prayer

Sing Praise

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Today is a day of worship.  Give thanks and praise to the Lord.  May we be comforted by His mercy and grace and know that God is with us…Forever.  Amen.

Forever by Chris Tomlin

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“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; his is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:9-11

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

The Word Of God

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The Holy Bible…The Good Book…The Scriptures…The Word of Life…The Living Word…the Truth.  It is more than a compilation of stories about people who lived thousands of years ago…it is God speaking to us, teaching us principles of life and the story is not over at the end of the Book.  It lives on in all of us today because of Jesus Christ…He has risen and He lives!  Take time to read and hear the Word of God in your life, you will find the stories about struggles and comfort are very similar to our lives today…the principles are still the same.  The reason it is stood the test of time is because it is the Truth.  Amen.

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“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be throughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Take Time to Rest

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There is always more we could be doing.  More on the checklist of things to do…how many items on our checklist make room for living a balanced life?  We seem to prioritize the activities of “getting things done” pretty easily, when do we rest?  To be clear sitting still scrolling through social media is not rest.  Resting and restoring yourself is about calming your mind, body and spirit…when and how do we rest our minds and emotions?  The first step is figuring out what place or environment best provides you the opportunity to calm your mind, your body and your spirit?  What time of day or night?  The next step is to make it a priority and designate time in your schedule.  As always, be sure to include God’s Word and prayer in your time as the only true source of peace in life is Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew 11:28-29

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 sitting by the lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Renew Your Mind

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A time for daily devotion and reading of God’s Word is critical to feeding your spiritual life.  It helps with perspective, attitude and gratitude, it can be a guide to living if we are willing to take time to know Him who saved us.  Jesus Christ is the center of our faith, He sacrificed everything to save us…we do not deserve God’s mercy and grace and yet He loves us so much that He offers it to us anyways.  We are sinful, but we are redeemed because of Jesus.  Renew your mind with God’s Word and a prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:2

(This photo was taken in September of 2014 on a walk in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Seek God’s Will

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When questions seem never-ending in life, we often look for easy or convenient answers in worldly places.  If we just knew all the answers than life would be easy…becareful what you wish for.  Easy has never been promised to anyone and even if you think there is a person or people who have it easy than most likely you don’t know the whole story about them or their lives.  We all have troubles, we all are broken in some way.  The one constant, the only thing that we know we can count on is God’s love.  He is our Creator, He knows everything about our lives and His plan is far better than anything we can cook up ourselves.  Seek God’s will for your life and you will find peace.  Amen.

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Gifts And Serving Others

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Each person is unique is some way.  Everyone has a different combination of strengths and weaknesses.  No individuals were made to stand alone or to be isolated from the community.  We are designed to work together to use our blessings to help fulfill the needs of others and for others to help fulfill our needs.  The things that get in the way are sin…pride and selfishness, judgement and favoritism…these exist in everyone on all sides of every issue.  Each of us should assess ourselves and understand what are our strengths and gifts to offer…the important thing to remember is the value of our gifts in God’s eyes not value according to the world’s perspective…because even if what we can offer will change life for just 1 or a few other people, we are still changing the world for good in the eyes of God.  Peace be with you on your journey.  Amen.

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“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in is various forms.”

1 Peter 4:9-10

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 while driving near the South Dakota and Minnesota border)

Light Of Life

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When the power goes out or we enter a place or a room that is dark…what do our instincts tell us to do?  Search for a light, why?  So we can see our surroundings and the way to move forward.  This is exactly the reaction we should have when our life feels like we are in the dark or surrounded by darkness.  Search for the Light, the Light of Christ to help us to see and to guide us forward.  So many of us stay in the darkness and spend days, weeks, months or even years trying to find our way around in the dark and we wonder why life is so hard?  Follow the instincts that God has placed inside you…seek the Light of Life so that you can see.  Amen.

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“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

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Savior…Sacrifice…Salvation

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The world tells us to pursue money, comfort and the easy life.  To look out for ourselves and satisfy ourselves first and most often, this is the sinful nature and it has taken hold in many people.  There is a way to be different and to live with purpose and it is based on your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  He loves you, He gave His life to save you and His way is the only way to God the Father.  Spend time reading God’s Word and learn about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Prayer…Taste And See

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We are searching for answers to so many questions.  We are easily frustrated and begin to think negative thoughts.  We think that the only way to pray is with certain words or a certain way…God just wants hear from us no matter how or when we pray.  He desires a real relationship with us, not for us to perform the way we think He wants us to.  Pray with your words and your feelings, be willing to be honest with God and seek His will for your life.  Here are the lyrics and a song by Riley Clemmons to share her thoughts about prayers…

Broken Prayers by Riley Clemmons

I’ve been taught how to talk to you
Hold it together, make the bad look better
Say all the words that I’m supposed to
Bow my head, say, “amen”
Yeah, that’ll do
Making every dead end look like heaven
Like being okay is the way to reach you
But you’re not afraid of all the things I feel
So why am I afraid of being real?
You want my tears, every messy word
Every scar and every fear
You want all I have
With no holding back
When I’m hurt, at my worst
You meet me there
‘Cause you see the beauty
In my broken prayers
In my broken prayers
You don’t care if it ain’t poetry
‘Cause all of my edges
They’re a little rough
But that’s all I got to bring
‘Cause you’re not afraid of all the things I feel
Don’t have to hide the scars that still aren’t healed
You want my tears, every messy word (yeah)
Every scar and every fear
You want all I have
With no holding back
When I’m hurt, at my worst
You meet me there
‘Cause You see the beauty
In my broken prayers
In my broken prayers
Mascara running down my face
Desperate cry in a dark place
You take me that way
All of me
You want my tears, every messy word
Every scar and every fear
You want all I have
With no holding back
When I’m hurt, at my worst
You meet me there
‘Cause you see the beauty
In my broken prayers
In my broken prayers
In my broken prayers
In my broken prayers
My broken prayers
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“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Psalms 34:8
(This photo was taken in April of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

Give Thanks and Praise

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It is crazy how quickly the attetntion of so many people is distracted.  Today’s world is filled with so much information and so much more incorrect information that it is easy to get derailed or side tracked.  We need to be able to be centered on something or someone to keep us level headed and not chasing every feeling and emotion as if we are the center of the universe.  God knows everything about us.  I did a brief exercise this morning that I read about in one of my devotionals today…think about your last 24 hours…God knows about every single thing and every single thought you have experienced…yes even that one…now think about the fact that this is true about every single thing and thought in your life…and after all that realize that right now, knowing all those things, God forgives you and God loves you the same today as He did the day you were born.  To show you how much He loves and cares for you He sent His Son to take the punishment that we all deserve so that we can still have a relationship with Him.  Give thanks and praise to God our Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

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“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4-7

(This photo was taken in  August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)