What's the Point?

What's the point of all the pain...of all the sorrow...of all the loss...of all the hurt...of all the stress and worry and fear that surround us? What's the point of it all? Don't you just wonder about it? Don't you just want to ask God to answer so at least we'd know that there was a point...a purpose to it?

Often, as Christians we feel bad questioning God. We tend to believe that we need to just be accepting and meek and obedient...and just take it...like good little soldiers of the faith. Complaining is not in our vocabulary...or at least it shouldn't be, right? We are so very blessed. And yet...so we feel bad that we do...and yet...

I don't think we should feel too bad, though. People in the Bible, giants of the faith, have done their fair share of questioning and complaining and of giving grandiose exclamations of the ridiculousness of it all. For instance, look at how the the writer of Ecclesiastes, attributed to King Solomon, opens his book. 

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”

says the Teacher.

“Utterly meaningless!

Everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 1:2

These words might seem unsuitable for those of us who profess our faith in the Almighty. I dare say that not many who seek to memorize encouraging Scripture filled with hope and peace to have them as part of their arsenal so they can defend themselves when the enemy attacks, might count Ecclesiastes 1:2 as one of their go-to...at least I don't. These utterings are a declaration of something fiercely raw. They express vulnerability, a boiling point when there's not much left to do but to admit that what we had thought is not so. 

I don't know about you, but when I read the opening lines of a book exclaiming that "everything is meaningless," I don't particularly feel hopeful, warm and fuzzy inside. This is not the kind of hook that makes me want to grab the book, and curl up with it in front of a cozy fire with a warm blanket and socks in a winter night so I can feel protected and safe. Instead, this opening puts me right outside in sub-zero degree temperature, sinking in the snow, naked.

And these words coming from "the Teacher"? That just adds a deeper sense of doom to the whole thing. 

Why? Why is "the Teacher" sounding so defeated? Why is he saying that everything is meaningless? Maybe because it is...

I read that the word translated "meaningless" or even "vanity" in other versions, means "wisp of vapor." Like vapor, the author is telling us that the things of this world are without much substance. How is that possible? All our toiling under the sun is useless...empty. Really? In a way, yes. These are the words of someone who has found out that the material world is not the end goal. The things of this world belong to this world, and as we know, we do not! This world is not our home. We belong to Heaven. Our focus, therefore, needs to be on the things eternal. Our true realm is the spiritual, and as such, that's where our eyes should be. That's where we transcend. That's where we find meaning and substance. That's where God is. That is our true home.

What's the point then? The point, I believe is that we ought to let the world keep its things. All the pain, sorrow, loss, tears and fears will remain here once we've departed for our final destination. They were part of the refining fire, the furnace that burned all the impurities and allowed the gold to come out. They were part of the cross that everyone must carry along with Jesus as He redeems us through the blood of His sacrifice. While we journey through the emptiness of this world, gratitude for the blessings sees us through, always remembering not to get too attached. 

Therefore, let's live for eternity. Let's not worry too much because this life is but a vapor. God can take our questioning. He is bigger than our complaining and anguish and our neediness. He welcomes it as part of our growing, and He invites us to walk with Him as He shows us how eternity has already begun.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1 John 5: 11

What is Success?

 What do you think of when you hear the term "success" being applied to something? To me, success is pretty much always linked to gains or wins. I think I'm successful when I win at something. It usually is a result of hard work and the outcome is that I get something. As a teacher, I tell my students stuff like: work hard, complete all your assignments and turn them in on time and you'll be successful in this class (meaning, they'll pass). Anyway, success to me is a word very much associated with the material. In other words, it is closely linked to the world. But is it? Is there another aspect of success? Does success have another angle? A different face?

I'm currently wresting with a piece of Scripture that is, as all Scripture is, amazingly brilliant but at the same time, seemingly unattainable. The verse is, Romans 12: 2,

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Do you know what I mean by "seemingly unattainable"? How in the world (literally) will I ever renew my mind? How will I ever accomplish such a transformation? How could I successfully complete this daunting assignment and submit it on time so I can pass this class?

Could the impossibility of this task have something to do with a flaw in my interpretation of "success"?

Hard work, effort, completing assignments, winning...did I leave out some important elements? What about prayer? And the Holy Spirit? And Scripture? And seeking Godly guidance? And Jesus being the Way?

I guess I forgot to think about success from a spiritual perspective...sigh...

When I read Romans 12: 2 all I see is my part: I have to stop conforming to the patterns of this world. I have to be transformed. I have to renew my mind. I have to seek, find, see and understand God's will. I, I, I, I...it's all on me. It's no wonder the task seems impossible. Of course I don't think I could ever be successful enough to win. I'm relying on my own abilities...my own strength...I'm going at it alone. Is it because I want the glory at the end? Am I thinking this is all on me, and only me, because I want to be able to say: look at me and what I have accomplished! I was a wreck...but I am now transformed! Or is it confusion? Am I confused as to what my role is in this journey to the deep transformation of my mind?

I believe it might be a bit of both. But mostly, I think I'm just not sure how to go about it and what my responsibility is and where I have to just let God be God. In reality, though, if I am honest with myself, isn't it all in God's hands? Isn't He the Only One who can? Isn't my role to just trust Him and rely on His strength through which I can do all things? I think that's it, isn't it? My job is to give Him my all, which include my feeble efforts at not conforming to this world, at taking every thought captive and not allowing my mind to rule over me, but me rule over my mind...and trust that God will equip me to accomplish this as He works in me through the process of sanctification!

