Last Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Leviticus 9:7-20:21
Mark 4:26-8:38
Psalm 37:30-42:11
Proverbs 10:6-17

May 2nd's Combined Readings

from "The One Year Devotional Guide":

Leviticus 20:22-Numbers 3:51

Mark 9:1-12:17

Psalm 43:1-47:9
Proverbs 10:18-25

Focus: "Christ is risen from the dead! He trampled death by death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life."

In our church this is our Easter hymn which we sing on Easter and throughout the following 40 days. The words are powerful on their own but to participate in the joyous singing with the entire congregation raising their candles (lit with Christ's light) in unison is a goosebumps and happy tears experience. In that moment it is as if all of heaven is joining us and one feels closer to Christ...at least I know I do. Unfortunately, this year I missed out on this extremely Spiritual moment thanks to a nasty stomach virus... It got me thinking though, about how to achieve this closer to God, goosebumps, happy tears feeling every day. I don't think there's one right answer to this, rather I believe that we each have to find our own. Just as we each have a special and unique relationship with our Savior, so also I believe we each must find our own special connection that draws us nearer to God. It could be a hymn from church, or a Bible passage, or a Christian rock song on the radio that speaks to our soul...or maybe it is more than one of these! Once we pinpoint how we can achieve that "wow" closer moment with God then I believe we should re-visit it often! Daily, or if we're finding it is a particularly rough day then perhaps revisit it hourly! No matter what, I think that this is an important daily step in our journey with our Lord. Please pray with me:

Dear Lord,
I praise Your glorious resurrection! I thank You Lord for the special moments we share and I ask You to please grant me a Spiritual nudge daily to remind me to seek these closer times with You. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff, and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki

(I will be out of town this weekend for my husband and my anniversary but will have a Weekly Thoughts ready by May 2nd. Thanks!!!)

Our Hope

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Leviticus 9:7-20:21
Mark 4:26-8:38
Psalm 37:30-42:11
Proverbs 10:6-17

Next Week's Combined Readings

from "The One Year Devotional Guide":

Leviticus 20:22-Numbers 3:51

Mark 9:1-12:17

Psalm 43:1-47:9

Proverbs 10:18-25

Focus Verse(s): Psalm 38:16
"For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord, my God."

I'm still fumbling, learning and "becoming Christian" but I am finding that one of the keys to a strong faith is hope. We have to set our hope in our Lord and we have to hold firmly to that hope. This seems to me especially crucial when we are stumbling in the valleys and through the dark...it is usually pretty easy to keep your hope in God when things are going good! However, when we are struggling it is then that we desperately need that Spiritual light at the end of the tunnel. When our sinful, human nature wants to get swallowed up by a pity party and shut down the hope switch we need to remember that our hope is in God, He will hear us, He will NEVER leave us and He is bigger than what troubles us. Remember, "don't tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how BIG your God is!" If we can focus on this, on securing our hope in our Lord, then I believe we will find ourselves walking closer with our Father...growing stronger in our relationship with our Savior...following our Holy Spirit's guidance and overall feeling less alone. Will you pray with me:

O Lord, my God,
Thank You for being our hope, for hearing us. Please help me to remember to cling to You and to secure my hope in You always. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff, and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki

God Is Calling

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 35:10-Leviticus 9:6
Matthew 27:32-Mark 4:25
Psalm 34:1-37:29
Proverbs 9:7-10:5

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Leviticus 9:7-20:21
Mark 4:26-8:38

Psalm 37:30-42:11

Proverbs 10:6-17

Focus Verse(s): Mark 1:17-18
"Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him."

