I Choose Today

I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to be mindful

This verse spoke to me, “…Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Even though yeast is so small, it affects the whole loaf. Yeast represents sin, especially my own sin. I know I can justify a little white lie, another glance, another indulgence, another purchase, etc. I can ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit to run because it is no big deal, no harm done. But that is a lie of the enemy. Like yeast affects the whole loaf, sin affects the whole body. The little sin has the opportunity to grow then becomes so big in one’s life that the sin is becoming shameful, humiliating, and separates us from God (He is holy and cannot look on sin). It also spreads to all areas of our lives, including our relationships, our testimony for Christ, our mental and physical health. “Holy Spirit, convict us when we are justifying the “little sins” we are allowing into our lives. Help us to remember yeast affects the whole loaf just as sin affects everything in our lives, especially our relationship with our precious Lord who went

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I Choose Today to use His Breath

At church yesterday, they sang a praise and worship song that just spoke to my heart called Great is the Lord by All Sons and Daughters (I put the link at the bottom so you can listen if you want).  The chorus says, “It’s your breath in my lungs, so I pour out my praise, pour out my praise… to You only.” This brought to mind when God created Adam in the beginning. “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭ This verse tells me three things: First, the Lord intentionally made Adam. He actively formed him on purpose for a purpose. There is a verse in Psalms (139:13) talking about how God knit us in our mother’s womb. Have you ever knitted something or known someone who knits? They have a plan, they take time in picking out the right attributes that will make a perfect product. This tells me He created us, yes, you, with intentionality and care. How amazing is that! That alone is a reason to give Him praise! Doesn’t that

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To remember its not the food!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have friend from another part of the world and when we talk to them and say “Happy Thanksgiving” they  respond with, “Oh yes, Happy Thanksgiving.” At that response, I remember that Thanksgiving is a USA holiday. We, as a melting pot of people, have learned to mix our Thanksgiving with different traditions. Yet we each try to create our own traditions to remember what we are thankful for. In my family we have a special pudding (date nut pudding) that we make, and as our family grows we watch the face of a newcomer to the family, to see if they like it or not. My sister-in-law, Roann,  told a visitor, “Even if you don’t like it, pretend you do because you’re not a George unless you say this is so good.” In our family, our oldest grandson reads the 23rd Psalm and then we hold hands in a circle and go around the room and each person says one thing they are thankful for. This Thanksgiving, as we went around the circle, my grandkids said, “I am thankful for family.” It’s not the food – it’s being together and enjoying the

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I Choose Today to choose my words

Remember the childhood saying, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me’? Contrary to this phrase, we know that words have a profound impact, often causing deeper and longer-lasting hurt than physical pain. This truth is the reason why we need to use our words wisely when speaking to our loved ones, friends, and fellow believers. But it is especially important when we are engaging with non-believers. Paul talks about this in his letter to the Colossians’ church when he said, “Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders [unbelievers]. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.” Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭MSG‬‬ (emphasis mine) Paul urges gracious speech, aiming to encourage and bring out the best in others—a stark contrast to our human instincts. When faced with unkindness or attacks on our beliefs, our natural response is defensiveness. I confess, I’ve been guilty of this too! Yet, responding in kind doesn’t contribute to the kingdom of God; it may even harm our testimony. So how are

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I Choose Today to be Thankful

As I sit here today, the day before Thanksgiving, writing this blog, I have been sick for over a week. Like “in bed, down for the count” sick. In a season of the year where we are supposed to give thanks, I am stuck inside without any family or friends to celebrate with, and on top of that, possibly causing my husband to miss out on a Thanksgiving feast! I remembered when a pastor (retired) at our church quoted Paul’s words to the Thessaloniki church, and it puts things into perspective. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ You see, when the pastor was encouraging us to be thankful in all circumstances, he and his family were saying goodbye to his lovely wife. She was days away from going home to be with the Lord. He was thankful even though the circumstances were not good (in human eyes). If he can express his thankfulness to the Lord during this amazingly difficult season of life, I can be thankful even when I am sick. He reminded me that being thankful is

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