The Last Wednesday of July 2025

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, This is the last Wednesday of July 2025. The month has gone by so quickly and loudly! Yes, it seems that every day there is another storm or multiple storms and it is hard to know from day to day which state or even country that isn't going through castrophies. Today's scripture, "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The NIV states, "Be still..." (Psalm 46:10) How is it possible to "be still" in the midst of the disasters that befall us at every turn of our daily walk with Him. Even if it isn't a natural disaster that causes havoc it is something else. This past week I have heard from family members who have just been told they have stage 2 cancer and another has been told that his son is getting a divorce. These situations are as harmful and devastating as the natural disasters. As I listen to their cries for prayers I ask the heavenly Father to give me the words that will bring comfort and hope to them and as I hear about the various natural disasters I also lift up my hands to Him. He is a Good God and He is a God who loves. Yes, His love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8) In today's devotional reading this verse seemed to speak to me, "Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." (Col. 3:1) And I say, "Yes, Lord I will seek those things which are above where Christ is... this verse brings me peace. The Lord is in control and since He is a Good God and it is His Love that covers a multitude of sins I need not be burdened with how and why BUT trust in Him and when I pray He will give me the words to speak. His Love is steadfast and everlasting and so much more than I can ever think or ask. Let us pray - Abba Father, we exalt You, we give You the glory, we cling to You alone. I pray for each dear and precious sister-in-Christ that as she walks through her day and whatever challenges or victories she encounters that her first response would "be still and know that You are God" and "seek those things which are above..." Lord, You are the God who restores, renews, delivers, heals, provides, and most of all gives peace beyond understanding. Cover them today with Your love. In Jesus Name, Amen. Trying to "Be Still"

LyndiaSue

Jude 21, John 15:4-5 and Isaiah 64:4

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, Yesterday I needed to attend to my flower garden because it no longer looked like a flower garden but instead it had become a weed patch. So on my knees I was trying to pull the weeds out and ended up using a small hand shovel to dig them out. Their roots were deep and some of my flowers were being choked out. In fact two of my lilies were really in need of assistance. I had to almost uproot them to get the weeds. This took patience and perseverance on my part! I am so thankful that it is a small bed located in the front of the house. My chore had been done for the day so I went for a short walk in the park to loosen up my lower back from kneeling so long. After my walk I needed to trim the bush that was growing in the flower garden also. My husband had explained that the branch that looked diseased was actually a broken branch and it needed to be removed. I could not see where it was broken off but my husband could so he helped me find the two branches that were diseased and taking a closer look at the tiny branches I could see where it had been broken and tried to grow back. Which brings me to my night time devotional reading, Jude 21, "Keep yourselves in the love of God,..." and John 15:4-5, ""Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."" In reading those verses I was remembering the small bush that I had to prune for the branch had been broken and had become diseased. This morning I needed to look up the definition of abide, "to dwell, remain, be present, to be held and kept. Also yesterday, I was asked a question from a dear sister-in-Christ that I follow on my social media site. The question was, "What is your life verse?" I did not respond to the question but thought about it and this morning I was still thinking about that question. In the writing of this post the Lord reminded me that He had given me Isaiah 64:4 several years back and I cling to that verse. It reads, "For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him." Yes, my dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, I am only able to be "me" by keeping myself in the love of God, abiding in the Lord, and by waiting for Him." Let us pray - Abba Father, Gracious Lord may each dear and precious sister-in-Christ abide in You and keep herself in the love of God all the days and nights of her life. O, Lord, the abiding and waiting for You in the midst of the pain and suffering brings peace and a quiet knowing that You are her Savior, her healer, her deliverer and her sustainer in every breath that she takes. May each one bear much fruit!! In Jesus Name, Amen. Abiding in His Love,

