The Weight of It

So I got this idea for a Christmas gift and pitched it to my husband - a cooling weighted blanket. I had heard how they can make you sleep better, bring comfort, and quite possibly reduce anxiety. He was unconvinced of the "necessity". Can we just stop right here and ask, "Why does a Christmas present have to be necessary?" Anyway.

Maybe the kids would be more supportive. I believe my firstborn son responded, "a what?".
"A cool weighted blanket. You know, heavy (so I can cuddle down for the cold winter), but not hot (because I bring enough heat)", I answered.

He whipped out his laptop to look the blanket up on Amazon. I think he doubted the existence. He started reading aloud and Scott, Brittany and I died laughing. Partly for the description, and partly for Drew's reading with expression (something I begged him to do when he was younger and reading to his siblings) - better yet, his inability to read it through for fits of cracking up - with tears, even.

4.0 out of 5 stars Boyfriends loves it & won't get out of bed

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2019

Size: 60''x80'',15lbsColor: Dark GreyVerified Purchase

My boyfriend asked for a weighted blanket for Christmas, and I attempted to do some research. I quickly
became bogged down in conflicting reviews - and found the whole process rather frustrating.
As Christmas loomed, I eventually had to throw caution to the wind and just hit 'add to cart' on something. 
I chose this blanket & cover set.

In a blatant display of ignorant bravado my boyfriend requested 'the heaviest blanket possible.' 
I deferred to the accepted wisdom of 10% of his bodyweight. Long story short -- my bf loves 
the blanket. He tells me almost daily. I do suspect a big part of the love is the soft, 'minky' cover.
 It's pretty fantastic. He doesn't find it too hot, but bear in mind it's January in Winnipeg Manitoba. 
If you aren't familiar with Winnipeg, we literally made headlines for being colder than Mars. Google it.

I too love the feel of the blanket, but often find it too hot. That said, I'm in menopause 
-- which if you aren't familiar -- google it.

So all in all, we are both happy with the blanket -- and our cats are also big fans. 
Personally, I love that it's not a magnet for cat hair. That was a big concern for me.

My other concern was/is -- if we are in a raging house fire would all the beads melt 
and effectively laminate us to our mattress. I worry about stuff like that. 
My boyfriend says this is not something I need to be concerned about.

a blatant display of ignorant bravado
laminate us to the blanket
Who is this author? I want to meet her. I had no idea Amazon reviews were so amusing or creative.

We now have Drew read it often strictly for entertainment purposes. It's a spectacle. I'm willing to share it - private message me. 

Fast forward to Christmas morning. Because I have a wonderful, tolerant husband, I got the blanket, king-size.

I could barely lift it. 17 pounds of substantial density. The girls and I tried it first and sunk under the pressure - and fell in love. Brittany threatened to fall asleep with me as an experiment of whether or not her father-in-law would kick her out of our bed.

I tell you, friends, do yourself a favor and invest in this treasure. The first few nights I slept better than I have in months. I didn't get up in the night like I usually do. Mostly because I couldn't get out from underneath it. I didn't roll over repeatedly, maybe because I couldn't lift it in my sleepy state. Some mornings I can only manage sliding out from underneath. Regardless. It's more than a bed linen, it covers me with gusto. 

Making the bed has become a sufficient daily workout now, especially when I wash the bedding, but the reward at the end of the day is worth it during another long Adirondack winter. 

The jury is still out for Scott who occasionally has nightmares that he is buried alive and can't get out, but every night when I fall asleep, I thank God for it because the blanket reminds me of Him. The heavy comfort of His presence. 

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

2 

You know when I sit and when I rise;

    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 

You discern my going out and my lying down;

    you are familiar with all my ways.

4 

Before a word is on my tongue

    you, Lord, know it completely.

5 

You hem me in behind and before,

    and you lay your hand upon me.

6 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too lofty for me to attain.*

What if God's love and care for me is like the weighted blanket? It protects me. His love bears down and weighs on me. It prevents me from making a quick getaway when I feel like it's smothering. No, it comforts me, surrounds and cloaks me in comfort and safety.

