The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye

the long goodbye

Sweet Jazz in his prime

This is a sad time for us as we are grieving the loss of one of our best friends, so please bear with me.

After months and many efforts to try and preserve his quality of life, we had to say goodbye to our sweet 12-year-old Siberian Husky, “Jazz.”

Goodbyes are always difficult, and these past few days have been especially emotional.

Jazzy was diagnosed with an aggressive liver cancer. We tried everything we could possibly do to help him through it, but nothing would ease his discomfort.

When our longtime vet said our boy is at “the end” – it was one of the worst conversations of our lives.

At the end of a cherished pet’s life, they say “the hardest thing to do” is also “the most loving thing” to do.

We love Jazz so much . . . but now we grieve.

I’m sitting here in my office this morning waiting for Jazz to walk in to get the dog treat that he knows is always waiting for him.

But he’s not coming. (Tears falling.)

People often ask if their beloved dogs will be there to greet them in Heaven.

There are a lot of guesses about this, but no one really knows, except God.

And of course, nothing will compare to meeting Jesus face-to-face.

Speaking from my heart, I would like to add that through many tears, if you ask my husband and me whether our fur babies will be there also, we say “Yes.”

We know that at this very moment our beloved Jazz is already across the Rainbow Bridge, happy as he always was and waiting to greet us some day in our heavenly home.

Till then, sweet boy.

Share

Lean on Him

Lean on Him

Lean on Him

One of the many great gifts that God has given us, in my opinion, is the blessing of music – yet another reason I delight in God.

You could say I’m especially partial to church choirs since I’ve been singing in one since the 1990’s.

I’m a big fan of children’s choirs, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Kirk Franklin and Compassion International were teaming up to release a new song.

The single dropped Friday and it’s nothing short of wonderful.

It’s the kind of song that brings tears of joy to my eyes.

Here is Kirk Franklin with Lean on Me (Worldwide Mix) featuring the Compassion Youth Choir . . .

Sponsoring needy children thru Compassion International has been a rewarding experience for us.

We have a boy and a girl both under 12 years old.

It’s been such an enriching experience to be able to communicate our love for them across the globe.

We get to learn about their culture and they learn about ours, but even more importantly,  we share the love of Jesus with each other.

These two precious ones are understandably scared of the virus – the origins of which are disturbing and that has so quickly spread throughout the world.

Like the song says, we try to reassure them not to worry and not to fear.

It breaks my heart that, along with growing up in poverty, they are now having to deal with this.

We must lean on Him always.

Praise God that Jesus is coming back and He will deliver us in the Rapture from the worst that’s yet to come.

Naysayers will always be naysayers.

B e l i e v e.

T RU S T.

# # # 


 

Share

There Is Jesus

There Is Jesus

If you haven’t yet heard Zach William’s album, “Rescue Story” from last year, what are you waiting for?

You’ve had a whole year!

I’m just kidding.

But seriously friends, there are so many good songs on there, a couple of which I’ve written about before.  

The song I want to feature this time though is,“There Was Jesus.”

I love all of Zach’s songs, and on this one, he teams up with the immensely-talented Dolly Parton.

The song is so good it won a Grammy for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song” this year.

Check it out.

There Was Jesus By Zach Williams

Was I right?

It’s the kind of song you want to play again and again.

When I look back at some of the difficult events in my own life, I know there were times back then that I felt alone.

Even so, that was part of my journey of faith.

We are never promised an easy life, nor are we entitled to one.

But  . . .

there is Jesus

After all these years of ups and downs, and knowing what I know now, not only was there Jesus, there IS Jesus!

With you and me.

Right now.

Forever and ever and ever.

# # #


 

Share

Does Your Heart Hurt?

Heart Condition: Does Your Heart Hurt?

How is your heart these days?

Does your heart hurt?

I’m not talking about a heart defect, but rather the emotional hurt that comes when you feel powerless to stop bad things from happening.

My heart hurts.

My heart hurts when I think of persecuted Christians here in America, and overseas.

It breaks my heart when I hear that some churches closed their doors out of fear-pressure due to the virus. 

Especially considering what kind of businesses stay open.

It hurts my heart when I hear of the growing discrimination against non-vaxxed people.

Intimidation and accusations directed towards anyone, whether they’ve had the shot or not, is discrimination.

We should aim to do better than that.

Respect each other’s decisions!

The world can be so ugly at times, wouldn’t you say?

Give us a renewed hope, Lord.

Help us to see the world through Your eyes.

Waiting for His Return

We are a hurting and lost world in need of our Savior.

There’s such a pervasive divide between the Good and the Bad now that any little glimpse of grace can sometimes bring tears to my eyes.

Those glimpses of grace are a window of what’s to come in our eternal home – for those who trust in Jesus for their salvation.

I am sad for our country, but our blessed HOPE is on the horizon, closer now more than ever.

I love this from Christian author Susie Larson.

Daily Blessing . . .

May you be honest with God about the hurts in your heart. May you discern the difference between grief and self-pity. May you be okay with not always being okay. God will one day wipe away every tear from your eyes, but until then, He’ll help you walk this journey with peace in your heart and assurance in your step. He is with you. One day Jesus will turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into songs of joy. In the meantime, enjoy the little graces you find along the way. Celebrate the small victories. Dare to dream. And take one step at a time. You’re going to be okay. Blessings on your day today. – Susie Larson, Christian author.

Lord, grant us peace in these trying times.

Does your heart hurt?

Heart Hurt and Glimpses of Grace

Does your heart hurt?

Keep going.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Don’t throw in the towel.

In other words, those little glimpses of grace along the way are reasons to thank God.

You’ve reached another day to celebrate God’s blessings, and it’s another day that you’ve moved closer to your eternal home.

# # # 


1Susie Larson, courtesy of Susie Larson.com, “One Step At A Time.” Daily Blessing. September 7, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.susielarson.com/daily-blessing.

2Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) Copyright © 1960, 1971,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

Share

Happy Labor Day 2021

Happy Labor Day 2021!

Happy Labor Day 2021

Can you believe it’s September already and that Labor Day is here?

Hopefully, you have Monday off to relax with family or friends.

If not, and you’re an essential worker in any occupation, God bless you for honoring your responsibilities.

A verse in Colossians tells us that, when we are working, our focus should ultimately be on serving God.

Colossians 3:23-24

When we work as for the Lord, some of those irritations on the job take on lesser significance.

Someone captured the heart of this truth when he observed, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that the hosts of heaven will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.From Glory in the Grind, https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_320-25

May everything we do today and every day

bring glory and honor to God.

 

Happy Labor Day 2021!

# # # 


1Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2 Heart of the truth quotation is from the Colossians 3:20-25 commentary. [2021.] Courtesy of Precept Austin, https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_320-25., 4/29/21. Subheading, “Glory In The Grind.” Web. Accessed 4 September, 2021.

Share
1 31 32 33 34 35 105