Have you ever felt the Summer blahs?

 You have played, you have swum, you have splashed, and you have eaten lots of popsicles, and still the long days of Summer persist. 

The heat seems to intensify, and dipping your toes in that cool water or kicking off your shoes and feeling the grass tickle your toes doesn’t feel quit so appealing anymore.

The encouraging news is, God provides a remedy for the Summer blahs. Actually, for any type of “blah”, for that matter. Serving others is the quickest way to take the focus off yourself and any blahs you are feeling! Seeing the joy on someone else’s face, feeling the gratitude you have filled up their heart with, and loving others is the best way to turn our blahs around!

God has a sure fire remedy to get us out of the blahs: serve one another. Paul says in Galatians 5, “serve one another humbly in love.”  

TRUTH BOMB

The surest remedy for any blah is serving one another!

Last week, we were blessed to put this into action. There were a million and one reasons why serving last week wouldn’t have been convenient, accessible, or even doable. But there is no doubt about it: serving and loving on the amazing kids and families that came to OC Breakaway last week shattered any piece of Summer blah that may have tried to creep its way in! The best part of all was being able to share it as a family and serve with the next generation, and the next generation after that!  

As the saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words.”  Papa sitting with his four grandchildren modeling and setting the example of serving and loving others, says it all!

There were no complaints, no tears, no bad attitudes, just excitement, joy and happiness as were served side by side!  The blessing of serving and loving others is only surpassed by the opportunity to pass it down to the next generation:

“He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God…”.   

Psalm 78:5-6

As you continue sizzling through these lazy days of Summer, the surest way to boost your attitude and expel those Summer blahs, is to get your serve on! 

Speak Truth Love

Are you a “look straight ahead and keep stepping,” walker, or are you a “look down so you don’t stumble over something,” walker?

This may seem like a strange question, but the truth is we tend to fall into one of these two categories!

So are you a “cautious stepper,” or a “bold stepper?”

Either type can find themselves stepping in the wrong direction! Dare I say, “Stepping In It!”  And when I say,”It,” I am not talking about a pile of sweet smelling grass. I am referring to a not so sweet smelling pile of something else!

I think you catch my drift!

You truly would catch the drift if you stepped into it.

We can step accidentally into a pile that stinks or purposely step down a wrong path that leads to nothing but smelly piles.

When we step accidentally into it we may have just taken our eyes off of Jesus for a second or two. We got distracted by a thought we should not be thinking or a picture we should not be looking at, and before we knew it our shoe was covered in it.

When we step into it on purpose it usually means that we have gotten off the path Jesus wants us to walk and we have been stepping where we should not be stepping.

Either way, we wind up stinking!

God has a path He wants us to walk. It is a path that leads us to righteousness, AKA right living. If we keep our eyes on Him we will walk straight and smell good in the process!

“Direct my footsteps according to your word, let no sin rule over me.” Psalm 119:133

TRUTH BOMB

TO KEEP IN PERFECT STEP WE MUST LET GOD’S WORD DIRECT US!

God’s direction is perfect and keeps us stepping in places that are good and right!

As your Summer sizzles on I pray as you spend some lazy days with Him, you also practice stepping in His ways! 

Speak Truth Love

We are halfway there, halfway through this Summer season. Have you slowed down your pace? Have you allowed your steps to become smaller, less pushed by the “have to’s,” and more controlled by the “want to’s?”

Have you taken an early evening stroll through your neighborhood and noticed the summer blooms?

Have you walked along the beach edge and let the water wash over your feet as it ebbs and flows?

Have you taken your boat out onto the lake at sunrise and turned the motor off and just watched the new day begin?

Have you read just one chapter of that book you’ve been meaning to finish before taking on your “to do,” list?

Have you taken that first cup of coffee or tea outside and sipped it slowly as you marvel at God’s creation around you?

Best of all, have you sat just a little longer with God each morning? Have you taken a deep breath in and released it slowly as you realize He is with you there?  Have you sat in silence with Him and savored the fact that you are in relationship with Him? Have you thanked Him for that? Have you opened His Word and read the amazing Truth it holds? Have you let its Truth be the only thing you hear in your busy, complicated mind? Have you let that Truth wash over you like a refreshing dip in a pool? Have you pushed aside the prompting to get up and “do” something? Have you truly given in to being “Lazy” with God?

I hope you have! Because when you do you find the refreshment your parched, weary soul is in desperate need of!

“The law of The Lord is perfect,

Reviving the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure,

Making wise the simple;

The precepts of The Lord are right,

Rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure,

Enlightening the eyes;

The fear of The Lord is clean,

Enduring forever;

The rules of the Lord are True,

And righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

Even much fine gold,

Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

Psalm 19:7-10

TRUTH BOMB

SLOWING DOWN AND SPENDING TIME WITH GOD IS NEVER WASTED TIME.

You are not a slug when you intentionally slow down, move slower, and get lazy with God. Instead, you are more like a caterpillar nourishing yourself on what you need to become the butterfly God intends you to be!

So, slow down, take in all God has for you and remember, He is creating you to be something beautiful! 

Speak Truth Love

TODAY IS INDEPENDENCE DAY, THE DAY WE AMERICANS CELEBRATE OUR FREEDOM FROM TYRANNY.

When brave Americans fought to secure our right to govern ourselves!

This beautiful right gives us the freedom to go to church or not go to church. It gives us the freedom to vote or not vote. It gives us the freedom to celebrate holidays or not celebrate holidays. All in all it gives us the freedom to think and act independently and make our own choices.

This is a wonderful privilege. We are blessed to be Americans and have these freedoms!

The problem is sometimes we take these freedoms for granted. Jesus reminds us that with FREEDOM comes responsibility!

In the book of John, Jesus is questioned by his very own people regarding His identity. He clearly tells them that He and the Father are One, and His Father sent Him and they act as One.

Then He makes a very important statement that sets the standard to live in FREEDOM and make good choices with that FREEDOM!

Just because we have the freedom to make a choice, doesn’t mean that every choice we make is right!

The only way to make a right choice in each moment of our lives is to know Jesus and His word and follow it!

THIS IS THE WAY TO TRUE FREEDOM!

“If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set FREE.” John 8:31-32

Jesus Himself is The Truth and if we believe in Him and follow His Words we will make the choices that truly set us free!

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

TRUTH BOMB

TRUE FREEDOM IS IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE!

So as we watch the fireworks light up our night skies and thank God it is not the “rockets red glare,” or “ the bombs busting in air,” we are watching, let’s rejoice in our country’s freedom but remember our true freedom is in Christ!

Happy 4th Everyone!

Speak Truth Love