practicing bravery

Thursday, October 29, 2026 (4:12 a.m.)

Holy God,

Good morning. There are so many things about which I know and understand little or nothing. 

Father, I’m asking (Matthew 7:7) You to teach me where You would have me put my focus.

(4:43 a.m.)

Thank You that You have not given us a spirit of fear nor timidity, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

♪I don’t want to be afraid

Every time I face the waves

I don’t want to be afraid…

I don’t want to fear the storm

Just because I hear it roar

I don’t want to fear the storm…

Peace Be Still

Say the word and I will

Set my feet upon the sea

Till I’m dancing in the deep♪

I confess my fear to You Dearest Lord! Fear of making mistakes. Doubting. Choosing inaction over missing targets. Staying stuck. Frozen.

Thank You that Your Word offers encouragement. Truth. Promises.

Father God, I want very much to stand firmly on Your teachings. Practicing bravery.

Tears are forming within. Even confessing my fear to You is scary for me. Do all You must in building my character (Romans 5:3-5) as You alone have planned.

I want to be brave. Face waves. Not fear storms. Dance in the deep. Trust You. Yes Father. More than anything, I want to trust You!

(5:28 a.m.)

You told Joshua (1:9), “This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

♪I wanna dance like David, I wanna faith like Paul

I wanna sing like Silas tearing down the prison walls♪

(That’s Who I Praise)

You encouraged Isaiah (41:10). “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Use me as You know is best Dear Lord. Embolden and empower me in practicing being brave. I love, need, trust and want You. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(358 words ~ 5:47 a.m.)

unexpected tears

 Wednesday, October 28, 2026 (5:37 a.m.)

Hi God,

Thank You! Completely unexpected tears formed in my eyes and my heart. Followed by a smile.

Father, thank You for the ways You remind us of how loved we truly are. Thank You for directing me to various verses in the apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Rome.

Verses I’ve read before are taking on brand new meaning for me at the moment. Thank You for Your repeated calls to my heart. My soul. My mind. Even my strength.

(6:21 a.m.)

Thank You for this opportunity to sit with You, enJOYing such quiet contentment. Mm, yes! Unexpected tears led to my awareness of a softening heart. Thank You Lord.

Thank You for Bible verses that speak of faithfulness. Peace. Joy. Your glory. Rejoicing. Problems. Trials. Endurance. Developing strength of character. Confident hope.

Is that what I’m experiencing? Confident hope? I believe it is!

Romans 5:5. “And this hope will not disappoint. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” Yes! Thank You Lord.

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin” (Romans 4:7-8 quoting Psalm 32:1-2).

Blessed, Loving God and Father, thank You that You love us so much that You never give up on us. Thank You that You continue calling us into Your fold (John 10:16). In, with, by, through and for You we are safe (Psalm 23). Exactly as You know is best (Isaiah 55:8-9).

I ask (Matthew 7:7) You Lord to use me as described in Psalm 139. With Your full knowledge of my every thought and action. Every smile. And unexpected tear.

I love, need, trust and want You Dear Lord. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(324 words ~ 6:49 a.m.)

some hope

 Tuesday, October 27, 2026 (4:59 a.m.)

Good morning, Lord.

Today I am waiting. For the joy. The good. The thanks. And praise.

Here’s a smile. That’s a start. Yes Father. I am glad for a start.

(5:20 a.m.)

Colossians 1:16a. “for through Him [Christ] God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.”

The smile is growing. As is some hope. And now a song as well.

​​♪Fo​​r from You are all things

And to You are all things

You deserve the glory♪

(Worthy of It All)

(6:00 a.m.)

Father, I confess to not yet being at the “thanks and praise” portion of our time together. The smiles and songs keep me hoping.

Yes. Even bringing me again to Romans 15:13. Joining myself in Paul’s prayer to the Romans (15:13). Asking (Matthew 7:7) ‘...that You, God, the source of hope, will fill me completely with joy and peace because I trust in You. Then I will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.’

Yes please, Lord. I am requesting confident hope to increase the “some hope” I’m currently experiencing.

I love, need, trust and want You as my absolute hope. In all things.

I  do thank You Lord. For the privilege of waiting. Being still. And knowing that You are God! (Psalm 46:10a).

♪Be exalted now in the heavens

As Your glory fills this place

You alone deserve our praise

You’re the name above all names…

Worthy is Your name, Jesus

You deserve the praise♪

Yes! You deserve the praise. And the thanks! Make it so.

Do all You must that You are glorified in, with, by, through and for me as I seek to truly thank and praise You throughout the day.Yes! So be it! 

♪Day and night, night and day

 Let incense arise♪

Amen.

(313 words ~ 6:34 a.m.)

  

unimaginably blessed

Monday, October 26, 2026 (6:17 a.m.)

Good morning Lord,

And thank You. Yes. Thank You for the blessings upon us.

(6:32 a.m.)

Thank You for the opportunity of learning more about what Your blessings are. As well as all they are not.

Being forgiven tops the list. How glorious is Your forgiveness Dear Lord! Thank You.

