Practice Makes Perfect

I recently received a book that I had ordered online entitled “Grieving: How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies” by Therese A. Rando, PH.D. and eagerly began to read over the weekend.  What immediately caught my attention was the fact that many of the things that I have been feeling and/or going through are not that unusual when a loved one passes on.  That understanding gave me a sense of wholeness and helped to calm the wind-swept waters that I have been treading over the last 5 weeks since my wife’s move to heaven.

In reading the first few chapters of the book, I realized that I not only lost the most important person in my life, but I also lost the part of me that has identified with her for the last 48 years, along with all of the visions, plans, dreams and hopes for our future together.  Then it hit me that I not only have to build a new life for myself, but also a new identity!  I used to joke with Piper all the time that the thought of “Jim and Piper” went together like the combination of “Peanut Butter and Jelly!”  It is something that someone would always put together in their minds!  Most people who know us would hardly think of one without the other.  But now… it’s just “Jim…”

So, with that in mind I grabbed my “Piper’s Story” journal and began first, to make a list of all the things in my life that most likely were NOT going to change.  At the top of that list, besides our children and their families, was my personal hunger and dependence on God and His Word which brought a familiar scripture to mind where the writer of the book of Hebrews confidently declares that: “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  (Hebrews 11:6 KJV) 

This keynote verse located within the chapter of the New Testament that is affectionately called “The Roll Call of Faith,” was always a standard description of Piper’s and my faith and I do not foresee any reason for that to change now!  It is one of those “Practice Makes Perfect” foundations in my life that I will continue to develop.

I recently read an article defining the meaning of the word “Believe,” especially in the light of Hebrews chapter eleven.  The author Tom Stuart, Pastor and leader of Ignited2Pray Ministries in in Blaine, MN, states:

“Did you know that in twenty of the world’s most primitive languages the word for believe is the same as the word for do?  That is something Wycliffe Bible translators have discovered in years of working to translate the Bible into the native language of remote people groups.  In other words, for those cultures, to believe something literally means to do something.  Faith and action are inseparable. Truth be told, that is the way God intends it.

Genuine faith is expressed through action.  This is a discovery that one readily makes when studying Hebrews 11 the great faith chapter of the Bible.  A careful reading of the account of Abraham, the father of our faith, in verses 8 through 19 underscores this truth like none other.”     (http://tomstuart.org/2010/10/20/believe-is-an-action-verb/)

So, like I said previously, even though there is a lot of “NEW” things for me out there in the world, there are some foundations that will stay the same.  I will continue to practice my faith… which the article above describes as my “active” believing of God and his Word, so that when the different, the difficult, the damaging and the unsettling things of life threaten me, I will automatically go into action… putting to work the things that I have continued to practice in my daily life!

What do you think about that idea?  Are there things/ways/procedures/foundations in your life that you practice on a regular basis in order to prepare you for the unseen things ahead… or in other words… things that you “actively” believe?  Maybe today is good time to start taking stock, prepare and then practice what is important to you!

Have a great new week ahead, and as you do, say with me: “I expect to practice my faith in order to be ready for whatever is in my future!”

It's Your Choice!

I was thinking while I sat warm and cozy in my La-Z-Boy chair yesterday, writing in my journal that I had entitled “Piper’s Story,” as the rain and wind were plummeting everything outside as a result of hurricane Michael, that we had established some important principles early on in our relationship.  With one of the first and foremost being, to do our best to create and maintain an attitude of joy in us and around us at all times!

And while this was not always the easiest of tasks, I think that in some respects with our personalities, it came somewhat easy to us.  I’ve heard it said many times that opposites attract, but I sure don’t see that a lot with Piper and I!  We both have had easy-going, patient, fun-loving, inquisitive, and sensitive natures about us.  That is what immediately drew me to that cute girl that always seemed to have a smile on her face back in High School!

I was telling someone the other day that I always loved to make Piper laugh (as she did with me as well)… even to the very end while I kneeled on the floor at her bedside in her final hours and found myself telling her funny stories from our past.  The ability to find something cheerful in almost any situation just seemed to come easy to us.  Or did it?

