Saturday, August 29, 2009

Mending Broken Hearts

At one time or another we all experience a broken heart. Loss is part of living and death is a part of life. Today our Daily Guidepost devotional spoke about how we can help mend the broken hearts of others. Writer Marilyn Morgan King answered that question in her devotional by using the word HELP.

H: Hold…. the hurting one.

E: Encourage the hurting one to talk about their pain.

L: Listen with all your heart, soul and spirit.

P: Pray for their wholeness (and healing).

May God be with each of you who this day are helping others or are yourselves mending from a broken heart, whether it be from the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, or one of the many other reasons a broken heart occurs. May you be reminded this day of God’s love and compassion.. He, too, waits to hold you, encourage you, listen to you, and bring you healing and wholeness.

If you wish to read other inspirational posts, please go to http://www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Think About Such Things

Philippians 4:8 "Finally by brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."


At times it is easy to think the worst about others, ourselves, or a situation we find ourselves in. We become all "gloom and doom" in our thinking.
Maxine sends us a good reminder in this cartoon:
















For more inspirational posts, go to http://www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/ Spiritual Sundays.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Spiritual Sundays: Move Over

“Move over, Renee, and make more room for God.”


I was reading the book “The Shack” this week and in one part of the book where God speaks about how He lives inside of each of us, I started thinking about whether I allow God, who lives in me, to do what He needs to do through me. The words above popped up in my mind clear as a bell, “Move over, Renee, and make more room for God.”

I sometimes let fear rule my life. I can waste a great deal of time worrying about things that usually do not come to pass. My own narrow-mindedness can get in the way of me seeing the good in people, seeing GOD in other people. Seeing the good….and God in myself! I need to consciously and with persistence, move out of the way and make more room for God. With Him as my guide I can let go of worry, fear, or critical thinking. In doing so I will be able to become more and more as God intended. More Christ-like. More loving. More forgiving. More at peace. Making more room for God actually transforms me to be more like God.

Romans 8:9-11
"But if God Himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than Him….It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God sent God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he will do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to Himself. When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life."

Be sure to stop by Spiritual Sundays for more inspirational posts.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Good Attitude

"Attitude is your thought life turned inside out."

Joyce Meyer

Today I started my morning by listening to Joyce Meyer speak about the importance of maintaining a good attitude. I have to confess that too often my inner thoughts dwell on what I am worrying about. Being often alone and homebound, I can find myself struggling with negative thoughts or dwelling on how I am feeling. If someone were to ask, I would say I have a good attitude most of the time....but Joyce Meyer's quote above gave me pause. Does my attitude reflect my inner struggle with worry?

I chuckled when she asked her audience what song was "theirs" of the four she named:


"Make the World Go Away"

"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"

"I'll Do It My Way"

"Oh, What A Beautiful Morning"


I could claim all four at different times in my life...sometimes all four in just one day! I expect we have all felt this way at some time or another. Ephesians 4:23 gives us an idea of how to keep an attitude of gratitude, no matter what comes our way. "Be constantly renewed in the spirit of our minds...." (Amplified). Yes, the Bible gives us the tools we need to be able maintain a good attitude. And with the renewal of our minds ~ including a positive attitude, we will be able to sing more about beautiful mornings than raindrops!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

God's Details

I never cease to be amazed at all the beautiful flowers God has made. Every single one was created with delicate detail ~ sizes, shapes, and colors unique to each. Some grow well in the shade, others in full sun. When they get just the right amount of nourishment and sunshine, they flourish. Each flower is unique, not unlike people.

As God's children we are created by Him with amazing detail; in all sizes, shapes, and colors. We also “grow” and “thrive” in different environments according to our needs and God’s purposes. When we get the right amount of nourishment and Sonshine we also flourish! Whether a beautiful flower, or a beautiful human being, our Creator knows exactly what we need.



Stop by Charlotte and Ginger's blog, Spiritual Sundays for other inspirational posts.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Keeping A Memory Box

I have started keeping a Memory Box. I took this idea from another blogger, Linny, at A Place Called Simplicity. She keeps a memory box filled with reminders of all the answered prayers, blessings, and miracles that have occurred in their family’s lives. Recently I decided to do the same in response to the many times God sent to us in a variety of ways, the verses of
Isaiah 40:28-31.

"Do you know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God. The Creator of the ends of the earth. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

For two weeks after my husband's diagnosis and our realization that we were now “partners in Lyme”, we received these verses through 3 different email devotionals, a Guidepost prayer, a Sunday sermon, and more than a couple devotional books. We received two more just today from Rest Ministries Daily Promises and an email devotional that came this afternoon! It made me laugh out loud with amazement. I have printed off or written down these reminders of God's love to store in our Memory Box. The box sits on my kitchen counter and when I walk by it my focus goes back to our Lord and the assurances His promises provide. When necessary I can open it and re-read the many examples of God’s grace in our lives. I look forward to filling it with an abundance of God's reminders.

Do you have somewhere special that you keep track of all the blessings God has given you ~ maybe in a journal, your Bible, a gratitude journal, or maybe your own Memory Box? However you are able to store those nuggets of gold, keep them close to your heart and available for whenever discouragement comes your way. It is a great reminder of the faithfulness of our Lord!

For more of God's grace go to Spiritual Sundays.