Posts Tagged love
August 21, 2021 at 7:35 am · Filed under Daily Encouragements, focus on the good stuff, Food for thought, God's beauty, God's love, Good stuff, Inspiration ·Tagged Bible, encouragement, focus on the good stuff, God, hope, Jesus, joy, love, Peace, silver linings
We choose what we will focus on. It’s easy to get distracted, but just as easy to turn our gaze back to the good stuff.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Philippians 4:8
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August 20, 2021 at 9:00 am · Filed under Daily Encouragements, God's beauty, Good stuff, Uncategorized ·Tagged Bible, chosen by God, encouragement, forgiven, God, grace, hope, Jesus, joy, love, Peace
I sometimes imagine God and Jesus, sitting side-by-side, watching me go about my day. And I’m sure there are times God looks over at Jesus and asks, “Did you see that? Are you sure about this one?” But I’m also sure that every time God asks, Jesus replies, “Yes, Father, I’m sure. He’s one of mine.” Thank you, Jesus!
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, Ephesians 1:11
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August 5, 2020 at 7:04 am · Filed under Food for thought, God's beauty, Inspiration, Mostly true, Random Thoughts, Some truth to it, Sometimes it just hurts ·Tagged it can't always be spring, love, never give up, sunrise
I wrote this one spring morning in 1998. It’s one of my favorites, because it’s real and it was what I was thinking and feeling that morning. When I came across it again on this cloudy morning, I thought maybe it could be the beginning of a novel. The title would be attention getting too, don’t you think? I believe it would most likely be a tale about never giving up, which would be fitting. I need to write… something.
The Sun Came Up Again
The sun came up again, across the street, in the neighbor’s yard, through early budding tree limbs. The sky glowed fiery red, then golden, then dazzling white, as another day began. A slash of light fell ‘cross my arms as I wrote, and the thought crossed my mind I’d said too much, heard too much, and suddenly… things had changed. I wondered if they had changed for the better. I hoped so. I’ve changed things before, by being too open. Too honest. I’ve watched the sun come up, regretting words I’d spoken the day before, things I’d done. You would think I’d learn. I have learned. I’ve learned the sun will come up. Sometimes you will see it and feel it, sometimes you won’t, but it’s there.
And I’ve learned love is like that. At times you can bask in its warmth and feel its arms wrapped around you. A flash of it will lay across your heart. Then… at other times, it falls silent and cool. It’s still there, just not as obvious. The thing is, you have to know it’s there. Never doubt it. Never turn away. Just know that behind the cloud, behind the mountain, behind whatever has made the warm glow fade… It is there. You have to let it be there. You have to want it to be there. It can’t always be glorious. It can’t always be spring.
Copyright © 1998 C Mashburn
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May 17, 2020 at 9:21 am · Filed under Food for thought, God's beauty, God's love, Inspiration ·Tagged boundless love, faith, God, God's love, hope, I think I'm onto something, Jesus, love, Peace, unconditional love
God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, because He loves us unconditionally, and wants us to be with Him for eternity. How awesome is that? I want to love like that! I want to give everything I have to God and my family and friends so we can all be together with God forever. And, if loving unconditionally is what it takes, then I want to do it! I truly believe if we focus on God and love Him with all we’ve got, He will put that kind of love in us. In fact, I will go a step further and say I think that kind of love is already in us; it just needs to be unleashed.
I think I’m onto something.
The father loves the Son and has placed everything in His hands. John 3:35
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April 19, 2020 at 12:51 pm · Filed under Daily Encouragements, Food for thought, God's beauty, God's love, Inspiration ·Tagged faith, forgiveness, God's love, hope, love, miracle of miracles, we're forgiven, why do we live in fear
I can hardly grasp what God has done for us. Knowing we could not save ourselves He sent His Son to take all our sins upon Himself. This is a miracle bigger than healing the sick, raising the dead, walking on water, or feeding five-thousand people with five loaves and two fish. It is the ultimate demonstration of God’s power and love. We are forgiven! We are loved!
So, what’s the problem today? Why do we live in fear? Why are we sad? Yes, we all have fears, insecurities, and sadness but we don’t have to. In John 3:17, Jesus said, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
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March 19, 2020 at 8:20 am · Filed under Daily Encouragements, Food for thought, God's beauty, God's love, Inspiration ·Tagged 1962 music, covid-19 and church services, faith, hope, Little Jimmy Brown, love, praise and worship, praise is prayer, The Browns
It happens quite often to me; I wake in the morning with a song in my head. The strange thing about it is that the song is often an obscure song, or at the least, one I haven’t heard for years. Such was the case this morning when I awoke with the song, “Little Jimmy Brown” doing a continuous loop in my head. Where in the world did that come from?
