Hope Victorious

  Anticipation Preparation   Celebration   A grateful heart Love of family Joy of friends   Warmth of the fire Twinkling white lights Resting together   Christmastime is reflection time Remembering all I have The feeling of love and purpose   Christmastime is when I feel the strategy of being here A witness to heaven on earth The power and assurance of faith   Christmastime is a reminder of what I am living for Abundant life now and yet more to come Evidence of love and power   Warmth of love Secure in who and whose I am United in faith with those I love most   A grateful heart To God for all His blessings Hope for all to come   Celebration   Preparation Anticipation  

  Everyone loves a good idea An idea is good when it feels good and bears a good result. We celebrate the impact of a good idea – the idea itself as well as the one who had it!   An idea is good when there’s no regret in its wake. The idea comes, is acted upon and not up for re-evaluation. Not tainted by regret or sorrow, it stands clean and strong.   Everyone loves a good idea. But wisdom is even better!   Wisdom – more elusive and undefined. With wisdom there is also the satisfaction of no regret and of a good result. But wisdom can be tricky; sometimes it doesn’t feel good at the start.  Sometimes it takes time to see the goodness in the result. Wisdom can be painful.   Wisdom, in my mind, is a good idea from God. Wisdom has power that a good idea can’t have. Wisdom is super-natural, it is God-sourced   A good idea is born within the human mind Acted on with human will and effort You can mix your faith in God with a good idea A blessed good id...

There are many kinds of happy The warm sun on my face when the air is cool Seeing a bird I’ve not seen before and watching it for a while The feeling of warm sand under my feet and the sound of waves The first bite of a favorite food – savoring it   There are many kinds of happiness from people too The warmth of my husband’s touch – a happy that lights a fire inside The presence of friends who know me well – and I am free The sound of my children’s laughter   There is the sudden surprise of happy A card in the mail from a friend A check in the mail – or a gift given unexpectedly Hearing or reading something funny and laughing out loud   And then there is the deep abiding kind of happiness That lingers and gets heavy within you – a good heavy Security – peace – well-being   There is the kind of happy that comes from looking back Remembered happiness Happy memories – that make you feel happy all over again Newness of love – the wonder of love – the growth of love Or...

  I believe that God exists and that I am connected to Him by faith. I’m living this decision out every day and while there are ups and downs in the journey, it is a decision I do not re-evaluate based on circumstances. There are many decisions like this and for me it is helpful to name them. Sometimes we tend to focus too much on how we feel on a given day or in a specific set of circumstances. Often these feelings cause us to question beliefs and values that we’ve already determined in the past. Here are a few of my non-negotiables; principles that I’ve settled and do not allow myself to reconsider: ·        God is always with me. He speaks to me and listens to me as well.       I don’t always feel Him. I don’t always hear Him, but I know I will again soon. ·              My faith connects me to God and supports all that I do. I have enough faith. Sometimes my faith feels stron...

  I loved Thanksgiving when I was young. Many of my favorite memories are of Thanksgiving and the special feeling of that day. Most of my peers when I was young said that Christmas was their favorite holiday, but for me it was always Thanksgiving. For my family there was a lot in common between the two: a day spent with family, lots of baking and cooking, board games and watching football, extended family and friends visiting. When I was a kid, we often went to my paternal grandparent’s house, who had a small farm in the country, about a 40-minute drive from my house. If we were spending the holiday with my mom’s side of the family, we typically gathered at my aunt and uncle’s big house that was in the same town as our house and that of my maternal grandparents. I loved going to both places! There were similar things, but also differences that made each place enjoyable and special. I loved the feeling of Thanksgiving, my family together all day, eating yummy food and playing togeth...

  The unity of believers is a strategic witness to the greatness and power of God. As Christians we have the opportunity to demonstrate God in how we live in unity amid a world obsessed with comparison, competition and performance. As our world is torn apart by division based on appearance, belief, opinion and affiliation – we can stand apart. Unity – togetherness. A choice that is difficult and costly. Unity is not agreement. It is not conformity. Unity is a choice, a prioritizing of importance.   Joshua rallied the people of Israel prior to his death and called them to choose again to serve God and not the idols and pagan gods of the land. They stood in the land of Promise, the land their ancestors waited for, wandering in the wilderness because of their lack of faith. Joshua and the new generations claimed it with their faith, they fought the battles and witnessed the victories of God again and again. And there they stood victorious residents of age-old promises, commit...