LydiaSue

1 Peter 1:13 - Life Is An Adventure

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, The youngest of my 4 brothers has a saying, "life is an adventure!" This was a profound statement to me at the time he told me. He is 9 years younger than me and always had a way of bringing peace to a chaotic situation. The chaotic situation was about 40 years back, while visiting him and his family I wanted to have a conversation with him because I was going to have to make a decision about leaving California and moving to another state. This meant that I could no longer visit him as often, which was so important to me at the time. I also wanted to talk to him about my relationship with the Lord. I had been praying for about two weeks about finding time to share my walk with the Lord. As I began to share about my faith he kindly listened and then what he said was that "life is an adventure" and he wanted to explore it more before he decided. We still have a beautiful relationship and he is still deciding. This morning as I prepared for this post I remembered the scene so vividly, driving down the freeway, just him and me and talking about life and sharing about our lives. I often use those four words in response to how I am actually doing when it comes to my walk of Faith. Yes, life is an adventure, more so, when You have the LORD at the forefront, leading the way, equipping you for the situation. Yes, life is an adventure when you start your day for you know not what will happen. You have planned out your day BUT an unexpected turn of events comes crashing into your life, that is why I chose, the verse today, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,." (1 Peter 1:13). Not only is my life an adventure, it is also blessed with the riches and mercy of Jesus Christ. Each moment is an adventure for when you ask and seek and knock and He answers and is found and opens the doors of your heart to witness the glory of God your life has just taken a turn for the lovingkindness and steadfast love and peace which passes all understanding comes swiftly into your heart and no longer will you be fearful of what is happening but will be rejoicing for He is God and He is Sovereign. Let us pray - Abba Father, Gracious and Mighty and Holy art thou. Thank You, O Lord, that You are in control of ALL things and You are everywhere at ALL times. Lord, most merciful and gracious Lord, I pray for each dear and precious sister-in-Christ, that as she enters into her day Your blessed assurance will be evident and may she, "therefore prepare her mind for acting keep sober in spirit, fix her hope completely on the Grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" and live today knowing that she has a God who knows and will never leave nor forsake no matter what she faces in her life. In Jesus Name, Amen. Living the adventurous life,

LyndiaSue

Psalm 66:1-4 - Shout and Sing and Make and Say

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, Two days ago I befriended a fellow walker and what a treat it has been for both of us. She is Japanese and with very little english but that didn't stop God from us fellowshipping together. When we greeted each other, both of us agreed that our time walking was going to be a pleasure. And even though she has very little english she and I were able to find out about each other's lives. God is so Good! When she told me about her mom and that I would pray for her and her mom she welcomed the prayer and when I ended it, "in Jesus Name, Amen" She then said His name and instantly we became one in the Spirit and the true worshipping and fellowshipping began. We decided to meet today for our morning walk and what a precious time we both had in learning how God is working in both of our lives and how richly we are being blessed all the time. Since I trust in the Lord's divine appointments I was so thankful for Him bringing us together. She leaves on Sunday to go back to Japan to take care of her mother and hopefully in 6 months time when she returns we shall get together again. I close Psalm 66:1-7 today as the verses, "SHOUT joyfully to God, all the earth; Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious, Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. All the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name." Selah." There are so many actions going on in these 4 verses - there is a party going on! Let us pray - Abba Father, Gracious Lord thank You that there is no need to be quiet in our worshipping and there is no reason to be silent for when You are in our midst we can SHOUT joyfully and Sing the glory and Make His praise and Say to God. And that is my prayer for all of you today. May the party begin and may we join in spirit and do all these things together. O, Lord I also pray for those who have lost loved ones and are searching for answers may Your Lovingkindness and Steadfast Love be evident in their lives and also may You draw them close to You and may Your comfort surround them as they grieve. Lord, You are a Good Good God. In Jesus Name, Amen. May the Lord's Presence Be With You,

LyndiaSue

Welcome to the Month of July

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, Our second summer in Ohio and with the activities that go along with summer it is in full swing. Our area of Ohio gets lots of rain so the most prevalent sound after the rain is the sound of the lawnmowers - the gas propelled and electric propelled push mowers and the riding lawn mowers. For us who are retired, we can do it anytime of the week and usually early afternoon depending on the heat and the amount of rain received on any given day. At first I was not too happy with the sound of the mowers but now it is rather entertaining to watch neighbors mowing their lawns. They each have a different approach to where they start but no matter when they start they always meet up sometime and when they do I chuckle and have named it the dueling mowers. I have very kind and generous neighbors and watching them out and about is always such a treat and even more special when they meet and greet each other. I am thankful for having such a neighborhood. We are the oldest and it seems that they take extra care of us and in their own special ways they are always helping us out with something - sometimes when we do not think they are around. Our Lord is so gracious and His kindness is so vast. The verse I chose for today is Psalm 133, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessings - life forever." Yes, our little block community seems to be a safe haven from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. In the summer and fall months is when they gather and spend time together; the adults having barbecues and the children playing in each other's yards. It is very pleasant indeed. I pray for my neighbors for I do not know their struggles unless they share with me and I often share my walk of faith with them as we gather together. Thank You O LORD for placing us in the little community of neighbors who gather together and care about each other. Let us pray - Abba Father, all praise and glory and honor to Your Holy Name, LORD for where You have planted each one of us is Your blessings upon us. O LORD, as we gather together and enjoy the fellowship may each heart be drawn to You. May Your name be praised and may the conversations lead to You and may hearts be changed and eyes be opened to Your beauty and Your Grace which You freely give to anyone who receives. Lord, I pray for each dear and precious sister-in-Christ that her time spent with You will be evident in her life and may the fruit of kindness and joy flow through her and into the hearts of the people who You have placed in her life. In Jesus Name, Amen. Blessings of Joy and Kindness,

LyndiaSue