The Power of the Written Word

On my last birthday I received a beautiful leather bound journal from Toya, a very special and dear friend to me.  She had my name engraved on the front and on the inside at the bottom of each page is a bible verse.  I am so grateful for this beautiful gift that I wanted to use it for a special purpose, so I finally decided that I would use it to record my favorite bible verse’s and what they mean to me.

This process made me realize the importance of journals and the power of the written word. What if no one took the time to write things down, but only passed information on by word of mouth.  We all know how that works.  If we don’t write things down right away, over time our minds have a way of distorting the details and facts and the emotions of the moment. When we tell the story to one person and they tell it to another, have you noticed how the story changes slightly with each telling?

Have you ever found an old letter either written by you or someone else?   Doesn’t it transport you back to another place in time?  I am so happy that I have kept so many cards and letters written by my mom, dad, grandparents, brothers and sisters.  They help me to remember special places and times in my life and are some of my most cherished possessions.

Have you ever found old pictures of family members with the date and names written on the back?  It is the most beautiful gift when someone remembers to do that, because there are so many pictures of people unidentified for future generations.

I appreciate the power of the written word and will work harder to do my part to preserve the moments of today for future generations of my family.  If you don’t have a journal I encourage you to get one and write down the messages you want to leave for your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and so on.  It is a precious gift.

Here are a few of my favorite bible verses. I have just begun to record them, so this is just the beginning and an addition to my lifelong journey as a Christian.  I continue to seek Grace day by day and thank you for sharing in my journey.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (TNIV) ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

This verse has brought me comfort  to me many times, especially when I felt confused or anxious about the future and knowing when I pray, that God listens and that I can trust that he has things well in hand.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

What is your favorite bible verse?  

He Comforts Us

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

I am not incompetent Cheryl thought to herself bitterly as she carried a small box of her personal belongings down the long hallway leading to the building exit. She fought back tears of humiliation as Mike the security guard escorted her to the car. After 25 years of living and breathing this place they pulled the rug out from beneath her and discarded her like a dirty rag. Cheryl admits that she made a few mistakes, but so did everyone else. She worked hard over the years and for what? How can she face her family and friends? How did she fail? Cheryl sat behind the steering wheel of her car paralyzed with anger and shame. What do I do now?  

Mike stood at the giant shred-it bin feeling lost and defeated. As he opened each file for one final look he saw his work life flash before him. He worked all night on some of these projects for which he received significant recognition and praise. He produced good work that saved the company millions and now someone else is rich because of it. He has been given sixty days notice of his termination of employment. The large company who bought the one he works for does not care about the work he did in the past. It isn’t relevant for their plans for the future and they no longer need his service. Sadly, he tosses file after file into the shed-it bin and wonders what he will do next.  

Catherine slowly pulled the squeaky door shut behind her thinking that her father must be looking down from heaven with great disappointment. Her dad started this business and she worked for him from the time she was 12 years old. The business was profitable and thriving when Dad turned the reigns over to her. Over the years the cost of materials  and labor escalated and the ability of consumers to buy things online from the large stores took away much of her walk-in business. She tried to use new technology but she simply could not compete and had to make the decision to close the store. “What will I do now?” she asks out loud looking up at the cloudy sky.  

John 14:27

 ²⁷ “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” 

We live in troubling and changing times. Losing a job or a business definitely creates  financial loss.  Even more devastating is the personal loss we experience because we tend to attribute much of our personal value and self-worth to the work we perform and our material possessions. It is during this time of loss that only Jesus can give us the gift of true peace.  It is a peace that cannot be found here on earth.  

Once we accept His gift we will be able to move forward to the new work God has prepared for each of us long ago. We only need to open our hearts to God’s grace, acknowledge him and he will deliver us to even greater opportunities. 

We are more precious to God than anything else in this world and he will hold tight onto each one of us as cherished children and guide us safely through the storm.  All we have to do is pray, let go and trust in Him. 

Isaiah 41:10

10Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Love Is the Greatest

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 and 13 (NLT)  1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

We are blessed with this beautiful scripture about the importance of love. Without love, life has no meaning or purpose. Without love, actions and words are hallow.  Love is the most important of our human needs and is what sustains us. Here are some of my favorite quotes from whom I consider to be one of God’s greatest illustrations of love.  Mother Teresa. 

“If you judge people, then you have no time to love them.”

"Let us all meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love"

"Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

"It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

And of course, my favorite. 

"We can do no great things; only small things with great love.”

Happy Valentines Day.  I love you! 

It’s a Great Day to Be Alive!

I got rice cooking in the microwave
Got a three day beard I don't plan to shave
And it's a goofy thing but I just gotta say
Hey I'm doing alright

Yeah I think I'll make me some homemade soup
Feelin pretty good and that's the truth
It's neither drink nor drug induced
No I'm just doin alright

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

These are the lyrics to a song written by Darrell Scott and sung by Travis Tritt. I love this song because it reminds us that even though everything may not be perfect in life or we may not be where we want to be, we need to mindful that every day is a gift from God and a GREAT day to be alive.  

It seems that our days our filled with a flurry of activity because many of us strive to fill every waking hour with something to do. We place too much of our personal value and worth on how productive we are and what we accomplish in a day. We spend too much time worrying about finances, relationships, our children, work and our future.  

What would happen if you spent one whole day doing nothing? A day where you ignore the “to do” list in your head. A day when you leave the television turned off and you don’t read the newspaper. A day when you turn off your cell phone and don’t touch the computer.  A day when you put all of your worries and concerns aside.  A day when you only think about your blessings and not what you don’t have. A day when you say, “Thank you God, I’m doing alright”, and accept that for that day that it is good enough. 

Psalm 118:24  ²⁴ This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 

2 Corinthians 9:14-15 ¹⁴ And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. ¹⁵ Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

Today and everyday is a great day to be alive.  Rejoice in it!

You can watch Travis Tritt perform the entire song on Youtube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOg_4VGslCk