Good morning gorgeous,

          I pray with all my heart that this week ahead of you will be filled with blessings.  And I pray for all my friends who are suffering with emotional, physical, or spiritual pain.  Life really does, for a season, present each of us with suffering.  The man in our Bible story had been ill for 38 years.  And Jesus asked him, “Do you want to heal?”  You might be thinking, “Well, Jesus, what an odd question. Of course, he wants to be healed.” 

          I must admit to you that this week, with my Jim being gone five months, I finally made the decision that I wanted to live.  That insight came in an instant—I knew I wanted to get well.  I have made a lot of good decisions on my journey of healing by seeking professional help, but a moment came when I knew that even though I will still go through the process of grief, I wanted to move forward with my life.  As I was studying, I came across a scripture that read, “Even in old age you will bear fruit” and I realized that God still has work for me to do in the here and now.  My life still has a purpose.

          Let’s be honest, friends, do you want to heal? Will you forgive your parents for not being perfect?  Will you let go of the unforgiveness you hold in your heart?  Will you allow yourself to heal from the pain of your divorce twenty years ago.  How long will you hold that grudge? Choose to ask God for healing in your hurting places and allow the process to begin.  Jesus told the man by the pool to pick up his mat.  He is asking you to take that first step as well.  You and I will walk upright again when we surrender our pain to Jesus and allow his healing work to begin in our heart.  Let’s decide to really live, to find joy again. 
​                                                                      I love you, my friend    Linda
 

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,
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          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,
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          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? 
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          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. 
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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