Better to Laugh Than Cry!

Have you ever done something embarrassing and were glad that no one saw it?  I had one of the experiences late yesterday afternoon.  My wife and I had just returned from our afternoon walk and since I had some time before I needed to start preparing our evening meal, I decided to do something fun… like pay some bills!  My wife seemed to be content in her transport chair so I gathered all my paperwork on the kitchen table and pulled her up next to me so that she could be part of the fun.

I should mentioned that when we were getting ready to move back to California from Oklahoma, we made the (now as I look back!) rash decision to sell as much furniture as possible in order lessen the return load and save on moving expenses.  And since I was being promoted into a better paying position with The Home Depot, we figured that we could purchase the new items we needed after we settled into our new home.

While we sold the nice dining set we had, we did keep a small Scandinavian Designs expandable teak table and are now using it as our kitchen table.  It actually works well as our dining area is not that big.  We have been meaning to get a set of arm chairs to go with the table, but with everything going on since we returned, it has not been a big priority to me, until yesterday afternoon.  In the meantime, we have been using a set of plastic patio chairs complete with armrests.  They have actually worked well for my wife as they support her well and are light enough to easily move her in them if necessary.

Well, I guess that my wife didn’t think that paying the bills was very interesting yesterday, and ended up pushing her chair back until it came to rest against the couch behind where I was sitting.  After a while something caught my attention out of the side of my vision and I turned in time to see my wife standing up and falling to the floor next to me!  Without much time to react, I leaned out and in an attempt to catch her, one leg of my chair snapped and I plummeted to the floor along with Piper!  Some hero!  At least I was able to get my hand under her head before it contacted the floor, so I guess I did help a little!

After the shock of what had just happened and the pain in my hip subsided, I rolled over and checked to make sure that Piper was okay, and all was fine.  Then I looked up at the dog who was standing over my wife licking her face and suddenly began to laugh at the whole adventure.  Once I let my wife rest for a few moments, I helped her back up and then she also began to laugh! 

In the Old Testament there is the story of what Nehemiah the governor of the Israelites and Ezra the priest and scribe told the returning pilgrims to Jerusalem as they looked at the decimated city walls during one of their captivities.  In Nehemiah 8:10 they encouraged the people to not be sad, angry or feel sorry for themselves, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (KJV)  As I replaced the broken chair with a new one and returned to my paperwork at the kitchen table yesterday, I reflected on that same verse while I pondered all that has been going on with us over the last four years.  I also was tempted to entertain the thoughts of feeling sad, angry and sorry for myself, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go there. 

Throughout all this time, our heavenly Father has continually demonstrated His unfailing love and His unquestioning grace toward us and there is no way that I was going allow myself to give up on His faithfulness!  So, I looked over at my wife and we began to laugh again!  And you know what?  I felt better.  I felt stronger and was very thankful for His protection and care for my wife and I.

In I Peter 3:15 the Apostle Peter tells us to “dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord.” (God’s Word ©)  I think that if He truly is the Lord of your life, then it’s easier to laugh when you get handed a lemon, or in my case a chair with a broken leg!  What do you think?  Sometimes you only have a few seconds to react or respond to a situation that quickly comes upon you.  And the choice you make can show where your heart really is.  When that happens… will you laugh or complain?  Will you rejoice or feel sorry for yourself?  I gotta tell you, laughing is a lot better!  Have a good day today.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting to LAUGH at today?”

The Opinion That Counts

Can you imagine walking up to the revelation that someone very special loves you and cares for you like you are the most important person in the world?  I can remember thinking this many times when my wife and I would go on a two day vacation alone throughout the years.  To know that you have someone that truly believes in you, come whatever may, can make you feel like you are on top of the world.  Like you can conquer any obstacle!

I’ve probably shared this before, but when I walked into the fancy restaurant at The Sea Ranch Lodge in Sea Ranch, California on the first night of our honeymoon, with my beautiful bride on my arm, I just KNEW that every eye in the crowded dining area was upon us and that every thought in the room was centered around how lucky I was!  That’s the way I was definitely feeling at the time, and you know, that feeling has never wavered over the past 38 years since that night!

This morning I had the revelation that no matter how special the love of an individual may be to you, it is a mere shadow of the more important and meaningful love that our heavenly Father has toward you!  People may let you down, but our Father God will never release His special caring grip on your life!

