Prayer and Patience

As I sit here on my back deck on this cool July morning (55 Degrees) and listen to the birds chirping, squirrels chasing, and the leaves blowing I think about how intricate and detailed God's creation is.

This morning I read Psalm 13- How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give me light to my eyes, or I sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foe will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

This picture from Dale Hollow is one of my favorite pictures from the week. Again on display is God's presence. Everyday we have the opportunity to look to God through prayer. How we do that is our own personal experience. I believe that it is just like a relationship with your best friend. We must do more than ask- We must be conversational- We must be honest- and We must work at it to make the relationship work!

This is another one of my favorite pictures from the week. When we pray to God we must sometimes show patience in his answers. It is going to take the turtle a good while to get up the hill, but with patience and persistence it will arrive at its destination- the top. We must show trust in God, and learn to have patience! With prayer and patience we can have a peace of mind in our lives!

The Greatest is Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. This week I watched a youtube video of two boys that went around town trying to make homeless people smile. They did this by giving them clothes, bananas, and water. These were simple little gestures that made these homeless people feel loved. This video gave me a new perspective about the people that stand on the side of the road with their signs asking for money. This morning after stopping at McDonald's in Martinsville we came to a middle aged woman holding a sign at the main intersection- instead of passing by her without acknowledgement- we gave her a breakfast burrito. I hope this small gesture gave this woman a little pick me up. This passage from 1 Corinthians allows us to understand the kind of love that God provides to us. It is an unconditional love! It is awesome! I pray that we can love more unconditionally this week, and that we can eliminate past records, and not hold grudges. I pray that we can love those who are disgruntled, and that we can help lift them up. Give us the strength to be compassionate and sympathetic toward those people who are in need!

Treat others with Gentleness

Mark 4: 21-23, When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell to his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." Each day we have the opportunity to comfort others around us with a gentle touch. It may be holding your son/daughters hand while they are getting their shots, giving a few words of encouragement to a co-worker when they are dealing with a tough situation, pushing an athlete to not give up on their goal, giving a hug to someone you love, or just simply being there for a special event. These are just a few examples of ways that we can share our gentleness. Jesus offered his gentleness to the little girl by holding her hand and healing her. Pray for the patience to offer a gentle touch to those around you on a daily basis!

Achieving Success in a Humble Way

1 Chronicles 22:13 "Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Isreal. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged." Each day we have the ability to achieve success. There are many ways to measure success- money, ability, beauty, intelligence, grades, wins and losses, number of tackles in football, percentage of shots made in basketball, etc. All of these measures are good and great as long as we keep God in the picture. I believe that God wants us to: have good work habits, be honest about our work, and be loyal to those people around us. Part of success is having a plan. As we plan our day, week, or month we must pray for a positive attitude, the ability to have courage, and the work ethic to achieve Godly success!