Sticking With It

An early morning February fog on Grove Street.

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life."—Psalm 143:8, NIV

In a classic Monty Python sketch, actor John Cleese explains his uneven cadence upon entering the Ministry of Silly Walks: "Good morning. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but I'm afraid my walk has become rather sillier recently, and so it takes me rather longer to get to work. Now then, what was it again?"

It's how a person can feel greeting God during those seasons of the Walk when even though a new sunny day dawns, it is often, like February in New Hampshire, obscured in clouds. Not horrible, but lacking that certain sweetness and clarity.  And like Cleese, not free-falling backwards but nevertheless sometimes feeling stuck in neutral, or for every two steps forward, one step back or even sideways. What's with that? It's called being human. It's called the Walk of faith. And the solution, it seems, can be found by taking what some might consider another kind of silly but beautiful walk: Very early in the morning on a Saturday in the late winter when most sane people are still cozied up in their beds. Walking and observing and remembering...

"Hey, what's that aroma?" It's not the usual wood smokiness accenting a frigid day. It's...it's the fragrance of the south wind! — the same one that hits you in the face during t-shirt and shorts weather. It's coming!

"Hey, what's that sound?" It's not the usual wintertime cackle of a blue jay. Nope, it's a robin! OK, so it's a Canadian Robin, eh? But it's still the same sound that sings in your ear when kayaking on a still lake on a warm evening. Kayak...open water...warmth. It's coming!

"Hey, wait, what's that thing growing in February?" It's not the usual wintertime shrub, like the one right next to it still covered with protective burlap, but a lilac bush with some very fat buds — the same bush that every balmy spring explodes in all-too-short-lived color and fragrance. It's really going to come!

Not just an early morning walk in late February. Instead, one where it was good to remember that whether feeling sunny or in a feels-like-I'm-stuck-in-neutral fog, God's faithfulness and promises for another Spring and for every season of life are unshakeable. And when you don't really know what's going on or feeling a bit "off," it's good to remember that the Walk of faith often means going into a land you do not know, and like millions of saints before you, God will be with you still. It's good to know, too, that occasional forgetfulness of God's faithfulness and goodness every step of your way is not a sin but a frequently off-course rudder that requires an occasional early morning walk of remembrance to get back on track.

And out of His great, unfailing love for us, and how that He knows so very well how we tick, God will use whatever means at His disposal — everyday things like aromas, sounds, and sights from a walk — to remind us that His faithfulness never changes and His promises have no "sell by" date. Most especially, God will often drive it all home with His Word, even one that hit home so hard many days ago that you wrote it down and tucked away for future reference because you knew you'd need re-reminding in the future. Like now...

 

"Barricade the road that goes nowhere

I choose the true road to Somewhere

I post Your road signs at every curve and corner

I grasp and cling to whatever You tell me

God, don’t let me down!

I’ll run the course You lay out for me

If you’ll just show me how.”

—Psalm 119:29-32, Message

"The strongest kind of faith is not mountaintop faith but one that says 'I won't quit.'"

— Steve Boyce

Backyard Wisdom

On a weekend like this, we could all use some wisdom from a warmer day…

…The red lantern was one of the few remaining things from my parents’ house that, for some reason, I held onto. I’m not a huge fan of red, and its fuel-burning capabilities had been dismantled. But I kept it because it was a fixture at their front door, hanging off to the side as a symbolic beacon of welcome to all who entered there. Several times, I’ve walked around my house looking for an appropriate place to put it, but it always looked out of place. Several times, I was ready to send it to the recycling center, until I walked out onto the porch one night this summer…

“This must be the place for it. Totally rustic like the rusty old lantern.” Except even here, there was no place to safely hang it, and having it sit on the floor or a table just looked…strange. So, I took that red lantern in hand, resigned once and for all to put it in the garage next to the other recycling center things awaiting the next trip. I decided to take the more pleasant short cut to get there—out the screen door to the backyard. And there it was—the perfect spot, even though it had been probably staring at me for months:

