Help Us

Help Me!  Help Us!  I can't even begin to tell you the number of times those words have been prayed from my lips.  Sometimes, those words have been whispered.  Other times, they were wailed at the top of my lungs.  It may have been something small, like needing some help with planting my garden.  It may have been something large, like navigating cancer.  I find myself saying those words often, especially in the most desperate situations.  Life can throw us times when we know we can't handle it on our own.

It seems like our world is facing desperate situations.  Whether something small or large, every day seems as if it is providing us another circumstance we need to guide our way through.  Illness, death, destruction, financial difficulties, etc.  Now more than ever, our need for help is great.  We may be trying to deal with something individually, within our families, among friends, or as a nation.  We may be wondering how we will make it through.  There are times when we can feel very much alone.

Whenever I have prayed those words, Help Me, I never felt alone.  Although my prayer situation was at a desperate times, I knew I had the Holy Spirit with me, my little part of Jesus that is always there for me.  As Jesus was preparing his disciples for His return to His heavenly father, He gave them a wonderful gift, the Holy Spirit.  This is the same gift we have also received from Jesus.

The Holy Spirit - our advocate, our comforter.  The one who is always with us!  When we think about all that Jesus did while He was on this Earth, it can be hard for us, 2000 years later, to feel His presence.  I know on many occasions, I have wanted Jesus to be sitting next to me, holding my hand.  Then I remember, He is - the Holy Spirit is always with me.  I recently read an article that shared that the Holy Spirit does from the inside what Jesus did on the outside.  I love that picture.

The Holy Spirit holds me close, guides my way, brings me strength, provides me courage, and gives me hope.  What a great gift Jesus left us with as He headed home.  These can be desperate times and, as the saying goes, can lead to desperate measures.  I truly believe our only desperate measure should be one we make a daily habit - crying out to our Lord for His help, His guidance and His love.  He is waiting to hear from us and the Holy Spirit is there to guide us towards Him.  It's time, everyone.  It's time to raise up our voices for help.  We cannot manage through all of this alone, but the very good news is we don't have to.  We have a loving Lord who is waiting to help us and be with us - forever!

Holy Spirit, thank you for being inside of us and guiding us to our Lord.  Bring us the comfort and peace we need.  Show us where to turn for our answers and may we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, loving each other and showing each other we care.  Bring us peace and comfort in these difficult times.   In your comforting name we pray, Amen.

For Freedom

We have many wonderful days that we celebrate in the United States, but my belief is one of the most important days to take reflection is today, Memorial Day.  Today we honor the men and women who gave their lives for our country.  The courage of anyone who is in the armed forces amazes me.  These incredible people walk into the service.  They train, they grow, they learn.  In all appearances, it sounds like they walk into a new job.  Yet, I believe this is where the similarities to every day life ends.  After training, growing and learning, they serve.  Not in the way many of us may serve our employers.  

When we walk into our daily jobs, there isn't a sense of sacrifice.  When our service men and women walk into their job each day, there is total sacrifice. They sacrifice seeing their family and friends for months on end while on deployment.  They sacrifice a safe work environment for one where they are on constant guard for their fellow team members.  They sacrifice normal work hours.  They sacrifice a home cooked meal.  They sacrifice picking up the phone and calling a loved one.  Most importantly, as they walk into their jobs, they sacrifice their lives.  Today, Memorial Day, marks those who willingly gave of themselves so that our freedoms here in the United States may be preserved.

There is only one other person who has willingly done that - Jesus.  He willingly walked away from family and friends to the cross.  He willingly walked away from the safety of his heavenly home to come to earth to be our sacrificial lamb.  He willingly was on guard for us, his people, from the hands of the devil.  He willingly walked to Calvary and died for us - so that we might have freedom.