You are my hiding place;

You will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance.**

Is the feeling I get under this blanket like what it feels to be under the shadow and wings of Almighty God? 

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.

He will cover you with His feathers,

and under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness will be your shield and defense.***

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings,

from the wicked who assail me

from my enemies who surround me.****

I love imagining these images as I drift off to sleep. I consider Psalm 4:8, a verse I used to meditate on when I was young and afraid of being alone at night:

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, O Lord,

make me dwell in safety.

And in the end, my husband wins the prize for getting me the "wow" gift for Christmas 2019.

 *Psalm 139

**Psalm 32:4

***Psalm 91:1-4

****Psalm 17:8

Rich

Here we are again...one more week until Thanksgiving. The most wonderful time of the year for sure. I try to honor each holiday with intention, but since reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts at least three times in the last five years or so - every day is Thanksgiving. Minus the turkey and pies.

So how does one make it special when already in the habit of deliberate daily giving thanks? I have journals full of lists of praise for provisions and experiences gifted by God. What else?

Prayer, Bible study, and a good book should give me what I'm looking for.

Philippians 4:19 "My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of God."

Perhaps Philippians' "riches of God" coupled with Ephesians 1:3-10, God has "blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ..."

What are the spiritual riches, eternal and unseen that are more valuable than the richest objects or experiences on earth? A new list!

To start:

He chose me
to be holy and blameless in His sight
In love, He adopted me into His family
He has freely given me abundant grace
In Him I have redemption through His blood (the only way to become right with God),
forgiveness of sin
in accordance with the riches of God's grace
that He lavished on us
Love
Joy
Peace
Christ's righteousness now mine
Hope for heaven
Intimacy with God
Good works prepared to fulfill my purpose

I'm rich! Rich in all the above (which is just scratching the surface).

Let's have some fun with this. What else am I rich in?

Currently-

snowflakes
trees - covered in snow
mountains
icicles
I'm rich in nature!

Friends who
love me and my family
ask hard questions
encourage and tell truth
sharpen me
who give up a Saturday morning
to shower my engaged daughter with gifts and marital advice
and come early
and bring food
and set up
and stay late
and clean up
I'm rich in friends!

praying parents
faithful, loving husband
grown kids who share with Scott and me:
love for Jesus
participation in family traditions
laughter
familiar jokes
a long history of memories and same experiences
daughters-in-law who love Jesus and my sons with gusto
I'm rich in family!

pastors who preach the Word
and pray for us
a Sunday School class to teach
younger women to mentor
Biblical worship to express this thanks
I'm rich in church!

I'm rich in bibles and books and sweaters and mugs (seasonal, of course) and shoes and table linens and artificial trees covered in white lights and food and Christmas music, movies & books....

I think I'm on to something. This is like giving thanks on steroids!

Not convinced? Psalm 84:11 says, "No good thing will He withhold from those whose walk is blameless." This cannot be true. Are you thinking this? Are you mentally listing out all the things the Lord has failed to provide for you? I am too. But guess what - I've learned this: If I pray for it, and God doesn't provide it, it means it wasn't a good thing or it wasn't a good thing for me right now. But even deeper than this simple platitude is the idea of 'withholding'. I read in John 3:34 that "God gives the Spirit without limit." Without limit! In other words, God does not withhold Himself from us. We can have all of Him that we want in an unlimited way."*

I've always wanted the most gifts. Excuse me while I go get a new journal.
But not just a list. If I'm rich, then the right thing to do is give it away - share the abundance of riches with others.  Advent is right around the corner. Stay tuned on how this plays out.

Wanna Join me?

And Happy Thanksgiving!

*My favorite book from 2018 - Seated With Christ by Heather Holleman

Things That Need To Stick

When it became apparent that family vacation wasn't going to happen this Spring, a new idea was needed. The kids' school, work and sports schedules did not line up, so Mama got crafty. Thank God for a husband who (eventually) warms up to my schemes.

