Mother Sister Daughter

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I coined a new title. It is called “Mother Sister Daughter”. Yes, I have a crazy way of thinking, but bear with me and it might make sense.

I first thought of this with my friend, Mary. She is a dear, senior saint in my church who is 90 years young. I enjoy spending time with Mary. She blesses me.

Now based on Mary’s age, the mother title makes sense. She seeks to invest in me in a similar way that a mom would.

She is my sister in Christ. I have a Proverbs 27:17 relationship with her. “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

I realize the daughter part of this title will be the most confusing. People who know me well, know that I have a mothering personality. I didn’t know this until my roommate my freshman year in college told me. Then I started noticing it.

I love my friend Mary – I love many friends with a fierce loyalty that can turn me into a “mama bear”. I want to care for my dear friends with a motherly love.

So no matter the age, these special ladies are my “mother sister daughters”. Because all of the titles fit.

So on this Mother’s Day weekend, I want to wish all of my Mother Sister Daughters a Happy Mother’s Day!

Finally Spring!

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We had a normal winter in Minnesota, but after several mild winters this year felt colder, darker and longer than before. I have to admit, I do not enjoy temperatures well below 0 on a January morning. However, this is where God has me and He has given me many blessings in the land of frozen tundra.

One big blessing is the joy when spring finally arrives. We had a mid-April snow which gave us several inches of wet, white mush. That has finally disappeared and warm weather is here.

While there can be beautiful sunsets during the cold winter, I enjoy taking pictures more when the weather is warm. On Wednesday night, I was excited to see beautiful colors in the sky. God is a master painter. He takes the sun and sky and creates a masterpiece. Here are a few pictures of His work. The pictures never fully show the beauty of God’s work, but I will relish and enjoy them anyway.

Comfort

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My family had a tough week, but God is still good.  After a battle with dementia, my aunt died on Wednesday.  While we will miss her, she is rejoicing with her Savior.  My aunt had placed her trust in Jesus Christ.  Those of us who trust Christ will have the same blessing when our earthly life is done.

Friend, if you do not know the joy of trusting Christ do not hesitate.  He is waiting for you with open arms.

1 Thess 4 13 18

God is Always Good

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We face many difficulties in life. The pain seems to push us into the thinking that God is not good. We question whether good can come from difficulty or not. However, God has shown us so many times how good He is. When we forget, God’s Word brings a much needed reminder.

Psalm 119 68

God has also gifted many with writing beautiful words and music. I love the song “You are Always Good”. The music was written by Jonathan Hamilton who suffered much in life (but now is rejoicing in God’s presence). The words were written by Chris Anderson who has written many modern, Biblically-based hymns. This song is the prayer of my heart – for myself, but also for many I know who struggle to remember that God is good. He will remind us when we ask.

Comparison

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“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Theodore Roosevelt

Trying to compare ourselves to other people is useless. In fact, it will only drag us down. The only comparison we should make is to Christ. Such a comparison is humbling and freeing at the same time. I fall short of Christ’s standard of perfection (Romans 3:23). However, to know that He loved me in such a special way that He would die for me (John 3:16) brings freedom from the awful weight of comparison. Jesus Christ knew who I would be (including my sins) and died for me any way (Romans 5:8). Such a beautiful thought.

So the next time you start down the path of comparison, make sure Christ is in view. He will give you the best view of yourself. His.

1 Peter 5 6-7

Comfort for Good Times and Hard Times

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No matter where we are in life, we have good days and bad. Living in a sin cursed earth with sinful people means there will be hardship. But God is good no matter what happens so we can rest in Him and find joy. When it is hard to find comfort in trials, God’s Word is a great help. His Words allow us to know the safety of His care and help us rest in Him.

No matter what you are going through right now, know that God loves you and comfort is yours if you just ask.

Easter Reflections

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Since this is Easter weekend, I wanted to write something about Jesus death, burial and resurrection. There are so many beautiful truths in the Easter story.

Today I want to look at the negative and positive. First the negative:

Jesus endured horrible pain, because each of us has chosen sin. We are not able to pay the penalty that sin causes (Romans 6:23).

If the Easter story ended with Jesus death on the cross, then we would only have the negative. Death. However, Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death and pain.

The joy of Easter Sunday is in remembering Jesus is alive! He broke the chains of sin and death. Now we have great cause for rejoicing!

I pray you know the joy and triumph of Easter.

Moments vs. Things

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Those who have read my blog know I like telling stories about “little things”. These are blessings that can seem small, but have a big impact on my life.

My “little things” stories are the moments I am collecting. Things can be fun, but moments have greater value.

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:20‭-‬21 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.6.20-21.ESV

Little Things, Big Smiles

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One of these days, I am going to sound like a broken record. I don’t mind. I listened to records as a child and I know the sound well.

God has impressed on me the power of little things. Both positive and negative.

This “little thing” story is from my church. I have a friend who often greets me before Sunday School. She uses my name and has a big smile on her face. One might think of this as a little thing, but I feel so special and important when I hear her cheery voice. She brings a smile to my face.

Oh, friends, I pray that you see the benefit of the little things. If God leads, please follow. You can help someone in a big way with something as simple as a smile and a hello.

Pleading in Prayer

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When I started my WordPress blog, I debated what to call it.  As I thought about a blog name, I knew that God had been teaching me about prayer and going to Him for everything.

Philippians 4:6-7 is painted on my living room wall.  The general idea of those verses is to worry about nothing, pray about everything, and you will have peace.

Pray about everything.  I had used Philippians 4:6-7 as my go to verse for big decisions (such as when I bought my house).  However, I have been learning how much prayer I need for everything in life.  I cannot succeed at anything unless I have Christ as my foundation.  When I spend more time in prayer, I am more in tune with God.

Being in tune with God makes a beautiful melody.