What would it be like if you could wake up EVERY morning knowing that He loves you dearly?  That nothing you could do would ever cause Him to turn His back on you?  Well, that knowledge is something that WE CAN experience every day in our Christian lives!  God said about Jesus that: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 5:17 KJV)  And that is EXACTLY the same way that he feels about you and me!

I Peter 2:24 tells us that “Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life that has God’s approval.”  (God’s Word ©)  According to that precious truth, we NOW have God’s approval!  Merriam-Webster defines “approval” as “To have or express a FAVORABLE opinion of.”  Our loving heavenly Father has a favorable opinion about YOU!

People may disapprove of your life or many of the decisions you make in this life, and may even try to continually drag you through your past mistakes, but God ALWAYS approves of you!  He doesn’t see your past mistakes and continually dangle them before you.  NO!  He sees you through Christ’s blood sacrificed for YOU on the cross of Calvary!

Now that’s something special to wake up to each day, wouldn’t you agree!  I’ve come to realize that God’s opinion of me is the MOST important opinion that I need to concern myself with!  It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life.  It doesn’t matter what people may say or do against you.  What matters is that God’s FAVORABLE opinion of YOU never changes!  It doesn’t fluctuate with the weather, the way you feel or with another’s opinion of you.  You ARE His beloved son or daughter!

Keep that thought ever before you this week!  Then go out and slay a dragon or two!  Have a wonderful day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What FAVOR am I expecting today?”

Mirrow, Mirror on the Wall...

I had a funny experience this morning.  While I was kneeling on the floor near our bed at my wife’s side, reading our morning dosage of healing scriptures to her, I suddenly became aware of some motion in the mirror on my wife’s dresser across the room.  As I focused on it, I noticed that it was a reflection from one of the windows in the room, or so I thought…  It took me a few moments to realize that it was actually a reflection of a reflection coming from a large framed photo on the opposite wall that was reflecting what was happening outside on our side patio, down the hall on the other side of the house!  (Does that make sense?)

It turns out that what had originally caught my attention was a branch falling from the large oak tree that arches its branches over that patio and part of our house.  Then as I stared at the image in the mirror, I was surprised to see an arm and then the face of a man looking over the fence from the front of the house!  As the dog began to bark, I finally realized that it was the tree trimming crew working on the oak tree!  About that time the doorbell rang and as I opened it, the crew member asked if I could move the plants I had on the patio and unlock the gate so he could remove the debris from the yard.

What a way to start the day!  When I first saw the face materializing over the fence, I was a little tempted to get afraid with the fleeting thought of a home invasion.  But that imaginative idea quickly disappeared as my curiosity and confidence in the Lord’s protection took over.  I also figured that no individual in his right mind would jump the fence and try and enter a home with a fifty pound dog barking and throwing herself at the sliding door!  It actually never came to that as I think the dog recognized the familiar uniform of the landscape crew and didn’t really get very excited about the whole thing!  But nevertheless, that situation could prove to be very scary for someone living alone in their house.  It’s just the kind of fear that the enemy of our souls would like to wake us up to everyday.  And in some respects he does!

As I studied from the end of I Peter this morning, before the above incident occurred, I began to see that one of the greatest fears that the devil will try to put on us is the fear of not being good enough.  The fear of not being confident in who you are.  The fear of not doing things right.  I Peter 2:20 talks about enduring “suffering for doing something good,” (God’s Word ©) and how that activity is pleasing to God.  Then the rest of the chapter tells how to respond to any negative reactions from others toward you in this situation.  Verse fifteen assures us that “God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing what is right.” (God’s Word ©)  Then it unveils what Jesus did when He was caught in a similar circumstance by informing us how He “left everything to the one who judges fairly.” (I Peter 2:23 God’s Word ©)

I painfully discovered that those few who had come against me in the decisions I have been making in the care of my wife, were actually telling me how wrong that they felt my actions were.  I was accused of being uncaring, unresponsive, of not taking responsibility and of not being very smart (the term “stupid” actually came up in one of the conversations they had with one of our kids!)  At a time when my life seemed to be crashing before my eyes as the love of my life was diagnosed with a life threatening disease, I suddenly – on top of everything else – was faced with a major attack on my confidence, my faith and my character.