Anyway, I felt I needed to share it with you. In light of our current situation, especially with regard to churches closing temporarily. Many will gather in small groups in their homes to worship and praise God, and I offer this–the slightly altered chorus of the song–as encouragement.
Here’s a link to the song if you’d like to listen to it:
Little Jimmy Brown
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January 17, 2020 at 1:30 pm · Filed under Food for thought, Mostly true, Random Thoughts, the good old days ·Tagged back in the day, fixing things, love, there was a time, throwing things away
There was a time we’d fix things when they broke instead of just throwing them out and getting a new one. It’s sad it’s come to this. And, even sadder still, it’s too often true with love. Back in the day, “Until death do us part” meant something.
Back in the Day
In the old days
When things were broken
You didn’t throw them away
You fixed them
Your sock had a hole in it
You darned it
Darned if I know why
They called it darning
When a sock got too thin
Or the holes were too big
You used it as a rag
To polish the old furniture
Grandpa ~ Pa to the family ~ Luther “Bunk” Stringer
I remember grandpa and grandma
It seemed like they fought a lot
Sometimes nothing more than
Grandma’s steely stare
Grandpa bent over the sink
Washing his hands
Seeing her anger over his shoulder
Reflecting in the kitchen window
Grandma ~ Ma to the family ~ Jewel Stringer
Next thing you know, they’re in their chairs
Side by side, talking about the day
Making up, but not saying so
Just loving each other quietly… easily
Back in the day
Things and love got holes in them
You darned them, patched them
Glued them back together
Throwing them away…
never crossed your mind
Copyright © 2013 C Mashburn
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December 19, 2019 at 10:38 am · Filed under Food for thought, God's beauty, God's love, Inspiration ·Tagged Be the light, encouragement, encouraging others, faith, God, Jesus, joy, love, Peace, the light at the end of the tunnel
Sometimes people need encouragement, even the confident ones. Maybe, the confident ones need it most. I often find it strange that I’m the one some look to for encouragement, for I readily admit I’m the one who quite often needs to be encouraged. There seems to be no guideline or rationale about where we seek encouragement and/or approval. Some seek it from everyone they meet. Some seek it from parents who are often too busy to realize the need they leave unfulfilled. Some seek it from unlikely sources—such as me—and when I find this to be the case, I try to remember that we never know which seed might be the one that produces a mighty oak.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galations 6:9-10
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December 19, 2019 at 9:32 am · Filed under Food for thought, God's beauty, God's love, Inspiration ·Tagged Be Still, Christmas, Christmas stress, faith, God, Jesus, joy, love, Peace, Philippians 3:13-14, The season, truth
If the Christmas season causes you stress, then you’re doing it wrong. Be still. Let the reason for the season wash over you and bring you peace.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. 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 3:13-14
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November 20, 2019 at 9:07 am · Filed under Food for thought, Mostly true, Random Thoughts, Stories ·Tagged caution light, driving, faith, fear, focus, fqith, friends, life, listen to the music, love, love is all we need, music, people, red light green light, reflections, travel, truth
Songs have always moved me; some in a positive way, others just the opposite. Lines from songs have struck me as genius, some as profound, and some as simple truth. Interestingly, it took years for the truth of those lines to truly mean anything to me, and I too often wish I’d seen the wisdom in the words before I reached this age of… maturity. Yes, I admit, I wish I’d known then what I know now. I should have listened to the music.
Now… where I began is far behind me. I can’t even remember some of the roads I traveled, and I wonder how life might’ve been if I’d lived it all without fear.
We all do it. We scratch and claw our way to what we’re told is success, which translates to security, and then cling to it as if it can keep us safe from all harm, only to realize the light we obeyed for most of our years was the one in the middle; the yellow one. Oh sure, we often ignored and sped through it, telling ourselves if we stopped the guy behind us my plow into us. And so, we lived, caution being another word for fear. Green being just as frightening, and the red one to be avoided at all cost, because slowing down was bad enough, but stopping meant you’d given up, allowing something, someone, to take control.
But… what if we’d lived like we were dying? Would the knowledge our time was limited have caused us to throw caution to the wind? Would yellow have been meaningless, and red nothing more than a dare? How fast and how far would we have gone? Maybe not far. But we would have lived like there was no tomorrow. Or… like there was, and it counted. Counted, because it would give us more time to love, which, I’ve realized, perhaps too late, is what living is all about. Love is indeed, all we need.
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