Since we each had a few days off for Easter, I calculated the half way point. Erie, PA. Well, who doesn't want to go to Erie, PA for a weekend? So tropical. The plan went like this: Ben would take a train from Chicago to Drew and Brittany in Indianapolis, Scott and I would pick Ally up at Word of Life, then we would each drive 6 hours to check in to adjoining hotel rooms (Scott's treat) for two nights. Glamorous, right?

The thing is, Christmas was the last time all of my favorite personalities were in one room. AND I have no future date when that will happen next. AND we have a baby in the family now. She's growing too quickly and lives so far away we are afraid she won't know us. So desperate times call for desperate measures. Also, we are addicted to daily photos and pictures our thoughtful daughter-in-law provides. (Yes, I said daily. She's the best.) We just needed to get our hands on her.

Road trip here we come.
I love how Brittany gets me. She sent these from her vantage point. One with the caption "Brothers". I couldn't help but notice the size difference. Just like their Dad and Uncle. The oldest doesn't mean the tallest.

This face!

Dinner time was always a priority when these kids were growing up. It still is.




Not just because of the food.
Though there's that.

We all had a blast with Addy Grace. Did you see what Pop did here?

My job was holding her during morning nap time so her parents could get ready for the day. After that we just fought over her.

 

Next up, the hotel pool. I wondered what we looked like to the others in the room as all of us hovered around her and pushed her back and forth in this little jig I picked up. Yes, it seems we've become those grandparents.

 She has the cutest parents.

 

Another thing I realized is how easy it is to let your grandchild do things you would never have let your own children do. Like sit in the middle of the table until the food arrives.

But she's so cute!

 

And has crazy Uncle Ben hair!

Adjoining rooms was the best idea.

 

We could do this after the baby was asleep.

But probably my favorite part of the weekend is not pictured here. Some things need to be sacred. 

We called a meeting in our room. One showed up with his Bible and told the others to bring theirs. At this point in time all three of our kids are in school studying the Bible. We love when they want to tell us what they are learning. Essentially how they are making their faith their own, apart from us. This is a very good thing.

Since it was Good Friday and we would not be spending Easter Sunday in the same church, Scott led us in a Communion service right here in our room. It was special to say the least. Family time does not trump important holiday traditions.

I came wanting them to know what I have been learning while reading through the Bible this year. It's amazing to me that each time through, new treasures emerge that I didn't catch the last time. It is too good to keep to myself.

The context is way back in the Old Testament when the people of Israel were approaching the end of their time in the desert (40 years) and entrance into the Promised Land. Moses was giving instructions on how they are to live in this new land. The land God brought them to so He could start again with a people He would call His own.

The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels

 on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, 

and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.

And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 

So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God.

 I AM the Lord your God."*

I love so much about this passage that comes at the end of a long list of instructions. First - an accessory akin to jewelry!

But more importantly, a visual reminder to remember. It's so easy to forget how far God has brought us and that He expects obedience, isn't it? 

And it's easy to follow selfish desires that often lead our hearts toward distractions that later prove empty, unsatisfying and possibly destructive. We forget that God is holy and calls us to be holy, less like the world around us in increasing measure.

Sometimes even though we know what to do and what not to do, we don't and we do. We need reminders. I need to remember.

My children are adults now. All in their 20's and mostly independent. I can't bear for them to forget and drift. I want them to remember. 

So I attempted a little craft. (I know better than to ask them to make their own. #crafttimewithmommy)

I tied a blue tassel on each of their wrists. "Remember God's instructions. Do them. Don't follow yourself. Be holy." 

I don't expect them to wear it everyday of course (I've learned my limits), but asked each to put it somewhere visible. I see Scott's on his dresser. I got this picture a week later.

I admit I cried a little. My favorite parenting verse in living color. 

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."**

Obsessed with God. That's the gist I think. Of all the things we teach our littles, this is the main one that needs to stick. Passing God's faithfulness to the next generation. Even when they are adults. Because life is hard when you're a grown up. They still need instruction. Let's be real, I still need it.  

Sadly, our time came to an end too soon for any of us and we had to say goodbye. I'm grateful for these kids who put up with their mother's ramblings (and lame crafts) and get on board with her nutty ideas, including 12 hours in the car for 2 short, uneventful days together.

