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As I continued looking at our jigsaw puzzle, I realized one thing.  Have you ever worked on a puzzle and were so stumped that you finally walked away? I have. Then upon your return, you find that one piece, and suddenly everything makes sense. One piece builds on another. Pieces start falling into place, and a significant portion of the puzzle is complete.  That's why you have to be patient for the next step in God's plan for your life. You will get frustrated. But frustration is eventually productive when God is in it. Each piece builds on another, and the picture becomes complete with time.  Here are a few questions you can ask yourself right now?  Do I need to take a break and rest my life for a moment? Disconnect and do something fun, even for an hour or a day. Recently, I took a few days off, and upon my return, a few things in my life made more sense.  Are you focused on the puzzle or the next piece? Don't worry about the puzzle. Focus on the piece. God knows how it w

So you have set up your boundaries and got the big picture. It seems that this would be the easiest part of the process, but it isn't. What does the Word say about your life, and is God's specific will for your life? Knowing God's will is the key here. "Memorable Disney Moments" has over 40,000 pieces and holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest commercially made puzzle.  And you're thinking that this would be child's play compared to putting your life together. Maybe, but it isn't impossible. (Reread the last line.)  Your life, like a jigsaw puzzle, is a work in progress.  Every piece fits somewhere. No matter how badly you want a piece to work in a particular place, don't force it if it doesn't fit. Have the patience to allow the process to unveil itself.  Why does God make your life as confusing as a Jigsaw puzzle?  He doesn't  God's will is clear and known. He isn't hiding from you. True, He doesn't reveal every

Jigsaw puzzles are fun. Well, for most people. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I hate doing them, but I love finishing them.  When I look at my life, I see a jigsaw puzzle. My impatience with myself tends to frustrate me. But if I would apply some patience and understanding, time will reward me with something beautiful.  But how?  #1 Set up the boundaries. Anyone who has worked a puzzle knows you do the outside first. The Word of God is there to show us the boundaries of our life. Inside the boundaries, there is something beautiful that is waiting to emerge. But if we try to build something outside, we have chunks of the puzzle but no finished product. Finally, we give up and declare we are done. Without boundaries, we will never know God's complete plan for our lives.  #2 Get the big picture. What is always set up in front of you at all times? The cover of the box. It's the only clue you have to complete the puzzle. Here is something I have noticed about those clues

We are home after a very long drive from Nashville yesterday. Something about being locked up in a small car for hours with the people you love will test your patience.  But here are a few observations that I took away from yesterday.  Everyone took care of each other. Driving on strange roads afforded us different challenges. While there was some yelling, "Watch out!" Everyone took care of everyone else.  Teamwork made a difference as we drove and slept in shifts. This didn't make the drive any shorter but a little easier.  Questions were valuable. While using the Wayz app, we would ask, "Are we on the right road?" and "Are there any cops ahead?"  Everyone cared about the other person "Are you hungry? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Did you get some sleep?"  After 12 hours of this, we arrived home. Tired and happy it was over. The reward of arriving at your destination feels great.  When you look at your life, ask yourself a few of questi

Betty doesn’t like me blogging about her too much. So let me go with one more for now and let you see a bit of her heart.  She doesn’t like the world any better now than when she gave birth to Anneka. (Neither do I.)   If you think that’s a strange thing to say, you’re right. But let me explain myself.  The idea that a child will make your world a better place isn’t accurate. Stop shouting at the screen. Just keep reading.   Before we got pregnant, both of us had enough wisdom to understand what we were doing, in as much as we knew that this would change our lives.  Would it be for the better? That was the plan.  Would it enrich our lives? We hoped so.   But to think that a child would turn our world into a magical place of perfection and joy was never a thought.   If anything, the world worked against us from day one. (Still is.) There were challenges of all kinds and new hurdles to jump. Just about the time you thought you were out of the woods, BAM, here we go again.   Betty was and

Patience, contentment, and exhaustion are just a few words that are being expressed now more than ever.   But I thought Covid was over?  Well, that depends on who you talk to.  But it doesn’t matter if you think it is or isn’t over.  The reality of its effects is here and now.   The effects of lockdowns, economic disasters, and the emotional scarring from the roller coaster we’ve been on are taking their toll.  I’ve been saying for months that a mental health tsunami is coming and its waves are just beginning to hit our shores.   But I want to focus on moms for a moment.  (Dads, I’ll get to you around Fathers Day.) What can you do to personally recover from Covid exhaustion.   #1 - Take care of yourself first.  The trick is to not be selfish about it.  It is ok to tell your husband and kids.  Mommy needs to disconnect and recharge her batteries.  #1 Don’t throw your family under the bus and #2 don’t choose a disconnection that will become addictive.  For example, women’s drink