While I was thinking, praying, and writing about this during the blistery weather yesterday, I was quickly reminded of one of both Piper’s and my favorite scriptures that never went a day without being spoken out of our lips, usually on multiple occasions.  And that scripture is found in Psalm 118:24 where the Psalmist exults, “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (KJV) 

Over the years it became one of the first things we spoke out even before we got out of bed in the morning.  Many times, we sung it individually or together as we turned our heads on our pillows and smiled at each other!  I still do it to this day, although the only one I can sing it with now is the pooch, who normally only builds up enough energy to open up one eye and glance at me across the bedroom!

This verse holds what I believe to be one the major keys that helped us function effectively throughout the long years of our ordeal with Piper’s health.  To me the Psalmist, who most agree was David, starts with a statement of fact that my faith in God and His Word will not allow me to overlook.  Mainly, that God is the creator of this new day!  The initial and most popular usage of the Hebrew word “day” in this verse constitutes “a 24 hour period” (Brown Driver-Briggs) or as the Greek translation states: “The time between dawn and dusk.” (Strong’s)  This scripture therefore makes a good argument that David meant for the reader to take it for each and every new day!

The next part of the verse then tells us exactly what to do about it.  It declares, “we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  To me, he is giving us a command.  I’ve always read it as “I will to rejoice and be glad in it.”  It is a choice that each of us has to make each day!  Piper and I always understood it that way and decided that it was a deliberate decision that we would make each and every morning!  So… before our feet hit the ground, it was already decided that we were going to rejoice no matter what came up that day.

I’ve found that having already decided my reaction to the situations in daily life, quickly gives me the upper hand when things happen… especially if they are not too positive!  And it was that years-developed foundation that I believe gave us the ability to keep a smile on our face, Godly based expectation in our hearts and that “peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine” that “will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 God’s Word ©) throughout the incredibly tough events of the last 11+ years, while many around us fell to the wayside battling the effects of hopelessness, depression and/or confusion over what had happened to Piper.

As the results of all the tests and other information about Piper’s situation began to come in, the two of us simply continued to flow in an attitude of joy, knowing that our trust was in Him and that He would “not neglect nor abandon us” (See: Joshua 1:5)  Was it easy? NO!  Where there times when I found myself literally on my knees in the hallway, at the bottom of the stairs or on the kitchen floor crying out to Him? YES!  Did I ever lose my joy?  To be honest, NO -  but I did almost consider it for a few seconds… but the joy of the Lord was so engrained in me that there was no way I could ever give in or give up and go back to what...  anxiety, fear, depression or hopelessness?

NO!  NO! and NO!  That’s just not a part of who Piper and I were, and for her sake, I could not nor would not give up on Him or her in the greatest time in our lives where she needed me to be strong for her… as well as for me!

With her moving on to glory a month or so ago there have been many times where I seem to hurt all over while missing her.  Every time I see a couple smiling and/or laughing together I wonder if I’ll ever have that happiness again, for I can’t imagine having the closeness of the relationship we had with anyone else.  But then the Lord reminds me that while I may not have the physical happiness of being in her presence again (at least until I get to heaven), I can and will always have access to HIS JOY which isn’t dependent on physical situations but is able to cause me to rejoice and be glad no matter what… each and every day!  So why not choose to rejoice and be glad? 

What do you think?  If it worked for Piper and I it will work for you.  Have a super-duper weekend, and as you do, say with me, “I am expecting to rejoice and be glad for the day the Lord has made… just for me, today!”

SURPRISE!

I’ve told the story many times of when my wife and I, along with the kids, were camping up in the Sierra’s in northern California.  Our campsite that year was next to a small stream that meandered throughout the campgrounds.  If I remember correctly, we spent a good amount of time wading in that cold, snow melt fed stream on that vacation. 

On one afternoon after some relentless prodding, the kids and I actually got Piper to venture into the water all the way to her hips… and just when we thought that it couldn’t get any better than that, she suddenly dove underwater, shot out like an arrow and to our utter amazement yelled at the top of her lungs, “You didn’t think I’d do that, did you?”  To which we could only nod our heads as it took us TOTALLY by surprise!

Well… that TOTAL surprise and inability to speak and/or explain what I had just witnessed is exactly the same experience I had the first couple of years after our return home from our Bible School-driven move to Oklahoma.  There was just SO many emotional, mental, physical and spiritual realities going on as we finally began to get some informed details concerning the depth and speed of Piper’s health deterioration, a new demanding job that was keeping me out of town and away from the house for up to 12 hours a day, a breakdown of our former network of family and friends that we’d depended on previous to our move, and negative responses from family that were completely unexpected.

