Pursuing More

These are a few of my favorite things…..   Fresh apricots falling from the tree Warm summer sun and time to relax in it Fresh veggies from the garden Sitting around discussing scripture passages with friends Swinging in my hammock swing Iced coffee on a hot day Lake Michigan, sand dunes, and watching my kids enjoy it all Fresh picked Indiana blueberries A visit from my awesome in-laws Crossing items off my to-do list Enjoy your summer, and don't forget to stop and give thanks for each of your favorite things!  

  "My favorite in Scripture is Ephesians 2:10 . It says: "We are God's workmanship , created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared for us in advance. " I love that tag line: " prepared for us in advance ." Translation: God is setting you up ." "That tag line fills me with holy anticipation. It gives me an unshakable sense of destiny . If we simply stay in tune with what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing we will walk into situations that God has divinely orchestrated for us . I don't believe in coincidence . I believe in providence . God is in the business of making sure we're in the right place at the right time . There are divine appointments that God is already setting up for next day delivery !"                b y Mark Batterson http://www.markbatterson.com/uncategorized/god-is-setting-you-up/                  ...

Each summer we used to operate a large fundraiser for Impact Skate Park & Youth Center where I was the manager. This was a huge undertaking and required hours upon hours of time and many volunteers to make it happen. One morning as I was preparing and mentally coaching myself for the day ahead, I caught a glimpse of a verse card sitting quietly on the bathroom counter. “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth;   Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”   Psalm 86:11 An undivided heart.   Lord, how do I have an undivided heart while I am working long days in the heat to raise money? I’m over tired, stressed with all the responsibility on my shoulders, discouraged by lack of volunteers, and wondering if we will make enough this year. My total focus these next 10 days must be on running the fundraiser, how do I fit You in? The answer came softly. It’s not that my mind cannot be going in many directions all day, but that ...

Around the 4 th of July, we all get to feeling a bit more patriotic than usual, celebrating with flags lining Main Street, parades, and even red white and blue flip flops. America has been a great country enjoying freedom for 237 years.   My favorite preacher, who happens to be my husband and is very patriotic, spoke a while back on the solemn acts of devotion of our country’s founding fathers.   I was inspired and thought I’d share some of what he spoke about. (I will put his words in quotes to give credit where credit is due.) 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence.   I have always admired these men, but never realized just what it meant for them to put their “John Hancock” on that document of 1,321 words. “Each of these men was willing to sacrifice everything for a cause they believed in and history shows that they paid a price for that bravery.”   These men endured great hardships.   For some of them, businesses were destroyed… families...