No Plan B

Off the Tracks and There is No Plan B

Remember that time our train went off the tracks?

Never, in a million years, did I ever think I’d be able to say that.

It was one of those times when my husband and I were looking for a fun adventure to add to our bucket list, something we’d never done before.

I know, let’s take one of those hour-long scenic train rides through the country!

Don't let the evil on display derail your faith

That memorable afternoon, my husband and I boarded a vintage train with a bunch of other adventure-seekers.

About thirty minutes into our ride – lurchhhhhhhh!

The train made a weird sound, lurched forward awkwardly, derailed, and . . . stopped . . . in the middle of nowhere.

Thankfully, no one was injured.

For the next seven hours, we waited in our seats for the rescue buses to arrive and take small groups of us back to the railway station.

Seven long hours.   

My husband and I were among the last group to get back to our car that night.

I’ll never forget it.

There was no Plan B for the train.

In other words, once the train hit dirt, there was no way out.

no Plan B

There’s No Plan B for Your Salvation

Just like with that train, there is no Plan B . . . for your salvation.

There is one way to eternal life, the only way, through Jesus Christ.

You think things are heated up now?

Just wait.

In Acts 2, Peter quoted the prophet Joel during the blessed outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This was an important proclamation that future judgments would come. What blessed assurance for us to know that, in the last days, we have the promise of our salvation as believers.

Acts 2

Don’t Let the Evil on Display Derail Your Faith

You know what dark times we’re living in right now.

I call 2020 the Year of Deceit and Disrespect.

The dividing line between believers and nonbelievers is becoming more and more evident.

Sadly, even some churches are falling away, preaching a false gospel to itching ears that only want to feel good about themselves.

This spiritual battle – as hard to watch as it is – should encourage us all the more to stand tall in our faith.

We can’t let this increasing darkness derail the hope and blessed assurance that is within us.

One of the great themes of our faith is triumphant hope—an unshakeable assurance that things will end right. In the midst of struggles and storms, battles and trials, we focus beyond the present moment and we see victory. We see relief, because in the end, God wins! – Chuck Swindoll, Christian pastor and author.2

Through Jesus, we have victory and a life of unimaginable splendor to look forward to with our Heavenly Father.

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

2Chuck Swindoll quotation, courtesy of Insight.org/resources/article-library, “In the End, God Wins…and We Win…When God Wins!,” 17 April, 2018, para. 1. Web. Copyright © 2018 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Accessed 1 July, 2020. Retrieved from   https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/insight-for-living/read/articles/despite-your-circumstances-10196.html

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Happy News

Happy News For Today

happy news for today

Is there any happy news to report during these difficult times?

I promise you that there is.

First, and foremost, we can hold on to the loving promises that apply to us from God’s Word.

In the second chapter of Philippians, for instance, we come across the reminder that, as Christians, we should do everything to the glory of God.

We can’t earn our salvation.

But, we can reflect the Lord’s greatness with our words as well as our deeds.

Happy news to believe in

Secondly, there is the evidence of God’s grace that we can actually see.

While most of the mainstream news media is busy reporting bad news, there are everyday heroes working behind the scenes.

These are folks who continue to show kindness, grace, and hope to their neighbors, even when it seems like the world is falling apart.

Heartwarming events continue to happen every day, pandemic or not.

After the Storm

after the storm

Just over a week ago, a terrible lightning storm hit our area.

When I say terrible, I mean it was a wake-you-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night kind of storm.

The thunder and lightning raged on and on, starting about 4 a.m.

There was no sleep in our house at that point.

When the morning sunrise finally came, the local news reported that several houses in our county had gone up in flames.

No physical injuries, thank the Lord, but those families lost everything.

We drove by one of the homes.

It was taped off, totally destroyed.

Neighbors stood outside consoling each other.

A few hours later that same day a “GoFundMe” page was started for all of us who wanted to donate.

I watched the page stats as the number of donations rose to help meet the goal.

Other folks in the community started a collection of essentials for each family, such as diapers, articles of clothing, cleaning supplies, and restaurant certificates.

There is still good happening in the world.

Nothing, or no one, can totally destroy the beautiful spirit on display of Americans helping each other in a crisis.

