Someone Who Cares About You

Someone who cares about you       

wants to send you this little word of love.

Please receive it with thoughtful consideration.

It is true that you can know

that You are right before God, your Maker;

forgiven of every sin you ever said or did.

On the authority of God’s Word I can tell you this. 

Please don’t be offended; I do not mean to judge,

but I want to share the good news I’ve found. 

What NOT to Say, When You Pray

Dear Lord, if You’re not too busy . . . 

Dear Lord, let me be the first to tell You . . . 

Dear Lord, in case You didn’t already know . . . 

Dear Lord, please disregard what I said last time because . . . 

Dear Lord, I don’t know what to tell you to do about her . . . 

Look Up At the Sky

Ponder now the sky's scene of beauty,

That unpredictable surprise;

Those magnificent shapes and colors

Will soon dissolve before your eyes.

Our busy days demand attention,

But sometimes there’s an outstanding view;

The sky presents an intriguing picture,

An optical phenomena looking at you. 

Treat yourself to a thoughtful moment,

You’ll do well to consider the how and why;

The grand Creator of Everything

Shows us splendor in the sky.

Photo by Peter Hardt, ©2013, taken at 8 a.m. on 1-3-13   
     (Click on photo  to enlarge your view.)

He tells us it's a "22 degree halo with 2 sun dogs and a tangent arc on the top."

Poem by Elaine Hardt ©2013

Starting a New Day, a New Year

     Starting off a new day?  A new month?  A new year?  Logic is calling to you, “Think before you do something.”  

Assess how things went before, size up the situation now, then decide on an approach to the challenge.  It may be a new opportunity for you. 

Write it down. Yes, you can remember things very well, but putting your plan in writing is a way to strengthen your resolve.  It’s like making a deal with yourself.  See if your emotions and your intellect can merge into a planned schedule.

You can think of additional questions to consider, but this list may get your creativity started. Here are a few ways to grade your past attempts at perfection:

1. What was the best thing that happened to me last year?
2. What was the best thing that I did last year?
3. What was my biggest disappointment?
4. What do I want to celebrate at the end of 2013?
5. Where am I looking for encouragement and help?
6. When was the last time I read a chapter in the Bible?
7. When was the last time I prayed about a personal problem?
8. When was the last time I prayed about the problems of the world?
9. When was the last time I prayed for someone who is a pain in my life?
10. When was the last time I verbalized appreciation to someone? 

See what your busy brain can add to the above list. Then tackle the answers.  As you do, you’ll find new thoughts coming to mind.  

God Has an Assignment for Each of Us

Here are just a dozen of the many Scripture verses that challenge and encourage us to trust and obey the LORD.

Psalm 16:5-6  LORD, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.