Operation: Asa Joy

I learned a new word today. I read a lot so when I find a word that is not familiar to me, I always am curious as to what it means. I normally find words like this in old books that I am reading, or books reprinted from ages ago. Today was a word that I have never heard of. I found it in the book I am reading through, Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions . Now you can understand why I say old. “Magnify to me thy glory by being magnified in me and make me redolent of the they fragrance.” The word redolent caught my eye. I did not know what it meant, so I looked it up. Redolent 1.        Having a pleasant odor; fragrant 2.        Odorous or smelling (usually followed by of) 3.        Suggestive; reminiscent (usually followed by of) I went and did a search for redolent in the Bible. I found one reference that was found in the Message. Now, I don’...

I am continually amazed at the goodness of God. How much he truly loves us. How much he cares for us. How he provides for a need before we even know we need it. Oh, my heart cries out with praises to Him. Every parent who has raised their children into adulthood will understand where I have been these past few weeks. I have three children who are over 18 now and two teenagers. I also have one who officially enters the teen years next October. It seems weird to even write that. These past few weeks I have been dealing with some very tough issues concerning my older children. The kind of issues that require 3-hour conversations at midnight. The kind of conversations where my children are asking hard questions about life and their faith. Wonderful conversations but ones that drain you mentally and physically. I have been storming the gates of heaven for my children so much lately. I praise the Lord that my children are coming to me and talking. We poured so much into them when they...

Lulled into Danger– January 8, 2020 My heart is heavy this morning. I have been constantly bringing my children before the Lord. I am burdened for one child who is struggling with a particular sin that seems to have grabbed him and will not let go. I am broken for this child who is floundering and seems lost. As I draw closer to God the more the things of this world seem to lose their appeal to me. I discover more and more things that I need to remove from my own life that have creeped in slowly over time because I was not on my guard. Things that may seem good but are harmful because they take my focus off God. I see this in the eyes of my children. I know that I cannot make my children follow after Christ but what example have I set for them? I want to see my children fervently follow after Christ. I want them to be spending more time with Christ than on their devices or watching TV. I asked a child last night if he could find his Bible and he did not have an answe...

Keeping God's Name Holy – January 7, 2020 Today I read the passage in Matthew where the Lord’s Prayer is recorded. I have been reading the New Living Translation for a while now and I love how it phrases some of the very familiar passage. Our Father in heaven,     may your name be kept holy. 10  May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth,     as it is in heaven. 11  Give us today the food we need, 12  and forgive us our sins,     as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13  And don’t let us yield to temptation,     but rescue us from the evil one. I love the phrase “may your name be kept holy.” What an amazing thing to pray every day. In a world where the name of God is often spoken of with hatred or in jest, this is my cry. I want God’s name to always be holy. How flippantly do we use God’s name? I find myself in moments of carelessness using ...

January 6, 2020 This year I have decided to really focus on making sure that I meet with Christ every single day. Two words have been on my mind lately. Abide and Eucharisteo. Abundance was my word for last year, but I did not do much with it. The Lord put other things on my heart for me to focus on. He chose me to be the vessel to write two plays for Spiritual Twist Productions, a local Christian theater group. One play was about Corrie ten Boom and the other is about the Beatitudes. I spent much of the spring and summer digging dip into history and scripture to make sure that what I wrote on the pages was glorifying to God. The first show closed the first week of December and I am still in awe at how God worked in that production. A Weaving of Grace went further and reached people in ways that I could never have imagined.   I don’t believe that God is done with that play but for now my focus has shifted to the next play, Anything But Normal . I am trying to wr...