cup of joe

As I take this week to unplug and detach from my daily grind, these words were a great encouragement to me from the Lord. I felt like they could also apply right now to whatever you are doing. Let me say pass them on to you: This is a time of ABUNDANCE in your life Your cup will overflow with blessings Enjoy this time of ease and refreshment Know this today, the Lord takes great pleasure in making these moments happen for you so that you can reboot, refresh and renew yourself. **THIS IS A TIME OF ABUNDANCE in your life. Your cup runneth over with blessings. After plodding uphill for many weeks, you are now traipsing through lush meadows drenched in warm sunshine. I want you to enjoy to the full this time of ease and refreshment. I delight in providing it for you.

Psalm 3:3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Lord you are MY shield. All around me…I am completely covered by the power of the Lord. On my right and my left, ahead of me and behind me. No weapon formed against me can prosper for I am unable to be penetrated! Divine protection.
Lord you are MY glory. David was a prominent man with status and position. Yet he knew that his identity and his value was not in his job or military rank…His validation came from God! Your identity is not tied to your past…your value is not tied to your performance…He is YOUR glory…your validation comes from Him not people! You are divinely defined!
Lord you are the One who lifts my head. In those days when the king lifted up your head it meant that you were accepted. You were once again restored to the place that you had been. On the other hand when the king put his foot on your neck, it meant that rather than lift up your head he was about to cut off your head!
David…

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. EPH 5:1-2
 As I read these verse today I laughed a little bit. I thought about my youngest son and how much he reminds me of myself. He's 26 now but the one incident I remember was when he was just a little guy. It was a Sunday morning, I was getting ready to preach and he was with me in the kitchen. He wanted a waffle so I did what most other men would do. I got the frozen Eggo waffles out to toast him his breakfast! I was all dressed and ready to go and he was watching me bounce around the kitchen getting his food ready. As I reached into the pantry for the syrup it slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor. The impact caused the cap to pop open and a single stream of syrup rifled out that drew a line straight down my body from the top of my shirt to the …

Today we honor the men and women who fight to keep us safe and free! Thank you Veterans for your service!

Yes, if only:) Unfortunately there is not a simple switch but there is a scriptural solution! In 1 Peter 5:7 it says, Give all your worries and cares to God for He cares about you. In the Psalm 55 it says that He will sustain the ones that are able to accomplish this. Worry can do nothing for you. Turn your worries into prayers.  God cares about all that is happening in you and around you. Don't let anxiety steal your peace.  This is your day to feel joy once again!

John 1:19-20When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn't evade the question. He told the plain truth: "I am not the Messiah."21They pressed him, "Who, then? Elijah?" "I am not." "The Prophet?" "No."22Exasperated, they said, "Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself."23"I'm thunder in the desert: 'Make the road straight for God!' John the Baptist was an influencer. He made a way for others to find their way to the Messiah. He was unconventional and perhaps a bit eccentric. And in the Message Bible translation he describes himself as “thunder in the desert”. Thunder is loud, powerful and rocks the area in which it rumbles. In other words, it makes an impact and a sound that is unmistakable. John may not have been the most eloquent or best dressed, but he knew that he would make…