We’ve been sharing about CELEBRATIONS on the Blog. I cannot think of a greater CELEBRATION than the one in heaven when the angels gather together rejoicing over a sinner who comes HOME!  

“In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when one sinner repents.” Luke 15:10

HOME, what a word that is. It holds so many different meanings and emotions. 

The primary definition for HOME in the dictionary is: “a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family or household.”

This definition seems to hold little more than the explanation of construction materials put together to provide shelter. While shelter is important and necessary, this definition is not what pops into my head when I hear the word HOME!

No, what pops into my head and goes straight to my heart is the definition that reads…

“The place in which one’s affections are centered. A place of residence or refuge.”

It is a place that strikes deep in your heart. It reminds you of togetherness, warmth, comfort, significance and refuge. A place where you are safe and familiar. A place where you are accepted and wanted. 

A place to call HOME is nothing to take for granted. Many people long for a HOME.

I want to make something very clear here, I am not talking about ownership. I am referring to a shelter where we feel welcomed, safe and secure. A place where we are loved and desired. A place where we are not judged, criticized or condemned for any wrong that we have done.  

Some of us are privileged to have grown up in a HOME like that. If you are one who did, thank God for that incredible blessing! Some of us are blessed to have a HOME to retreat to like that. If you are one of those, do not take for granted what a gift that is! Some of us have a HOME we live in now that provides a safe refuge from the onslaught of the world we live in. If you are one who does, rejoice in that circumstance!

Today is a bittersweet day in my life. I am rejoicing over the quick and lucrative sale of my Mom’s home, but I am also mourning the loss of it. I am rejoicing because the money from it will provide for her care. I am mourning it because it closes the chapter of my childhood and having a “HOME” to go to. My heart hurts today at the closing of one chapter, yet it longs for another to open.

Regardless of the HOME we grew up in, run to for respete, or live in now, there is a longing for a HOME free of walls, free of circumstances, free of rot, mildew and all other sources of decay. 

When we understand the type of CELEBRATION we are talking about today. When all the angels rejoice over one person, you and me, who turns away from this world and toward God, you have a longing for HEAVEN! HEAVEN is our eternal HOME! The promise of God that you will be received, rejoiced over, loved and CELEBRATED over. THAT’S WHEN THE ANGELS REJOICE!

TRUTH BOMB

YOUR TRUE HOME IS IN HEAVEN AND IT WAITS FOR YOU!

Whatever circumstances you find yourself in today or any day, I pray you know that Heaven CELEBRATES you and is throwing a party on your behalf. You have an eternal HOME that outshines anything this world offers!

Speak Truth Love

“The Joy Of the Lord is my strength!”

Have you ever walked through one of the most difficult weeks and felt like your heart was broken into little pieces and you may never regain your joy? Only to find that JOY was waiting for you just around the corner and it would make you strong again!

“The Joy of The Lord is my strength,” has always been one of my favorite verses! Yet, I must admit, it is one of the most difficult to explain and to understand. Joy is not a given! It is not something that just comes to us through osmosis. It is not simply dropped on your head and all of a sudden you become joyful regardless of your circumstances. Rather, it is believed in and practiced. And when belief is put into practice it can create great joy and produce amazing strength!

“This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10b

Case in point…Last week was one of celebrating my mom’s birthday while experiencing grief, but celebrate we did! 

And while there were tears of grief that celebrating my mom was not and would not be the same ever again, we celebrated her through the grief.

Then we moved forward believing that God was blessing her and would continue to be faithful. Putting that belief into practice means not sitting too long in our grief. Oh, it is tempting. Not that any of us would choose grief over joy of course, but when we find ourselves grieving it can sometimes be easier to stay in the grief until we find ourselves stuck in it. Then like any good mud puddle or quicksand it can find us stuck firm and going down slowly. Instead of sitting in the mud and making mud patties, we must pull ourselves out and put our belief into practice!

The easiest way I know how to do this is to look for Joy! You will find it when you do! It may be in the sunrise at the break of day. It may be in a friend who gives you an unexpected call or visit. It may be in the blooms that you see springing forth on the seemingly dead branches of a tree. Or it may be in quality time spent with family.

For me God had pure joy waiting right around the corner! One week after my mother turned 81, my beautiful granddaughter turned 3! Today is Lucy James’ 3rd birthday! She is everything creative, fun, inquisitive, bright, spunky, and pure joy! Celebrating her was an explosion of joy from beginning to end! From her birthday party, “turning three under the sea,” to her traditional birthday breakfast on her, “you are special today,” red plate, to her dressed from head to toe as “Jesse” from Toy Story as she skipped through Disneyland, celebrating her brings strength to my spirit!

I have a greater strength to continue stepping forward in the needed care and process of my sweet mama aging because of the joy I celebrated with my beloved granddaughter!

Joy is waiting around every corner! God has placed beautiful reminders of Himself everywhere throughout his amazing creation! Open your eyes and look! You will find it and when you do it will produce a supernatural strength in you that can only come from God!

TRUTH BOMB

Joy from God is waiting around every corner if we look for it!

Speak Truth Love

This title may sound like an oxymoron! After all, the word Celebrate implies excitement, exuberance, happiness, joy and all of the other fun and fuzzy feelings that go along with it! But today I am celebrating even when it hurts.

The definition of the word celebration is;

“A celebration is a special event that people organize because something special has happened or because it is someone’s birthday or anniversary.”

And, 

“The celebration of something is giving praise and appreciation to it or for it.”

When I reflect on the first definition given for CELEBRATION, it hurts.
Today is my Mom‘s birthday and she was the queen of celebrations!
She made every birthday, every holiday, every graduation and every success the best celebration you have ever seen! Everything matched and had a theme! From the napkins and plates on the table, to the flowers and decor, right down to the perfect dish and dessert! No detail was left out! And maybe, the best part of all, was the gift she gave you that was picked perfectly with you in mind! Truly my mom was the queen of celebrations!

