Be on Guard

The Good News Today Is...the truth will be found if it is sought. I read this short blurb today about Bart Simpson's voice promoting Scientology. Wow! That's just right out there. I guess Bart Simpson being identified with Scientology is appropriate - neither ever seek the truth. "Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!" Acts 20:30-31a. Our job is to help everyone to seek the truth and to be shepherds of the church. By God's grace all who seek the truth will find it. It's not too late Bart!

Goodbye and Good Luck

The Good News Today Is...some things don't change. The people who do harm and evil will get their just rewards. "A scoundrel and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, who plots evil with deceit in his heart - he always stirs up dissension. Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed-without remedy." Pro 6:12-15. Goodbye Govenor Blahgojevich.

The Calm After the Storm

The Good News Today Is...there is snow everywhere. When everything is blanketed in new fallen snow it is beautiful. If you look around and see the awesomeness of it and revel in its beauty, it's much easier to bend over and shovel it. It does remind us once again how wonderful creation is. In the power of the storm we should be humbled. "He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, Be a mighty downpour.' So that all men he has made may know his work, " Job 37:6-7. Gaze out over the effects of the storm and praise God.

Baby, It's Cold INSIDE

The Good News Today Is...life is full of surprises. Like when I woke up yesterday morning and the house was only 52 degrees because the furnace had stopped. It was a little chilly and I wasn't sure what to do. The husband is away visiting family for two weeks, one future son-in-law was away on business for the week, and the other one had already left for work. Of course my son in Florida is way too far away to help! Well, I called the one future son-in-law that had already left for work and found he was on the road to a job site. He suggested that I burn wood during the day and he would look at the furnace in the evening when he got out of work. Great idea, except I had just run out of wood the day before! Hmm...I thought, I really might have to call the furnace repair man - not sure that I could afford that. As I was trying to figure out what to do, I got a call back - Pat had decided to turn around, take the day off from work and head to my house so that he could work on my furnace. Now there was a SURPRISE!!!! You could have knocked me over with a feather. Just when you think you have someone figured out, they do something so opposite of what you expect, you can't believe it. He arrived at my house shortly and had my furnace running within a couple of hours -and I went to work. That was just the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time. It is so comforting to know that there are people in your life that care enough to help in that way. "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Heb 6:10. When we help others we are showing them the love of God and how it is manifested in our lives - surprise someone today - you will be blessed by it!

Grow Up Already

The Good News Today Is....we can remain children. Sometimes I just don't want to be a grown up and get up and go to work and be responsible. That's when I remember that now matter how old I am - I am still a child of God. He wants me to act like a child when I come to him. "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mar 10:15 So for today I will act with child like faith and forget the world that is hustling and bustling all around me and I will be comforted.

Renew Your Mind

The Good News Today Is...we can be sure we are doing God's will. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will." Rom 12-2. This is from an interview with Rick Warren. Whether you like Rick Warren or not, you can't argue much with the following. In happy moments, PRAISE GOD, in difficult moments, SEEK GOD, in quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD, in painful moments, TRUST GOD, Every moment, THANK GOD. If we make it all about God, then I think we will be led to do his will.

Beauty

The Good News Today Is...we are still searching for beauty. The Miss America pageant was on last night. I did not get a chance to watch it but I saw the photos in today's news....pretty women. I was pleased that the winner gave an answer to the "tough" questions they asked during the interview that exclaimed glamor is what is inside of us. Ahhh - a noble answer worthy of Queen Esther when she was in her beauty pageant. (Wasn't that what she was in???) "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1Pet 3:3-4 We all have that inner beauty, don't stop searching for it in yourself or in others.

Who are the Gentiles Today?