To say that my life was in a tailspin would be a grave understatement!  But as was the case throughout Piper’s and my marriage, we continued to turn to the Lord and his Word for direction.  As we began to focus fully on Him and the ways we believed He was calling us to follow, we started to discover the need to be strongly knowledgeable and convinced of our own faith in what we believed to be His truth for us and our path through the valley we had entered into.

It was also at this time that I began to really take notice of the atmosphere that Piper and I were being surrounded with.  At the beginning, I found myself just doing all the religious things that I had done before, thinking that this would be enough.  But after many weeks and months of growing confusion and frustration, I began to hear the Lord’s voice in me, distinctly calling me to step up… or in His exact words to: “Man-Up!”

Then, old familiar Bible verses like Nehemiah 8:10 began to repeatedly pop up in my head reminding me that “the joy of the LORD is my strength.” (KJV personalized).  While others encouraged me to “Always be joyful in the Lord! I'll say it again: Be joyful!” (Philippians 4:4 God’s Word ©) And of course there was our old favorite that I’ve been talking about in recent blog posts where Peter seems to be making a clear connection between the action steps that we take while believing God and His Word, with our personal levels of joy saying: “you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith…” (I Peter 1:8-9 ESV)

I admit that it took awhile for the Lord to get through this thick head of mine, but I slowly began to see the utmost importance of keeping both Piper and I in an environment of JOY, praise and the confession of God’s Word… and as much as possible, AWAY from negative, depressive and/or discouraging venues.

I can remember the day I finally “got” this directive of the Lord like it was yesterday.  It was the day when I realized that my care for my sweet wife was to entail a lot more than just assuring that her physical needs were met, but also… and maybe more importantly, that her spiritual needs were met… on a daily basis!

So, with that understanding, I began to make a series of tough decisions that eventually led to our move out here to the east coast.  And you know, even though I dearly miss many of our family members and good friends back home, I have NEVER regretted that decision!

I like the wording of I Peter 1:9 in the Easy-To-Read Version of the Bible where it explains the results of our JOY infused steps of faith declaring that: “Your faith has a goal, and you are reaching that goal—your salvation.”

For, I have NO doubt that our consistent efforts to keep us in and then diligently protect the atmosphere of JOY that we surrounded ourselves with, caused that verse to become a reality in our lives!  A quick examination of the word “salvation” will note that the word used is a derivative of the Greek word “sozo” which encompasses many promises to the Christian who actively believe including: “to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): - heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.” (Strong’s)

Well, while I am experiencing even greater times of emotional pain and duress every time I think about the absence of my lovely best friend and wife,* I am immediately reminded and re-filled with JOY in knowing that she is NOW at the goal of our faith, in the very midst of her “sozo” in heaven!

So, what more can I say?  Well… I actually do have a few more thoughts about the importance of a life of JOY which I’ll continue with in upcoming posts…  But until then… think about it for a few moments, and ask yourself… “How am I expecting to enter into and protect an atmosphere of JOY around me today?”

*I think I figured out that with all of the physical and legal details of Piper’s passing completed, that I am now free to simply focus on all of the special and countless memories that I hold dear to my heart concerning her wonderful qualities, high levels of spiritual discernment, her personal, mental, physical and moral characteristics, personal beauty and maybe most of all, her always abounding and seemingly never ending JOYFULNESS!

Be Full of Joy... what now?

I’ve been doing some thinking and Biblical study lately on the meaning and purpose of having Godly joy in our lives.  The word “joy” appears 63 times in the King James Version of the New Testament.  The vast majority of the uses of the word are the Greek word “chara” with the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries number of 5479.  Strong’s defines it as “cheerfulness, calm delight,” While Thayer’s describes it simply as “gladness,” or “the cause or occasion of joy.”

