Tag: lessons learned through adversity

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Blessings will flow when we open our hearts

It has been said,  “It is impossible to be simultaneously thankful and critical at the same time.”  In this season of Thanksgiving, what if we all focused on the belief that the power of giving thanks could change the way we live our lives?  Dan Britton writes, “With a grateful heart, much can be accomplished. Let the power of thanksgiving change the way we relate to others?”

Billy Graham spoke about The 1st Thanksgiving.  “The Pilgrims were facing many trials. During that first long winter, seven times as many graves were made for the dead as homes were made for the living yet they gave thanks.  Their example reminds us that thanksgiving depends not on what we have but on being grateful for what we have. Not only are we called to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18); we are also told to “give thanks for everything to God the Father” (Ephesians 5:20)

A grateful heart must be an open heart. It is the only way the light of love can get in to dispel the darkness of discouragement and resentment that can grow in all of us.  We can’t wait for others. It  has to start with each of us.

  
We would never see the beauty of a full moon if not for it reflecting the light of the sun.  

So, as we gather around the table, let’s all try to open our hearts; Not just to the Lord but to each other. As we fill our hearts with God’s love, like the moon with the sun, let’s encourage each other (Colossians 2:2) to “change the word from a noun into a verb. It does not mean we have to agree but it does mean we can treat each other with respect. Known as the Golden Rule, Matthew 7:12 encourages us to treat others with the same kindness, fairness, and respect that we desire for ourselves.”

A friend on Facebook posted “If you live in thankfulness and gratitude, it will always take you to a better than living in resentment and anger”  The late Tim Keller observed  “It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.” For all Christ has done, for all he is doing, and for all he will do. 
Let’s all choose to open our hearts today!Thanks for finding a reading my blog.  If you haven’t subscribed, I would love to have you join those already on the email list.  Please also feel free to reach out via email at [email protected]
Pamela Bunn-“What if we claimed our freedom in Christ to walk with Him through the vale, and began to apply His example of trust, and submission, and enduring for the joy ahead? How might we begin to share His glory, and shine it to those who watch?
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Is it OK to just be ordinary?


Thankful in All Things

I know.  I know….It has been a minute.  I really didn’t mean to take this much time off from writing.  It just kind of happened.  It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to share.  It was more that I wasn’t ready to share it.  I needed and, quite honestly, still need time to get my head around the fact that is alright to just be ordinary.  In fact, there is great power being faithful in doing ordinary things that you know will not create much fanfare. As a good friend says, “Do awesome things quietly.”
 
Michael Horton in his book “Ordinary” https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Sustainable-Faith-Radical-Restless/dp/0310517370 writes, “Sometimes, chasing your dreams can be “easier” than just being who we are, where God has placed you, with the gifts he has given to you. However, the power of God unto salvation is not our passion for God, but the passion he has exhibited toward us sinners by sending his own Son to redeem us.” 
For my younger readers, this may not make sense because you have set goals for what you want to accomplish in your life.  I understand and hope those dreams will be realized but the purpose of this post is to say it is alright if what you hope to achieve is not realized as long as you are pursuing that desire in the right way.
Jon Gordon says it this way.  ““I want you to know that in a divided and broken world filled with broken families, broken relationships and broken people (I am one of them) the answer is connection and oneness with a loving God that wants to heal us through a loving relationship.”

I definitely have less years ahead of me than behind.  I realize some things I had hoped to achieve or opportunities I thought might come my way didn’t happen.  If I am honest, it does eat at me.  I ask the questions, “Did I not work hard enough?’ “Should I have put more time into it?” “Why not me rather than someone else?”  All are legitimate but at the end of the day I am becoming content with the answer, “It was not what God intended.”  I am coming to grips with Hebrews 8:24,25, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”  Simply put, I am banking on this promise of a hope in what has been promised by God but I still can’t see. 


I am no longer working full-time which has been life changing.  It is has been an easy transition except for figuring out why all the free time I was going to have quickly fills up.  The challenge making it a priority to fill it up with the right activities.  Even out of work, one must have a focus to make sure one day does not ooze into the next and then the next.  It has been encouraging to me that my identity is in God and not my work. As I have shared, the challenge has been with the question, “has my life made a difference?” I believe over these last couple of weeks, God has answered that question.  Unsolicited and out of the blue, I have received several texts or Facebook messages saying how my life has made a difference in theirs. They had no idea about what I had been thinking.  I believe God used them to affirm that each of us can have a positive impact on others by just being faithful in the ordinary .which results in us encouraging others to do the same.
Surprisingly, it brought me back to what we are taught in John 15. “Christ is the vine and we are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.  Paraphrased from Matthew 12:30,31 We are simply to love Him with all our heart.  Go out loving and serving others as He has done for us.  And then, not worry but instead, trust Him with the outcome.  That will continue to be my focus.  I hope you will choose to do the same.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  Please subscribe if you would like to receive email notification when new content is posted.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]
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The blessing of being included


