Category: Faith Lived Out

News flash: Someone is watching you every minute of every day, someone who means no harm.

Watching me? Me?

Yes, you.

Every minute of every day?

Yep. Every minute. Every day.

Hey, I’m just an ordinary person. Why would anyone pay attention to me?

Trust me, they do.

Like where?

Anywhere you go. On the job. In school. In your neighborhood. At home, because your children are watching you, from their earliest years on into adulthood–and beyond.

Now I know you’re putting me on. My children ignore me!

Oh no they don’t. They watch your every move and hear every word you speak.

I think that’s a crazy idea.

Think whatever you like. It’s true. Even kids who never seem to pay attention keep their eyes on you. They listen, too. Especially when you don’t want them to hear you.

Okay, if that’s true, why are they tracking me?

Because they want to pick up clues on how to live and how to treat other people.

Give me a for instance.

All right. Let’s start with these

1. Remember last week, when that clerk didn’t get your order quite right and you were ticked off? You lost your temper with her, loud and clear.

Did you notice the expression on your son’s face?

2. Or take last Thursday. You just sat down with a cup of coffee and your favorite magazine when Annie called. She goes on forever, so you told her you were sorry but you were just out the door for an appointment. Your daughter looked at you and rolled her eyes.

You fooled Annie, but not your daughter.

3. Then there was the time you bought yourself a pair of shoes you didn’t really need and couldn’t afford while on a school shopping trip with your kids. You told them, “Let’s not say anything to Dad about Mommy’s new shoes because he’s not interested in girl stuff. Okay? And does anybody want ice cream?”

Remember how you couldn’t look your kids–or your husband–in the eye that night?

Well, yeah, but it’s no big deal. Everybody does it.

Really?

Maybe not everybody, but I’m a really good person. Ask anyone.

What kind of people do you want your children to be?

Oh, I talk about that all the time. I tell them to treat other people with kindness and to tell the truth. And how they should always be up-front with us and with everyone else.

I’ve said over and over that telling the truth is important, because we need to be able to trust them.

Did you ever realize there’s more than one way to “tell” and teach? Albert Einstein expressed it this way: “Example isn’t another way to teach, it is the only way to teach.”

Moms and dads do lots of talking and we know our children tune us out.

But they never tune out what we do.

“What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.”

That one-liner came from Ralph Waldo Emerson way back in 1875–and it still sums up a great truth that applies to every one of us. At any stage of life.

The watchers all around us will keep watching–and comparing what we say we believe to what they see us doing. As much as we may bristle at the very idea of people watching us, it’s just as true that these observers help us stay on track with being authentic.

Words are easy. Living them out is a day-to-day challenge.

Does all this sound too hard? Any time it does, fall back on this Bible verse and remember that if we trust in Jesus as our Savior, HE will enable us to keep going.

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. –Philippians 4:13 NKJV

All we have to do is start where we are, thanking God for our “helpers”. They help us stay on track to grow more and more into the persons we’ve always wanted to be.

Still learning, too,

Lenore

Your Audience Is Watching!

July 18, 2025
You may be thinking that sounds great but you've never held an important job or been celebrated for anything.

How could that be true? Meet my long-ago friend Alice. This tiny, smiling woman–barely 5 feet tall and walking with a cane–saw herself as "nothing special."

Yet when Alice died, six employees from the local Post Office attended her memorial–in uniform. One stood up to tell how much they all would miss their friend.

"What we get mostly is people complaining about this or that. But when sweet Alice breezed in, we all smiled. Every week or two she brought us a heaping platter of her delicious homemade cookies.

"I asked her once why she did it and she said, 'Well, I love to bake up my old recipes and I end up with a lot. So I just share the extras. Besides, you people bring me my mail every day, in every kind of weather. This is just me saying, Thanks and God bless you, all of you!'

"She always called out a jaunty Hello to the people working behind the counter, too. I tell you, Alice brought sunshine in with her and every one of us will miss her!"

He blotted his eyes all the way back to his seat.

The small-town newspaper editor spoke next and told how he loved reading Alice's thoughtful letters.

After him came the high school principal, "I keep an open file folder labeled 'Alice' just to hang on to her notes of encouragement to our teachers and to me. She had no special reason, usually. That was just Alice."