Jesus' sacrifice has provided us freedom from the chains of sin, freedom from hell, and freedom from the devil.  His sacrifice has given us a life where we can walk confidently through troubling times knowing we have Jesus on our side.  His sacrifice has given us an unconditional love that is so great it is hard to fathom.  His sacrifice has given us hope for an eternal life with him.

Freedoms that are bought for us with a life cannot be repaid.  Yet, they can be honored.  May we honor those who have fought for this country and lost their lives doing so.  May we honor the one and only Savior who fought for his people and lost His life doing so.  May we always rejoice with our heavenly Father in the joy of his sacrifice for our freedom from eternal hell.  For Freedom!!

Dearest Jesus, we thank you for giving your life for our lives.  We know that our eternal freedom was bought for a price - your life.  May we honor you and praise your name throughout our days.  Today, may we also remember the men and women who gave of their lives for our freedom in the United States.  Thank you, Jesus, for bringing us such brave men and women.  In your freedom fighting name we pray, Amen!

Breakfast Time

"Breakfast - it's the most important meal of the day."  That seems to be the saying.  For me, it's, "Breakfast - it's my most favorite meal of the day!"  Whether it is a 5AM smoothie on the go or a wonderful Sunday morning brunch after church, ever since I've been a child I've loved breakfast.  I love to make breakfast for my family and I especially love to go out for breakfast.  This could be an influence of my parents, especially my dad.  He would go out in a snowstorm to the diner just so we all could have what we wanted for breakfast.  Do you have a favorite breakfast meal?  Being from Jersey, it would have to be pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll (if you're from Jersey you CERTAINLY can agree)!

So you can imagine my delight as I was driving to work the other day, and on the radio the DJ shared this verse.  As I jumped into my Bible to dig into this a little further, I realized I had read this verse so many times, yet its impact was made to me that morning.  I find it amazing how God does that - He takes stories and chapters that we have read over and over and on that special day, when we need Him the most, He makes sure we hear it or see it!  The context is the third time Jesus has revealed himself to the disciples after his resurrection.  He was on the shore and they were trying to catch fish.  He yells out for them to put their lines in one more time and what do they pull up?  Breakfast - for all of them and more!  

This invitation for breakfast truly hit my soul.  The thought of Jesus sitting with me and my cup of coffee now brings new meaning.  What an incredible way to start my day!  Typically, before I head out for work, I have some coffee and read my devotions.  What if Jesus was sitting with me as I sipped the coffee and drank in his Word for my day.  Of course He does, but the realization of that fills my soul.  What blessings Jesus gives us, He even invites us over for breakfast.  I ask that you revel in that image for a moment.  I pray that it fills your soul as well.  Breaking bread with Jesus, whether it was done 2000 years ago or today, brings his humanness to light.  He broke bread, He ate - the son of God!  More importantly, whether I see Him or not, he breaks bread with me!

As we sit for breakfast and say grace, let's remember Jesus' invite to join him for breakfast.  Bring a chair for Jesus, pour Him a cup of coffee and drink in the words that He shares with you, whether words from the Bible or words from those around you.  Jesus is there, starting your day with you.  May you take Him with you throughout the rest of your day as well.  Blessings for Breakfast with Jesus!

Jesus, my breakfast partner, thank you for inviting me for breakfast!  As I sit with you and drink my coffee, may I also drink in the words you share through pages of devotions along with the words that you place on my heart.  Be with me throughout my day Jesus, hold my hand and guide me - showing me the path you have for me.  I am blessed that you call me for breakfast.  In your name I pray, Amen!

Mother's Hands

A Mother's hands.  When I read this verse today, it certainly made me think about a mother's hands.  Yes, my thoughts instantly went to my own mother's hands.  Caring for me as an infant.  Brushing my hair as a toddler (that was always a chore).  Teaching me how to cook as she cooked meal after meal for our family growing up.  Later in life, her hands touched my children, her grandchildren, as she held them close.  She held my hand as she sat with me at each chemo treatment.  Her hands have always been there - for chores, for pain, for hope and for love.