I woke up very early this morning.  It could be from jet lag but is probably from the new sounds that come from the boat taking us from Amsterdam to Belgium.  Dottie and I are on our first river cruise with 5 other couples we have known for 45+ years.  We feel very fortunate to have been included and can afford this type of trip.  It reminded me of a devotional  I read right before the Masters last weekend. https://bit.ly/mastersdevotionDrew Hamilton writes about his dream to play Augusta National much less be a member.  It made me think about what would it take to become a member of such an exclusive club? 
These criteria came to mind. 
1) I would need to be somebody.  https://golf.com/news/augusta-nationals-members-masters/“ You can see by this list not just anybody can join Augusta. 
2) You not only need have made a name for yourself in the world but you also need to know someone. That someone needs to think that you are worthy of membership. 
3) You need to be able to afford it. Although it doesn’t cost that much to join, you have to be financially well off to even be considered. 
4) and finally, you will have to undergo a very strict vetting process and many are not offered the opportunity to become a member.  As an example, for a very long time, people of color and women were not eligible to join. 
5) Another way to become a member is to earn it 🙂 See below picture

I am glad my entrance into God’s kingdom does not have these same type of qualifications.  Drew sums it up nicely by writing, “I need to be grateful for the reality that I belong to an inclusive club with the greatest perk of all (citizenship in heaven)”http://”https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%203:20-21&version=NIV

I am grateful that I don’t need to be someone special.  I am grateful that I do know that someone, Jesus Christ, who gives me access.  I’m grateful that Jesus paid for my inclusion through His death on the cross. Finally, I thank God that He accepts me with all my imperfection and that is all the vetting that is done.

This time on the river cruise gives me a glimpse of what all this looks like.  These other 5 couples were kind enough to invite us on this journey.  It means so much to be included on this wonderful trip.  It may not be as grand as a membership at Augusta National, but it is a blessing to travel through life with people who are willing to love me as God loves them.  May we all seek out this type of inclusive community.   Thanks for joining me here.  I hope this blog helps you remain Thankful in all Things.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]

Thanks for joining me here.  I hope this blog helps you remain Thankful in all Things.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]
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Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat. A reflection of March Madness and Palm Sunday


If you examine the image above, you’ll notice it’s my bracket for the Men’s March Madness tournament. I’ve not done too poorly, and I feel confident about selecting U Conn to take the championship once more. However, numerous red x’s mark where I incorrectly predicted the winning team. With only 16 teams remaining, 52 teams have suffered losses and exited the competition. What began with immense hope and cheering has concluded with tears, disappointment, and in many instances, supporters blaming players and/or coaches for their team’s premature departure. Some fans might have even removed their school’s apparel to avoid mockery.

On Palm Sunday, while attending church, I was struck by the parallels between Jesus entering Jerusalem to the sound of “Hosanna in the highest” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2021:9&version=NIV  and the 68 teams entering the NCAA tournament. Both the people lining the streets to worship Jesus with palm fronds and the losing teams’ boosters showing their school’s colors, ended up very disappointed. Peter was the ultimate disappointed fan denying Christ 3 times.https://biblehub.com/matthew/26-75.htm
In both situations, people in the stands and on the road into Jerusalem, were putting their trust in man versus God.  Fans called for coaches to be fired and in Jesus’ sake, the crowds shouted “Crucify Him”! https://biblehub.com/luke/23-21.htm  

So the question for us this Holy Week is “where will we put our trust?”  Do you yearn for what the Kingdom in Heaven or the world has to offer? Deuteronomy 8 https://www.bible.com/bible/111/DEU.8.NIV offers this great reminder.  You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

God through His son Jesus Christ (not coaches or players) gives us the ultimate victory.  As we prepare for Easter,   “Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. Deuteronomy 8:6-9

May your Hosannas be cried out whether you are being challenged or blessed. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.  I can be reached via email at [email protected]   Please subscribe to receive email notifications when new content is published.  HAPPY EASTER!   
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Lent is a time where we learn how to wait.