So, what’s the big deal about “joy” in the life of a Christian?  Well, Peter seemed to connect being an active Believer with the attitude of joy when he told his readers in 1Peter 1:8 “yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  (KJV)  The angel Gabriel made it pretty clear that the coming of Jesus and His gospel message was something for everyone to be joyful about when he told Mary, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11 KJV)

Jesus Himself talked about joy like it was not only an important characteristic for His followers to have, but something that would set them apart from the world in His absence.  He talked about having His joy being fulfilled in them when He prayed to the Father in the garden before His crucifixion saying, “When I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You have given Me I guarded; and not one of them is lost except the son of perdition, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” (John 17:12-13 EMTV)

He clarified that the reasons He taught His disciples was so that His joy would be a part of who they were, He declared: “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may abide in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11 EMTV)  And the list goes on and on as all the writers of both the Old and New Testaments talk about the importance of joy in the life of the Israelites who obeyed the Law and then after Christ came, in the sons and daughters of God Almighty.

To me, one of the mightiest and most powerful and encouraging testimonies in the whole Bible is given by the Apostle Paul in the letter written from jail and his impending death to the Philippian church.  Biblical Scholar Finis Dake, describes Philippians as “The joy of Christian grace and experience in all of life and death.”  He then continues in the book comments section of his popular Bible translation “The Dake Annotated Reference Bible” stating that Paul “mentions ‘joy’ 14 times in the epistle. The key word is ‘rejoice.’ Christians are to rejoice in fellowship with one another; in afflictions of the gospel; in the ministry for saints, in faithfulness of ministers; in the Lord and not in Judaism or in the flesh; in unity, and always in all things.

I think that I might have had a revelation as I was studying some of this yesterday afternoon.  I have often times made the statement that one of the most outstanding lessons that Piper and I learned as we stood for her healing over the extended period of time of eleven plus years, was the importance of building and protecting our faith in order to guard our joy.  But you know… after some preliminary study on the importance of joy, I think that I may have had that truth backwards…  As I now read about faith in the New Testament, I am beginning to understand that Christians need first to build and protect their joy in order to guard their faith.

In our experience, it was our abounding joy in the face of the doubt and unbelief, the sad looks and depression of some that greeted us almost every time we walked out the door, and the discussions of medical science concerning the disease that plagued my wife, that greatly helped to keep us focused on what we believed… and I still do… to be the ultimate truth of God’s Word! (See: John 17:17, Psalm 119:160, Ephesians 4:21 and a whole host of other scriptures)  And where does faith come from… Your right, “by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 KJV)

I recently read that “The second greatest thing that comes to us in the New Birth is joy (the first being the love nature of God).  This is something that makes trouble lose its grip upon us; makes poverty lose its terror.  It is the joy of the Lord.  And you remember that He said, ‘The joy of the lord shall be your strength.’  That was a prophecy.  Now Jesus said, ‘My joy I give unto you.’” (In His Presence, E.W Kenyon pgs 191-192)

I’m not sure how you reacted when you read that statement, but it definitely made me stand up and shout!  I’ll be sharing more about the importance of joy in coming posts as well as some of the harmful effects of a lack of joy that we saw demonstrated as we walked along the daily path of our journey. 

I am also seeing how important it is for me to stay in joy (no matter what!) as I painfully go through the events of the last month and begin to focus in on my future.  Hummm… this could be exciting after all!

Have a great new week, and as you do, keep declaring with me… “How am I expecting to keep His joy at the top of my priorities today?”

Process/Work and the Pain...

This last month has been kind of a world-wind time for me with the passing of my wonderful wife and life-long companion.  It’s come complete with all kinds of thoughts and emotions flying wildly through my head!  It’s been a time of tremendous pain, emotional stress and emptiness.  I think I now have a pretty good idea of what they mean when they talk about having a broken heart… there have been times when I have actually felt like my physical heart broke in two!

I promised the Lord early on in this process that I would not question Him about the “Why’s” of Piper’s situation, but instead trust Him implicitly for our incredible 48 years of joyful and productive life together.  I’ve been through the tremendous hurt and confusion of having people question and criticize my every move, and believe me when I say that it does absolutely nothing to help the situation.  From my personal experience it only builds division, causes frustration and can easily lead to anger and unforgiveness if not dealt with.

So, why put that kind of pressure on myself?  Instead, I’m choosing to move on from here.  Now don’t get me wrong… I am not saying that I have an easy road ahead of me.  I was reading through a magazine sent to me by our friends at the hospice organization we’ve been working with called “Compassionate Journey.”  In it (and I would imagine in the continuing issues I’ll receive throughout the next year) there are numerous articles about the many different philosophies on the grieving process.