How many times in our lives do we immediately drop everything and follow Jesus when He calls?If you're like me then it probably isn't often enough! Here I am (incredibly) late again in my tiny weekly effort to share His love and not yet resuming the Daily Verses...yup, not immediately putting God's call into play the way I should be. Sure there's a LOT going on in my life, I'll bet there is a lot going on in yours too, but I'm sure the the disciples all had plenty on their plates too. The difference, I believe, is that they did not use their busy lives as an excuse for not doing what the LORD called them to do. Jesus wants to make all of us His fishers of men... But who among us will answer His call? Who among us will not make any excuses? I hope and pray God will continue to use me to do His will...and I pray I'll be able to drop my excuses once and for all. Will you join me in this journey and listen for God's call in your life? Please join me in prayer:

Dear Jesus,
Please forgive me - I've heard Your call but have not immediately followed. Please help me - send Your Spirit to dwell within me and grant me the strength and discipline to follow You when You call. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff, and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!
Love through Christ,
Niki

True Strength

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 23:14-35:9
Matthew 24:29-27:31
Psalm 30:1-33:22
Proverbs 7:24-9:6

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 35:10-Leviticus 9:6

Matthew 27:32-Mark 4:25

Psalm 34:1-37:29

Proverbs 9:7-10:5

Focus Verse(s): Psalm 31:4
"For You are my strength and my refuge, And for Your name's sake You will guide me and sustain me."

So often in my daily life I forget to lean on God and draw my strength from Him. It is then that I feel weak, overwhelmed and incapable...but when I open my heart, and realize I am drifting, I turn to our Father in prayer and He draws me to Himself and grants me the comfort and refuge I need. God wants to guide us and wants us to rely on His strength to sustain ourselves. If only we could completely let go of our egos which want to "do it all by ourselves" and take all the credit then we could remember this Psalm. Consequently, as we give credit to God for our strength He will continue to build His house through us and will be able to use us more and more to do His will. God has a perfect plan for our lives but sometimes He has to lead us through trials to refine us to be more like Him and through these trying times we can learn more and more to let Him be our true strength. But we have to be willing to humble ourselves to relying fully on God for all things, especially our strength! St. John Chrysostom said, "The Scriptures were not given to us only that we might have them in books, but that we might engrave them on our hearts." I urge you to engrave the above verse on your heart and cling to it in the face of any and all trials which God may be leading you through currently or in the future! Will you please pray with me:

Dear Lord,
I want to be able to truly say as David did, "You are my strength." Please soften my heart that Your spirit may dwell within me that I may let You guide me and sustain me and be my one and only strength and refuge. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Mark & Lynn, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff, Mamie's family and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki

Spiritual Endurance

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 10:1-23:13
Matthew 20:1-24:28
Psalm 25:1-29:11
Proverbs 6:6-7:23

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 23:14-35:9
Matthew 24:29-27:31
Psalm 30:1-33:22
Proverbs 7:24-9:6

Hello to one and all!! Thanks for your continued patience with me getting back on my feet and back on time! I will try my best to get back to Saturday morning emails instead of these sporadic any day messages! I know God will help me get on track and share His love with you!

Focus Verse(s): Matthew 24:12-13
"And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

Last week, talking about the state of the economy and things in general, got me thinking about fear. This week, reading this verse and still contemplating the world around us, I am thinking about love and optimism. I see so many emails, news stories, and daily conversations that have people growing more and more negative. I read and hear complaints over various situations and leaders, tales of destruction and war, and overall pessimistic tones to almost everything being circulated... When I read this passage in Matthew it occurred to me that this is exactly what the evil one wants! The devil has planted his seeds and is sitting back watching us destroy ourselves and the world around us. He is laughing as people are growing cold! But God wants us to endure! We can't let ourselves get sucked into the lawlessness and the hopelessness that encompasses the world around us. We need to grasp onto our brothers and sisters in Christ and help each other endure through faith and His Spirit. We need to approach all things with love and with an optimistic attitude. God does not wish to see us perish, He sacrificed His only Son to see us saved! Through prayer, worship, meditation and fellowship I believe we can endure together and we will not grow cold if we cling to God. Will you please pray with me:

Holy Father,
I am torn daily to grow cold as those around me are disheartened by the state of the world today. Please help me to cling to You and endure in love, faith and hope. I want to be a beacon of Your light in this world that is growing dim and I pray that Your Spirit keeps me from growing cold myself. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Mark & Lynn, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff, Mamie and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki

Impossible Fears?