The Good News Today Is...we are being challenged to change. I have not written about the inauguration this week because everyone else has. The one thing that I have had trouble with is the fact that we as a generation are still hung up on the race of the president. If we truly all thought that the best man was elected, his race would not have been the topic of every news story on inauguration day. It's the same everywhere I turn. Locally we have a large immigrant population from Somalia. Recently there was an article in Newsweek about the changes in the community that have been attributed to the Somalians moving into town. The mayor responded with a worry that he didn't want the "skinheads" back to try to get rid of the immigrants. Everywhere I read there are still so many racial slurs and insinuations regarding groups of people. Will we ever get to the point where a man is just a man, either good or bad? We have not progressed much from the way the Jews regarded the Gentiles. "The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God." Acts 11:1

Vacation is Coming

The Good News Today Is....we've made plans to go to Florida. My son and my brother are both in Florida and we have bought our tickets to fly down to see them. It will be a good vacation, but sometimes getting everything together to take a vacation is tiring in itself. Making arrangements for rides to and from the airport, getting someone to babysit my animals, arranging time off from work - all of that stuff. It's amazing that we can go at all...the tickets were a gift and the accommodations will be free. We are so very fortunate - now if I could just get my mind off flying - I really don't like to fly. It's hard not to ruin the whole trip by worrying about the preparations and then worrying about the transportation. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Mat 6:34

Social Media and The Good News

The Good News Today Is...we have social media. When I read in the bible; "News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee." Mar 1:28, I know that quickly is a relative term. We have so many more ways to spread the word today; blogging, my space, face book, text messaging. It's just a wonder of technology. Yet that means that technology can also be used to spread evil, temptations and sin. We need to be ever vigilant and use whatever means we have to help the good news spread.

Risk Being Judged

The Good News Today Is...American Idol is back on TV. I'm not much of a TV fan and I don't like reality TV in particular, but I enjoy watching American Idol, along with millions of other viewers. I was trying to think exactly what appeals to me about this show. I realized it's the passion with which the singers perform. They have so much hope and they risk so much criticism standing up there in front of the judges while they are singing. It has taken me a lot of years to stand up and be passionate about my beliefs - it is not an easy thing to sing at the top of our lungs and to be judged - but I do believe it is good practice for what is to come. "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat." Rom 14:10.

The Little Things

The Good News Today Is...I can take a hot shower. Ok, so can most everyone in my town, but I never take this for granted. Ever since we had the ice storm in 1999 and we went 14 days without power I say a little prayer of thanksgiving everyday when I hop into a nice hot shower. I remember those who are less fortunate and many who don't have such a luxury. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Jam 1:17 Remember that even the little things in life are gifts. An estimated 100 million people worldwide are homeless...I am sure they also think a hot shower is a gift.

The Best Laid Plans

The Good News Today Is....I got stuck in my driveway. That's only good news because I drove the 155 miles home through a nasty snowstorm and had no problems. I never saw one person off the road or an accident. The last 25 miles took me almost an hour to drive because many of the rural roads hadn't even been plowed yet. Then I got to my driveway and couldn't get up it. Typically that would have made me upset, but I was so happy to be home it didn't even phase me. Normally I don't travel in the snow - which is why we don't usually go see family in the winter. I thought we should make an effort this year to get to the post holiday family dinner that has been a tradition for a good number of years. I waited for the extended forecast to come out - which predicted sunny weather for the entire week-end, then we made our plans. As the time drew closer, a storm was predicted, but not to start until after I would finish traveling. Then of course, the storm came up the coast much quicker than had been anticipated, and I ended up driving in the snow. Oh well - as the saying goes, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Sometimes no matter how we plan, things just don't go the way we want them to. I know that I must have had someone watching over me to get me home in that storm. As much as I hate driving in the snow, I really was at peace all the way home. I had a wonderful week-end and I spent a lot of time praying for healing in the family. Over all the week-end was terrific. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." Pro 16:3 My plan may not have been perfect, but it was successful.