Psalm 32:1-2

Romans 11:29, 33-36

Revelation 4:11

♪Day and night, night and day

Let incense arise♪

You truly ARE ♪Worthy of It All♪ Thank You Father.

(6:14 a.m.)

Here I ask (Matthew 7:7) of You Dearest Lord, do all You must that I will continue learning Your very fine art of forgiveness. Practicing it in every circumstance.

(6:52 a.m.)

Dearest, Loving Father God, You have blessed me unimaginably. Use me similarly. As a blessing to others. Do in, with, by, through and for me all that You alone know is best. I love, need, trust and want You Dear Lord. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(173 words ~ 6:57 a.m.)

music, movies and memories

 

Sunday, October 25, 2026 (7:05 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You for tears. They just keep falling. Prompted by music. Movies. Memories.

Mm, yes. Music, movies and memories, oh my!

(7:15 a.m.)

Oh look! Here come some more…

Reading the promise of Revelation 21:4. And again I am overcome with emotion. The hugest amount of hope mixed right in with twinges of longing. There’s a wistfulness I continue attempting to avoid.

Thank You Father. How perfectly You provide for us.

The very first words of The Life Recovery Bible devotion for Revelation 21:3-6 is capturing my essence to a T. “As we think about making changes in our life, we may find ourself dwelling on the defects in our character.”

Even the hope I experience while reading these verses bring more tears to the surface. Father, thank You.

(8:00 a.m.)

Thank You that You ARE “the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End” (v.6). With a plan for “making everything new” (5).

Thank You for the privileged opportunity of considering my tears as being given to me by You. The emotional journey I’ve experienced these past few months is truly eased once the tears begin falling. Thank You Lord.

Reading that tears “help process overwhelming experiences - whether grief, repentance, or deep joy - unfreezing the heart and providing a physical release” affirms my belief that I am indeed on the right track. And in good company… “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

As I continue considering tears, I remember times they’ve been brought on by laughter. Father, here I ask (Matthew 7:7) You to keep me in Your powerful, all knowing care. Using all my tears for my good and Your glory.

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3a). You are “our merciful Father and the source of all comfort” (v. 3b). Thank You that You are.

Do all You must that I represent You well Dear Lord. I love, need, trust and want You as the absolute Ruler of my being (Psalm 103:19). Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(356 words ~ 9:04 a.m.)

so much gratitude

 Saturday, October 24, 2026 (5:16 a.m.)

Anaheim, CA

Holy Father God ~

Thank You. There are very many songs. And so much gratitude. For the simplest things. Recipes that worked out well. Hand holding with grandsons. Different positioning to alleviate pain. New opportunities. Finding joy in the most unexpected places.

Thank You. Yes! Truly. Thank You!

(5:34 a.m.)

Blessed Father, You have provided me with a true spirit of appreciation. Given the time, You prompt me in seeing good in most things.

(5:42 a.m.)

And would You just look at this… ?! Here I thought we were going to explore the whole of Psalm 100. Instead, Ephesians 5:15-20 (Living By the Spirit’s Power) is speaking quite loudly to me.

“So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do [spread His love and light!]. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you [Yes, please!]. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs [Key Largo; I Will Always Love You] among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Oh yes Father. How truly grateful I am to be able to appreciate You and all the blessings You provide us.

Do all You must, Blessed God, in, with, by, through and for me that I will continue practicing Your very fine art of appreciation.

I love, need, trust and want You as the absolute Lord of my life. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(308 words ~ 6:29 a.m.)

entrance code

 ♪Just As You Are♪

Friday, October 23, 2026 (4:38 a.m.)

Thank You, God. Praise You Lord.

I’m still getting used to the second part of the entrance code to Your presence. Praise. Hmm. Please teach me more.

Hebrew 4:16

Ephesians 2:18

What a treasure trove of Truth we have in Your Word. History. Promises. Songs. Poetry. Hope.

Father, thank You. I struggle with damaging thoughts of my own self worth. Often. How grateful I am to wake up singing Your Truth to myself.

♪I’ve been wasting way too much of my time

Living up in my mind, trying to do it all right

Spinning my wheels, thinking that there’s something I could do

To be more loved by You♪

Holy Father God, how I thank You for Your willingness to talk with me. Your faithfulness in leading, guiding and directing me.

We were reminded in a church service the importance of confessing the hot messes we’ve become. Thank You that You don’t cut us off because of the mistakes that we make.

Father, I love You. I need, trust and want You as the absolute all of my very being. I ask (Matthew 7:7) You to continue Your work in melting, molding, filling and using me [♪Spirit of the Living God♪] exactly as You alone know is best.

Thank You that when it comes to me replaying my list of quirks and inadequacies many times I can almost hear You singing out to me.

♪Ooh child, don’t you know I love you

Just as, Just as You are…

Turned the light on, and flipped the script

I’m suddenly seeing what I used to miss

Got me livin’ in the present tense

With a love so deep, You’re the greatest gift♪

Mm, yes! You ARE our Greatest Gift! Do in, with, by, through and for me all that is necessary that I will live and love as You designed. Yes. All You must.

Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(332 words ~5:28 a.m.)