An Unexpected Blessing

More happy news.

A good friend of mine recently underwent major surgery. We were so grateful to hear after a few hours that her operation was a success.

Guess what she told me later that day when I called her?

She said, “God sent me an angel.”

You can bet I was curious.  🙂

She said that while she was in Pre-Op, one of the doctors came in and asked if he could pray with her.

And he did . . . on his knees!

live out your faith

Talk about living out your faith in a godless world.

In these difficult times, take heart, be bold, and live out your faith.

# # #

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

Photo source credits:
– Lightning photo by Brandon Morgan on Unsplash.

– Woman praying photo by Photo by Ben White on Unsplash.

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Perfect Peace Drives Out Fear

Perfect Peace Drives Out Fear

Is it okay to love a piece of furniture?

Say yes.

About a year ago, my husband and I bought a new couch since our old one had some big-time wear and tear.

After a lot of searching, we found the perfect one.

perfect peace

Not only is this couch comfortable, it has a little compartment to keep the remote in, drink holders, and even more importantly, it reclines!!

Woot!

I have to admit I’ve fallen asleep on that couch several times.

A comfy, deep, sleep for up to an hour, interrupted only by our dogs wanting to go outside.

How nice it is to put all of life’s troubles aside, even if just for a little while, while nothing but perfect peace envelops my soul.

The TV noise is on, but I don’t hear it as I drift peacefully off to sleep.

If life were only like that every time troubles keep us awake, right?

It can be.

perfect peace drives out fear

In the verse above, the prophet Isaiah talked about keeping a steady focus on God.

Steady and focused – like your life depends on it.

The assurance we can get from trusting in what the Lord promises can help bolster our confidence in the trying days ahead.

Perfect peace drives out fear.

There’s nothing wrong with writing that down somewhere where you can see that blessed reminder all the time. 

blessed reminder

You should see all the sticky notes I have lying around in my office.

Can we have perfect peace in God right now?

If you’re feeling troubled, you’re not alone.

I’ve talked with several girlfriends lately.

We’re all basically saying the same thing.

Catnaps in front of the TV aside, it’s hard to stay asleep overnight with everything that’s going on in the world.

Some friends are having nightmares when they finally do get to sleep.

I’ve had a couple myself.

There’s a lot of fear-promoting on social media/TV, and also outside our doorsteps.

We all have to make sure we have our spiritual armor on over our PJ’s.

Every Christian who is attempting to live righteously is called to this battlefield for his entire life. We are in a spiritual battle. But in grace and mercy, God gives the faithful believer an entire suit of armor for the fight (Ephesians 6:13). 1 – Got Questions website.

I heard an analogy recently, and it’s a good one.

We have to remember that the symbol for our Christianity is the Cross, not an easy chair.

Amen!

# # #

1 Courtesy of gotquestions.org, from “Why is following Christ so difficult?” n.d., para. 8. Web. Accessed 17 June, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.gotquestions.org/following-Christ.html

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Negative News Headlines

Negative News Headlines  – Don’t Dwell

Can we please take a moment and give a round of applause for “Lazy Bones?”

“Lazy Bones?”

What’s that?

Allow me to help.  🙂

“Lazy Bones” was the name of the first TV remote invented back in 1950 by Zenith Radio Corporation.

Thanks to “Lazy Bones,” and its now more modern counterparts, we can quickly switch off the TV – tout de suite.

Negative news headlines

The remote sure comes in handy when the negative news headlines (and division-seekers with a microphone) get to be too much.

We have a choice.

Immersing ourselves in the constant gloom and doom messages every single day is not healthy. 

So what are the mental health consequences of information overload? It turns out that they may be quite significant and go beyond just a few moments of feeling overwhelmed. Information overload can lead to real feelings of anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and powerless, and mental fatigue. – Drs. Sara and Jack M. Gorman, Psychology Today.1

Please don’t do that to yourself.

Instead, I encourage you to use that formerly-called “lazy bones” TV remote, and turn it off when you can.

The Lord doesn’t want us to live in fear – that isn’t living.

How can we be effective for the Kingdom if we’re constantly consumed by fear?

