loving my neighbor

 ♪I speak the name of Jesus over you♪

Tuesday, May 13, 2025 (4:45 a.m.)

Holy Father,

Thank You. Broken hours of sleep had me waking to this song each time.

♪In your hurting, in Your sorrow

I will ask my God to move♪

(5:37 a.m.)

You presented me with privilege and opportunity yesterday Dear Lord. I truly was able to “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:31a). Just by helping.

Without a thought, I did what came natural. Pulled this weed. Trimmed that plant. Offered grapefruit. Moved trash bins from yard to street and back again. Saying “Yes. Of course” to a simple request. All because You lovingly nudged me. Thank You God.

Yes. Thank You that all those decades ago You started showing me what it is to be loving. Kind. Caring (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). I want to continue following Your lead Dearest Dad.

Deuteronomy 10:12 asked a question and then provided the answer to Your people of Israel. How blessed I am to have their example here before me.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear [read here as: “fully esteem and revere”] the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul.”

Yes please. I want to do that! Fear You. Live to please You. Love and serve You.

(5:56 a.m.)

Just as I began to think what a tall order this would be to carry out, I remembered the second half of the title to the song I keep singing.

♪In Jesus Name (God of Possible)♪

Yes Lord. Your Word (Mark 10:27) tells us “Jesus looked at them [His disciples] intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.’”

Thank You Lord. Thank You for sending Jesus into this world, not to judge it, but to save it [us] through Him (John 3:17).

Do all You must that I practice and live Your Word. Loving You, others and myself with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30-31).

That I will truly

♪Come believe it, come receive it

Oh, the power of His Spirit is now forever yours♪

Yes please, blessed Father. I love, need, trust and want You. Use me as You alone know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(412 words ~ 6:10 a.m.)

interesting morning

 Monday, May 12, 2025 (4:40 a.m.)

Grateful. Peaceful. Loved. These are what I am feeling right now.

Curious. Satisfied. More words that seem to have randomly popped into my head.

A dream where the very dear husband had his hand on the back of my neck. Until I reached for it and it immediately vanished.

Music [♪Come to the Altar♪] playing in the living room. Mysteriously coming from the previously turned off television.

Gorgeous full moon shining brightly in the backyard. Thank You Father. This is such an interesting morning. To say the very least.

You bless us Lord. Truly. Greatly. Magnificently.

Yes! I have no way of quantifying the blessings You provide.

Searching to find more about what it is to be blessed by You, I am directed to Matthew 7:7-11 and the whole of Psalm 103. Here I am again amazed. You love. You forgive. You provide. Thanks Dad.

I experienced friendship yesterday. Nurturing acknowledgements of my existence and efforts. Love in its most pure and basic ways. Thank You God.

Waking up singing ♪I wanna dance… faith… sing… face… walk… gift… break… sleep… love… live… I’m gonna praise… the God who’s proven He can do impossible things That’s Who I Praise♪

Thank You for the honor and privilege of loving and knowing You Father. Because we are loved and known [♪fully KNOWN and loved♪] by You.

(5:37 a.m.)

Right at this very moment I am once again beyond amazed! You NEVER cease surprising me Lord. Thank You for being You.

Your Word [directed to Psalm 139:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 8:3] again speaks Your Truth to my eager and excited [agog] heart. Wanting to know and trust You even more. 

“Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much” (1 Corinthians 8:2) calls to mind a phrase from long ago. “Christianity is one beggar asking another beggar where to find bread.”

You helped me find bread yesterday. Your bread of life! 

When comparing and complaining would have been the easy route to take, You reminded me again ♪I don’t belong to the lies, I belong to You… and that’s The Truth♪ 

Father, thank You for singing Your Truth to me. Again. And again. And again.

Thank You that You allow us to choose what we want and what we believe. This morning?

♪I Believe there is one salvation… one doorway… redemption… confession… crucifixion… resurrection… a day is coming… In Jesus’ mighty name, I believe♪ 

Yes! Thank You for making it so we can turn to You confessing as often as necessary. ♪In Jesus’ mighty name, I believe♪

Use me Blessed God. I need, trust, love and want You. Do all You must to Your good and perfect end. Thank You for giving me such a very interesting morning. Praise Your holy name. Amen.

(473 words ~ 5:56 a.m.)

internal protest

 ♪Holy, Holy, Holy 

Lord God Almighty

Early in the morning my song shall rise to Thee

Holy, holy, holy

Merciful and mighty

God in three persons, blessed Trinity♪

Sunday, May 11, 2025 (4:21 a.m.)

(6:27 a.m.)

Thank You Lord,

It's taken me until now, with the sights and sounds outside, to truly be grateful this morning. Thank You that I can finally mean the thanks with which I come to You.

I confess to waging my own internal protest against 

(6:54 a.m.)

What is it I am protesting? Tradition! I want to do things because I believe them to be worthwhile. NOT because tradition mandates it. Thank You that I can bring my thoughts and heart to You on this.

I further confess to almost boycotting time with You this morning because of a root of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15) that was beginning to take hold. Thank You for completely countering it with my earlier view of Your majestically dawning sky.

Holy God, what an absolute difference You make in our lives! An immediate sense of awe. A true desire to sing. Move. Enjoy. Delight. Take pleasure in all You have created. The birds. The beauty. Thank You Father.

How I thank and praise You for changing my demeanor with that one simple glance outside. Yes Lord. You actually DE-meaned me in that moment. Taking every degree of frustration and removing it “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).

