Oh, Say Can You BE ?

BE thankful for your abilities —

appreciate what you’ve got ! 

      Thankful for opportunities; 

aware of what yesterday brought.

BE thankful you can learn —

from problems you daily face.

      Put those aggravations

away in their place !

BE thankful for God’s presence —

He is always near

      Remember Scripture promises:

Trust, then do not fear. 

BE thankful for God’s promise —

for all who believe,

      anyone who prays to Him

eternal life in Heaven does receive.

BE thankful to be reminded —

blessings, when you pray,

      come to others when you care

to mention them each day.

BE happy, smart, useful, kind —

use that amazing brain you got.

       You don’t know how many more days —

  just a few or maybe a lot !  

by Elaine Hardt ©2020

No More Uncertainties

God is guiding and we are trusting !

We thank Him every day . . . 

We eagerly ask Him what to do

and He shows us the way.

Away with anxiety !

With wisdom He will give

we have no more fear . . . 

He shows us how to live.

The strength we need 

in the LORD we will find,

We can do better. 

Smile, with these words in mind. . . 

I can do better !

            + + + 

by Elaine Hardt ©2019

Danger at Zuckerberg's Island

Not all vacations bring as much risk or adventure as this one.  Rita related the danger to the Thursday Friendship Group. This is what she said:  

“After enduring a month of higher-than-normal scorching temperatures in Phoenix my husband, Dan, and I were off in search of cooler climates. Our brand new brown and white Ford pickup was only three weeks old, but everything was going well so far.  

We believe in starting off each day with a prayer that God will keep us safe and show us His hand at work in our lives.  And on the trip we'd conclude,  “We're yours and this truck is yours, and Your Word says in all things You work for the good of those who love You.” 

My main goal was to get to Seattle and hug Nick and Jill, my two grandchildren.  And that we did.  With our son Patrick and daughter-in-law Chrissy we saw the tourist attractions for several days. But Dan had always wanted to cross the border to say he'd been there. 

Our little jaunt  to Canada would be a scenic drive along the shores of Kootenay Lake,  taking in the grandeur of the lofty snow-topped mountains.  Armed with helpful brochures from the border crossing guard we were eager to sample this little corner of a “foreign nation.”

But before the day was over we'd be stalked by a sandy-haired stranger,   our lives and property in danger.

Father's Day Blessing

                Men want recognition and respect. Here’s mine for you.

Being a good father was always a hard job.
And if you did all the things the Bible said you should do, it was even harder. God always asks us to do impossible things.
And for good reason; so we’ll find out what our human limitations are.
This is so that we will relinquish control over our lives to Him, and let Him be our Savior and Boss.
Being a man has lots of advantages, but even those advantages might slow us down from humbling ourselves to come to God.
Best deal is to take it like a man.
God wants to be that Perfect Father that you never had. He wants to take you to Heaven for Eternity.
What’s so hard about that?
Well, for one thing, there’s this humility stuff,
Then asking forgiveness and expressing love,
It’s not exactly every man’s vocabulary, but, it’s worth it.

Here’s to all the men who are fathers,
Do the right thing. You can trust God to give you the straight scoop.
I appreciate you and your many good qualities
so this is not like criticism,
just a reminder that Departure Day is coming for all of us, and there’s a choice to be made.
Already know Jesus? Good for you.

          HAPPY FATHER’S DAY and many more happy days, besides. 

by Elaine Hardt ©2000

Learning Now & Looking Ahead

Learning from yesterday’s troubles

I know there’s more to do;

I’m being trained to trust the LORD,

and He will see me through.

Praying for the LORD’s directions,

thankful for His blessings, too;

Looking ahead with confidence

now I’m planning what to do.  

: )     

by Elaine Hardt ©2017

There's a Miracle Coming for You !

You’re on the brink of a miracle today!

That’s why there’s circumstances you see now,

it’s a test of faith and obedience to God;

relax and pray, and the LORD will show you how.

Others are noticing some problems you have,

you can’t evade their concern about this stuff;

but God brings miracles when it’s His time,

trust Him in the good times, as well in the rough.

Find new assurance when you read His Word today,

Smile through your tears — or frustrations’ fearful blow.

Thank Him ahead of this new breakthrough coming;

He takes care of you and loves you more than you know!

by Elaine Hardt ©2017

Attitude Adjustment

What’s your passion, what do you do well?

Do you dream that you can? 

An attitude can be improved

By a careful, thought-out plan;

Worrying: Yes? or, No!

“Yes, I know I worry,” he said,

“but I think it means I care.

If I don’t worry enough

A careless attitude is there.”

“Hey, you’re missing something,” she said.

“When you trust the LORD you don’t worry.

You keep aware, but you grow in faith;

A new point of view you see.”