Next came her neighbor, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Alice shared everything. Hugs of encouragement. Roses from her backyard, homemade pie sometimes and of course, her famous chocolate walnut cookies.

Then a young man told how Alice always seemed to sense when he needed to talk and best of all, she always made time to listen.

A time or two her encouragement and faith were the only things that kept him in school.

Your life matters more than you can guess

I knew Alice and I promise you she wouldn't have taken cookies to her local Post Office just so some employee would come to her memorial and speak well of her.

Alice was just being Alice and living out what she read and studied in the Bible. She often told our small Bible study group how thankful she was for life.

She counted blessings, big and "small," as in, "God has blessed me so bountifully! I thank him every day that I can still walk around and my eyes still let me see the beauty in this world God created."

Alice reminded us nearly every week to lift up people around us. "God created every human being to be one-of-a-kind, so let's be encouragers. Nobody has an easy life."

Then she would say, "Every small kindness leaves its mark."

None of us are "ordinary"

We may suppose we live insignificant lives. Not so!

For instance, if you're a mom or dad, as you every day interact with your children, you influence how they look at life.

They will see the world through your eyes long before they form an opinion of their own. You write the script for how they think of God, how they view authority and for how they love–or don't know how to love.

By the way, we parents do not lose our influence just because our children have reached adulthood. Yes, our grown children live their own lives, but most times, they (perhaps secretly) care what we think.

More importantly, they still watch to see whether we live out what we tell them is important.

Whether they see us as friend or critic is up to us, more than to them.

Each of us is like a stone tossed into a lake

Every one of us leaves ripples that travel far beyond ourselves.

Never discount your importance in the lives of the people around you. You matter in ways you may never know. Just as water can wear away stone, so our small deeds, over and over, carry a lasting effect.

If we tuck that point-of-view in the back of our minds we'll become more aware. More alert for ways we can touch and encourage others along the way.

Alice would say, "Keep your eyes on Jesus. He's the One who keeps us going and shows us how to live here in our little corner of the world. If we just follow Him we'll know what to do."

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31

Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

That covers it, don't you think?

May you have JOY in your day-to-day!

Lenore

How to be a world-changer

March 27, 2025
We all know someone who never seems to rate much attention, even though they deserve it.

I love the true story I heard about a woman like that, let's call her Martha. She lived in a tiny town in the middle of logging country and belonged to a very small church.

The church might be small but everyone pitched in to do whatever needed doing. Martha, well, not so much.

She always gave the same reason why she never taught Sunday School or Bible class or sang in the small choir: "When the good Lord was passing out gifts, he passed right over me. You don't want me to try teaching, believe me. And I can't carry a tune, just ask anyone who ever sat next to me in church.

"Guess I'm a follower, not a leader and I like it that way."

Still, Martha never missed a worship service or a church event and at potlucks, people gobbled up her tasty dishes. Meanwhile, she would be out in the kitchen, washing dishes and wiping counters and sweeping the floor.

That's probably why people knew her face, but couldn't remember her name.

When Martha moved away hardly anyone noticed

What they did notice a couple of weeks after she left was that problems kept cropping up. The Sunday "coffee guy" said, "This place is falling apart! I came to put the coffee on, like I always do, and there's no coffee to put in the coffeemaker. Whose job is it to buy the extra supplies?"

Then one of the women blustered in and said, "I can't find any toilet paper or paper towels in the storage cabinet! This never happened before. Now what am I supposed to do?"

The resident wise guy happily added his two cents worth: "And whoever is supposed to sweep the sidewalks is falling down on the job! What's going on around here?"

You're way ahead of me, aren't you?

The common denominator was Martha, the I-have-no-gifts-or-talents lady. Before, she always took care of keeping supplies on hand. Quietly, on her own.

She lived close to the church so she could come and go while the pastor kept office hours. Hardly anyone ever noticed her. When the pastor at last heard the complaints he made it known how this one unassuming woman with the gentle smile faithfully ministered to everyone else.

And he added, she didn't do it for applause, but out of love.

Perhaps you're a little–or a lot–like Martha

You go around blessing the people around you and never look for praise.

Maybe you think you have no "place"–or if you do, it's way at the bottom of the pecking order

However we spend our days, here's a short poem we each can take to heart;

YOUR PLACE

Is your place a small place?

