Shaken Mountains

August 16th, 2015 dsisler

 

I read a beautiful promise this morning from Isaiah 54. “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10 – NIV)

 

Colorado Sunrise

Colorado Sunrise

Living in view of the Colorado Rocky Mountains gives new light to this verse. I cannot imagine life without seeing them each day. But if they were to disappear today or tomorrow, I would know that God’s love for me is unfailing.

 

Regardless of what is happening in your life, you can be assured of this very thing. Life may be rocky. Life may be disappointing. Life may be blah. Life may be beautiful. Wherever you land, you can hold to the fact that God loves you with an unfailing, everlasting, immeasurable love. Pretty cool, huh?

 

I’m starting over in 2013 to share blog posts from that year on Sunday’s. I pray that “Hello 2013” will bring a smile to your face. Blessings to you today as you walk, sprint, or stroll through your Sunday!

 

Hello 2013…

 

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that we have just entered the year 2013. Not for anything in particular, but because time is flying so quickly!

 

My granddaughter Joy spent New Year’s Eve with us. I had activities planned for each hour to keep her occupied. We celebrated the New Year on Eastern Standard Time. Meaning, we watched the ball drop in Times Square at 10 p.m. and then headed to bed.

 

As the evening went on, we talked about what a new year meant, we discussed goals, and we thought about the blessings we have in our lives and where these blessings come from (James 1:17).

 

There were arts and crafts, work sheets, a time capsule, and even party supplies. New Year’s Eve at Baba’s was pretty exciting! So much so, that Joy said, “Time really does go fast when you’re having fun!”

 

So what does a new year mean to you? Is it a time to forget the mistakes you’ve made this past year? Is it a time for you to set new goals or resolutions? Or perhaps, you look to the New Year in hopes that you’ll just survive?

 

For many, this day brings hope, light, and newness that the old cannot offer. For others, there is nothing to look forward to. I’m here to tell you that God has a great plan for each of us in the New Year. Actually, His plan works at any point during the year or throughout our lives.

 

We know from the book of Philippians that it was Paul’s desire to forget the past. To look toward the future. We should listen to Paul’s words and do exactly as he did.

 

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14 – NIV)

 

With the grace of God, we are able to forget it all. There’s no need to keep bringing it up. To keep reliving it. Forget it! And know that the prize of heaven awaits you. That’s what we should be reaching for.

 

And also know that God makes all things new! He can take an old creation that has rips and tears in the soul and create something beautiful. Here are a few verses to show what He is capable of doing.

 

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a – NIV)

 

“To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3a – NIV)

 

“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:5 – NIV)

 

God has in the past, is in the present, and will in the future make all things new. It is His desire for us to move from our old way of life and accept His new way. God’s way includes life, love, acceptance, forgiveness, grace, and eternal life to name a few.

 

There’s a short song written by Steven Curtis Chapman titled “Happy New Year.” It tells the story of one person’s look at the New Year. Take a look at the lyrics.

 

Happy New Year

 

The decorations have been moved back to the attic;
Our resolutions and our diets all in place.
As another chapter ends and another one begins;
Slowly now we turn the page.

 

Out into the midnight sky, I stare in wonder;
At the grand design of how our planet dances with the sun.
And I’m thinkin’ this could be God’s way of whispering
“A story’s being told and the best is yet to come.”

 

So Happy New Year, Happy New Year.
Another chance to catch a glimpse of what is coming true.
So Happy New Year, Happy New Year.
The God who made everything
Is remaking everything.
The God who made everything
He says I’m making all things new.[i]

 

If you’d like to listen to this song, click here.

 

Are you ready to begin this New Year with God’s newness surrounding you? Do you believe that God is able to make all things new? What is God whispering to you? These are questions that only you can answer. I pray that you’ll hear God’s whisper.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] © 2012 Chappy Campers Music (BMI) (admin. by Primary Wave/Wixen Music)

 

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Pass

August 15th, 2015 dsisler

 

sunflower-image-Vintage-GraphicsFairy (2)I’ve never done this before, but I read a great blog that I want to share with you. Today, instead of writing something more than this little introduction, I’m putting a link below for you to follow. Sharon Jaynes has become one of my favorite authors. I love her books as well as her blog. This piece was a great reminder for me and I pray that you will find some assurance in this post as well.

 

Click here to read more.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Peace! Peace!

August 14th, 2015 dsisler

 

It’s a peaceful morning. My office setting is quiet. I hear a few birds chirping outside my window. I am enjoying Friday morning (it is Friday right?) as leisurely as possible.

 

flowers from friends1.jpg1Now I would love to tell you that every area of my life is falling into this same status, but it’s not. There are work-related issues that I must deal with. There are family situations that are not perfect. My schedule is full…filled to brim and overflowing to be more precise. I have few a “fires” that need tending.

 

But here’s the thing. All of what is going on around me shouldn’t cause me to move from my peaceful place. Why? Well let me share a few verses of Scripture that might help you as they have me.

