hARDWIRED FOR HOPE!

Day 1 of 40 Days of Hope reminded me that true lasting hope is never found horizontally.

True lasting hope is only ever found vertically, at the feet of the Messiah, the One who is hope. (Tripp, p.11)

2021 RESET NEEDED

These days, we all need a "shot in the arm." Literally! We stand and wait for our turn for the COVID vaccine. But as we wait, let's ponder resetting our HOPE!

Type A folks can have trouble letting go of control. I know, I am a 'just in case" person trying to cover all plans in case Plan A doesn't pan out. It is not a healthy place to be. It's stressful---the one aspect of my life my stroke neurologist is trying to "temper"---don't give up on me Dr. Bhole.

In Mexico, my teammates dubbed me "girl scout" because I had packed lots of "just in case" meds, toys, snacks, etc. which I shared.

But....2020 blew "my" plans out the window. God only has a Plan A. 

Having meditated on Lamentations 3 for several days, I began to focus on verse 24.

"The Lord is my portion says my soul therefore I will hope in Him." (ESV)

His "Plan A" doesn't mean hope changes my circumstances, it reminds me who is control and in the midst of pain, suffering and uncertainty, He is with me.

Allen Bible Church's sermon closed 12/27/2020 with Dan Martin, reading the "My Hope is Built" hymn lyrics.

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness......on Christ the solid Rock I stand," are the familiar parts of the hymn. 

Earlier that day I had the hymn whirring thru my mind and in my old Cokesbury Hymnal, (publication date unknown but cost was 30¢ for a single copy) it was on p. 24. 

I dare not trust the sweet-est frame, But wholly lean on Jesus name.....In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds with-in the veil......When all a-round me then gives way, He then is all my hope and stay! (emphasis mine)

Thanks to Edward Mote for those phrases  that jumped into my psyche and soul to help reset my hope for 2021. I'm still humming it as I seek to reset my focus each day.

Adversi-TEA, a 2nd cuppa

Adversity: AKA----Hard places. Tough times. Rough Going.

Places I choose not to be. Yet, yesterday the Lord reminded me that it's in such places of struggle that one learns important life lessons. Obviously such lessons arise over and over for me, as I had blogged last year in Adversi-TEA, learning that my suffering is not just about me but about benefitting others. Comfort keeping extends to others---comfort keepers reach out with the comfort they receive in order to comfort others. (2 Corinthians 1:6-7)

But....today with my morning cuppa, a beloved cracked cup, I saw clearly that adversi-TEA is NOT a cuppa to sip alone. One must sip it with Him. Alone a cuppa adversi-TEA can leave a bitter taste. His compassions fail not and they "sweeten" one's cuppa. 

He is our portion forever. Adversity can and will work very much for good. That is our hope. 

A hope that never fails. This I know from personal experience.

Crack in cup can be seen above the reflection. 

Glued together because it is the remaining one of two purchased in England in blue/white pattern which I love. 

Sometimes it feels as if I, beloved of the Father, am kept together by the glue of His love and mercy.

The Lord is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I have hope in Him. (Lamentations 3:24)

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Scriptural Nudges

PRAYERS OF A 4 YEAR OLD
"Pray again, Pop-Pop. We forgot to pray for protection."

For wisdom is protection just as money is protection,

But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors. (Ecclesiastes 7:12)

NEARING HOME
 a book not just about dying but about living well as  one ages

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:18)

HOPE BLOOMED!

The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I have hope in Him. (Lamentations 3:24)

DRENDA'S FLOWERS
Light on her yellow tulips, my favorite, have me remembering the Lord.

……the LORD, 
Who gives the sun for light by day.......(Jeremiah 31:35)

PHOTO WORKSHOP ASSIGNMENT: SHADOWS

Keep me as the apple of the eye;

Hide me in the shadow of Your wings. (Psalm 17:8)