As I was reminded of those terrible feelings again this morning, it suddenly came to my attention that there are many people that face those same potential fears every day!  Just as I was faced with the potential fear of someone breaking into our home this morning, there are many who face a lack of self-confidence and condemnation every morning!  The hard part for me to swallow is that many times, those lies are put on these people through the words and actions of insensitive individuals.

But, if you know that you are doing the right things, as I really felt I was in my heart, you can laugh at the Lord’s council in I Peter 2:15.  He comes right out and calls your accusers “ignorant,” and “foolish!”  Now who says that the Lord doesn’t have a sense of humor!

I’ll share some more thoughts on this subject throughout the week, but for now it is important to realize that God sees YOU through the BLOOD of Jesus and the atonement He made for you on His cross!  God sees you as who you are in Christ, not through the eyes of those who may wrongfully accuse you.  The most important truth to remember when you might be tempted to feel down or question if you are doing the right thing is that GOD LIKES YOU!  He is for you, and as you put your trust in Him, He will see you through every tough situation and decision!

He’ll even send someone along your path to encourage you, as He did for me over this last weekend.  On Saturday morning my wife and I went shopping at our local Safeway.  After I had put the groceries into the car and helped my wife out of her chair and into the front seat of our Buick, I turnaround as the lady who was loading her purchases into her Mercedes parked next to us looked at me, smiled and simply commented: “You’re a good man!”  I thanked her for her words and then fought off the tears as I sat in the car, stared out the window and let the meaning of her encouragement sink in.  Her kindness touched my heart, gave me a spurt of energy to go on and made my day!

I want you to know today, that our heavenly Father is saying the same thing to you today!  He sees you as a good man or women, boy or girl!  He only thinks the best about you and wants you to understand as Joshua 1:5 says, “No one will be able to successfully oppose you as long as you live.  I will be with you as I was with Moses.  I will never neglect you or abandon you.” (God’s Word ©)

We have some relatives who, through their actions, have seemed to have abandoned us in our time of need.  I understand now, that this is most likely their way of dealing with the situation.  But I take heart and am greatly reassured in KNOWING that the ONE who matters the most will NEVER abandon you or me... NO NEVER!  So if times get a little tough this week, think on that!  Know how SPECIAL you are to Him.  When you look into the mirror, look for His reflection smiling back at you!  Have a GREAT day.  Stay in tune to Him and His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

Cattlemans Steakhouse

My youngest daughter and I enjoy sharing new recipes with each other.  When she was younger we would sometimes dream about what our favorite dinner would consist of.  It usually included a big barbequed steak, a baked potato with ALL the trimmings and a large serving of green string beans freshly picked off our backyard vines!  I think that if I asked her today, she would probably say that it has not changed that much… and I guess I would have to say the same thing!

When we were dating, my wife and my favorite restaurant was the northern California chain of Cattlemans Steakhouse.  In fact, I asked my wife to marry me at their restaurant in Petaluma, California.  I had it planned down to the last detail.  A good friend of mine at the time, and I had packed up my MG and gone camping at Richardson Grove State Park a few days before the fateful day and we talked about practically nothing except my upcoming surprise for my gal!

My Mom had helped me to shop for the ring a month or so before and I had all I could do to keep the secret from Piper!  She and I had discussed marriage and had agreed that we would wait a couple more years until we had completed our junior and senior years of college.  But when push came to shove and we were getting ready to leave for college life at Chico State College, I decided that I wasn’t going to take any chances and wanted to make sure that my gorgeous girlfriend had a ring on her finger so that everyone knew that she was spoken for!

When the night finally came and we got to the restaurant, all my plans seemed to go up in the dust… or maybe it was the sawdust on the floor!  We were not able to get a corner booth and the only available table was in the middle of the crowded dining area closely surrounded by all the other dinner guests.  It just wasn’t romantic enough!  So throughout the dinner I tried to come up with a ”Plan “B”.  I really don’t remember much about the actual dinner and I am not sure if Piper thought that something was up or not!

