The Plan I Have For You

Hope.  It is a huge little four letter word. Without it we live a life of darkness.  It is the ray of light that is able to pierce through places we cannot see. I am so glad to have the hope of Christ Jesus and his promise of eternal life.  It is so reassuring knowing the suffering and pain we have here on earth will be over, and one day we we will spend eternity in his presence. Even though I know I have this incredible promise, I am so guilty of selling short his ability to work in my day to day life. Friday was a road trip day.  I had the radio off, driving and following the directions of my little google app voice.  It wasn't the Google app automated voice that I heard most clearly.  It was the one who reminded me of the verses above, and how I so often settle for less than he wants for me.  Why?  Because I don't bother to ask. This girl has set some pretty lofty goals for 2016, and I am expecting it to be a year of change.   Howe...

Have you ever noticed how just when you seem to find your comfort zone, that is when God decides to shake things up a bit?  He started shaking things around in my life about three years ago.  Admittedly, I had gotten used to living life earthquake style, as long as I could do it in my shell.  Well now he's started peeling back the layers like a Bloomin' Onion on a tray at the Outback. I'm usually an encourager.  I started this blog to share my encouraging lessons with others.  Let me just be real and tell you something. The words penned in this blog have been very far between lately because I've been fighting a pretty big battle behind the scenes.  Its been hard to sit down and write an encouraging word when you are struggling to stay afloat yourself. I haven't kept it a secret my health has been an up an down battle for the past couple of years.  After this last surgery, I went on a run of headaches that lasted in the range of 50+ days before ...

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...

I sat mesmerized last night.  A storm blowing in, the breeze tickling my face.  A rare moment with no one around and I could slow down long enough to focus on the beauty around me.  A high-pitched chirp, then a buzz past my ear...a tiny hummingbird.  I call them my humbabies.  Four of them did what appeared to be a well choreographed dance around the feeder, pausing long enough to take a quick drink.  They darted into the trees.  The process repeated itself again and again. This time of year my humbabies are extremely active.  I can't keep a feeder full of food.  Their tiny bodies tank up on the sweet nectar to help them fuel their nonstop, 18-22 hour journey across the Gulf.  Their main diet is insects, and nectar is the fuel that gives them energy to do their work. These little creatures buzzed and swirled about, and in my mind all I could think about were how they, weighing less than one ounce,  could cross a great big oce...