He said -- she said -- how about you?

You’ll want to consider -- and pray!

If worrying is something you do

You can learn a better way.

by Elaine Hardt ©2015

Looking Around & Looking Ahead

The LORD has something for you to do,

Maybe not the same, but probably new;

Challenges have been piling up, that’s true,

But perhaps that was a growing point for you.

Setting an example, Paul was steadfast, 

He believed the tough times could not last.

Others were blessed, as things got worse for him,

God gave strength when circumstances looked dim;

Finally, things got worse and then Paul died,

No doubt his friends and colleagues cried;

Sooner or later each of us arrives at death,

Where will we go after we take our last breath?

Pray today that your faith stands strong and true,

Pray that the LORD gives wonderful wisdom to you;

A Look at Confidence

Is confidence just a fleeting feeling

That only comes once in a while?

Is it an outward cheery countenance

With a sort-of pasted-on smile?

Or is it something strongly hoped for,

A worthwhile goal you want to reach?

Can it be adequately described

That you will demonstrate and teach?

Can confidence be learned or taught?

What does your experience say?

Evidence will point to faith in God,

You’ll be happy to trust and obey.

The real confidence is amazing,

It acknowledges our Maker, that’s true;

Knowing that He knows everything,

His Word declares His love for you.

by Elaine Hardt ©2015

A Christmas Prayer

Turning aside from an overdose of Christmas, trading that frustration for meditation, and coming to a quiet place of prayer. . . 

Heavenly Father,

You are the Designer and Maker of All there is,

How awesome that You also made the way

for me to approach You in prayer. 

I come in humility and honesty.

Today I’m occupied with Christmas

traditions and expressions of family,

mingled with the excessive, the noisy,

the beautiful and the tacky,

the demands and opportunity.

All the trinkets and toys and earthly treasure

snare my mind with thoughts of pleasure;

show me the way through the unnecessary,

the way to what is true,  and what pleases You. 

Your Prayer: Good, Better or BEST ???

Someone speaks up, or emails you, or posts something on their Facebook page.  You are concerned.  What to do?  Pray.

* Here’s an Iffy way to pray.  Just say, “I’m praying for you.”  (Hopefully you remember at bedtime to mention that person’s issue in your quickie prayer.)

* Here’s a Good way to pray.  Say, “Drop me a line when you’ve got more time.  I will pray about that tonight.”  (Written down means the person puts in a few more words so you have a couple of specifics to mention when you do that goodnight prayer to God.)

* Here’s a Better way to pray. Say, “Let’s pray right now. Dear Father, there’s a need now for . . .“  And you pray out loud with that person right then, right there.

* Here’s an Even Better way to pray.  (First, you do pray that Better way, right at that time with a few audible words, to the point, not dragging on and on, and close with a smile, assuring that person that you do believe God hears and answers prayer.)  
        And, then . . . 

Amazement & Gratitude

“Through it all,” the words of a song proclaimed,

“I’ve learned to trust in Jesus.”   Did you hear it, too?

Amazement and gratitude stirred within my heart.

Is this something that speaks to you?

Was there some melody that you remembered then?

Grumblings and complaints seem the topics of today;

Gratitude is a missing attitude!

“What difference does it make?”  Is this what you say?  

“There are too many details to deal with,

I have way too many problems of my own!”

Most everyone you know feels the same way;

A person struggling with faith feels alone. 

So, where do you find amazement and gratitude? 

Acknowledge that struggles come to open your eyes . . . 

Willing and Available, Alert and Aware!

                           I’m willing and available,

and I reject confusion and fear;

LORD, I know from reading Your Word 

That you are certainly here.

I’m ready to listen and to obey

What You empower me to do;

Life’s challenges bring a lesson,

And I want to do good and please You. 

I‘m going to keep alert and aware—

The world has many problems and needs,

But You’ve blessed me so many ways

With Your help I can plant blessing seeds.

                      + + + 

By Elaine Hardt ©2014 

Need a Reason to Smile?

It’s a new day so give a smile, and start off right.

There’s unexpected challenges coming before night. 

Maybe you made a list of what to accomplish today,

But, of course, small aggravations may be coming your way.

Smile as you fix breakfast, and as you drive down the street;

Someone may appreciate your kind look, so repeat.

Your smile is an exercise of your faith doing good,

Step out with confidence, as your mom said you should. 

You’ve already talked to your Heavenly Father, I’m sure.

For the ills of the world, He offers you the cure.

Trust and Obey: maybe you remember that old song,

Focus on what’s important, and don’t wait too long. 

Things Got Worse, Before They Got Better

Things got worse, before they got better,

But God’s blessing made all the difference to this man.

Maybe something of this will speak to you.