Finally when we were alone in my little MG in the dark parking lot after dinner, I threw caution to the wind, pulled the little velvet covered box out of my boot (where I so cleverly concealed it… so I thought!!!), looked into Piper’s bright brown eyes that made me swoon, shakily opened the box and softly asked her to marry me.  As our eyes met and the tears began to well up, she suddenly began to laugh!  Talk about NOT what I expected!!!  But we made it past the laughter and she quickly said YES and it’s been history ever since!

Later she confided to me that she was a little nervous and didn’t know what else to do!  Looking back now though, it was probably the most apropos reaction and start to our marriage as it was her consistent smile and laughter that first attracted me to her as she sat behind me in our English class as juniors in high school!

I thought of that steakhouse, tasty dinners and my star-spangled proposal to my wife this morning as I read from I Peter 2:2-3.  It says, “Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk.  Then you will grow in your salvation.  Certainly, you have tasted that the Lord is good!” (God’s Word ©)  It was the thought of the Word of God tasting good that led me along the path of a deliciously tasty steak dinner!

We should desire or as the original Greek implies “yearn for” or “crave” the delicious taste and nutritional value of the scriptures just as we do a steak dinner or any of your favorite meals or deserts! (Yummm’mm… now don’t get me going on deserts!  If you’re reading this, let me know what your favorite dinner and/or desert is!)

You understand I am sure, that a baby desires or craves milk not only for the taste, but also to meet his or her nutritional needs.  That’s the same for us with the Word of God.  Not only should we desire it for its flavor and enjoyment, but also as a necessary ingredient for the spiritual, mental, emotional as well as physical growth and development of our whole being.  As a Christian, it is the one food group that we CANNOT live without!

As I meditated on all this this morning I glanced over at one of the bibles sitting on my desk and pictured it as a hot, juicy steak just off the grill!  I could almost smell its fragrance and taste its barbequed flavor.  Is that how you see your bible?  Does the thought of opening its pages and partaking of its words cause your mouth to begin to water in anticipation of its unique taste and satisfying flavor?  According to our scripture today, it should!  “Certainly, you have tasted that the Lord is good!”

Have a great weekend!  Why not go out and have a special meal of God’s taste tantalizing, satisfying and aromatic Word this weekend!  Enjoy and be blessed and remember to ask yourself as you bite into that first fork full… “What am I expecting today?”

 

Living With Expectancy!

You may have noticed that I talk a lot about having an “expectancy” in the Word of God in this blog.  This is born out of my personal experiences in my day to day life.  It is how I am able to face each day with hope (bible hope that is = an expectancy of good things happening based on the truth of God’s Word!), with a smile on my face and joy in my steps.  It is how I can look at the devastating changes in my wife’s appearance and normally sparkling and spunky attitude and see past the natural into what God promises about her future.  (see: Psalm 118:17)

Today as I read from I Peter 1:23, I gained further evidence that this “expectant” attitude is what God desires from each of His family members.  This verse declares that “You have been born again, not from a seed that can be destroyed, but through God’s everlasting word that can’t be destroyed.” (God’s Word ©)  The King James Version says it is a word “which liveth and abideth forever.”  And this is where it gets exciting…

Thayer defines the Greek meaning for “liveth” as “to live, breath and be among the living (not lifeless).  Active, blessed, endless in the kingdom of God.  Having vital power in itself and exerting the same upon the soul.”  In the original language Strong’s says that “abideth” means “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy).”

That tells me that the living Word itself contains an expectancy of the goodness and power of God in every scripture!  That’s why it encourages us when we read it.  That’s why it sheds light and life into any and every situation.  That’s why the one who trusts in it can be expectant of good things eventually happening in the midst of even the toughest of life’s situations and trials!

I had the thought this morning of how the Word in this context, is similar to our dog Mandie when we are out for a walk.  She may be nine years old, but she has the energy and attitude of a three year old!  Whenever she sees a person or another dog walking ahead of us she will begin to pull the lease as she strains to get to them!  It gets a little crazy at times when we are on a downward slope or getting too near the edge of the sidewalk as I have to fight to restrain her and keep my wife’s chair from going over!