On the top step leading to the porch. A beacon of welcome to all who entered there, even if that “all” in the backyard would be me nine times out of ten. I don’t think that was coincidence. And I don’t think family nostalgia was the story ending that God had in mind. Because as I tucked the lantern into the corner away from the elements and door slams, while there was no thunderous voice from heaven, I sensed something quite loud and familiar from within…

“Your Word is a lamp for my steps; It lights the path before me.”—Psalm 119:105

And now at home on that top bakyard step leading to the porch, that old red lantern now has a small LED within it, helping to remind me that:

• God’s guidance, protection, wisdom, discernment and direction are gifts…but I also need to walk them out every time I step out the door.
• I have a purpose every single day…Every routine, every conversation is an opportunity to make a difference because I carry the Light within me wherever I go. To remember what Jesus said and still says: "You are like that illuminating light. Let the light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and [who knows?] may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.” (Matthew 5:16, Voice)
• I carry a weapon of hope and praise…because that Light can break through someone’s dark and heavy mood, and through all the negativities and unknowns of life.
• I have the world’s most reliable GPS…God’s words of life and His presence within me help me to see and trust for what is ahead, even on those days when I can’t see one step in front of me.

And unlike the LED inside it, that old red lantern on the backyard step nevertheless reminds me that though I grow weary at times, my Light never goes out, never needs batteries or solar power, and never loses power—the Light of the world is always true and right, sometimes piercing but always faithful, sometimes mysterious but never wavering, and always shining for my good so as not to hog it to myself but to lovingly reflect Him in some way to those along my path.

And so, to live in such a way as this:

“We can be the Light of the world without leaving our high beams on and annoying everybody.”—Bob Goff

What If I Just Yell?

Photo: StockSnap @pixabay.com 

“Lord, teach us to pray...”—Luke 11:1

What follows was originally written a couple of years ago, yet it could very well have been written a couple of days ago. The stuff near the end that happened back then is eerily similar to what happened this week when a country that may not have been sure about prayer stopped what they were doing anyway to lift Up a young football player fighting for his life. The organic power of it all, without formality or pretense, and the amazing encouragement to millions that has come from it, seem to be on repeat as if Heaven itself is waiting, longing for us to 'get it.' Selah...

Sometimes, like the persistent widow, prayer can be fervent and repetitive in seeking resolution to a really difficult situation. It can go on for days, weeks, and longer, and while there are often increasing glimmers of hope, it can also seem the answer is taking forever. And you know that you know that God is in it. These are the prayer situations when, as in my life, two wise and respected men of God (unbeknownst that the other had said the same thing) encouraged, “This story is not over!” Keep at it. God is listening, God is at work. Don’t quit.

This is how you pray.

But then, Jesus lays out the “how to” blueprint for His disciples: “Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, Your name is holy. May Your holy nation come. What You want done, may it be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the bread we need today. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. ‘Do not let us be tempted, but keep us from sin. Your nation is holy. You have power and shining-greatness forever. Let it be so.’" In other words, keep it simple, don’t make a show of it, and don’t just “say” the Lord’s Prayer either, but focus in on the multiple facets of who God is in your daily routine.

Ok, so that's how you pray.

But then, there's Anna the prophetess, the widow who spent day and night serving God by praying and fasting, the one who had been so in tune with the things of God that when she heard Simeon speak into the lives of Mary and Joseph about their newborn Son—“My eyes have seen the One Who will save men from the punishment of their sins.”—she knew it was true. And so she went and told everyone who was looking for some good news that Jesus was the One they had long been waiting for.

In other words, it’s good to dedicate your life to prayer so that you can get God’s heart on a matter, and know that you know that you know, so you can tell the world the Good News. Who wouldn't want that?

And so, if you’re really serious about prayer, that's how you do it.

Except, there was that time when a situation comes out of nowhere that punches you in the gut with its potential ramifications. Everything within you says, “This is not going to end well.” Words are few. Thoughts are incoherent and spinning. There is no persistent praying, model praying, or dedicated praying. Not even close. Only a gasp, a yell of "God, help, please!" and an inner resolve that "God’s got this"—but that’s about it.

And a couple of days later, again out of nowhere, a dramatic, table-turning answer that no scheme, great idea, or modern technology could ever pull off. The only explanation: God heard, and God answered....  