Tend it with care!–

He set you there.

Is your place a large place?

Guard it with care!

He set you there.

Whate'er your place, it is

Not yours alone, but His

Who set you there.

–John Oxenham

Whatever we do, wherever we are in life, it's not by chance

We all feel like "little people" from time to time. That doesn't matter unless we brood over it and think we should receive more recognition. What matters is what our Lord thinks of us because He knows our hearts and knows our motives.

Here's encouragement to hang onto in every situation:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

Jeremiah 29:11-12

Wishing you JOY in your day-to-day!

Lenore

In Praise of The “Little People” Who Make This World Better

March 19, 2025
Did you ever notice how reality can poke holes in our positive outlook on life?

As when we're patting ourselves on the back for something and right away, our self-image takes a nose-dive.

Maybe I drop a cup of coffee and have to clean up the mess. Or I hit the wrong key and delete a piece of writing I'd been working on. More often, it's my balky computer acting up.

Small things, really. Just the drip, drip, drip of daily life.

Some days such "small things"–for no particular reason–feel like the proverbial straw the camel couldn't manage.

"Minor" can feel major when we're already maxed out on coping

Think of someone you know who's been slogging through hard territory for awhile and they're worn out. Every day it takes all they've got just to keep going. They seldom complain, but you can see it in their eyes.

It's not that they lack faith or internal strength. They're simply exhausted from pushing themselves to keep going.

It may be a person who every day deals with an illness or a health challenge that goes on and on. Or they may be the caregiver for a loved one.

If we pay careful attention we get glimpses of their inner struggles.

Just living our lives can take everything we've got

A lot of moms and dads feel weary to the bone. Some are able to work from home and thankful for that, but it's never easy in the midst of family life. Dedicated parents who try to home-school their kids often feel maxed out on coping.

Besides all that, the future feels uncertain, even in the best of times.

Through it all, loving husbands and wives and moms and dads try to be all bright and shiny for their spouses and their children.

In every situation we get to choose

Are you facing a challenge right now and feel pushed to your limits?

We've all been there at some time in life. Some of us are good at lecturing ourselves to be courageous, to never show strain, etc.

(That seldom helps, does it?)

I've come to realize that the quiet people who just keep doing what they have to do–whatever the reason–are the real heroes of life.

A couple of years ago I found this quote and it changed the way I thought about the meaning of strength. Perhaps it will speak to your heart, too.

Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing to do; but to hold it together when everyone would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength. -Unknown

Always, it's the same question: Now what?

If that's our life, how are we to endure?

To paraphrase that old song, we "pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again."

How do we do that? For me it's by making myself slow down so I open my eyes to what is, rather than bemoaning what's lost.

If we tune our hearts to see and hear we'll notice the small joys that punctuate every day.

Most of life consists of the ordinary and routine. If that sounds dull, turn the coin over and realize it's also comfortable and reassuring.

The trick is to rejoice over what is

Don't stop there. Let's make the most of what we have while we have it. It's as the writer of Psalm 118 put it, in verse 24:

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Every morning we can rejoice because God is with us another day. Then tomorrow, we do it all over again.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6-7 LNT

That's the only way I know to have more "up" days and fewer of the other kind.

(Working on living this, too,)

Lenore

Don’t let a string of “down days” get you down

February 13, 2025
Someone wise said the only people who know all about rearing kids are the ones who never had any.

I found that to be true and I'll bet you have, too.

Not long after we hold our first child any illusion that little ones effortlessly fit into our plans vanishes like a puff of smoke. Fact: Babies and children of any age change everything.

No wonder being a mom–or a dad–often feels like groping our way through a cave with barely a glimmer of light.

We stumble. We sweat fear. We pray, never quite sure we're on the right path. We never lose sight of the fact that the people we love most are depending on us.

So we carry on, loving our kids the best we can and coping the best way we know how.

Most of all we keep on praying.

It's a wonder-full, wearying way to live

Forget those "experts" and celebrity parents on TV who ooze love and joy. Somehow they conveniently forget to mention the size of their staff and how many nannies they employ.

Who hasn't watched one of those movies or TV shows where the nannies bring the oh-so-adored children in to join the the adults for a time, like 15 minutes or half an hour. (Betcha any one of us could be wise and joyful for limited time periods …)

Real-life parents mostly make do on their own. And get tired. Exhausted, really. Tired of coping. Tired of putting everyone else first.