Lamentations 3:25 says, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” This verse is part of the lament of Jeremiah, who expresses his hope and trust in God in the midst of his troubles. 
Isaiah 40;31 says, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” What an encouragement for those of us who found ourselves weary.

We are in the midst of the 40 days of Lent https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-lent-700774which started back on February 14th. We are now a little more than half way to culminate this time of waiting with Easter.  I have always been intrigued with how many of God’s chosen were put in some sort of “time out” before God released them for His purposes. Noah, Moses, Abraham, Joseph, King David, Ruth, Esther, Paul, and of course Jesus just to name a few. This was written (author unknown) back in 2020 titled “just maybe” during Covid. My additions to it are in parenthesis. • 40 days the flood lasted…• 40 years the Exodus lasted…• 40 days of fasting in the desert where Jesus was tempted…• 40 days of appearances of Jesus after his crucifixion and resurrection…•Number 40 specifically in the Bible attracts much attention, even to today. • 40 days is what is recommend for a woman to rest after giving birth. • 40 is the weeks of gestation.• A group of theologians think that number 40 represents “change”, it is the preparation time of a person or people to give fundamental change. • Will something happen after these 40 days (of lent)• (During Covid) The earth was on rest for first time in many years. • Rivers are cleaning, vegetation is growing, air is clean due to less pollution, the starry sky in the evening is visible even where it was covered by pollution, less theft, less murders.• I would like to (how will you) take advantage of these 40 days.• In the Bible, every time number 40 appears there is a “change.”• So, (as you spend this season of Lent) enjoy it with family; it could be of great blessing, and we will see the changes God will make in our lives (as He did with those He put in time out)• The word quarantine is from Italian and means 40 days. (Just maybe Lent is supposed to be spent allowing yourself to lay low and finding ways to draw closer to God)


Just maybe we are to seek and wait upon the Lord like Lamentations and Isaiah encourage us to do.  Think about why God made those He had chosen to do His work wait for a period of time.  He forced folks like Moses, David and Paul into their times of waiting.  Like them, how many of us might have tried to run out ahead of God before He was ready for you to do so? We are half way through but while you await the celebration of the resurrection, use these next three weeks to find ways to wait on the Lord with the intent of drawing closer to God  Brother Lawrence writes about waiting on God in this way.  ” Having a silent conversation with Him, a rest in Him, desiring the life and peace of our Soul.” May the rest of Lent be a time where you seek what Lawrence describes as an “unbroken communion with God, asking Him to supply all your needs so that you might find fullness of joy in His Presence.”  May that unbroken communion and the fullness of joy result in you feeling released to do what He has willed for your life to accomplish His purposes.  

May you feel God’s face shining upon you and may His love for you reflect on those who God has cross your path.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]
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Thanksgiving encouragement. Change the noun Gratitude into a Verb :)

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Make the word Gratitude a verb this week 🙂

My guess you aren’t surprised that a blog titled “Thankful in all Things” would be about moving us forward into this week of Thanksgiving. The word “intentionality” keeps rolling around in my mind. When I think about being intentional, it means there is a need for me taking action. Having an attitude of gratitude denotes the same.
My friend Marcus Ellis has a Facebook page titled “Hey! Guess What? I Love You!” It started with him making a decision to go out of his way to encourage others each and every day. His decision has resulted in a Facebook page with over 2500 followers. I am sitting in a hotel in Pittsburgh. I decided to let my server (Rutha May) know how she made everyone who came in feel special. Her face lit up and she now has a little bit bigger smile for those she serves. Maybe Marcus is in to something ?

I recently found this quote by Veronica Neffinger -“There is value in going through the motions even if the feelings aren’t there. Choosing to thank God even when you don’t feel like it. Choose to do the same when circumstances cause you to be more stressed than thankful” It leads to that important first step of allowing having our hearts to be opened to true gratitude.” I call it failing forward.

My point is that being grateful is a choice. The Aspen Brain Institute says it this way. “The effect of gratitude on the brain is long lasting. Besides enhancing self-love and empathy, gratitude significantly impacts body functions and psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression. https://aspenbraininstitute.org/blog-posts/gratitudeandthebrain Scripture reminds us of the same. We are to in prayer and petition let our requests be made known to God (again, the action is going to God with our concerns). When we do, He promises a peace which is beyond our own understanding. Philippians 4 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204:6-8&version=NIV “Let that peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 As you gather with others this week for Thanksgiving be intentional about sharing your gratitude for them. Let them know why you appreciate them. Try what Marcus does and say, “Hey! Guess what? I love You! I bet you get loved right back and find yourself feeling blessed rather than discouraged.

