triple braiding

 Saturday, March 14, 2026 (5:00 a.m.)

Blessed God,

“Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I read the words yesterday. Sitting here now I wonder about rejoicing.

After years of practice, thanking You comes fairly often. Easily. And readily. Thank You for that. Many times [like just now] it’s so completely automatic I’m not even aware until I’m mid thank.

Steal. Kill. Destroy (John 10:10a).

Wait. Trust. Hope.

Grace and peace

(6:41 a.m.)

Father, thank You for this opportunity to read in and of Your Word. Thank You for those who have come before to study and teach Your Truth.

Thank You that while reading about the weapons used during spiritual warfare I came upon the importance of our mental state needing “to not only be guarded but rooted in the Truth… Focusing on our inner grumblings and complaints prevents us from seeing the blessings in our lives.”

 

Lord God, I want desperately to serve and represent You well. I love, need, trust and want You.

You guided me yesterday. I was fully aware of Your presence as I made one choice after another. Unsure what my plans were going to be, I continued calling on Your name. Repeatedly and often.

(7:50 a.m.)

Thank You reminding me that Your role is to lead. And mine is to follow. I want to keep practicing this. Do all You must that I will triple braid (Ecclesiastes 4:12) my dependence of You. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. By rejoicing, praying and giving thanks. Use me as You know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(272 words ~ 7:57 a.m.)

holding on

 Friday, March 13, 2026 (6:26 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You for tears. Tears of hope. Joy. Sadness. Fear. And songs that lead to smiles. Again of hope, joy, sadness, fear.

♪Every Praise♪

♪Still I Hold On♪

Father, You are good. Great. Glorious. Gracious (Psalm 145:5-8). I forget that far more often than I remember. Oh, but thank You for every single time You remind me!

Like much earlier this morning when I realized I have once again lost sight of all the joy You provide.

(6:52 a.m.)

J O Y Three letters. Three steps to rediscovering what seems to be missing.

Blessed God, thank You for Your Word. Your Truth. Your promises.

Thank You for others who write [and sing] of their experiences with You. Others. And themselves. 

I confess to falling once again into the traps of expectations. Assumptions. Taking things personally. Unforgivenesses. Of myself. And others. Judgments. The list is seemingly endless.

But Your Word offers us Truth. Grace. Peace. Hope.

Father, do all You must in empowering and enabling me to put into practice the apostle Paul’s urging to the believers in Thessalonica. “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Message).

EasyEnglish Bible. “Always be happy. Pray at all times. Whatever may happen to you, continue to thank God. God wants you to do that, because you belong to Christ Jesus.”

Rejoice always. Always be joyful. Always be full of joy. Be full of joy all the time. Always celebrate.

Lord God, I confess to attempting to accomplish this in my own strength and power. “Big mistake. Big. Huge.” 

Keep working in, with, by, through and for me most Blessed God. I love, need, trust and want You. Use me exactly as You know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(328 words ~ 7:20 a.m.)

thoughts to ponder

 Thursday, March 12, 2026 (5:02 a.m.)

Glorious God and Father,

Good morning.

John 10:10a - steal kill destroy

Wait. Trust. Hope.

"dynamic and unlimited love"

 Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (6:12 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You for loving me. Through my mopes and moods. Snarks and snarls. Grumps and growls. Thank You that You are good, gracious, great and glorious (Psalm 145:5-8). Always. Unwaveringly.

Thank You that I just read again about Your “dynamic and unlimited love.” Father, I want to know You and Your love better than I too often think I already do.

Your love that is wide, long, high and deep (Ephesians 3:18). Unconditional. Active. Boundless. Eternal. Unchanging. Secure. Free. Redemptive. Sacrificial. Constant. Unwavering. Undefeatable.

Wow! Thank You Lord.

Father, I confess to the whining I’ve been doing the past several days. Internalizing the frustration brought on by the wind and the time change. Irritations over which I have zero control.

Forgive my avoidance of most things directly related to spending time alone with You. Thank You for showing up in the smallest of ways despite my childishness.

“Woe is me” is so often the attitude I choose. Forgive me.

(7:37 a.m.)

Lord God, I DO recognize the blessings You provide! Reading about self-pity just now I found this Truth-telling sentence. “Rather than crying out to God in our big and small moments of distress, self-pity would have us whimper in the misery of our own hearts.”

That’s been me these past many days. Why? Because I have felt embarrassed and ashamed. To have been blessed with so much and yet complain over so little.

Thank You for bringing me back to focusing on Your Word. Your grace. Your dynamic and unlimited love.

“Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to You for refuge” (Psalm 16:1). “Lord, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing” (v 5a). “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever” (11).

I love, need, trust and want You. Desperately. Do all You must in keeping my heart, soul, mind and strength loving You (Mark 12:30) as Jesus commanded. Worshiping, adoring, glorifying, enjoying and representing You well at every turn.