I remember when our girls were young. I found myself in a long gray spell and couldn't put my finger on the why of it or shed the heaviness that weighed me down.

Then I ran across a rhyme

Just two lines, but they shocked me into right thinking:

Two men looked out through prison bars;

One saw mud, the other saw stars

That simple couplet spoke truth to my heart. As never before, I realized that what I "saw" and how I judged it came from inside me.

No matter what the situation, always, I choose what I focus on and how I call it. So do you.

At first I didn't like knowing that, but then I realized the power of it.

We all live our lives one moment at a time. How we see it and how we call it is up to us.

So look up and take heart

Whatever problems you face right now, however overwhelmed you may feel, you never walk alone. Not in this moment. Not in any future moment–unless you want to.

If today you need a shot of encouragement, many of us Christians especially love this Bible verse because we know by experience this promise is true:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

So take a deep breath, smile and put on your "God-Glasses." The last chapter of your life–and your children's lives, whatever their ages–has yet to be written.

Why not choose to see what's good and focus on His mighty power within you–and them? And don't forget to thank the Giver.

Trust me, that small adjustment can make a big difference–for you personally and for your family. I know this is true because I've lived it–and it's still my daily goal.

I'm thankful for you, dear reader. Thanks for stopping by!

Lenore

About being a parent–and how we look at our lives

February 5, 2025
Maybe it's just me, but I sometimes feel ho-hum about life, even without specific complaints. How about you?

Perking up would not be hard, that is, if I got serious and dug in.

But within a week or so I always sink back into my comfortable rut and life goes on as before.

(Sigh.)

Then a simple way to make big changes dropped into my lap

One January Sunday our pastor surprised us all. After ending his sermon he asked the ushers to pass out the blank index cards he'd given them earlier, one for each person present.

Then he said, "It's time we all set priorities for the year ahead. But don't worry, I'll keep it simple.

"First number your cards, 1, 2, 3, no more. Then in 15 words or less write not what you hope will happen or what you want to happen, but what you will do to make this a better year. Use action words so you can remember. Got it? Okay, you have five minutes. Go!"

About minute four, I scribbled:

See the good

Speak the good

Do the good

(Yes, I know that's not good grammar.)

When the timer beeped he said, "Stop! Take your card home and tape it up at eye level where you can't help seeing it. Then whenever you see that card, read your words aloud and ask God's help to carry them out.

"Now let's pray: Lord, we cannot change on our own. Inspire each of us to put into action what you just planted in our minds. Make us faithful and bless our efforts, we pray. Amen."

Later that day I taped my card on "my side" of our bathroom wall mirror, all the while thinking, End of story, I'll bet.

Or maybe not

I decided to at least try, so over the next weeks every time I looked in the mirror I read my words again and prayed, "Lord, help me, please."

I didn't expect much, but God surprised me. I could not shake those words. I heard them when another driver took the parking space I just spotted.

Would I fuss and fume or would I see the good? After all, I had a few minutes to spare and a car to drive, thank God. Another parking place would open up, so why get bent out of shape?

Those ten words drummed in my mind with relationships, too, as when my friend forgot we had arranged to meet for coffee and good talk.

When she called to apologize I could play the victim or I could see the good (she simply forgot.) I could speak the good ("Oh, it's all right. I know you have a lot on your mind right now.") I could do the good by setting another time to meet and telling her how much our friendship meant to me.

I found those simple phrases even affected chance encounters, as when a clerk seemed snippy.

I could walk out angry, muttering my frustration. Or I could see the good, understanding the clerk might be distracted because of serious personal issues. I could do the good by smiling and speak the good by thanking her for her help.

I left that card on the mirror all year because it reminded me how I wanted to live my life.

And little by little, with God's help, I did change.

Here we are with fresh new calendars for a fresh new year. How will we choose to live it?

Each of us will carry different burdens as we journey on and tough times may arise, but we are never alone. When we trust in Jesus He promises to be with us, every moment of every day.

This year I want to remember words of strength like these:

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. –1 Peter 5:7

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. —Philippians 4:13

Why not try my simple "formula" for yourself?

