There is a feature that our condo has that has been so much fun; it’s called the Lazy River. The picture above is one of the two they have here. The narrow “pool” has a current that pulls tubers around without you having to do a thing; you don’t have to paddle or row. You simply sit and it pulls while you’re just… lazy!

This week in my Bible study I’ve been studying about the faithfulness of several women in the Bible – Dorcas, Lydia, Priscilla, and Phoebe. As I studied their lives and their service to the Lord the thought that struck me was that these women didn’t do some random act that they were remembered for; they had lives of faithfulness. They were dependable. They could be counted on. It’s thought that Phoebe may have carried Paul’s letter to Rome. She would never have been given that responsibility if she’d been randomly faithful prior to this service! These women were not slackers. There were no Lazy River floaters among these women.

I had to ask myself some questions. I’ll ask you the same ones:

• Am I being faithful to serving the Lord both in my home and in my church?
• Can others count on me to fulfill a responsibility to which I’ve committed myself?
• Am I sporadic or consistent in my service?
• Am I full of good works like these women were? (We don’t serve to stay saved. Eph. 2:8,9 We serve because we are saved.)

It’s such fun to enjoy some leisure time on the Lazy River, but at the end of the week it will be time to put laziness behind me and get to following after fruitfulness. I pray that’s your heart too.

With love,

Here’s a partial picture of what she was looking for. It continued to change with each minute. It was worth waiting for; worth keeping vigilance for.

As I sat there I thought of Proverbs 8:34 – Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. Just as that lady was perched and waiting to have a view of the sun, we should have the same determination to see the Son. As we go to our quiet place and sit, Bible, notebook and pen in hand we are sitting at His gates and waiting at the posts of His door for Him to pass by. If we could but get a glimpse of His beauty it will be enough to carry us through the day. It will be a thought to ponder on, a Truth to cling to or a promise to claim.

It’s worth getting up at six just to see the beauty of the sunrise, but it’s even more worth it to rise early and see the beauty of our God! Have you seen Him today?

Waiting at His gates,

Well, Friends, you might guess from the picture above that my kitchen is not in the parsonage this week – it’s in a beautiful condo on North Myrtle Beach! Yes, we’re suffering here. 🙂 The Lord is so gracious to allow us this time away and my heart is full of gratitude for His merciful kindness to this undeserving person!

Whenever I’m at the ocean I think about the Lord’s control over creation – the waves, and me. Just as the verse above states, He is the one that calms the waves that are caused by the storm. Only He is able to do that. We can trust Him to bring the calm in our lives at the right time.

We arrived yesterday to sunny skies and gorgeous weather. We’ve walked the beach, ridden the Lazy River at our resort, swam in the warm pool, and then we had supper here in our condo. It seems our tradition to have a simple meal of tacos the first night we arrive.

One little twist with our tacos is the mango salsa I make to top the taco. The sweetness of the mango is really delicious! Here’s the simple recipe:

I have experienced migraine headaches for years and my doctor thought the time had come to have an MRI to make sure there was nothing serious triggering them. The MRI machine is a very close space – especially for someone who is claustrophobic! The thoughts of being slid into that narrow space and having the door shut me in for a span of 45 minutes made my pulse race and my palms sweat! I ran to the Word. I reminded myself of Scriptures of God’s peace and His presence. The morning of the MRI scores of people were praying for me, and I knew God was giving me the grace I needed to go through this literal test and this spiritual test. The technician placed a cloth over my eyes – no chance I’d sneak a peek at just how close the ceiling was to my face! Whew!

As I was lying there I began reciting in my mind the chapter I was working on memorizing – Philippians 4. When I got to verse five I quoted, “The Lord is at hand.” Suddenly that truth struck my heart like never before. The Lord is HERE. He is at my hand. He is in this machine with me, though no one else is! You cannot imagine the comfort that verse brought to my heart at that moment. I finished the test without having to hit the panic button. God faithfully used His Word to comfort me at a time when He was truly the only one who could!

Perhaps you need to be encouraged today that the Lord is at your hand. He is there with you spite the loneliness you may feel. You can trust Him at this moment, and then the next, and the next. Acknowledge the truth that He is at hand, and He is at your hand. He is now, and He always will be. What comfort, what peace, what a God!

In His hands,

P.S. The doctor didn’t find anything in my head! Surprised? 🙂