The Plan I Have For You

Psalm 146 Praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord. 2 I will praise the LORD all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Don't put your trust in human leaders. Don't trust in people. They can't save you. 4 When they die, they return to the ground. On that very day their plans are bound to fail. 5 Blessed are those who depend on the God of Jacob for help. Blessed are those who put their hope in the LORD their God. 6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth and the ocean. He made everything in them. The LORD remains faithful forever. 7 He stands up for those who are beaten down. He gives food to hungry people. The LORD sets prisoners free. 8 The LORD gives sight to those who are blind. The LORD lifts up those who feel helpless. The LORD loves those who do what is right. 9 The LORD watches over the outsiders who live in our land. He takes good care of children whose fathers have died. He also takes good care of widows. But he causes evil people to fail i...

Ephesians 5:13-14   But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:   “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.” One of the things I won't soon forget about my time with the American Cancer Society is the drive home a fter an overnight Relay event.  The overnight Relay experiences sy mbolizes the hard, dark road walked by a cancer patient followed by the ho pe that comes at the end of their journey.   Watching the sun rise after a long Relay event has always been a magical experience.  As the li ght s preads its way across the field, it warms the soul and brings with it a re newed spirit .  However the light does not take away the exhaustion, nor does it wipe away the experiences of the dark night.  Only when the light begins to break does one realize just how dar k the night was before. Photo taken at the Dodge County, Minn., R...

This is one of the toughest posts I have been called to write.  Admittedly, it has taken more than a month for the words to come together to share.  It bears an issue with which I really struggle, and I know there are others here who deal with the same things.  I have heard too many of them around me lately. After praying for how to share, I was blessed with a testimony of Rhett Walker, lead singer of the contemporary Christian Group The Rhett Walker Band.  Rhett was a preacher's child who led a life of rebellion during his teen years and fathered a child.   He discussed the destructive behavior I call " self beating ."  You know the feeling, that nagging, second guessing of yourself, That voice reminding you often of the things that could have been better or should have been better.  " Oh if only I had," or "if only I hadn't. "  Satan is so wonderful to remind us of our imperfections and use it to keep us down. Don't you find it so much...