In turn , it was a joy to celebrate her! She loved every little detail and unique piece of the celebration you would give her. Her Birthday was always greatly anticipated by my sisters and I! The last most special memory I have is when we all came together at my house and bought matching pajamas for all five of us and had a sleepover! My mom was literally in heaven! And so were we!
Her four girls, dressed alike in matching jammies, laughing and singing happy birthday to her as she blew out the candles on her cake.
She had only started to forget a few things then. Her mind seemed confused at times but she could still take pretty good care of herself! I was still in denial that anything was going on except that she was aging.
That denial turned in to reality and acceptance as my sisters and I had to face the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
And today it’s her birthday! I still celebrate her but the celebrating hurts! I must look to the second definition of celebration.

Today I am celebrating my Mom and giving thanks and appreciation for her!
She is my Mom! She is and always will be the queen of celebrations! My very best memories of her are of the love and generosity she showered over me and everyone she loved with the best celebrations ever! 
The lesson of learning to celebrate even when it hurts, it’s a profoundly spiritual lesson. I can celebrate the fact that Jesus loves me even when my prayers are not answered the way I want them to be. I can celebrate God‘s love even when someone I love is hurting because God’s love is faithful and true. I can celebrate eternal life even when life on this planet is over. And I can celebrate my Mom’s birthday and thank God for her life!

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

TRUTH BOMB 

Life is a gift from God and should be celebrated every day!

My Mom learned how to celebrate from her Mom my Grandma. And I learned how to celebrate from both of them! I have passed it down to my children and now my grandchildren who LOVE a good celebration!

The greatest tradition about celebrating that my Grandma taught me was to wake up every day that we have breath and thank God for the gift of today!

Today I am thanking God for my life and for the life of my Mom! It hurts a little knowing that we can’t celebrate like we used to and although she sees me and knows she loves me and I love her, she doesn’t really know me. But every day that she has breath I will celebrate her! And every day that I have breath I will thank God and celebrate the day! 

Each and every day is a gift from God! 

How will you celebrate it?

Speak Truth Love

IS GOD YOUR FIRST THOUGHT OR AN AFTERTHOUGHT?

When you have a terrible day at work or at home, what do you do? When the doctor gives you bad news, what do you do? When loneliness or discouragement seems to linger like a dark cloud, what do you do? When someone you love is hurting, what do you do? When you turn on the T.V. or read the headlines and disaster, gloom and tragedy seem to lurk around every corner, what do you do?

The better question for me to ask may be…Who or what do you run to?

Do you drive through your favorite fast food restaurant, or do you order a cookie from Crumbl and have it delivered to your car? (Maybe I’m getting too personal here!) Do you devor that entire chocolate bar or bag of chips? Do you reach for that glass of wine, bottle of beer or other substance to “calm your nerves?” Do you desperately hit that number in your favorites and call that person whoever “that” person may be?

The trouble is, none of the above ways will bring us lasting peace. None will heal a hurting and wounded heart. None of the above can provide anything but temporary relief at best. There is only one source that can make the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE and that is the FIRST PLACE WE SHOULD ALWAYS GO! 

He heals the sick, raises the dead and gives sight to the blind! His compassion never ends and He is never too busy or preoccupied! He never puts you on hold, or sends you a text or email, He always picks up! He does not leave you with extra pounds around your middle or a hangover! He never tells you to calm down, chill out or stop overreacting or being too dramatic. He sees you, knows you, loves you and understands you before you even speak a word. 

But He does WAIT!  He waits for you to put Him first. For Him to be the one you run to before you make that phone call. For Him to be your source of comfort before you eat that fast food or yummy cookie. For Him to calm your nerves before you take in that substance. 

He waits for you to put Him FIRST and make Him your first thought and not an afterthought!

Jesus tells us to come to Him first and when we do He is ready and waiting and will take our burdens and give us peace/rest!

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

TRUTH BOMB

WE NEED TO MAKE JESUS OUR FIRST THOUGHT, NOT OUR AFTERTHOUGHT!

Life is tough, it can throw us a curveball at every corner. Just when we think we have fought one battle another seems to rage. One day we wake up and the sun is shining and the songbirds are singing and before that day draws to an end a new battle begins. But Jesus never intended for us to live this life without Him. His desire is not for us to attend church service on Sunday and put Him on a shelf in our lives for the rest of the week!

No! Jesus is to be our first thought, never an afterthought. When we learn the practice of “Putting First Things First,” AKA JESUS, we will experience His power in our lives and we will be at peace and find rest as He makes our burdens light!

Speak Truth Love

When you hear the word refresh I’m not sure what picture comes to your mind? But I could venture a guess that it’s something to do with water! A serene lake, a cold and crisp mountain spring, a calm slow moving babbling brook, or maybe the rolling waves of the ocean crashing on the shore and moving back out again and again and again.

We all need a refresh! We all need to feel our souls being washed over by the only refreshment that truly refreshes…The spirit of God!

A refresh of God is not only needed it is essential. And there is only one way to get it, by spending time with Him!

On this first day of a new month instead of reading too many of my words, spend time reading God’s word!

He truly is the only refreshment that will cleanse you, heal you, and set you free from all doubt, worry, fear, anxiety or grief. Our God is a God that refreshes!

Truth Bomb

True refreshment only comes from the Spirit of God!

So on this Truth Bomb Tuesday, this girl of many words is going to share very few. Instead I am going to the only source of true refreshment for my soul, God and His Word!

See you back here next week refreshed and ready to tackle a new month ahead!

Speak Truth Love