After all these years in the Walk, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t know how prayer works. Just that it does. Prayer has no neat and tidy confining boxes because God in His great goodness doesn't have any either. And maybe, in all kinds of prayer, all of Heaven keeps cheering us on to stop sweating the method and simply cultivate this for every situation, big or small, in our everyday life...

“Prayer is what happens when the soul cries out to its Maker, and no matter what the words, no matter what the feelings, no matter what the method, when it happens, it is prayer.”

—Steve Brown, “Approaching God”

Strength On the Horizon

 The summit of Monadnock emerges over the horizon in Nelson. 

Adventures to desired destinations, like a favorite get-away spot or in the arms of a loved one who lives far away, can be heart-pumping and filled with anticipation and wonder. And then there are those days and even seasons of adventures to desired destinations of another kind—a personal goal yet to be conquered, a vision or dream yet to be fulfilled, a not-yet answer to an oft-uttered if not desperate prayer—that can seem like nothing in front of you but miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.

"When are we going be there?" Even the best and strongest and most youthfully fit, as Isaiah writes, can grow weary from the journey.

On many days in that kind of not-yet-there adventure, inner resolve kicks in: "I've come too far; there is no turning back now." But that kind of fuel only goes so far. Then what? Like ancient Israel, the response can seem silly at first but it can also prove powerfully simple: a more important resolve to take our eyeball stare out of the miles-and-miles of seemingly endless horizon and choosing instead to find strength by looking up, gazing at, or even climbing one of God's most energizing type-and-shadow creations...

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not let your feet go out from under you. He Who watches over you will not sleep.”—Psalm 121:1-3

Around these parts, it's a 24/7 open invitation. The hills and the mountains are magnetic attractions for just about everyone, perhaps because we can sense deep inside that their beauty is more than earth-skin deep. Like everything else God has created, they contain His deeply embedded fingerprint, His DNA, and He longs that all would see it, touch it, grasp it. Grasp Him. Because in a sense, the hills and mountains are displaying God's unshakeable character, reminding any and all who would look Up of His incomparable strength, faithfulness, and jaw-dropping beauty that can help the traveler on life's journey to keep going...no matter how many miles-and-miles of "not yet" are ahead.

Because whether we see it or feel it now or not, Someone greater has the perfect road map. No Siri necessary. And if there are no hills or mountains nearby, it's good to know that God still speaks to us everywhere we go through all that He has made. How often have we felt a certain God-speaking assurance about His hugeness that comes when surrounded only by huge open fields or smooth-as-glass lakes, or that unmistakable yet mysterious sense of "God's got this" majesty, power, and faithfulness when standing at the ocean's edge far removed from the gum-drop hills and 4,000-footers. His deeply embedded fingerprints are everywhere we look, if only we will.

Even so, the mountains and hills seem to speak with a different Voice. Their uniquely strengthening presence silently shout:

"Look Up. I Am faithful.

I Am not going anywhere.

I Am your God who is always there for you

And here for you,

Warm daylight or cold blackness of night;

Sunny or stormy weather

And perhaps most especially

In the fog...

Looking southeast from Mount Washington summit.

...When you can't...see...a thing.

But fear not, I can see behind you, beside you, and far ahead of you.

I Am...Solid.

I Am...Unchanging.

I Am...Immovable.

I Am...Unshakable.

I Am...Majestic.

I Am...Filled with unique facets of unspeakable beauty and delight,

No matter which angle you look up.

And when the sunset dances around just right, it's not just camera-worthy...

 Monadnock at sunset, from Old Sharon Road.

...It's declaring:

I AM the Glory, and the lifter of your head."

Blessed indeed are all who, along life's wonderful and sometimes crazy adventures, learn to "head for the hills" and remember to lift up eyes, breath, and heartbeat.

"These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise but stand reverent, silent so that man's weak praise should be given God's attention."

—Donald Miller, "Through Painted Deserts"

Walking in Peace

A late fall afternoon along the Wapack Trail.

When having "one of those days" or "one of those weeks"
When answers to prayer don't seem to be happening fast enough
Or the way you had hoped

When you are forced to slow down when you'd rather go fast...

