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isn't it great to know that God will never stop working in our lives...?

I got really tired today and was looking forward to coming home and relaxing and it made me stop for a moment to think about our Creator and how He never stops working...when we "forget" to talk with Him, when we "forget" to walk with Him, when we "forget" He is in control - like I did during this monumental week for our country - He keeps right on working.

"The Lord Himself watches over you!" we read in Psalm 121:5

How reassuring that thought is, the comfort of His word...knowing that in all things He is our Advocate, our Provider, our Maker and our Friend.

So when I am tired...I hope I don't forget to thank the One who watches over me - 24/7/365!

Praise God!

the election approaches...just 48 hours until the ads come to an end and all the states are dramatically colored in red or blue ...

in the end what will matter is that the one who takes over the house on Pennsylvania Avenue will need support and prayer from all of us, no matter how we voted.  The disagreements will need to subside so that we can all join together and bring our country back again to a place where we feel safe and secure, economically, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

so I think I will start praying now, not for the election to "go my way", but that as it comes to a close we will remember and know the ultimate truth...that we are loved, completed, noticed, believed in, and unconditionally accepted. Maybe not by everyone in this world, not by every neighbor or every co-worker, but by the One much greater and much more important than anyone we know...our Creator...God.

may He truly bless America this week!!!

Recently the birthdate of my mother came and went...I cannot help but think back through many of the memory books of my life with her.  She was a truly great woman, high ideals, her expectations and standards securely entrenched in scripture and the way a believer 'should' live.  Not perfect by any stretch, she was amazing because of who she was in the every day... I hope that the piece of her that lives on in me is reflective of her greatness.

But as I was thinking about some of those "every day" moments, a smile crossed my face...you may have the same type of memory smile for moments in your past -- I hope you do!

I was remembering the power of  "the LOOK" -- my mom could snap me to attention, make me think twice about what I was reaching for, or make my mouth shut simply through a glance, not even a hard solid stare, for if it reached that moment it was too late.  The glimpse from her that I encountered told me enough...I did not need more information than that because I already had the experience of what happened if I didn't respond to her initial look.

I think this is my best, personal, real example of God's love for us...much like a mother, His desire is for us to be obedient, to follow what He has laid out for us in His Word.  But, just as with my mom's look, the stakes continue to rise and God WILL get our attention, He has the disciplinary actions for our lack of obedience that will move us toward fruitfulness and away from sin that holds us back.

So just as I know that those memories of my mother's "LOOK" shaped who I am today; my God is continuing to mold and shape me in His likeness and for His glory.

I miss my mom...and the LOOK, but I am grateful that God watches over my obedient nature, or lack there of...

I hope blessings find you today...sun or rain...whether your team wins or not...right where you are!

It's 6:00am, its dark, and you are standing on a wet pool deck in a Speedo suit with the air temperature hovering at 48°F. It's not to late to turn back, you haven't made the commitment. It's decision time. But in the back of your mind you hear the famous words: "Get Wet" - the swimmers credo for "Just do It" or "Make it So". It's one of the many little decisions that will be made which will form your day and eventually your life. There have been days where I defiantly said no, walked back to the locker room and went on with the day. Those days are rare, but they do happen.

"Get Wet" actions are not all fun, but the rewards are significant. On this particular day I didn't complete the entire workout, but some days are a victory if you just get wet.

So lately I have been inundated with a theme of the same saying....each said a little differently...

• Be absolutely determined to enjoy what you do.
• Do what you love, Love what you do.
• Do the things that bring you joy and joy will come from you.
• Choose your love, love your choice.

I am intrigued whenever the same phrase re-occurs in the span of just a few days.  It makes me wonder what the message is and what it is God wants me to learn from hearing it in so many different ways.  I also believe it is a blessing that He gives me several opportunities to "get it"...and I am grateful since it can take me a few reps to grasp that these are not simply  'coincidences'.  God is good that way, and not just in reminder phrases we can learn from. He is good in that He is a God of multiple chances...

When Jesus died on the cross, God already knew that the death of His only Son would stand as a repetitive reminder of His great love for us...and it wasn't a coincidence. Things in my life that appear to repeat - seemingly for no reason - remind me of that...

So I just have to wonder...and therefore ask...what is God doing right now - in multiples - to get YOUR attention?