prayer

A Channel Of Peace

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We are blessed to be a blessing…we receive and so we are to give…let the Word flow through you…shine the the Light of Christ…share the peace of the Lord with others.  Jesus Christ gave His everything to save us.  He suffered and died on the Cross, before He left He promised that if we believe we will receive the Holy Spirit of God within us.  We are to be a channel of God’s peace…it will flow into us and we are to be shaped and molded by His peace and then share it with others whenever we can.  May your life be filled with the Light of Christ and with opportunities to share that Light with others.

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

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

Peace Of God

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As I have been fully immersed in working through life after my Dad has passed away 7 days ago…there are moments of busyness, so much to take care of and do and there are moments of calm and reflection.  Life has slowed down and I am grateful for that pace change.  It will not be this way forever, and from the moment my brother called and told me ‘Dad is gone…they couldn’t bring him back,’ life has changed forever.  We can either fight it or we can embrace it…live it to the best of our ability…be present right where we are and trust in the Lord.  May you find peace with God in your life.

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“They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.”

Psalm 145:5

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

God’s Workmanship

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We are His creation…we are created out of love…we are created to do good things.  When we are willing to come to The Cross and surrender, our plans, our ways, our timing for events in life and trust in Him to provide all we need, when we need it, then we will experience true joy.  It sounds so simple and yet it is extremely difficult to execute in everyday life.  We are made with free will, meaning we have a choice to pursue the sinful nature or to pursue a life following Jesus Christ.  God’s plan is so much greater than our own because He is the original Creator of all things.  Turn towards God and ask Him for wisdom about how He wants you to follow His plan for your life.  May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

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

Joyful, Patient, Faithful

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Happy Friday…you know when you are having one of those times when it feels like something is going wrong with everything?  When you are able to take a step back and review you often find the one common thing is your perspective…I know, I know not what you wanted to read.  When things seem to pile up like this I have learned to immediately turn to prayer…stop what ever you are doing and ask God to intervene, to guide you and to cleanse your perspective.  Maybe it’s time for a new approach to something, to look at it differently or just to open your mind to new possibilities to old issues.  Whatever it is we don’t have to do it alone.  May God be with you and provide you comfort.

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 on a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Solid Rock

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Firm foundation…strength…courage…determination…a shield…a place of refuge.  When we think about solid rock it gives us the impression of strength to stand on or the protection to shield us.  All of us has a rock in our lives, whether it is another person, a place or something else.  The rock we all need is a solid relationship with Jesus Christ.  He is our firm foundation, He gives us strength and courage, He gives us the fortitude to keep going and He is our shield and protector.  Anything we could ever need will come from Him.  Make time to build your relationship with Jesus Christ our Solid Rock!  May you seek the Lord in your everyday life.

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“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2

(This photo was taken in July of 2015 at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Morrison, Colorado)

Making Plans…

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Thinking about taking a trip…making a decision about where to live…job transitions…people and relationships…family gatherings and celebrations.  All these things and many more can involve decisions that will have a lasting impact on our lives and the lives of others.  As we grow our relationship with Jesus we must learn to start the planning process by connecting with God first and not wait until things have gone completely off the rails and we are in desperate need of saving.  When we are early in our faith journey we tend want to keep God in a box with glass door that says “In case of an emergency break glass”…that is us trying to be in control and not fully surrendering ourselves to trusting in God’s plan.  Don’t misunderstand me, I still struggle with this in my personal faith journey often.  The change I am trying to make is to be aware of something that your mind spends a great deal of time on and openly offer it up to God’s will.  To spend more time in prayer on the topic and less time stewing about it in my own mind.  May’s God’s goodness and compassion be with you.

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“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

Proverbs 21:5

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Listen To Understand

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To truly gain wisdom and to find understanding we must develop the ability to really listen.  Not to be concerned with making our own point but to put ourselves in the place of those who are speaking.  When you read the words of Jesus in the bible just breezing through it may not give you a sense of clarity.  When Jesus spoke He was speaking to all of us not only the people alive at His time.  To understand His message is to step out of your life in this world for a moment and consider where God is working in your life.  One of the phrases I like to use is a summary of this website…“to know Him and to make Him known”  When the Holy Spirit works into us and transforms us we then become equipped to go out and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Gospels to others.  This journey is different for all of us and our impact is not measured by how many others we teach like a score sheet.  Our mission is to receive the Word of God, let it transfigure our mind and attitude, then use our new self to serve.  May the wisdom and peace of the Lord be in you.

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“My dear brothers, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

James 1:19-20

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands area)

With All Your…

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Distractions are everywhere.  Our focus shifts from one thing to the next so quickly, especially in the age of social media.  When I was young I remember people using a phrase attributed to Mark Twain, ‘If you don’t like the weather; wait five minutes!’  Well in today’s society it could be ‘if you don’t like the top story of the day; wait a few minutes!’  With schedules and activities; things to do; places to go and see and access to so much information, it is no wonder people are filled with worry, anxiety and feeling exhausted.  We end up putting any time with God and prayer as a line item in our never ending busy lives.   God is not looking for you to be a social media friend or follower, who checks in on your feed to see what’s what…rather He is asking for your full attention, daily.  Your all…your everything…everyday.  May God bless you with wisdom and courage.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

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

Wait For The Lord

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I find sometimes that there are periods of time when God seems distant in my faith journey.  A sense that things that were once clear and focused seem less clear and jumbled up.  It would be easy to fret and wonder why, what happened, what changed and of course, is it me, did I do something wrong?  These are not times to invite worries and anxieties into your life.  This is a moment to know and to trust that God is still on the throne in heaven and He will be with you.  Think of Job in the bible…he had everything and I mean everything taken from him in life, plus he had these great “friends” telling him he must have done something wrong for all this to happen.  Job did not give in and stop believing…he persisted in faith and the Lord restored him.  There are and will be times when the Lord seems far off, be patient, stand in faith and wait for Him.  May God’s love and comfort be with you.

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“I am still confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior)

Humility

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To say there seems to be less and less of this in the world is an understatement…more then ever we are hearing about people shouting about their individual rights or their me and my group first mentality, which just drives the motivation of others to put themselves first, which does nothing more that create division and violence.  Imagine if more people were working for fairness for all people…instead trying to push and pull others down to get a step up.  My guess is that this is because of a lack of trust in society.  People can’t trust that other people will be honest and work for the best intentions of all.  Selfishness.  Think about what it felt like when someone did something kind and generous for you that had no benefit for them.  That is where God is.  The only one who can overcome the rule of self in the human race is God.  He can be trusted, He has kept every promise He has ever made and He has one promise left.  Turn to God and pray, trust in Him and He will bring you peace.

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“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:3-4

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