The Sweeter the Fruit
My blackberry patch produces a handful of gorgeous, ripe berries every morning. However, even though I’ve solved the bird problem with my scare tape; even though I’ve created a beautiful area with lovely tied up canes; even though I’ve fertilized and removed pests, I discover another problem. They taste bitter and more tart this year. […]
The One Constant
In Hebrews 13:8, we read this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” And in James 4:9, we read about the Father “who does not change like shifting shadows.” God is unchanging. He is the same always. I think about how God stays constant. I need to remember this with everything that feels […]
Noticing New Things in the Psalms
(Sorry for the delayed publication of this one!) This morning, I began to notice a few new things in the Psalms. As you know, I’m always reading the Psalms. Part of my morning routine to help me abide with Jesus involves reading a few psalms. Since I’ve been doing this for years and years, I […]
The Joy of the Journal
My husband built me a “book nook” out of the closet in my office. Today, I am sorting and arranging all my boxes of treasured books. I decided to display my lifetime of journals I had packed away. I counted 50 prayer journals. I started the practice of journaling regularly in 1993 when I was […]
Abandoned to God
I discover this quote from an old French Jesuit priest, Jean-Pierre de Caussade: “Those who have abandoned themselves to God always lead mysterious lives and receive from him exceptional and miraculous gifts. . .” I love the idea of leading a mysterious life so full of the exceptional and miraculous. What would it require to […]
The Very Situation
This morning I read in We Would See Jesus something about how to view a frustrating situation. The authors write that “the very situation [we are in] has led us into a deeper experience of His grace and of His power to satisfy our hearts with Himself alone.” I underlined that statement nearly 20 years […]
Who Knows?
I pray for hope to fill our hearts today. Who knows what joy awaits us today? Who can tell us? Only God knows the good gifts in store for us. We look and wonder. Mostly, we enjoy God’s presence. He’s here now.
Let Everything
I finish the Psalms this morning. What a beautiful journey! On August 1, we can start reading the book of Psalms all over again and read 5 a day. Why not record special moments that you love in each chapter? I love Psalm 150 as a culmination of what life is all about. I think […]
Unsearchable Greatness
In Psalm 145, we read a beautiful phrase about God. David says, “his greatness is unsearchable.” Unsearchable! We cannot ever finish learning about God. We cannot end our investigation of Him. You know that feeling you get when your favorite novel finishes or when your television series ends? The sadness. The longing for more. The […]
Little Bits of Joy
After all these years of blogging at Live with Flair, I’ve learned the power of expecting good things from the day. I love the hope that God will scatter little bits of joy for us if we remember to hunt and gather them. The joy might arrive in something we observe in nature. It might […]