You Are Not Alone

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deut 6:4-5 KJV)

Lonely, frustrated, tired?

Throughout my life I have spent a lot of time alone mainly due to either my husband's or my careers. I have often been asked if it bothers me to be alone. The answer is no. I am never alone. I have lived long enough to know that there is One who loves me more than all others. He is with me always. He is there for you always.

When we find ourselves tired and weary; lonely or frustrated, there is one we can turn to. Love the Lord your God, who loves you, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might even when you think you don't need Him. That is when you really need Him the most. He is there for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Happy Birthday U.S. Marine Corps!

Happy Birthday, U.S. Marine Corps!
Live life; but, please, stay out of trouble!

"What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live..." Eccl 3:9-12
Live life!  I can't even begin to count how many times I have told people to live life; enjoy life! I believe some think, "who is she kidding? She's a Christian and a pastor. What can she know about fun?"  My fun may not be like a lot of people's idea of fun; but, I do know about enjoying life; about enjoying the numberless gifts that God has given me.

My husband has retired twice now. He tried to keep working; but, found life can be pretty boring without work so he is still working. I will retire next summer; but, I have a feeling that I will also continue to work at something.

Howard's first career was as a United States Marine.  Recently, we have been spending the Marine Corps Birthday at our son, John's house, as he also served in the U.S.M.C.. The Marine Corps Birthday brings both joys and sorrows. The sorrows comes in remembering the past and so many lost friends as well as the loss of a lifestyle. The Marine Corps was and is truly a family to those who have served and to their families. The joys also comes in remembering all those people of the and all of the good times shared with them as well as opportunities from time to time to see them once again. I will always be thankful for the years spent as a part of the Marine Corps family.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.." Eccl 3:1

Happy Birthday, United States Marines! Life live; enjoy it to it's fullest!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Don't Worry

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matt 6:33-34 NKJV)

Is that not the truth? Do we not usually have enough trouble to worry about each day without considering what trouble might come our way tomorrow?

Actually, I tend to look ahead a lot! However, I do not look ahead with worry. I look ahead because I strongly believe that things go much better with preventive measures taken prior to the anticipated problem becoming a real problem.

For example: I pay my bills on time so that I do not have to throw more of my income on late fees or added interest in the future. I try to take care of the necessities of today, today. Tomorrow there will be enough for me to do without adding the things I was supposed to take care of today. Not being responsible for taking care of things that should be taken care of today just adds to the worry and stress of tomorrow. In the end, it is best to just worry about today and take cares of the tasks at hand and you will have very little time to worry about tomorrow.

In about eight months, my intention is to retire from Parish ministry. No, I'm not giving up on serving the Lord, just retiring from Parish ministry so that I am not tied down to serving in one place. My husband has been retired twice already. It is our intention to down-size as much as possible and pretty much live off the grid. We will be selling our home in Florida. Am I worried about not having a home in a state we plan to spend a lot of time in? No! God has been with us our entire lives. We have had some really tough financial times through the years. There were times when we were first married forty-some years ago that we were so broke that all we had for supper before payday was pancakes made with flour and water or navy bean soup with no meat whatsoever. Between my husband's and my careers, we've moved more times than I can even count any more. We have owned a lot of homes with those moves and lived in just about the same amount of rentals. Buying homes is costly and selling them can be even more costly. But, no matter what has gone on in our lives, God was with us through each and every day and has blessed us richly.

One of the things that I have realized over the years is that it can be quite difficult to seek first the kingdom of God or to follow wherever he would lead us when we're tied to a piece of property or any kind of contract with someone in this world. Those obligations often end up taking precedence over serving the Lord. It is time for me to be beholding to no one but the Lord.  

Whatever tomorrow brings, there is not much sense in worrying about it. Take care of today and trust that God is with you and will see you through both today and tomorrow. He will guide you. He will guide us wherever He would have us go and ultimately it will be to the Kingdom that Jesus has prepared for all who believe.

God's Peace - Pr. J