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 – NIV) To remain in Jesus means to spend as much time with Him as possible. Reading Scripture. Prayer time. Just thinking about Jesus throughout the day is part of remaining in Him. When Jesus is the center of my being, I will remain in Him. And because I remain in Jesus, He is able to help me with everything I need to do.

 

Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) tells us, “You keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” As our trust in God’s provision and grace grow, we find ourselves in perfect peace mindset. Don’t hold back on trusting God. You can. And when you do, He will do some pretty remarkable things in your life.

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 – NIV) Praise. Worship. Peace. They go hand-in-hand. When we can learn to praise Jesus always, we’ll find and know and live in peace.

 

And finally, Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) will show us that it really doesn’t do any good to be anxious about anything. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Wow! These verses are such an encouragement to me. I pray they are to you as well. As we take our burdens to Jesus (and leave them there), look at what we gain in return. Peace. Guarding of our hearts. Guarding of our minds. How blessed we are in Jesus Christ!

 

I know, there are times I do get a little stressed and it shows. But when I’m in that situation, these are the verses I need to recall and remember. Perhaps you need to remember them today as well!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Philippians 1:21 – Word of God Wednesday

August 13th, 2015 dsisler

 

NOTE: I lost a day somewhere this week! It’s Thursday folks, but I clearly woke up this morning thinking it was Wednesday! Oh my!

 

I spent my time with God this morning with a single verse of Scripture. Philippians 1:21. I had a coloring page for this verse, so I picked up my colored markers and began.

 

 

As I colored, I thought about my life. What is it that makes my life so worthwhile? Family. Friends. Work. Writing. Hobbies.

 

But then as I read through the remainder of the verse, I spent time thinking of what my life might be like without Christ. Oh, I would still have all of the things mentioned above, right? The only difference would be that Jesus wouldn’t be the center of everything that I did. He wouldn’t be the center of each relationship I have.

 

Because I have chosen to make Christ the center of my life, He brings a deeper meaning to my relationships, my work, my writing and everything that I do each day. Jesus Himself reminds us of why He came to earth. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 – NIV)

 

What does “for to me, to live is Christ” mean to you? What do you need to do to live “life to the full”?

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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All Things New

August 12th, 2015 dsisler

 

We are in the throes of August. Back-to-school traditions are in full swing and some schools have already started. Fall programming at churches are ready to begin. The thought of cooler weather lingers on everyone’s minds. Life is about to change.

 

pencilsAugust has always been a special month for me. My oldest child was born on August 21. My second child was born three years later on August 23. As you can imagine, August birthdays and back-to-school shopping were nearly always combined.

 

August also means that women’s Bible studies all around the world are about ready to begin. Women from all walks of life will spend more time in prayer and study with Bibles in hand starting in just a few weeks. Not that these same women don’t study and pray during the summer, but there’s just something about the fall and the re-gathering of these faithful women that makes me believe the evil one isn’t as excited for August to end as we are.

 

We rarely think of it this way, but August is a time of new beginnings. New studies. New grade levels at school. New teachers. New clothes. For some, new life in Christ.

 

There are plenty of passages that speak to this idea of “new.” King David spoke of a new song in Psalm 40:3. Solomon said “there is nothing new under the sun” in Ecclesiastes 1:9. Isaiah heard new things from God as stated in Isaiah 48:6. God spoke through Ezekiel 36:26 and said new hearts and new spirits were to come.

 

There were new names (Daniel 1:7), new days (Zephaniah3:5), a new teaching (Mark 1:27), a new command (John 13:34), new life (Acts 5:20), a new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:6), a new covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25), new creation (Galatians 6:15), new birth (1 Peter 1:3), a new heaven and earth (2 Peter 3:13), everything new (Revelation 21:5).

 

Early in Jesus’ ministry He was asked why His disciples didn’t fast and pray as John the Baptizer’s and the Pharisees did (Matthew Mark Luke 5:33-35). Jesus replied with encrypted words that we now understand, but for His audience, I’m sure they wondered what bridegroom he was talking about.

 

Jesus then went on to share a parable with those around Him. “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘This old is better.’” (Luke 5:36-39 – NIV)

 

Jesus’ audience understood this parable. They used goatskin to hold wine. As fresh wine fermented, the wine would expand. As it expanded, the new goatskin would stretch. If an older skin was used, it would not expand any further than it already had, so it would eventually burst.

 

We see in this parable that Jesus brought a new way of life that could not fit into or be confined by the old religious ways. Jesus also used this moment to show how some would be reluctant to change from their old traditions and look earnestly at the message Jesus was teaching.

 

Paul later expanded on this idea of new life, new way and new attitude. In Ephesians 4, Paul said it this way. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 – NIV)

 

Perhaps this is the perfect time of year to think of new beginnings. Maybe it’s the time we should think about resolutions. For me, this is an exciting time. I am rejuvenated by the possibilities of the fall.

 

I pray that you are able to jump into a small group or Bible study. I pray that if you need an attitude adjustment, need to take off the old you and put on Jesus or are ready to take a step toward Jesus that you will do so this fall. Jesus is waiting to join you on this journey.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

 

Photo from freedigitalphotos.net

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  • "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19

  • I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in Jacksonville, Florida.

  • I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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