Tall orders. Yet “I can do all these things because Christ makes me strong” (Philippians 4:13).

Use me as You know is best Dear Lord. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(384 words ~ 8:20 a.m.)

 

And yet...

 Monday, March 9, 2026 (6:31 a.m. PDT)

Blessed God,

Thank You that I can come before You with every feeling and attitude. Like the one I’ve been unsuccessfully battling on my own recently. Thinking lowly of myself. Going so far as to using the “spoiled brat” phrase again.

I confess to You, Dearest Dad. That is often how I see myself. I am aware of the blessings You provide. And yet

(7:09 a.m.)

Exactly! “And yet…” Those two words vacillate between offering me hope and despair.

♪Come Sail Away with Me♪

(7:39 a.m.)

Lord God, once again I am AGOG! Excited. And eager to tell!

One moment I am feeling down cast. Desperate. Saddened by situations. And the next? I am seeking Your best. Tacking “with God” to every emotion I search.

Father, how I thank You for the things You use to get my attention. Other people’s experiences that they’ve shared openly online. Teaching me words and songs that I’ve never known before.

“Becalmed” - unable to move through lack of wind; stuck, stranded, unmoving

Faith - Hebrews 11:1

Psalm 51:12. “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.”

(8:21 a.m.)

Lord, I want very much to sail away with You as my Captain. To trust. And appreciate.

I realize [and confess] how very often I take You and Your gifts of provision for granted. Forgive me I pray.

♪I’m So Blessed, I’m so blessed

Got this heartbeat in my chest

No, it doesn’t matter about the rest

If I got You Lord, I’m so blessed♪

Father God, I want to be grateful. I know you to be good. Gracious. Glorious. Great (Psalm 145:5-8). And I want to know You as being enough.

(8:58 a.m.)

Thank You for the opportunity of reading about You simply being enough. Without the promises. And the proof. You simply are. And that in itself is enough.

Yes! And yet… You are. And that is enough. Keep me looking to You Dear Lord. Reminding me as often as is necessary that You truly are (Exodus 3:14).

Ephesians 3:20

humble surrender

 Saturday, March 7, 2026 (6:41 a.m.)

Awesome God,

I confess to feeling quite low-spirited at the moment. You know? The whole “who cares/what difference does it all make?” attitude I often come home with at the end of many trips. Perhaps it would be so much better if I were to employ a completely different tactic. Yes. Let’s try that, shall we?

(7:02 a.m.)

Thank You Father. I read the words “humble surrender” in seeking a better way of connecting with You. Almost immediately a song started singing in my head.

♪Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine

He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time…

Perfect submission, all is at rest

I know the Author of tomorrow has ordered my steps…

I Trust In God, my Savior

The One who will never fail…

I sought the Lord 

And He heard and He answered

That’s why I trust Him♪

(7:24 a.m.)

Yes! That is why I trust You. You have heard. And You have answered. Thank You Father.

Thank You that the song ♪Blessed Assurance♪ has the lyrics

♪… Perfect submission, all is at rest

I in my Savior am happy and blessed

Watching and waiting, looking above

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love

… This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long♪

Lord, I ask (Matthew 7:7a) You to keep my heart, soul, mind and strength focused on You. That I would truly watch, wait and look above to You. Knowing, trusting and believing that I am filled with Your goodness and am lost in Your love.

I want very much to sing, smile, stand firmly and stay my mind on You and Your promises. Do all You must in making me humbly surrendered to Your will and Your way. I love, need, trust and want You Lord. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(320 words ~ 7:48 a.m.)

All the feels.

 Thursday, March 5, 2026 (7:17 a.m. MST)

Kingman, AZ

Holy God,

Thank You for fun. Thank You for beauty. Thank You for all the feels. Mm, yes. All the feels. Laughter. Tears. And everything in between.

Another trip coming to an end. On the 49th anniversary of a honeymoon cruise. I’m looking at a ton of potential emotion.

Instead of attempting to run and hide from them, Father I’m asking (Matthew 7:7a) You for the courage to stay and face them all. Welcoming them as I would a dear friend.

(7:49 a.m.)

 

Memories. Changes. Challenges. Acceptances. Forgivenesses. What an endless list of possible feelings that may [or may not] pop up.

Father God, how I thank You for the privilege of bringing them ALL to You. Because You created the universe (Genesis 1) and all it entails, every single one of my sentiments is no challenge to You.

Thank You for providing us the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, Romans 8:9) who produces the fruit (Galatians 5:22-23a) known as “divine love” (Galatians 5:22) in The Passion Translation.

“…in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit” (vs. 22-23a).

Filter all the feels of this day [which You have made (Psalm 118:24a)] through these varied expressions Dear Lord. I love, need, trust and want You to use me as You alone know is best.

Thank You for the love You provide. Praise You for the good, good Father that You are. Do all You must that I worship, adore, glorify, enjoy and represent You well. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(295 words ~ 8:16 a.m.)