We can’t.

Countering the bad with the good from God’s Word affirms our trust in God, not man.

Let’s try and encourage each other more!

Negative News and Mental Health

God isn’t surprised by any of the tragic events going on right now.

In His providential will, He has allowed these things to happen in our country.

We have to trust Him.

I encourage you to take a break from it all when you can.

The day is always a lot brighter when I disconnect from the subtle (and sometimes, not-so-subtle, fear-spreading messages) every time the TV is turned on.

Please, if you have loved ones with a mental illness, they need your voice of calm and a Godly perspective during times like this.

Part of the challenge with social media, and this topic is we are getting inundated with headlines, videos, memes. Some of it is accurate, much of it is purposefully hysterical. You know yourself. You know your loved ones. If scrolling through your Facebook feed is putting a knot in your stomach, it’s time to disconnect. – Dr. Michael L. Birnbaum, Psychology Today.2

You Have Options

When things seem so out of control, it’s nice to know there’s one thing we can control – what we feed our minds every hour of every single day.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. – Chuck Swindoll, Christian pastor and author.3

Have you subscribed to PureFlix for television yet?

You might want to consider it, especially now.

I am very grateful that we now have that option for real family-entertainment in our home.

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1 Quotation from Dr. Sara Gorman, Ph.D., MPH, and Dr. Jack M. Gorman, MD. Courtesy of Psychology Today online magazine, “Is Information Overload Hurting Mental Health?” Accessed June 10, 2020.  Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/denying-the-grave/202006/is-information-overload-hurting-mental-health

2 Quotation from Dr. Michael L. Birnbaum. Courtesy of  Psychology Today online magazine, “Navigating the Coronavirus and Social Media.” Accessed June 10, 2020.  Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-health-our-youth/202003/navigating-the-coronavirus-and-social-media

3 Quotation from Chuck Swindoll, influential Christian pastor and author, courtesy of AZquotes.com.

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Cochren and Company Who Can

Cochren and Company

Cochren and Company “Who Can” – Powerful New Single

A couple of weeks ago, Cochren and Company released a powerful new single called “Who Can.”

After listening to it several times, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the powerful lyrics.

They seem especially relevant, considering the world is in chaos right now with a pandemic and people of every skin color are hurting and broken.

We need the Lord, and His blessed affirmation that He will forgive us if we sincerely repent and seek Him with all of our hearts.

See if the uplifting lyrics to “Who Can” encourage you this way too.

“Only You can hold my head up, only You can help me see,” Michael brings the verse home with, “Only You can break the grip that sin had on me.” – Song lyrics, Genius.com.2



Stylistically, Michael Cochren’s soulful voice never fails to disappoint.

I became a fan of Cochren & Company in October of last year when I first came across their song, One Day, and started listening to their whole catalog.

You can learn more about Cochren & Co here.

Does Your Spiritual Life Feel Like a Mess?

So many worldly distractions – all, at their root, designed to take our minds off of God.

Do we think Satan doesn’t know what our weaknesses are?

Idolatry

No time for God

Fights on social media

Wrongful Pride

Social status

Do any of these sound familiar?

What a mess you are!

No, that’s not what I mean.

What a mess we are.

But, as messy as our lives are sometimes, we have a Sovereign God Who can love us like no other.

I delight in God because, like the song says, “I’m a mess, I confess, but You carry me through.”

Cochren and Company Tour

Cochren and Company is touring again, starting in late June with 18 upcoming concerts.

Here’s a fun idea for you to consider. Their first tour date is aboard the Summer Hits Cruise departing Galveston en route to Cozumel, Mexico. The lineup will be incredible. They’ll be sharing the stage with other top-named acts such as TobyMac, Danny Gokey, and Tauren Wells.

After that, the group returns to the States with stops in Ohio and Texas, to name a few of the venues. You can check out all of your opportunities to see Cochren and Company Live here!

# # #

1Cochren & Company opening photo, courtesy of cochrenmusic Facebook post., 12 December, 2017. Accessed 8 June, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/cochrenmusic/photos/a.384165171613570/1932707970092608/?type=3&theater.

2 Song lyrics, courtesy of Genius.com.     

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