I kind of lost that battle the other day!  We were walking along the lake when we were passed by two ladies with a small terrier.  Of course, both dogs wanted to greet each other and were pulling to get close to each other.  It was a funny experience, so when one of the ladies asked if it was okay to do so, I turned and let go of my wife’s chair for a moment and began to walk Mandie up to the other dog.  Well, I didn’t realize that there was a slight slope to the sidewalk and as soon as I let go of the chair it turned and before I knew it, one wheel went off the sidewalk.  Thankfully one of the ladies gasped which got my attention and I was able to spin around quickly enough to catch Piper before she slide completely out of the chair!  The ladies were nice enough to take Mandie and pull the transport chair back so I could help Piper back into her seat.  Talk about feeling foolish!   The one piece of advice that an older gentleman told me about living through my wife’s situation which was “to let go of all your pride,” once again came true that day!

But back to the Word…  That eagerness or expectation demonstrated by our pulling dog to greet someone and/or their dog walking ahead of us is the same type of expectation that the Word must have!  It is like it becomes so excited, so expectant of the goodness of God that it tugs on our hearts to get out and be activated by our faith in order to work in and for us!  Remember that God’s Word is no ordinary word.  According to our scripture (and many others) it is alive, breathing and active.  Once that expectancy gets released in us, we can’t help but to be expectant of the truth, power, grace and love of God working as we believe it and act upon it!

The expectancy inherent in His Word should cause us to be expectant and to live our lives in such a way as to demonstrate that expectancy in everything we do and say!  I would have to say that being a Christian is anything but dull and boring…  So I would encourage you to go out and spread that God inspired, God given expectancy to your world today!  Believe in His best and let Him do the rest.  Have a great end of the week.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I EXPECTING today?”

Oreo Cookies!

I may have mentioned in past blog posts how the demographics of our little community where we live have changed over the last few years.  When we first moved in during the summer of 2009, the majority of our neighbors were older folks without children.  It was a quiet neighborhood (maybe a little too quiet!) and most people tended to stick to themselves.  But during the spring months a couple of years ago, we began to notice that a change was in the air.  “For Sale” signs started showing up on various houses along with a few “For Rent” signs.

Within a seemingly short amount of time the sounds of children playing came to our ears.  We noticed that the family pool was getting more crowded than the adult pool, and the various playgrounds around the community had kids playing on them!  Now don’t get me wrong here!  I think that this is a good thing!  Both my wife and I love the sounds and sights of kids in the neighborhood.  To me it is the sound of life!  And this morning was no different…

As I sat quietly in my study meditating on the Word in I Peter chapter one, my reverie was broken as the chatter and laughter of two tiny voices wafted through my open window.  Many times in the morning I see one of our neighbors and her two kids going out their door which is visible outside the side window in my study.  Today was different though, in that they never came out.  I could hear the kids playing, but I never did see them.  It must be a stay at home day today!

The children’s squeals of excitement and fun seemed to set the morning ablaze with a sense of energy and expectation of good things to come.  I had to stop what I was doing and just smile at the pleasure they brought to me, along with the memories of happy times.  Their innocent joy was very encouraging to me!

That experience this morning also went right along with what I believe the Lord was showing me in my quiet time with Him.  Isn’t it amazing how He can take something that’s happening at the very moment and use it as an object lesson?  I was reading from I Peter 1:14-17 concerning some of the benefits of living a life that mimics Christ.  The Message Bible simply encourages us by saying, “As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness… Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.”

God’s way of life, a life that is deeply conscious of Him, allows us to live a life that’s energetic and blazing with holiness…  even when you may find yourself smack in the middle of some of your toughest trials!  And believe me, I can fully attest to this!  When you are focused on Him, you can still face each day with a fresh expectancy, a smile on your face and a grace-filled word of encouragement for others!

I had to make a rather hard decision just about a year ago.  After going through many months of frustration, confusion and repeated hurt, I followed my God-given instincts and decided to let go of a few activities and personal contacts in my life that kept trying to pull my vision off of God’s plan for my wife and I.  I’ve mentioned before that one of the hardest parts of this journey that my wife and I have been on has been the way others close to us have handled the situation.

I shockingly discovered that some folks whom I considered to be strong and mature Christians continually attempted to get us to take our eyes off of how we knew God to be leading us through His Word and onto either potential worldly solutions or what I simply considered as “things” or get us to put God into the same little box they had Him in, while they completely ignored where our faith was!