And even on those days and weeks when all is right and good

When it's easy to trust in your own wits

When it's too easy to say, "I've got this"...
It is always wise, and never crazy, to talk to yourself

About two simple things:

"Put your hope in the LORD.

Travel steadily along His path."

- Psalm 37:34, NLT

This, too, is worship.

"The soul that loves God has its rest in God and God alone. In all the paths that men walk in the world, they do not attain peace until they draw nigh to hope in God." 

- Isaac of Ninevah, early Church mystic

Questions of Life

Along North Beach, Ogunquit, Maine

When I took this photo a week ago, I had not finished my walk along the beach. It was a pause,  a spot in the sand, a milestone—looking back to where I had started but looking forward to what was ahead. The footsteps in the sand belonged to someone else on a journey, but they reminded me of a memorable observation while trudging through snow on a trail several winters ago: "Just remember, you often won't realize you're making progress on this Journey until you pause to look back at how far you've come.”

Perhaps it was memorable because I often find myself pausing along this Journey of faith and asking myself this...

“Am I living this life right? Is anything out of balance? ‘In the world but not of it’ can be a delicate dance—but a joyful one, too. How am I doing?”

In looking back at some of the analytics for this blog since it began in 2014, it was interesting to see that I have not been alone— the ones that have hit home the most with readers have had a similar theme. This week marks a year’s worth (366) of Vitamins, and over the years, I have learned that they have been read by people who are all over the “walk with God” scale, including some who would admit that they are not. Welcome! Some have pressed “like” because of the photo, and that’s fine if it drew them in to consider some wonderful words of Life. Whatever it takes. Some readers are from places like Poland and Brazil, but most are those I know well or even casually right here at home. Many are not church-goers. Perfect. 

But everyone, made in the image of God, seems to have this inner yearning to “live this life right.” The top 10 most-read Vitamins (listed below) seemed to resonate with readers on “am I living this life right?” questions like:

How do I keep praying when the answer hasn’t come yet?

How do I cultivate a healthy attitude when the world around me has gone nuts?

How can I know that my little life matters to God, or to anyone else for that matter?

How can I practically follow God without being “religious”?

How can I see God in the people and situations I encounter every day?

How do I develop a positive and contagious character and lifestyle?

How do I keep going when I’d rather quit?

How do I keep going when everything, including God, seems to be in a fog at the moment?

How do I slow down once in awhile and breathe in what truly matters?

How am I doing with pursuing meaningful friendships and relationships?

Great questions. Important questions. And it is good to know that no matter where we are in our faith Journey, God is still Emmanuel—God with us, all the way, whenever we ask those questions. And His invitation to seek Him has no expiration date. Best of all, God's wonderful Words of life have tons of measuring sticks we can use for all of those questions of life when they arise—including a prayer we can regularly make our own that the apostle Paul prayed for some ancient believers on a similar journey as ours:

“…That you may see things, as it were, from His point of view by being given spiritual insight and understanding [spending time with Him]…that your outward lives, which men see, may bring credit to your Master’s name, and that you may bring joy to His heart by bearing genuine fruit, and that your knowledge of God may grow yet deeper.”—Colossians 1:10, Phillips New Testament

 

So be it, Lord. Wherever we may be on the Journey, let us keep going…

For some of our most important "am I living this life right?" questions, here's some encouragement from the most-read Vitamins since 2014, in order of popularity ...

1. THE POWER OF A THREE-LETTER WORD  - March 21, 2021
2. THE RIGHT TRAIN OF THOUGHT - May 7, 2017
3. WHERE FORGOTTEN DOESN’T EXIST  - May 12, 2019
4. GET YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS  - May 22, 2016
5. SEEING GOD DOWNTOWN - May 12, 2019
6. GOOD TOOLS HANDED DOWN  - June 7, 2018
7. PAVED WITH GOODNESS - April 11, 2021
8. FOG CHASER - October 15, 2017
9. REMEMBERING THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE - July 23, 2017
10. INNER CIRCLE JOY - April 25, 2021

Look Up and Live

Right after sunrise, coast of Maine.