Please subscribe to this blog to receive email notifications when new content is posted. Please also share it with others who you feel might be encouraged by it. You can reach me by email at [email protected]

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How will you live knowing you are an heir to the Kingdom of God?

In a world where there seems to be less and less good news, here is some for you.  God loves us!  He loves us so much that He wants us to be an heir to His Kingdom. https://www.biblehub.com/romans/8-17.htmHe has chosen us and has made us His adopted sons and daughters. https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.1.12-13.kjv It is a gift that He offers each of us.  All we need to do is accept it.  

This may be a stretch but imagine you live in the United Kingdom under the rule of the Royal family.  One day, there is a knock on your door and there stands a uniformed member of the King’s Guard.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Guard  He hands you a letter sealed with wax which has in it the King’s seal.  https://www.royal.uk/great-seal-realm  All you need to do is come to Buckingham Palace to be received into the Royal family.  You know you have done nothing to deserve it and think there has to be a catch.  The question is, “would you then live this new life with a heart of gratitude or treat people in a privileged manner”? If it happened, you would want to live in a manner that substantiates the King made a good choice and that you do anything to show you belong. 

The same can be said but from an eternal perspective.  God has chosen you to be His adopted son or daughter.  We have been invited into His family with no strings attached.  You have done nothing to deserve it, cannot earn it, and therefore, many of us think there must be a catch as it seems way to simple. I think our response to God allowing us to be heirs to His Kingdom family can help explain the “faith and work” passage found in James 2:14-26 https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JAS.2.14-26.niv  If we truly understand what God has done for us through His son Jesus Christ, we should want to show our gratitude in the way we humbly live out being a Kingdom recipient. It should result in the way we care for others.  Therefore, living a Godly life is not what we have to do but what we get to do to honor the One who has made it all possible. 

I am guessing that King Charles will never show up at your door with an invitation to be adopted into the Royal family.  What I do know is God has sent His Son to invite you into His Kingdom family.  Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”  Revelation 3:20  Once you open that door to your heart, your life and the way you live it will never be the same. 

I appreciate you being here.  Please subscribe if you haven’t already.  I can be reached via email at [email protected]  
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What would your letter from Christ say about you?


John 7:38 https://biblehub.com/john/7-38.htm says,we are to be people where God’s love produces living water that pours through allowing us to positively impact others. 2 Corinthians 3:2,3 says, “Our lives are a letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of God’s impact, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
When I read these passages, I realize God wants me to be so filled with His love, that others can’t help but notice it.  Think about being on a busy sidewalk in front of shops and restaurants filled with other passers by as well as tables filled with engaged in conversation.  Someone comes up with two buckets filled with cold water.  They challenge you to walk a block with the buckets without spilling any water much less splashing those you encounter.  It is impossible.  Even if you didn’t bump someone, a chair, or a table, the water would begin to splash out of the bucket onto others no matter how hard you tried.  This is what God says our lives should look like. We are to be so filled with His love that others can’t help but notice your love for them in how you speak or act toward them. 


A regular contributor to this blog 🙂 Oswald Chambers, puts it this way. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all. I https://utmost.org/a-life-of-pure-and-holy-sacrifice/  The question for us is our we willing to open our hearts so God can fill us with His living water?

If we are, we can be God’s ambassadors who convey the message that we are to live by faith, not by sight https://www.biblehub.com/2_corinthians/5-7.htm with the hope for what is to come. He has fashioned us for this very purpose and has made it possible through the death of Christ and His Holy Spirit who comes as our helper.  Our response needs to be, I am so thirsty for that living water.  I no longer want the temporary refreshment that the world offers but instead the everlasting quenching that only a relationship with God can provide.  Once we allow the living water to spill into our hearts, we become new creations and our heart becomes so full that it can’t help to burst out like when a grape is squeezed or we try to carry the buckets down a busy sidewalk.  Like a mirror, our lives will reflect the love and glory of God allowing us to be the ambassadors who convey the life God want us all to live.

Thanks for finding this blog.  I hope you have found encouragement from what I have shared.  Please reach out by email at [email protected] I would love to have you subscribe if you haven’t already.  
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The importance of getting to know one another.