As I looked at the somewhat opposing views of the “Process” and “Work” models, I could see myself as I meander through the early stages of this new walk in parts of almost all of them!  One of the six “R’s” of the process of mourning developed by Dr. Therese Rando, who is the author of “How To Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies,” as well as a psychologist in Warwick, Rhode Island, where she is the Clinical Director of The Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss, is to “Recollect and re-experience the deceased.”

Well… that hit the nail on the head, as I and many around me have been enjoying many positive peeks into Piper’s and my past.  There have been so many “incidents” that have come back to my memory alone, that I haven’t been able to keep up with recording them in my journal entitled, “Piper’s Story!”  But along with the smiles and the heartfelt thoughts also come the moments of tearful recognition that she will no longer be occupying the seat in the car next to me, lie on the other side of the bed, or have the ability to walk hand in hand with me through the next season of life.

So where do I go?  Well, as before, I continue to depend on God and His Word.  Colossians 1:9 tells me that I can pray to Him asking “that he would fill me with the knowledge of His will through every kind of spiritual wisdom and insight.” (God’s Word © personalized)  And this morning I discovered a proclamation of the Psalmist who declared with heartfelt praise to the Lord that, “the pleasure of the Lord our God be on us: O Lord, give strength to the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17 BBE) 

I had to stop and ask myself after reading this particular Psalm what was and how do I discover the PLEASURE of the Lord.  Then I realized that he is referring to God’s will and as we know today, that His will is found in His Word!  So… as I caught myself doing yesterday as I walked down the hallway in our home, I need not be repeatedly whining about not knowing what my future holds, but instead be thanking God that He is showing me His will… and then GET into the Word and allow Him to lead me to His plan and His purpose for this next chapter in my life!

And you know?  There are other benefits to spending more time in the Word during this tough time in my life as it is one of the few places where I can find true peace, rest and renewing from the emotional, physical and mental tumult that I am going through!  And I also know that it is the place for each of you to receive peace from any and everything that might be going on in your lives right now!

What do you say?  Want to join me as I begin at the book of Romans and read/study through the New Testament epistles?  I would suggest that you do it at your own pace, take a few notes but mostly… just ask the Lord to show you His will for you.

Have a terrific weekend, and as you do, say with me: “I am expecting to discover God’s will for my life as I spend time with Him in His Word!”

Shades of Grey

I was watching the end of a BBC program on Netflix yesterday where the Detective Inspector, who recently transferred from London to a small island in the Caribbean, leans on the railing outside the tiny police station and looks off across the town with a happy and contented look on his face… as if he has found a new home.  That look immediately spoke to my heart and I found myself asking the Lord out loud if I would ever be happy again. 

I mean let’s face it… My sweet wife Piper has had a lot to do with my state of happiness for 48 years, ever since I was a goofy seventeen-year-old kid in High School!  That’s a long time, wouldn’t you say?  So, what about now?  Well, that question rambled around in my head throughout the day, just about all night long and has continued into today!

This morning though, I finally had a breakthrough as I looked once again at John 1:16 where we are told, “And out of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” (EMTV).  What’s really caught my eye over the last few days is the end of that verse where it says we’ve all received “grace upon grace.”  The first time I saw this verse I read it as such: “And out of His fullness we have received… and on top of all that, He’s giving us grace upon grace.”

Another one of the “biggies” I learned throughout the journey that Piper and I embarked upon with those first set of tests back in 2007 in Broken Arrow OK, was the depth and scope of God’s grace.  At one point it was like someone slapped me across the face… not in a negative way, but as a positive wake-up call to the truth!  As we faced the various trials and tribulations that unfolded along the way, I began to see that God’s love which He actively demonstrates through His abundant grace is very much colored in shades of grey and NOT black and white!

Not only did God begin to change many of my pre-formed understandings of how and why and for whom He did things, I also began to see that a fair amount of the seemingly clear-cut (ie; this is the only way…) Biblical advice we got from different people through the years wasn’t so… well… clear-cut as they prescribed.  I began to see and understand just how much God looks at the heart of those who truly and consistently seek Him… and I believe that is what His grace upon grace is all about!