"I see the world in light, I see the world in wonder

I see the world in life, bursting in living color

I see the world Your way, and I'm walking in the Light."

("Wonder," by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker, and Brooke Fraser)

What is it about standing at the ocean’s shore and never being bored by looking out onto the vast expanse and standing in refreshing awe? Is it the crash of the waves, the cleansing aroma?

What is it about looking up at the stars on a clear night and becoming frozen in your tracks with a stiff neck and dropped jaw? Is it the stars? The moon?

What is it about getting to the top of a favorite mountain peak and staring out onto the same view time after time after time and yet feeling your eyes lock in on the wonder? Is it the distant hills, the colorful nearby trees, or the masterpiece that they paint when they are together?

It might be all of that and more, but it might be one thing more that tops them all: The sky. When we look Up, we get the right perspective...

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

    The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

    night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;

    their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

    and their words to all the world.

—Psalm 19:1-4, NLT

The skies, the heavens, are forever speaking in expanse, in color, in wonder—all of it reflecting the glory of God on the familiar, on what we see every day or in our favorite places. The lighting, and the time of day of that lighting, the angle through clouds or mist, all send new, jaw-dropping messages that the Creator of the universe loves painting awesome pictures day and night, and no two ever, ever look the same!

And He does so especially to remind us how He lovingly and enthusiastically created each one of us, too, and that like the patterns in the heavens, all are unique and fearfully and wonderfully made: "...we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

And He does so to capture our hearts and attention once again, to “take the world but give me Jesus,” to see all that is good and beautiful and amazing and nothing-is-impossible comes from His Word and hand.

And He does so (in the very same Psalm) to daily remind each of His children that we, too, are created to be reflectors and messengers with pictures of goodness to carry into the store, the backyard barbecue, even the potentially contentious meeting...

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to You,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14

Maybe not all, but a lot of our life’s mission in this Great Adventure hinges on these prayer words of Psalm 19. Keep looking Up....Selah

[Originally published March 2018]

Parable From the Trail

Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.—Malcolm Muggeridge

The joy of thriving on this journey with God while here on planet Earth seems to come down to one of these previous words: With. Relationship trumps trying to live by a checklist of "dos and don'ts"  every time. Yet in the routine of walking the rhythms of daily life, without even realizing it, it can be easy to be lulled into following Heaven-sent instructions and trying to make the best of it, figuring that God is looking on from, well, somewhere. 

Then there is this: "And Enoch walked in habitual fellowship with God..." (Genesis 5:24) and "he was commended as one who pleased God." (Hebrews 11:5) Recalibrating...

It's good to know that getting back to "with God" mode, like Enoch, is never very far away.  That was my mission one Sunday afternoon while setting out on a familiar and incredibly peaceful trail. It began with a fresh mode of transport: snowshoes instead of trail shoes. Adventurous and great exercise, yes, but also like that recurring nightmare where you desperately want to run but your feet won't move. Which, as it turned out, was the perfect setup for an encouraging parable from the trail. Because as Jesus modeled throughout the Gospels, the most practical and essential principles for joyfully living out this Walk often get through to us most effectively through storytelling and through those ways in which we best connect with Him. ...

...A few hundred yards beyond the trailhead, a crossroad of sorts; arrows pointing in two directions, demanding a choice. The path to the right seemed to be the clear favorite of many. The one to the left, however, seemed to have been the favorite of just one other hiker thus far. And though the exact passage didn't show up in bright lights right then and there, the heart of it did: "Ancient path! Dude, take the ancient path, it's really good!" I wrote it down in a little notebook in my back pocket. Now where did that come from? Later back at home, the answer:

"Stand at the crossing and consider the ancient path, for it is good and it leads to Me. Walk on this path, and you will find rest for your souls." 

(Jeremiah 6:16, The Voice)

And so I went left, where the one other guy a few hours or days before had gone as well. From there, the parable of the trail, in all of its impressions and imagination, began to download quickly. Words to tuck away and yet words to pass on as a baton ...

Yes, this path you've chosen is good, but as you can see, it is narrow, and few travel it. You stay on it anyway, because it's Mine.