I'm no expert, but I pass on this "off the cuff" formula for one reason only. I know it can work if we take it to heart. (And I'm considering this a reminder/refresher for myself, too.)

See the good

Speak the good

Do the good

Wishing you all the best, dear readers, as we keep learning and growing together,

Lenore
Tired of the “Same Old, Same Old” Day After Day?

January 10, 2025
It's that time again. Time to think and to thank

Time to count up all the reasons we have to be thankful.

Even now. Even though. Even if our personal story is full of pain.

Like one young man I read about. I only have a few sentences of fact about his brief encounter with a friend, but here's how I imagine it have gone.

"Joel" suffered a freak accident that shattered his life in an instant. This once-strapping young man became a paraplegic for life.

When his best friend since childhood, "Kev," saw him for the first time he tried not to stare as he took in the finality of his buddy's situation. Joel would never walk again.

Then Kev heard himself blurt, "Isn't it strange how one day can color a whole life?"

"Yeah," Joel said and nodded. A moment later he flashed his old smile and said, "But I thank God that I still get to choose the colors."

So do you and I. Thanks-living is a matter of the mind and heart. Our every-day attitude.

Once we plug in that perspective it changes our view of life. And us. We stop bemoaning what's missing and start being glad for what is.

It helps to think about that original Thanksgiving

Start with The Mayflower. Forget modern ocean liners. This merchant ship measured only 64 feet long, about the distance from a baseball pitcher's mound to home plate. It traversed the Atlantic at a sizzling two miles an hour.

Those 102 Pilgrims were packed into the cargo hold, an area about half the size of a basketball court. Ceilings measured less than five feet high. Their group included 18 married couples and their children. Two wives were pregnant and one delivered her baby during the voyage.

For 66 days and nights they endured limited space, little privacy, poor ventilation and scanty meals because they feared running out of food..

At last, on November 11, 1620, the captain spotted Cape Cod and dropped anchor offshore in the New World.

No inns with warm rooms and cushy beds awaited them

They had only The Mayflower to provide shelter from the endless unknown that stretched before them when they looked toward land. Fear stalked them but they dare not give in.

Because The Mayflower would sail back to England in spring, the men had no choice but to row to shore every day, whatever the weather. There they worked together to build basic shelter for their group, as well as for the chickens and pigs they brought with them.

They dug graves, too. Lots of them. By that first Thanksgiving only 50 of the 102 Pilgrims who left England remained alive. Only three of the 18 married couples still had both spouses.

Let that sink in. Imagine their heavy hearts as the survivors gathered to celebrated their first harvest. They resolved to set aside their grief and together, thank God, the Giver.

He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might, He increases power.  Isaiah 40:29

Do we have what it takes to do the same?

Not one of us has or will have a perfect life. You and I, too, survive because God enables us to keep breathing and gives strength for each day.

Let's be on the alert for the good in life and be ready to acknowledge it. In people. In family members. It's always there, even in hard times.

In every situation we still get to choose our outlook and to speak the good word. No eloquence required, just the doing.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:11

Let's share our lessons learned

Some of us never speak of our mistakes, as if we've skated along through life with never a rough spot. This may protect our egos, but it cheats our children and grandchildren.

We can bless them by gently telling stories about our ups and downs and lessons learned–and how God brought us through. Were there times we "feasted" on Spam because we couldn't afford turkey? Pass on such tales, if only to show it's possible to rejoice and to laugh, even when life's not perfect.

Most importantly, as we share our stories, let's point to the Giver.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 107:1

When we thank God it reminds us we're not alone–and we never were

Neither were the Pilgrims. Like us, they anguished over their pain and their losses, but they didn't camp there. They chose instead to focus on God's faithfulness through it all.

Can't we do the same?

Start with "ordinary" things like the myriad colors in trees and plants and flowers. We take all that for granted, but what if our Creator had colored all of Nature in shades of grey?

For each of us, if we truly take in what we see around us we'll understand why we can be thankful and can praise God.

Even when life disappoints us and sadness won't lift. Even when time drags on and we can't see an end to the waiting. Even then.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7

Every day, let's hone in on the joy of what is, rather than to waste time yearning for "perfect."

And let's remember that you and I "choose the colors" of our lives, too, every single day.

Thanking God for you, dear unseen friend!

Lenore

Can We Give Thanks Even When Life Is Hard?