Life is a Balancing Act

The Good News Today Is....I have vacation time. I'm only taking a half day off today so we can travel to be with family for the week-end. I just feel fortunate to be able to get a change of pace and not have to stay at work until 5:00 and try to drive 4 hours after that. It's important to take breaks and to have the time to be with family. I'm so lucky to work in a place where even if I didn't have accumulated vacation time, I have a boss who recognizes the value of friends and family - and he would let me leave to be with them whenever I needed to. I have worked other places where it was all about if you had earned the time - not about if you needed the time. We all need time to nurture our relationships, we need time to be alone to talk with God and we need time to get our work done. Too much time spent doing any one of these things and we would be out of balance. "There is a time for everything, and every season for every activity under heaven." Ecc 3:1 This will be my first break from posting to my blog since I began in November - I won't have access to a computer for two whole days. Have a blessed week-end!

Superstition or Truth?

The Good News Today Is....I survived yesterday. Whew!!!! What a few weeks this has been. Within the last 3 weeks 3 people I know have passed away. Now - if I were superstitious I would think everything is all done - it always comes in threes. One time I read that we have a superstition about bad luck coming in threes because of the fact that Peter denied Christ three times. Hmmmm - I wonder what kind of luck Judas brought....well anyway some would say I'm superstitious just because I believe in a God no one can see. I say call me what you want, but seek the truth for yourself and see where it leads. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Jhn 8:32

More Shack Attack

The Good News Today Is....more lessons from The Shack. All I can say right now is "too bad this book is fiction." I think I really like this view of heaven and God. What it does reminds us is that we really have no idea what heaven is like, or what God looks like, or what God is really thinking. We just can't go there - we aren't supposed to get it - if we knew it all we would be God. We are supposed to live out of faith and relationship. Now that's a one sentence message summary of the entire bible! Reading The Shack was like reading a series of billboard messages about free will, forgiveness, faith, relationships, love...all these things we're supposed to know about but they get lost in the world in which we live. Reading this story brought all of this stuff back into the forefront where it belongs. "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." 1Cr 2:12

The Shack

The Good News Today Is....I finished reading the book The Shack. Friends of mine had told me it was good, so I bought it for my daughter for Christmas. It is a pretty sure bet that she will get a book from me as a gift because I want to read it. Not only that - she thinks that's funny - so I'll keep doing it and we will both get to read good books! When I buy it for her she gets to read it first of course - and she liked it, too. Anyway, it challenged me in a lot of ways. It flings religious conventions right out the door and then down the street, too! That was pretty refreshing! There are a lot of great messages in this book. One in particular is about free will and the love that it takes to allow it. "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other." Ecc 7:14

Sorrow for Joy

The Good News Today Is....




I borrowed this from a fellow blogger today...it seemed like the thing to do.

Goodbye is Not Forever

The Good News Today Is...goodbye is not forever. "But our citizenship is in heaven. and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Phl 3:20-21. Good bye Liz - see you around!

Weak and Tired

The Good News Today Is...Jesus loves me this I know - I am weak but he is strong. I had a late night last night and got up early this morning. Gee - I remember not that long ago - well maybe quite a while ago - I could stay up all night long and work all the next day and like the energizer bunny - keep on going and going and going. Now, one night with only about 4 hours of sleep and I'm as weak as a baby. Hopefully I will be able to take an afternoon nap today, just like a baby. Meanwhile I will rest in the Lord as I go about my business and his. "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:5-6 When I am weak and tired, he is tried and true.

Try It You'll Like It

The Good News Today Is...I have gray hair. I can remember a time when I used to pluck the gray hair from my head. Then I began dying my hair...then it just seemed useless. I couldn't pluck it anymore or I would be bald, and if I dyed it one day, within a couple of more days you could see the roots. So - instead of covering it up I wear it and I delight in telling my children - "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." Proverbs 16:31. Sometimes working with what you have is the answer. Getting rid of it and changing it might not be the thing to do. Accepting what you have as a gift from God and using it to His glory can be a step to freedom.