Then I thought of all the mothers of the Bible whose hands saw different situations for the same reasons.  Sarah, a mother who waited so long for her child, Issac.  Naomi, who shared her incredible faith with her daughter-in-law, Ruth.  Hannah, who wanted to be a mother so much, her prayers resulted in her giving her son back to do the Lord's work, Samuel.  Elizabeth, who although old in age, bore the one who baptized so many, John.

The one that I am sure many of us revel in is Mary, the mother of Jesus.  All that her hands must have done!  Hands that saw daily chores to ensure Jesus and her family were taken care of.  Hands that held Jesus' hands, knowing the hope her son would bring.  Hands that saw the pain that her son went through on His way to the cross.  Hands that held him after he died on Golgotha.  Hands that showed Jesus over and over again the love she had for Him.

Hands of our mothers change throughout the years.  As young mothers, the hands are soft and gentle.  Through the adolescent years, the hands may have to show discipline and guidance.  As we grow up, our mothers' hands can become wrinkled and coarse (as I look at my own hands, I see this)!  Yet, those hands tell stories.  Those hands have cared for us, held us, provided us hope and most of all, have loved us.

The next time you see your mother, hold HER hands and let her know how much you love her.  For a mother's hands are to be honored and cherished.  If you mother is now with our heavenly father, know that her hands still have a place on your heart and one day, you will be able to hold those hands in paradise.  Blessings to all the mothers!  To my incredible mother, Mom, I love you and cherish those hands that have been placed on my heart all these years.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for our mothers' hands.  We have wonderful role models throughout the Bible that show us how to be a mother.  We have our own mothers that have taught us how to live our lives.  Thank you for blessing us with a mother's hands.  May we always cherish them.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

Pruning Time

It's been an incredible weather weekend in New Hampshire this weekend.  The most glorious part has been taking long walks with my husband.  By mid morning our sneakers are on and we are off on a good four-mile walk.  Listening to the birds, commenting on the trees budding, and watching the river flow are all great signs that spring is in the air.  As I look at the trees, my heart goes to memories of my dad, carefully pruning tree and shrub branches in early spring.  

Daddy was meticulous in selecting which branch would need to be pruned, exactly how far back to prune, and carefully explained why he was doing this.  It truly was a work of love.  Daddy's favorite trees were his beloved apple trees.  This pruning process was always an attempt at ridding the tree of unproductive branches, either ones that no longer bore fruit and those branches that were going array, so that more nutrients could go to the branches where they would bear more fruit.

As I got older and studied the Bible more often, the verse for today always brings me back to that memory of Daddy.  This verse brings me to my Heavenly Father, who takes the time and effort to do the same process to me, his beloved, as my Dad would do on his beloved trees.  I think back over the times when God pruned back the things that I shouldn't be doing - making me unproductive.  There were also times when I was going array, and by his pruning, that journey stopped for me.  It amazes me how our Lord knows exactly what we need to be more fruitful.

By this process of pruning, God brings us closer to the tree trunk, himself, where the nutrients flow.  We may gain our nutrients through prayer, Bible study, worship, or communion.  Maybe we gain our nutrients from sitting quietly, listening to the birds, commenting on the trees budding, or watching the river flow.  The important part is to remember that when God prunes us, restricts us from the "messes" of our lives and cleans us up to be fruitful, the fruitful journey is endless.  The next time you believe that the door has closed on an aspect of your life or the path that you wanted to take is suddenly closed, remember that God may be pruning you for a greater, more fruitful, journey.  Those paths are by far more wonderful than not being pruned~~

Heavenly Father, please remind me that when a direction I am headed in seems to be halted, that it could be you telling me that it is "pruning time".  Don't let me resist those times, but let me gain my nutrients for life from you, Lord.  Let me gain hope and wisdom from you so that my journey of fruitfulness that you are sending me on will yield great fruit.  In your loving name I pray, Amen!