At times parenting can be so hard, and other times so good. I'm glad it doesn't end when they turn 18.

PS. Lest you think it was a holy moment and my kids were in awe when I produced a tassel for each of them, their response was a quote from a favorite childhood movie:

"Hey Rug Man, haven't seen you in a  few millenia, give me some tassel...."
Another proud parent moment.

But the worst part, I knew one of them would say it. And it's not because I thought it first. Well....

*Numbers 15:37-41 Yes, Numbers! (This is why we have to read the whole Bible - amazing treasures hidden in there.)
**Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Space + Time = Clarity

It never ceases to amaze me that when we create space in our lives for a specific period of time and ask God to fill it with what He wants, He does - in abundance!

As Lent approached and I considered what I could 'give up' in an effort to have more room to consider the last weeks of Jesus' life on Earth, I murmured to God, "What would I miss more...coffee or chocolate?" (because you know you have to choose that thing(s) you really want on a daily (or hourly) basis).

The voice in my head said, "social media".

"Excuse me? Coffee or chocolate?"
"You heard Me."
"Not that."
"Yes, that."

I confess I was worried I couldn't do it.That's embarassing. Always wanting to be invited to the party,  what would I miss?

Long story short of the battle of wills - I deleted my apps. (I've learned - sometimes the hard way - it's always best for God to win because when He wins, I win.)

Been ten days now and I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than fine. I no longer look at my phone every few minutes or need to charge my phone everyday - or for a few days (how embarassing).

The even bigger story of course is how much margin has emerged. I'm not preoccupied with real news or fake news, drama in the lives of 'friends' who I may or may not even be engaged with on a regular basis, or the feelings of anxiousness that often accompany all that. Also, I have more time than ever to read the books stacked on my nightstand and listen during times of prayer.

I'm free! The space in my mind and heart now inhabited with all I'm reading as I prepare my heart for Easter is a gift I'm so thankful for.

Today God just blew my mind again. Have I mentioned how much I love reading through the Bible and seeing themes emerge (and that you should try it)? Consider it mentioned.*

In case you've heard otherwise, the book of Revelation are not even slightly intimidating. The first chapters are especially interesting and easy to understand. John is receiving images and instructions as God is critiquing seven churches. It's so applicable to us as the church and individuals.

Each has similar elements. (1) He praises them for what they are doing right and/or enduring. (2) He confronts what they're not doing so well. (3) He gives each a promise.

These promises are goosebump inducing. Check it out.

1. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (2:7)
2.  The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. (2:11)
3.  To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it. (2:17) So intimate and relationship-driven.
4. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them. (2:26)
5. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. (3:5) Us - presented with pride.
6.  The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. (3:12) --3 Names!!!
7.  The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. (3:21) Whoa. 

Hopefully you're jumping up and down with me right now. Or at least smiling ear to ear. Those are some hefty sure-things!

Perhaps you also noticed the common denominator? Not everyone is included - only a certain group of people jackpot these promises. Conquerors.

Hmmmm. That's not a word that crosses my mind often. Reminds me of medieval times.

Webster's definition of conquering:

 to gain mastery over or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition; 

to overcome by mental or moral power.

Can we just take a minute and let that settle?

Those are some powerful verbs and I dig them.

Not because I think I rock at them or that it will easy, but because if God promises to reward conquerors, then becoming a conqueror is possible with His help!

Gain mastery. Win by overcoming obstacles or opposition. Overcome by moral power.  Ooooo. Christ-followers can master and overcome...no wimps here!

Before we land on just this good news, which is important and super motivating, let's remember what comes before the promises. I wonder what He would say to me.

I know your ___________ and how well you ______________, BUT I have _________________ against you.

Gulp.

If you're like me, you pay more attention to the 2nd part, what we're not doing so well in. You know, the spiritual discipline of self-punishment or self-torture. I don't think this is God's intent or very fruitful if prolonged and results in our paralysis.

For sure we need to honestly self-critique and make the adjustments necessary to please God. But we also need to stop, reflect and possibly celebrate what we have and are getting right.