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Genesis 46-Exodus 9:35
Matthew 15:1-19:30
Psalm 19:1-24:10
Proverbs 4:14-6:5

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 10:1-23:13
Matthew 20:1-24:28
Psalm 25:1-29:11
Proverbs 6:6-7:23

Hello to one and all!!
I've missed these emails and typing to you each week! Baby and I are doing great and I am starting to feel more normal energy-wise...most days! Please update me on any prayer requests you would like for us to include in our prayers and also if you no lonoger wish to receive these weekly emails. Thanks for your patience with me getting back on my feet!

Focus Verse(s): Exodus 3:4 - 4:17
The One Year Devotional Guide asks this week, "How did Moses respond when God told him to go lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" Well, he totally freaked out!! Moses was positivley scared out of his mind! First, when God starts to speak to him in chapter 3 verse 6 Moses hid his face. Then, in the rest of this passage I believe I count 5 times where he tries to talk God out of using him. So, I started asking myself, 'Why does God take this man, who seems to be such a chicken, and turn him into one of the great men of the Old Testament?' Well, I believe I found my answer in Matthew 19:26b: "with God all things are possible." Moses and his entire story exemplify this truth! In today's turbulent times, with the state of the economy, the warring nations abroad, and the increasing violence here in the States, it is easy to become scared ourselves. Moses plight seemed impossible to him and our fears may seem impossible to overcome today... However, in II Timothy 1:7 Paul teaches, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." So, I believe we need to lean heavily on the sound mind we've been given by our loving God, with whom all things are possible, and conquer our fears through His power. We can remember Moses and how God used him in spite of all his fears and doubts...likewise I think God will use each of us in great ways too! Please join me in prayer:

Father God,
I have had my fearful moments when I have not fully trusted You and leaned on Your power. However, Your Word teaches me that You did not give me a spirit of fear. Please help me to cling to this knowledge every time the evil one tries to spring that fear on me and help me to lean on Your power to overcome the impossible. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Mark & Lynn, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki

Forgotten Blessings

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Genesis 32:13-45:28
Matthew 11:7-14:36
Psalm 14:1-18:50
Proverbs 3:19-4:13

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Genesis 46-Exodus 9:35
Matthew 15:1-19:30
Psalm 19:1-24:10
Proverbs 4:14-6:5

My apologies for my absence during the past few weeks. Today is the first Saturday in weeks that I have had the energy and good health to spend any lengthy of time in front of the computer. I guess this means it will take more than 52 weeks to complete our Biblical journey! This week I do not have a focus verse for a few different reasons, the most important of which is that what I feel God is speaking to me heart to share with you is not necessarily spoken directly through this week's scriptures. I want to share with you this week some things that I have taken for granted...namely: almost everything & everyone that God has blessed me with! Sure, I thank Him for the obvious blessings every day: my loving husband, my supportive parents and grandparents and an especially amazing uncle. But every person and every thing in my life is not mine...they all belong to my heavenly Father and it is He who has graciously and lovingly surrounded me with so much that even in the valleys of life my cup and my saucer overflow! So, as I type today on His keyboard at His computer to each of you, His blessings, I am making a conscious choice to find a new gift each day to be thankful for. Whether it is just His colorful pen with which I get to write a grocery list or a strong bout of good health! Are there blessings in your life that you may be taking for granted? Are you watching His cable TV today? Or maybe wearing His comfortable fuzzy socks? Is it possible you are getting ready to drive off in His car to run errands using His gasoline and the protection of His angels to get you safely there and back? Let's strive together to make every effort to not take for granted all that is God's, which He is allowing us to enjoy for a time. Won't you please join me in prayer today?

Father God,
It has been too easy to forget that all I have is not mine but is on loan from You. I do not deserve Your grace and blessings, however I am deeply thankful for it all. Please forgive me for all that I have taken for granted and please help me to remember that everything and everyone around me is Yours. Lord, I thank You for Your leaders which You have given to us, in Your world, Your country and most especially in Your church. Please continue to bless them all and grant them Your wisdom that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We thank You for Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Mark & Lynn, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!
Love through Christ,
Niki