November 26, 2024
When a large part of our inner sense of security crumbles–as it did after 9/11, what are we to do?

Or when a family or relationship problem shakes our personal world to the core?

How do we cope? What do we tell our kids?

We may feel a gaping emptiness inside and long for comfort for ourselves, but feel we have nowhere to turn.

Even in the day-to-day of life we may have people we care about who regularly (and more so in a crisis) look to us for reassurance and for clues on how to deal with life.

All the while we may be thinking, I have nothing left to give.

That's when we do what moms and wives–and dads and husbands–have done since the beginning of time. We give anyway.

We take our thoughts off what was lost and focus on what is left.

Although we feel drained dry, still we can speak the hope that comes from beyond ourselves. Hope that's based on more than what we see and think and feel. Based on faith in God and the deep-down conviction that when we trust in Jesus as our Savior, "hope" becomes 100 percent guaranteed certainty.

That's because it rests in the One who promised to be with us, no matter what, no matter where and to be our strength, even when we have none left within ourselves.

How do we protect our children in this scary world?

We can't, not really. We can hold their hands so tightly it cuts off their circulation and follow them around like bird dogs, but there's no way to absolutely ensure they will never hurt, never be disappointed.

We watch over them, of course. We hug them and comfort them and speak the love we feel because nobody ever gets too much love and encouragement.

Through it all, good times or not-so-good, every day we commit our loved ones to God's protection, asking Him to watch over them.

How do we model living in faith?

I used to think at some point I would arrive at a more, um, exalted state of being. That I would somehow "graduate," that is, to be always at peace.

Perhaps you've wished and prayed for that, too. Let's face the (humbling) truth: We are human beings living with never-ending announcements of yet another reason to feel shaky. That's the world we live in, yet we need not cringe in fear.

My help comes from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth! He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Psalm 121:2-3 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Come to think of it, isn't that more than enough?

Always, there is help available and it's as close as our nearest Bible.

I've found when I'm running on "empty," the best way to recharge and refuel is to spend time in the Word and in prayer.

Sounds good, but where do I start?

Answers may vary–and that's okay, because each of us is an individual. Like many others, I find it helpful to mark Bible verses so I can find them more easily.

Verses like these, which I've had marked in my Bible for years:

God is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea . . . The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.     Psalm 46:1, 11

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10

Living in the world

You and I can't stop the evil in the world–and yes, there is evil in the world. Every year the 9/11 remembrances proves the point.

It didn't stop with 9/11–and it won't. Ever since Eden, the power of Satan–evil–is with us.

Evil will always keep trying, but it will never win. In Jesus, the battle is already won.

Our best strategy for survival–for enduring–is to stay planted in the Lord and keep filling our minds with truths from God's written Word.

Then when our loved ones turn to us, we'll be ready with love and with strength that comes from the Lord, who will never turn away from us.

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

Whatever the disaster, little or large, in Jesus Christ we find the strength and stability to not only make it through, but also to speak peace and hope to those around us.

All this comes not because of who we are or because of our great internal spiritual resources, but always, only because of the One who lives within us.

Trusting, too,

Lenore

Can we still speak hope when the unthinkable happens?

September 11, 2024
Have you ever said to yourself, "I wish something would happen!"

Consider that reckless thinking. That "something" may turn out to be scary.

Take the time I did my usual breast self-exam and felt a tiny lump the size of a BB. I didn't remember feeling anything before. Next came the mammogram, then the "maybe" verdict, then the biopsy.

Boy, did that un-bore me fast!

Thanks be, the final verdict pronounced it benign.

Sometimes it's a phone call you never wanted to have

Like the morning one of our daughters, college age, called with a plaintive note in her voice, "Is Dad there? I need to talk to him… ."

If you've had young drivers of your own you can guess the reason why. This time another driver, uninsured, had rear-ended her car. That young man pushed her into the stopped car ahead of her at a busy Los Angeles intersection. Now she was scared and stranded because her car had been towed away.

Thank God that although she was shaken up, she was spared serious injuries.

In the weeks of repair time that followed the rest of us were one car short. One "benefit"–nobody at our house was bored.