God does...so we should too. Successes are motivating toward becoming conquerors! The spiritual discipline of celebrating growth?

Maybe the modification below is more accurate...? You fill in the blanks with your stuff.

Dear ________,

I know your ___________  (great job!) and how well you ______________ (congratulations!), BUT I have _________________ against you (repent and sin no more).  Because when you become a conqueror, I have unimaginable things planned for you.

Your Heavenly Father who loves you so much,
God

We're merely over a week into Lent and have learned this - Space + Time = Clarity. Not too late to get some of your own.

 *P.S. this is not nagging, I promise.

Tangled

Winter has a firm grip on us here in the Adirondacks and it is nothing short of gorgeous.

I love a day like today when I can sit in my red chair by my huge window looking at the frozen lake and snow capped mountains in the distance under a sunny blue sky for as long as I want. Day off - woohoo!

Remember last year in many posts here I wrote about themes that pop up in the Bible as we read it cover to cover? Can you handle more?

For 2017 I decided to start with the New Testament for something different. After all, in December we celebrate the first coming of Jesus to the earth, why not jump right into the narrative on his life? Well, as always, it is not disappointing. Reading the Bible never is.

Being a word nerd, I can't help but pick up on frequently used words. My favorites this time around are believe and describing how the eyewitness of Jesus' life and ministry repeatedly responded, astonished, amazed, marveled, astounded, adding beyond measure, greatly, utterly and exceedingly to really drive the point home. That's a lot of enthusiasm.

I may have no choice but to add the spiritual discipline of marveling to my New Year's list. If you don't know what I'm referring to, catch up here.

Well, I can get off track pretty quickly. Ahem.

Anyway, I just finished the book of John. I do believe I have found a favorite section of the Gospels - John 14-16. These three chapters are jammed full of important truths and promises God has made to us through Jesus. Want to have a little nerd fun with me? (This is where you go get a cup of coffee and plan to spend 20 minutes with me.)

Notice the repetition and intimacy in Jesus' words:

14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”...

 
¹² “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”  
²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you...

 ^15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full...

¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours...
 
²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning...

^16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

I know that was a lot. But did you see it too? The Father in Jesus, Jesus in us, the Spirit in the Father and Jesus, the Spirit in us. Mine. Yours. Ours. With you. Never leave you. Make our home with. In you...and on and on. Brings a song to mind, "We're all in this together....".*

God is not a far away God looking on from a distance, wishing us well, hoping we figure it out. No, He is close.

Tangled. He wants to be tangled up within us and has made it possible so many different ways. (study passage above) If we put our faith and trust in Jesus as the only Savior from our sins and hope for eternal life, we are all tangled up. Tangled up with the Father. Tangled up with Jesus. Tangled up with the Spirit. There are no gaps. No separations. I love the image of this so much.

Taking all this in a few words come to mind. Marvellous! Utterly and greatly amazing! Astounding beyond measure! I'm exceedingly astonished!

I believe.

I've been tangled up in quite a bit of junk in my life. None of it offered this closeness. This intimate involvement. This love. It's everything you and I have dreamed of and longed for.

The Bible says everything God has He gives to us. Everything. We are joint-heirs with Jesus, our brother. The Spirit dwells within us to help by reminding us of everything Jesus has taught, to convict us of sin and to comfort us in our times of need (among many other things).

Confession. One of my pet peeves is when a fellow believer tells a great story of how God has shown up and then declares it a 'God thing'.

Based on the passages above, everything is a God thing. To God, the distinction between secular and sacred doesn't exist. He's in it all. For us.

Which once again makes Him trustworthy. Loving. Good.

If you already know Him, imagine in your mind how tangled up God wants to be in every area of your life. Don't compartmentalize what you think He is about or not interested in. He wants to be in all of you. Receive this reminder especially for you today.

If you don't know Him yet, I dare you to believe and get tangled up in the greatest love you'll ever know.

*(poor High School Musical reference)
_____________________

And now, by special reader request, gratuitous grandbaby pitures.