When I looked up the Greek definition for grace as used in John 1:16, I discovered among other things, that His grace is defined as “that which affords you joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm and loveliness.” (Thayer’s)  I’ve had people tell me things about God and the way that they believed He would do things in our situation that did not evoke a sense of joy, pleasure or delight in me.  Has that ever happen to you?

But putting that aside for today’s purposes, the truth that caught my attention is that God’s grace does brings us joy, pleasure and delight.  That definitely gave me hope for a personal future that would and could and very well should be happy again… as I continue (there’s that word again) to keep my focus on Him and His Word… all interspersed with the truth of His grace upon grace being poured down on me!

And you know… If He promises to do that for me… well… He’ll do it for YOU as well!  If you recall, the scriptures tell us that “God does not play favorites.” (Romans 2:11 God’s Word ©)  When His Word declares that He is giving us “grace upon grace” that’s exactly what He means!

That kinda makes me happy!  How about you?

Have a wonderful rest of the week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting God’s grace to fill me with joy, pleasure and delight today!”

Game On!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the practical advantages of living a life of faith.  Living your daily life in such a way that the expectation of God’s Word working in your life is an active participant in the way you get up in the morning, navigate through your day and go to bed at night.

I found myself praying over the kitchen sink this morning for God’s vision for the new week ahead.  Having just come through an intense eight-year period of being completely focused on God working in my wife’s body, I now find myself needing a purpose, a plan… a daily vision to guide me through the weeks and months ahead.  I need to get back into the place where my expectation of God’s best working in my life is firing on all eight cylinders!

The Weymouth New Testament tells us “…that hope never disappoints, because God's love for us floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)  When I heard the guest minister share this verse yesterday at church something inside of me jumped as I wondered if that word “hope” was actually the Greek word “elpis” which means “to anticipate, usually with pleasure” or “expectation.”  And sure enough, when I checked it out this morning in one of my Greek dictionaries, I was right!  So that verse might better be translated as “…Our expectations never disappoint…”

My wonderful wife moved on to glory one month ago yesterday and everyday since, I have heard that familiar voice of the Lord speaking inside of me telling me to continue building my faith, to not stop or even lessen the amount of the faith building Word that I absorb and then disseminate each day.  I’ve seen what a lack of faith and the absence of expectation that comes with it (See: Hebrews 11:1) can do to a believer… and after what I’ve just gone through, I don’t want any part of that in my life!  How about you?

When you get a few moments, take the time to read through Hebrews chapter eleven, the so-called roll call of faith chapter.  And as you’ll notice, faith does a lot of things for us!  According to my favorite God’s Word © translation, Faith:

·       Assures

·       Convinces

·       Leads

·       Enables

·       Pleases God

·       Waits on God

·       Produces Miracles

·       Causes us to make right decisions

·       Conquers

·       Receives

·       May force us to go through some difficult times

·       But… Gives us God’s plans

As I build my faith through the study of God’s Word (See; Romans 10:17) my expectation soars and I joyfully look for and expect everyone of those twelve by-products of my faith in Him and His Word to work – on a regular basis – in my life!

So even though I may not YET have a clear picture of God’s next steps for me, I’m definitely not gonna slack when it comes to my daily intake of God’s Word.

With a tear in my eye, I retired our old and very worn-out healing scriptures confession sheet that we used multiple times a day for the last eight years.  As I gently placed it in Piper’s old bed stand, I suddenly felt a happy jolt as the idea popped up in my head to replace that well-used, purpose driven confession sheet with a new one just for me in this new chapter of my life!

And so, my new “I Can Do All Things Through Christ” confession sheet was born and it is already up to four pages and growing.  It is filled with every uplifting and encouraging verse I could think of… and then some… from both the Old and New Testaments!  I am currently editing the verses to personalize them so when I speak it out it is from the first person and truly from my heart!

Like I said… I’ve learned too much and gone through enough to know in the journey of Piper’s health that I am not about to do anything less but instead… My plan is to up my game!  I like living life full of the EXPECTATION of God’s best in my daily life! 

How about you?

Have a great new week ahead, and as you do, confess with me… “I am doing everything I can to keep my expectation of God’s best alive and active in my life!”