Total Eclipse: A Testament to God’s Glory

The Total Eclipse: A Testament to God’s Glory

April 8th, 2024 is finally here!

As the moon moves between the earth and the sun, millions of people will witness a long-awaited (and rare) Total Eclipse. 

Total Eclipse: A Testament to God’s Glory

For those of you lucky enough to be in the direct path (and if it’s a sunny day), you’ll see the landscape around you plunge into darkness during those moments of totality.

Will it be cloudy?

Am I going to see anything?

Do these eclipse glasses even work?

By the way, be very, very careful where you purchase your eclipse glasses. You need special glasses (not regular sunglasses) to protect your eyesight.

Make sure the lenses are scratch-free, safe to use, and most importantly from a reputable source.

This phenomenal celestial event, which we are privileged to witness, is yet another reason to praise God.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll probably be emotional.

My husband and I plan to sit out on our porch to watch the amazing sight.

Don’t miss the significance of this!

The total eclipse is a testament to God’s glory.

Only He deserves our praise and worship.

Delight in God Our Creator Through the Total Eclipse

As Christians, we know that all the earth praises the Lord.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His heavenly armies!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,
And the waters that are above the heavens!
5 They are to praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also established them forever and ever;
He has made a decree, and it will not pass away. – Psalm 148: 1-6, (NASB).

Since the sun and moon are big news this week, how would you like to hear the sounds of the sun?

I’ve heard them, and now you can too.

It may sound monotonic and meaningless to us as humans, but to God, it is one of the sounds of His Creation.

How great is our God!

Granted, what many will witness on April 8th is spectacular, but nothing will be better than the excitement and joy of spending eternity with God in heaven.

Nothing can overshadow that.

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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.

2 Video courtesy of NASA | Sun Sonification (raw audio). [YouTube]. July 26, 2018, Web. Accessed April 2, 2024. Retrieved from: Sounds of the Sun

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Embrace the Unexpected

Embrace The Unexpected

Embrace the unexpected

Life can be unpredictable and, sometimes, our circumstances just don’t turn out like we think they should.

Have you ever had one of those head-scratching moments?

Even our most meticulous of plans can go cattywampas at times.

Take our trip to Israel for instance. I had been dreaming about this trip for a very, very long time.

We planned everything to a “T”, from a dog sitter to a house-sitter, to plane reservations, a hotel, a tour guide, and more.

Within a few days, (and sadly, after we bought our tickets) absolutely everything went to pot.

The sitter flaked out, one of our dogs got sick, one of our sweet guides had a medical emergency, and more. 

We got the message. It wasn’t the right time to go . . . for us.

Embrace the Unexpected: Trusting in God’s Guidance

God always has our best interests at heart.

We know that He protected us from “something.” We just don’t know what it is yet.

But, God is always faithful.

We picture in our minds with great detail how our future is going to unfold. But things don’t go as planned. Some doors close, while others open. If this happens to you, it may be that God has something completely different in mind.

It’s good to plan and dream and think ahead. But we must always be open to God-appointed changes in direction.- Precept Austin.1

Here’s a verse to remember when life turns cattywampas.

The mind of a person plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps. – Proverbs 16:9, (NASB).2

Through life’s twists and turns, this rollercoaster ride we’re living on is never a surprise to God. 

He “works in ways we can’t predict. He can use even our inconveniences to bring honor to His name. When we face a seeming nuisance in our day, perhaps we should look not just for what we think we want, but also for what God has for us that day.” (Precept Austin.org, 9/18/16.)3

Never lose hope.

We must continue to walk with faith, knowing that God’s ways are always higher than our own.

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1 Precept Austin quotation is from the Proverbs 13-19 Devotionals & Sermon Illustrations, [2016] Courtesy of Precept Austin, Subheading, “Proverbs 16”. Web. Accessed 1 April, 2024.

2 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.

3 In preceptaustin.org. Retrieved from https://www.preceptaustin.org/proverbs_illustrations_2

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Happy Easter 2024

Happy Easter 2024!

Christians around the world are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He is risen!

5 And the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” – Matthew 28:5-7, (NASB).

May this Easter bring you much joy, many blessings, and a renewed sense of faith.

Wishing you a wonderful and blessed Easter!

Happy Easter 2024

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I Surrender All: There’s Power in Surrender

There’s Power in Surrender

As a new Christian back in 1997, one of the first Bible verses I memorized was from the book of Proverbs.

I’m sure you know this one too.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6, (NASB).1

That’s a truly powerful verse that deserves more than just a cursory glance.

It means to surrender your will to God’s will. 

The act of “letting go” before God is not an example of weakness, or giving up, or even a last resort.

Rather, there is power in surrender.

power in surrender

We can trust the Lord God Almighty with our whole heart and soul.

Even during times of extreme distress in our lives, remember that He always has our best interests at heart. (See Jeremiah 29:11).

Jeremiah 29:11 was directed to the Babylonian exiles in an earlier century as an encouragement for their future restoration.

But, we can keep in mind that God’s grace, mercy, and love are unchanging – no matter what century we’re in.

He loves you and me, and that will never change.

Trust is an all or nothing proposal: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.”  Partial trust is not trust at all. Either God is trustworthy, or He is not. If He cannot be trusted with all, He cannot be trusted at all. – Precept Austin.2

There’s Power in Surrendering to God’s Will

If you’re experiencing some heartache in your life right now, or if you just need a reminder of God’s faithfulness, I wanted to share this beautiful song from Gentri’s latest album, “Hymns II.”

It’s a well-known and well-loved hymn, and Gentri’s soul-stirring “cover” does not disappoint.

Dear Sisters in Christ, don’t ever lose hope.

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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.

2 Precept Austin quotation is from the Proverbs 3 Commentary, [2024] Courtesy of Precept Austin, Subheading, “On Whom Are You Leaning? Self Or Savior?”. Web. Accessed 16 March, 2024.

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Offering Thoughts And Prayers

Encouragement for Offering Thoughts and Prayers

offering thoughts and prayers

Have you ever told a hurting friend or family member that they’re in your “thoughts and prayers?”

Have you ever commented online about praying and received an onslaught of angry comments back from atheists?

I guess those commenters think that the more they badger Christians online, the better their chances to shut us up.

Even the sentiment “thoughts and prayers” has gotten a black eye.

This is our world, folks.

Christianity is being singled out.

The following true statement can really get them going . . . 

“Jesus is coming again.”

The Coming Day of the Lord

3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. – 2 Peter 3:3-6, (NASB).1

Do Say, Don’t Say

Atheists love to tell us what we can and can’t say.

Here are some of the comments I’ve read recently:

“Thoughts and prayers don’t work”

“You’re praying to a sky god”

“So where is Jesus? I thought He was coming back”

Truth: We can’t expect unbelievers to act like believers.

And, until Christ returns, there’s nothing we can do, except be patient and pray for lost people in this broken world.

These unbelievers have no idea how much they need our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile, whether it’s an atheist or anyone else (including the media) trying to change what we can and can’t say, I hope you ignore them like I do.

Offering Thoughts and Prayers and Even More

When we went through our family accident years ago, we received a lot of love and grace from others.

Friends brought meals and more. I also knew who I could call if I just needed to talk to someone.

I welcomed every prayer during that difficult time.

It was a beautiful example to me (as a relatively new Christian) to witness these pure-of-heart demonstrations of what Christlike love is all about.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. – 2 Cor 1:3, (NASB).2

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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.

2 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.

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