Their suggestions did not bring peace nor lend itself to a life blazing with energy and an expectation of God’s best for us.  What I heard was fear in their voices, words that were not encouraging, but confusing, and a future that was filled with more “don’ts” than “do’s!”  I finally realized that God’s life, His way, should be totally freeing and not constrictive.  I had so much going on with my wife’s health needs that I just couldn’t take the drain that these individuals and activities where taking from me.  So, I swallowed hard, listened to that small still voice on the inside and with a little hesitation, let go!

And this is new ground!  As someone in the Old Testament said, “I have not gone this way before!”  I’d always been the one people went to!  I’d always been the encourager!  It made me think of the Oreo Cookie technique that my wife shared with me early in our marriage when I needed to correct one of our boys.  She gently took my arm as I went into the bedroom where he was waiting for me and softly suggested that my words be like the famous cookie.  She said to start the conversation off with something positive and encouraging (like the black cookie wafer on top), then talk about the corrections that need to happen (the white cream) and follow it up with closing words, once again, of encouragement (the bottom cookie wafer!).  As I thought on this, I realized that I had been receiving lots of white vanilla cream and no cookie from these folks and activates.

God’s way gives us a choice surrounded with lots of encouragement and grace!  And that’s the way our loving heavenly Father wants us to respond to others!  As I have mentioned many times before, now that I have been on the inside looking out, I will definitely look at and minister to the hurting people that come into my life very different than I did before!  So… why not BE an Oreo Cookie today?  Surround someone’s life with encouragement, love and grace and help them to see life as a blazing, energetic experience that is focused on God!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What Good Things am I expecting today”?

 

Acorns

As I stood on the patio a few moments ago watching the flight of a helicopter as it flew over our house, I became aware of the great oak tree that overshadows a portion of our home and side patio.  While I was observing its beauty and its majestic stature against the deep blue sky, I noticed that it is loaded with groupings of brown acorns throughout the breath of its branches.

The acorns in the trees have made their presence known to us over the last few weeks as the late summer winds have come up.  The sounds of them bouncing off the roof, the fence or the patio floor have slowly begun to radiate through the house.  From what I could see of this year’s crops, it looks like we’ll be in for quite a rainfall of the little brown nuts in the coming weeks as the fall season makes her entrance!  When I came back into the house I began to laugh as I told my wife about the abundant harvest of the oak nuts this year.  I told her that once the fall winds pick up, that we’ll definitely have to watch our heads!  I even joked that we might have to get the dog a helmet!  There were times a couple of years ago where the acorns falling from the trees sounded like we were under attack… and this year’s crops looks even more bountiful than that season’s!

Well, just like I looked up into that tree and could clearly see that we will definitely be “under attack” from the barrage of acorns falling from the abundance of oak trees in our community in the coming month, I know also that we will continue to see “attacks” or barrages flowing from the trees of the enemy of our souls that we walk under in the daily course of our lives.  And just like I laughed at the thought of those acorns pelting down on us and the dog, I can laugh at the thought of the lies of the enemy being tossed at us.

I Peter 1:3 in the Contemporary English Version tells us to: “Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope (better translated expectation) that lives on.”  I can whole heartedly laugh because I KNOW that “God is so good!”  That we have a new life and an expectation that lives on.  I KNOW that the greater One lives in me (I John 4:4) and that no weapon that is formed against me shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17)!

The earnest expectation of His watching over me and of my ultimate victory in each rough situation that arises gives me the strength, the joy, and the positive attitude to go on!  The Apostle Peter told his readers that “Although you have never seen Christ, you love him.  You don’t see him now but you believe in him.  You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words as you obtain the salvation that is the goal of your faith.” (I Peter 1:8-9 God’s Word ©)

It’s hard not to get excited when you read about that kind of faith!  I can’t say that my day started out on a real joyful note this morning, but after a few moments of reading Peter’s encouraging words, I had a smile on my face and a praise on my lips.  Then when I went in to help my wife to get up and I saw her smile in response to the silly song of praise that I was making up as I went along… well… things can’t get much better than that!

So I encourage you today.  Know that God is so good to you!  Know that you have a new life and an expectation that lives on through every day and every event in your life!  Then let your extreme joy and praise leap off of you and onto those you come in contact with today.  Have a great day!  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What GOOD OUTCOMES am I EXPECTING today?”