Author of Lead for God’s Sake and friend, Todd Gongwer, posted this the other day.  
Most everything we
do brings with it an opportunity to shine a light!
Every word we speak
Every attitude we display
Every behavior we model
Never underestimate this call on your life!
So…..”Let your light so shine before others, that they see your good works and glorify your father in heaven”
Matt. 5:16

His words took me down two paths.  1) Everything we do matters and will have an impact on those around us and we are responsible as to whether the impact will be positive or negative. 2) Are we willing to take the time to really get to know those who matter most so we can make a difference in each other’s lives?
Both paths ask the question, “Will we live in a selfish manner or be people who want to shine a positive light in our actions and desire to know one another well?” I shared about the beauty of being unselfish in a recent blog post.  https://thankfulinallthings.com/the-beauty-of-being-unselfish/  It focuses on the 1st question and easier accomplished matter regarding what we do when given the opportunity to shine a light.  I hope you will take the time to go back and read it.  This children song certainly conveys the mindset we all should
have. https://youtu.be/yRhDi2aK5ac


The second question is more perplexing.  Why do we find it so hard to engage folks, especially those closest to us, in more serious conversation?   We talked about this in a fellowship group I lead on Friday mornings.  I found that it was not just me that struggled in this area.  Everyone said they found it easier to have an in depth conversation with those who weren’t friends or family members. Shouldn’t it be the exact opposite?  Why wouldn’t we want those who are closest to us to know who we are and what matters to us most?  Shouldn’t we find ways and create opportunities for others to share what is important to them?  
I have more questions versus answers as to what causes this dilemma but here are some tips from me and others I have asked. 
Build the relationship first. Don’t force your thoughts or advice on someone.   
Wait until you are asked to weigh in on a particular topic or if you feel you need to initiate it, ask permission first.   
Ask Wopen questions in the conversation (What, Whow, Where, When) that can’t be answered with just yes or no.
Communicate your desire to have someone speak into your life as well as you speaking into theirs.  

It really is about seeking to understand and having a desire to be understood. As I think about finishing my life well, I want God’s light to shine through me in a way that I will be remembered as someone who truly cares about others and is open to being shown my flaws.  That way, I can say, 
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day”  2 Timothy 4:7-8

I hope in some way this blog will encourage you to ask the Lord to do the same for you.  I would welcome your thoughts on this topic.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]  

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How would your life change, if you went All In with God?


Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, through your footprints were not seen.  Psalms 77:19 

A sermon a few weeks back began a journey of me asking, what does it mean to be entirely God’s?  The Israelites walked toward the sea not knowing it would open up for them.  They walked through the sea not knowing if the huge wall would come crashing down like they did on the pharaoh’s army.  They did it out of obedience and trust not knowing it would lead them to the promised land. 


For the last few years, my guiding thought process is “Love God with all my heart, Love others as He loves me, and then trust Him with the outcome.”  But do I?  Am I All In?  Would I take the path through the sea or like when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, would I plunge into the sea.” John 21:7 Am I willing to call upon the Lord who strengthens me.  https://youtu.be/DqlpyrHB_Qk
Why can’t we believe Jesus when he says that He came to give us an abundant life?  John 10:10 Why is it that we want to control how we live our lives versus letting go so God can show us how life is really to be lived?  In the Lord’s prayer, it says, “Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done! On earth as it is in heaven.  We have the opportunity to experience His kingdom in this present age. CS Lewis describes it this way “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. We are like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”Lysa Terkeurst writes, “God wants us to settle some things in our hearts. Especially whether we are all-in when it comes to our relationship with Him. Do we want to walk in the fullness of His love and His plans? Or like CS Lewis asks, do we want to spend our lives chasing after the world’s empty pleasures? https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2021/09/23/god-wants-our-whole-heart  Jesus in John 15:11 tells us that by giving Him our whole heart, “you will be filled with His joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!  It is summer so I will close with this analogy.  Think of yourself at the beach.  You are hot but know the ocean water is cold.  You hesitate to enter the water but once you are in you feel so refreshed.  You can either venture in slowly trying not to let it get above you waist or like Peter did when he recognized Jesus, you can plunge right in avoiding the discomfort of experiencing the cold little by little. Like the little one wanting to jump in the deep end for the first time, take the leap of being All In.  Trust that God will be there each and every time to catch you. Once you do it, you will want to do it again and again.  As I shared earlier, my guiding thought process is “Love God with all my heart, Love others as He loves me, and then trust Him with the outcome.”  My exhortation to you when thinking about giving your all to God is “Come on in, the water is fine!” When you do, out of you will flow living water that only God through the Holy Spirit can provide.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%207:37-39&version=NLT  
Thanks for finding and reading the blog.  I hope you were encouraged.  Please subscribe if you haven’t already.  You can reach out to me by email at [email protected]