Thank You that I choose NOT to become stuck in the sin of resentment. You provide me the perfect way out. Praise. Thanksgiving. Mercy. Grace. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Use all of the fruit of Your Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in, with, by, through and for me.

I love, need, trust and want You. Do all You must that I represent You well. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(332 words ~ 7:26 a.m.)

and that's the Truth

 ♪The Truth is I am my Father’s child…

I don’t belong to the lies...♪

Saturday, May 10, 2025 (4:47 a.m.)

Thank You Father,

 I DON’T belong to the lies! ♪I belong to YOU And that’s the Truth♪ Speak with me about belonging to You. And the Truth.

Romans 14:8. EasyEnglish Bible. “While we live, we want to please the Lord. And when we die, we want that to please the Lord too. So, while we live, or if we die, we continue to belong to the Lord.” Yes!

(5:34 a.m.)

Searching to learn more about belonging to You, I found a post on Center for Family Transformation. “The Beauty of Belonging Part 3 - Belonging to God” Thank You Father.

“When we interact with God… we can feel known and understood and then we can recognize that we are not alone.” Every word I’m reading leads to another spark of hope. “This is how our joyful bond with God grows, and we become secure in our identity in Him.”

Mm. Feel known. Understood. Not alone. Thank You. Thank You Father.

“If we truly understand the character of God, that He is good [Psalm 145:7], always available for connection and truly wants to be with us, we will be comforted in our grieving… hopeful no matter the circumstances and peaceful in all situations.”

Lord, thank You that belonging to You “is to feel at home… safe and secure.” Any degree of trust and connection I seek “is felt more deeply in this relationship than any other.”

(6:08 a.m.)

Oh this just keeps getting better! Back up to the top of the page. Photo of a young woman. Sitting on a dock. Legs over the edge. Looking out at the rippling lake. Or maybe at the distant mountains.

Re-reading the words “accepted… secure… loved… confident… through joy and trouble… known…” Lord God, thank You for this blessed reminder that I can find all I need by seeking You first (Matthew 6:33).

Thank You that

♪I’m fully Known and loved by You

You won’t let go no matter what I do

And it’s not one or the other

It’s hard truth and ridiculous grace

To be known fully known and loved by You♪

“Experiencing God with the emotional right brain and not just the logical left brain opens the door to a life-giving and joyful connected and reciprocal relationship.”

Thank You Father. That IS the relationship I want with You. The one that “has the power to transform” me into all You would have me be. Because You are “perfect, and always present.”

Blessed, Holy, Loving Father God, do all You must in repeatedly reminding me that

♪I don’t belong to the lies

I belong to You

And that’s the Truth♪

Yes Dearest God. I need to know Your Truth to be set free (John 8:32). Knowing, trusting, believing that I belong to You allows me “to feel at home… safe and secure.”

Father, there is Truth here I have never before explored. The love and acceptance, safety and security I grew to experience with the very dear husband You provided me is only a beginning sample of all You have for us.

“Trust and connection are felt more deeply in this relationship than any other. It makes sense that our Creator would know what we need and be able to offer it. The joy of knowing you are loved and accepted just as you are, and you are enjoyed just because you exist, is not only restorative but also transformative.”

Yes! Father. Yes! Transform me into all You would have me be. Loving. Caring. Unafraid. Yours. Completely Yours!

I love, need, trust and want You, Lord. Use me exactly as You alone know is best.

♪I don’t belong to the lies

I belong to You

And that’s the Truth♪

Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(646 words ~ 6:56 a.m.)

♪Good Day ♪

 ♪I’m a'bout to have a Good Day, good day♪

Friday, May 9, 2025 (5:22 a.m.)

Thank You Lord,

Again I got to wake up singing. Of You. Your Truth. 

(5:49 a.m.)

Thank You again, Lord. Time spent searching the story behind this particular song. I’m blessed to again be taken into Your Word. Praise You Father.

Ephesians 2:7-10. The Message. “Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.”

I intentionally drove behind a panel truck on the freeway yesterday because of the words playfully painted on the back roll-up door. “Throw kindness around like confetti.” You do that for us Lord. I want to follow Your example.

“Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing!  No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”

Mm, yes, Father. I want to do the good work You have for me this good day! Not in my own strength or power. No. In, with, by, through and for You!

You have provided me with tremendous opportunities to explore my erratic emotions these past several months. Thank You Father that I don’t have to be either afraid nor ashamed of them.

Thank You that “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the Truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:8-9).

How truly grateful I am that You are such a good and faithful Father. “Some areas of our life need more cleaning than others! God doesn’t get angry when we come back to Him repeatedly. There is not need to feel awkward. God wants us to come to Him every time we sin” (Recurrent Sins The Life Recovery Bible).

I continue becoming afraid of making mistakes Lord. Staying paralyzed for fear of making another one. Do all You must in breaking me free from regret and defeat. Singing instead:

 

♪Hello, My Name Is child of the One True King

I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, I’ve been set free

‘Amazing Grace’ is the song I sing♪

Yes Father. Do what only You can in making this:

♪a good day, good day

No matter what they say

Sun is shining down on me

Birds are singing praise

I’m ‘bout to have a good day

In every single way

The God who made the universe

Knows me by my name

So it’s a good day♪

Mm, yes. Empower and enable me in seeing and utilizing all You have provided me this very good day. I love, need, trust and want You Lord. Use me as You know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(552 words ~ 6:38 a.m)