Last Thursday, after realizing I forgot my wedding anniversary, I took my wife out for a walk that night.   It wasn’t just any walk, it is her favorite one.   Downtown, along the river, plus a couple of slices of our favorite pizza.   We talked about life after Covid, our daughter, marriage, and people we know and love.   It has been moments like these when I realize her resolve to be who God created her to be.   Moms need to know that.  I am saddened by our culture's ranting against mothers.  Today we hear how motherhood is a burden that you can take or leave.  Motherhood has never been a burden to Betty.  N-E-V-E-R  While it hasn’t been easy, the truth is, it has never nor will ever be easy for anyone.   Surveys in 2022 noted that moms feel overwhelmed. shorturl.at/auzH3   Covid, coupled with inflation and job instability is pouring gasoline on the fire.   What can you do? (Moms or Dads)  Prioritize and use the word “NO”.  Once you have determined that motherhoo

Last week we had our house reroofed.   I don’t know if you have ever tried to live through that, but after a while, I thought that this would be a good method to torture someone.   Monday thru Wednesday all I heard was bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang oh an - more banging! A broken window, a thousand questions, and a whole lot more banging later and it was over.  Then, Thursday the 5th of May, I was looking at my phone thinking, wow it is Cinco De Mayo.  Something in me paused.  I felt a disturbance in the force.  Something was wrong.  If it was May the 5th, then that means.  Doh!  Tuesday was my anniversary.   I forgot my 38th wedding anniversary.  It is the first time I have ever forgotten my anniversary.  I was in the dog house, on top of a garbage dump, in the middle of winter with no hope of recovery.  I messed up.   You see, motherhood around our house

Gal 3:5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.   (NLT) Galatians 5: 5 - 6 says 5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. (NLT) So, what fruit do you see in your life?   Yesterday's post asked that question.   Recently I took a Myers-Briggs personality assessment.  I discovered some things about myself I didn’t know, but I knew who I was for the most part.   But those assessments don’t answer the question, what fruit do I see in my life?  Gal 5: 22 - 23 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-con

Gal 3:5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.   (NLT) Galatians 5: 5 - 6 says 5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. (NLT) “Don’t get the cart before the horse.”  I grew up hearing this idiom again and again.  I’d start something but one of my parents would notice that I had missed a step.   In our fast, microwave, get what you want now, no waiting, credit for anyone, let’s get things done culture, we get the cart before the horse - a lot!  When we practice this kind of faith it leads to disaster.   1 Tim 3:6 says “ A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil wo

Gal 3:5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.   (NLT) Galatians 5: 5 - 6 says 5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. (NLT) 1 John 4:8 tells us “God is love”.  Most people read this from their perspective, not John's. Let me help you.  John isn’t saying that God is a loving God, he is saying that God is love itself.  Now, some assume that the emotion of love is God.  This is would be incorrect because it reduces God to an emotion.   When you begin to understand God and His character better, you’ll discover that He isn’t an omnipotent being who has access to everything.  He is an omnipotent being who is eve

Gal 3:5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.   (NLT)   “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so . . .”  I remember these words as far back as I can remember.  In Sunday school and Children’s Church, we would sing it again and again.  “Yes, Jesus loves me, yes, Jesus loves me . . . “   Question: Why would anyone want to get closer to God?  Answer: To experience His love every day.   Lam. 3:22 - 23 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!   His mercies never cease.   23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. (NLT) Faithful, great, steadfast love is always with us, even when we are at our worst.  Here is the promise!  God will always be at His best.  His mercies and compassion (to have tender love, even pity) never stop.  One might this, are we so pitiful?  Yes.  Not because we are worthless, but

Gal 3:5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.  (NLT)  “Good boy!” Exclaimed the lady as she patted the head of the object of her affection.  I wouldn’t be offended so much if it was a dog.  Instead, it was her husband.   He was not amused.  Does God bless you with His presence and blessings just because you’ve been a good boy or good girl?  Do you have an image of Him leaning down from His throne in heaven to pat you on the head?  I hope not.  Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit, (that is the third member of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) isn’t allowed into our lives because we are being good boys and girls (aka - obeying the law).   He is allowed because we believe that Jesus came to this earth, born of a virgin.  That He lived His life among us, with every opportunity to sin - but didn’t.  Gave His