There are many seasons on this good path where you can move ahead briskly or even run like the wind. But there are also seasons of slow, difficult plodding, like right now. In every season, however, My cheer will be the same: "Forward!"

Besides, there is beauty in the plodding season: It forces you to slow down and take it all in. So, remember to pause regularly and look Up often...Remember, I'm right here with you, every step of the way.

Now don't let this scene discourage you, but take a picture of it anyway as a reminder:

Some who have journeyed this narrow path have caved in to the temptation to quit too soon, or find an easier way, or just not really care much anymore. When that temptation comes your way, and it will, remember My promise that won't fail: "I have a plan."

Sometimes (many times, in fact) along the way, I will lead you out of your comfort zone, not to spook you but to strengthen your faith, and because on occasion you will, without fanfare, be blazing trails for others to follow...whether you realize it or not. And whenever you begin to wonder where this is all leading, just keep your eyes fixed to the trail markers of My Word and My Presence.







I remembered that "pause regularly and look Up" thing often as the plodding became as though walking through cement. And just as the trail was about to loop back to the trailhead, I figured the parable download was done, but instead, a grand finale:

Just remember, you often won't realize you're making progress on this Journey until you pause to look back at how far you've come...

With Me.

(Originally published March 2017)

Keep Going

This definitely was not my church. But the dream was vivid nonetheless…

It was in an unrecognizable room with a sea of unrecognizable faces, and our worship team was giving God praise and glory, encouraging as we always do those in the room to do the same. But as I looked out, my eyes were met with widespread unresponsiveness and indifference. Blank expressions. Everyone in this room just sat there. I can’t recall the song being sung other than it was a powerful truth about God. “What’s going on?…”

I was surprised at my response in the dream. In the natural, I think it would have been easy to become discouraged or to stop and move on to something else (or to just stop) or even become critical. Instead, there was a mysteriously strong sense within to ...

“keep going, keep going strong” 

...and I remembered looking at each blank-stare person with a smile as we kept singing that unknown song with the wonderful message…

I don’t know what happened next because, as is often the case with dreams, I transitioned into some other weird mish-mash scenario of random people from the past and present, barking dogs, jelly donuts, and being late again to that college course I kept skipping because it was too early in the morning.

The next morning, though, I couldn’t shake the picture of that sea of unresponsive faces. I “just so happened” to be reading a familiar scripture from the Complete Jewish Bible that “just so happened” to come to life: “But you are a chosen people, the King’s cohanim [a priesthood who devoted their lives first to worshiping God and then blessing the people with the overflow], a holy [set apart] nation, a people for God ’s possession! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

It struck me as if for the first time that Peter is not addressing singers or musicians or even a worship gathering. He is declaring every believer’s new identity. As Jesus told His band of brothers in John 15:16: 

“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you [right where you are], so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.”

That dream wasn’t just weird, it was a reminder: I may have many vocations or hobbies or interests on this earth, but I have one job, one purpose—to worship God with my life and live it out before others…whether anyone believes, responds, agrees or not. If “widespread unresponsiveness and indifference” happened to Jesus, why should I be surprised when it happens me? I’m betting that there will be variations on that dream many more times to come, because it is easy to just go on cruise control, and God’s call to obedience and faithfulness and spreading Love is relentless and passionate. In so many words, I hear Him say again to my heart that it was much more than a weird dream...

“Keep going, keep going strong...

...in your day to day comings and goings and doings and speaking and listening. Even if you don’t see any fruit right away (or even in this lifetime), just unresponsiveness or indifference, don’t ‘become discouraged or stop and move on to something else or even become critical,’

but keep carrying the Light within you.

I am with you and for you always.

And remember that the outcome is out of your hands anyway.

The results are always Mine…and in My timing. Never give up.

Never give up praising.

Never give up sharing and testifying and loving…and especially listening.

Never give up praying for that loved one or neighbor or friend or situation.

Never give up living the gospel as best you know how.

Keep going, keep going strong!…”

To all who come this way today, selah….

“To give your wholehearted commitment of undivided Love is your greatest act of spiritual worship, because it is the greatest thing God desires.”—Jeremy Riddle