More bad news came a couple of weeks later

A weighty, cream-colored envelope arrived. It bore the name and prestigious address of a Beverly Hills attorney. He wrote to inform us his firm was representing the other driver, someone with an unpronounceable name who was in the U.S. on a student visa. The bottom line of that letter? They intended to sue our daughter.

Can you imagine our outrage? Our daughter was panicked and we weren't far behind as we ran through all the what ifs that came to mind.

At last came common sense and we contacted our insurance company.

End of story.

Periods of fear and uncertainty can happen to us all

Those are the times we wish we could go back to yesterday or the day before.

Back to a day when if someone asked, "How was your day?" we could answer, "Oh, it's been just a normal day, kind of boring, really. Nothing much happened."

If we've had a lengthy string of days like that we may even feel a bit sorry for ourselves. After all, don't we deserve a bit of excitement of our own?

Been there, done that–and it never brings me joy to start going down that track.

Words to lift our spirits

I have no idea who Mary Jean Iron is, but I think her words pack a hefty meaning.

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.

In verse 24 of Psalm 118 we find the unshakable reason to consider every day a good day:

This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I'm thinking these two together amount to great advice because one fact is inescapable. This day is the only day we really have.

So whatever else is going on–or not going on in our days, let's rejoice that we're still breathing, still standing. Let's thank God we're alive and celebrate every minute of every day!

Blessings and peace and joy,

Lenore

Another Same Old, Same Old Day? Then Celebrate!

September 5, 2024
Some often-told stories speak to every one of us. Like this one:

Picture the new teacher who comes into a new classroom. Truth is, even veteran teachers each year come into the unknown. Each one faces a sea of eager (or bored) students, mostly strangers to them.

Suppose the new teacher, for whatever reason, believes students assigned to his or her classroom are super-bright. What a privilege it will be to teach these high-achievers and give them the kind of instruction they deserve!

Those kids respond and blossom and turn in exceptionally good work. Teacher is happy and students are happy.

Peace reigns, day after day.

Near the end of the school year this teacher discovers the truth

These kids were not "gifted." Just the opposite. Everyone from the principal on down considered them to be chronic behavior problems. "Somehow" they all ended up with the new teacher.

Long-time teachers secretly rejoiced that somebody else got stuck with these "troubled learners." They knew how these kids struggled in class and got sent to the principal's office on a regular basis. Every teacher and faculty member who tried to help ended up frustrated. None would admit it out loud, but these kids simply were being moved on through the system.

Small wonder the old guard laughed when the newbie teacher treated these youngsters as if they were high-achievers. After awhile they stopped being amused. Wonder of wonders, those "loser" students began to live up to their teacher's expectations–and then some.

In real life it never works out this neatly, of course.

But what if it could? What if it did?

Perhaps we need to take a fresh look at the people in our lives. Our spouses. Our children. Our friends and extended families. The people we work with and interact with in our everyday activities.

Have we fitted them neatly into a box because we "know" their capabilities or lack of same?

Have we given them labels based on the past instead of on who they are today?

It's disturbingly easy to get stuck in what they–and we–used to be. It helps to pretend you've just met and ask yourself, "Who is this person?"

You may be surprised at what you find.

Sometimes we do the same thing with ourselves

Every now and then it's good to ask ourselves, Who am I today?

If that sounds like a strange thing to do, just pause and think how often you say, "I never," or, "I always."

Maybe that phrase once was true, but is it an accurate description today?

Probably more than we realize, what we expect is what will happen, over and over–with others and with ourselves.

We all know the saying, "What you see is what you get."

The truth of those words apply in so many areas of living, especially in our relationships. People tend to live up to our expectations. So do you and I in our self-appraisal of who we are and what we can do.

The Apostle Paul tells us how to get a new outlook on ourselves and on other people–in 2 Corinthians 5:17 and in Ephesians 4:32:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you.

That's the Good News of the Christian faith if we put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. That's true no matter how many times we failed. It's not about how great we are or all we've been able to accomplish. HE is the one who makes us new. All we need to do is believe this is true.

Our outlook on other people changes, too. We're able to stop thinking they should live up to how we view them. Because of these same promises we can let go of old hurts and expectations.

As usual, it starts with the eyes of our heart and how we choose to see others and ourselves. Here's to looking–and seeing–with new eyes.

Still learning, too,

Lenore

Keep Your Eyes Open Or You Might Miss What Matters Most

August 21, 2024