The End Justifies the Means

The Good News Today Is...things can be redeemed. "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal them." 2Ch7:14 We are asked to behave so differently than how we think we should. Usually when we want something to change we set about doing a lot of tasks and bossing a lot of people around....it's called control. If we really want change and redemption we are to stop doing and start praying - humbly! Obviously this is harder for some of us than others. I can still remember being a child and stomping my foot saying, "I can do it myself." When I get that attitude now, I try to ask myself why I am trying so hard to fix or change something (or someone), then I take another look. It really is a whole lot easier just letting God handle it and the outcome is always so much better.

I Do That?

The Good News Today Is...you matter. "You are the light of the world....In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Mat 5:14-16. Yup - it really is you!!! You light up the world!

Don't Worry - Be Happy

The Good News Today Is.....we really can trust God. We probably don't but we can. I was on another site and the title was In God We Almost Trust and I thought "isn't that the truth." We all know that if we really trusted we would be free of worry and would just mosey along our merry way. I also wouldn't wake up at night with heartburn. It's another one of the many New Year's resolutions - to trust God to take care of our lives. My prayer today..."May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom 15:13. Have a great day!

Timeless Wisdom

The Good News Today Is...age has nothing to do with it. I'm not young anymore, but I haven't started down the other side of the hill either. Luckily my age doesn't really bother me, but it's good to know that you can't be too young or too old to believe and share. "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are too young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1Ti 4:12. No matter your age you can set an example for living a good life, and remember you are precious in His sight!

Newsworthy

The Good News Today Is...we have a shepherd. Sometimes when I read the news I get depressed because it seems only the bad in the world is highlighted. This morning I read about a young man killing his own son, more on the war in Iraq, more on the troubles in the Gaza Strip. So much bad news gets highlighted. My reactions run from disgust to anger to despair - then occasionally I feel compassion. "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things." Mar 6:34 I for one, am thankful that the shepherd is there for me, and I hope to never be part of one of those awful news stories. Each day I will try to set the same example the shepherd set for us and perhaps, out of compassion, I can reach one of the hurting and prevent their name from ever coming up on the news.

What if you got Stuck?

The Good News Today Is...we can be prepared. I was reading an article about driving safely in cold weather. It reminded us to take certain steps to be prepared when we take a journey in our vehicles. We should carry a first aid kit, a blanket, hand warmers, a flashlight, a shovel, make sure our gas tank is over half full, carry a cell phone, etc. We have all been told to make sure we are ready in the event we get stuck in the snow, or worse. Yet how many of us take these simple steps to actually be prepared? I can tell you I do only about half of those things. I keep bringing my blanket inside to wash and not putting it back in the car. I don't have an extra shovel right now, and at the moment my gas tank is only about 1/4 full. The point is we all know what we should do, but few of us do it. We need to be prepared in our spiritual journey, also. "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Eph 6:13 The ways we are to be prepared are: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. Just like we can't anticipate when we will need that blanket or shovel, we can't anticipate when we will need the armor of God either. It's just good practice to always be prepared - for either event.

Sticking Together

The Good News Today Is...we passed another landmark. Yesterday was our wedding anniversary, 28 years together. "'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.'" Mat 19:5-6. Now, I know that not every marriage can survive this long, and I count myself lucky that we have stuck together for the duration. I wasn't going to write about it but the Yahoo News headline today was about surprising marriage truths. The best part of the whole article was the last coupe of sentences. "That's the strange beauty of marriage: It's full of hard times and hard lessons that no one can ever prepare you for. But in the end, those are the things that give richness to your life together -- and make your love even deeper and stronger than when it began." This quote works for life in general, too. Hard times and hard lessons give richness to your life, even if you can't see that when you are in the midst of them. There is a plan - it will all work together for good.

Happy New Year

The Good News Today Is..."he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."Phil 1:6 A new day in a new year. We are works in progress and today is another day for the good work to be carried out in us.