This is a life-long process and it requires my all and my desire to follow Him. It requires me to invoke the Holy Spirit, trust in the Father and follow Jesus as He is the Way, the Truth and the Life...the Only Way, the Only Truth and the Only Life through which I could ever be successful in this journey to a full transformation...a transformation that may not be rewarded until I am in His presence. 

What is success, then?

Success is surrender.

Success is surrendering to God's will for us, whatever it is, trusting His Word which He has given us in Scripture, and walking with Him for as long as He gives us life, knowing that He loves us so much that He will not leave us the same. It doesn't matter if the change did not produce the metamorphosis we envisioned...but nobody would ever stay the same after an encounter with the Living God...for we will all be transfigured in Him. And that's the biggest win of all!

You Are Magnificent!

 Do you believe you're magnificent?

Do you see yourself as radiant?

Do you take people seriously when they say that you are wonderful?

No, nope, nada...

Why do you think some of us struggle to find, believe, accept our worth? Maybe that's not one of your struggles, but I know it is certainly one of mine. I have a hard time finding, believing, accepting that I have something valuable to offer and that I am not just a mistake of my parents...which they didn't say I was...they just called me a "surprise" but in my head that sounded a lot like, "Holy...blip...what a mistake!"

At any rate, sometimes I believe that in the process of trying to become humble and act in humility, often we...me...end up falling for the trap of denying my essence. My insecurity regarding my value comes from a place of darkness that is not of God. It is the enemy's tool to bring me down and to make me feel unworthy of God's enduring, mysterious, unexplainable, never-failing love. 

Why would God love me? I suck! I am totally unlovable! I'm the worst person ever to walk on this earth! Expressions like these are not communicating humility. They are communicating lack of understanding of who we really are. This type of self-destructive talk expresses an internal struggle between believing God's word and falling for the lies of the devil. 

How do we end such an internal battle?

I think, I'm not sure...here's my insecurities acting up again...but the answer is in internalizing the truth! And what is the truth? Well, for one, Jesus died for me. I mean...that's a pretty significant truth that should lift me up any time I feel low, don't you think? God loved me so much that He sent Jesus to be born and be sacrificed for the forgiveness of my sins...yes...mine...not just the sins of others...my sins too. He died for me as well. Over 2,000 years before my birth, Jesus died for me.  Mind blowing, isn't it? But TRUE!

I was created in the image of God. How's that for believing I'm valuable, huh? Not at the image of my earthly Father (which is what I always think since I am so much like him). I was created in the image of God Himself! I'm part of His creation, and all He created has His spark in it. Belittling myself is denying I have God's essence in me. I was fearfully and wonderfully made. And Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well, and that's the truth! I'm not boasting on how wonderful I am. I'm boasting on how wonderful Our Creator is, and on how marvelous His creation is and I praise Him for making me a part of it...a part of His workmanship, created for His good works! And as part of His creation, I look at Him, and He makes me radiant! And that's a FACT!

That's why the enemy works so hard on deceiving us. That's why the devil pushes us with such constancy against the wall of our insecurities. He wants us to believe the lie and forfeit the truth. He wants us to believe the lie of our worthlessness masqueraded in false humility to forfeit the truth that regardless of being completely undeserving, God chose us to be His own and to be a recipient of His Love and the temple of the Holy Spirit for a purpose that fits in His master plan, and through Him, despite all our flaws, we are magnificent!

Thank you, Lord, for reminding us of the truth. May we keep reading Scripture consistently so through its power You protect our hearts from the harmful lies of the enemy as we assimilate the truth of Your Love and of who we are: Yours! In the Precious Name of Jesus, Our Healer, Redeemer, Restorer and Friend. Amen!

Scripture references:

Psalm 34: 5  "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."

Ephesians 2: 10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works".

Psalm 139: 14 "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

2 Corinthians 5: 17  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Genesis 1: 27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

1 Corinthians 6: 19 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,"

Genesis 1: 31 "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."

It Ends in Victory!

Well, January is underway...2/3rds gone already. A snowy winter with low temps...I guess that's what winters in this neck of the woods are supposed to be like. It's just that we haven't in a few years, so I got used to mild temperatures and dry Januarys. 

Anyway, as I sit here, looking out my window at the snowed covered grounds that surround me, contemplating that a new semester is about to start, feeling the stress of work and the unknown creeping in once again...I remembered my word for this year: PEACE...and how easily I lose it...sigh...

Why is peace so elusive? 

Maybe this is not your struggle, but for me, peace is a most difficult goal to attain. Often, it feels more like a dream...like a fairy tale or fantasy football...like make-believe or lemon drops, rather than an actual, real fruit of the Holy Spirit. Why isn't the Spirit growing this fruit in me?

Yeah, I said it. The question that has been lingering in my heart forever. Why isn't the Spirit growing peace in me?

...long pause...

I wonder if 2 Corinthians 4: 18 might show some light on my conundrum,

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4: 18

Could it possibly be that part of the problem is that I am too focused on what is seen? Could it be be that I see everything through the lenses of this material world, and I forget that I am just passing through...that this is not home? 

Forgetting about the eternal could rob us from our stability.

Keeping our eyes on the things of this world could cause us to believe this is it.

Obsessing over our circumstances could steal our peace.

Like Pastor Dan said in his sermon yesterday, the thing we have to keep in mind and try to assimilate is that regardless of all the suffering, sorrow, problems, issues, hardships we may face in this sphere, for Christians, "it always ends in Victory!"

We have already won because Jesus is already Victorious and in Him we WIN! That is the eternal perspective. That is, I believe, what Paul is telling us. If we put our faith and our efforts in the material realm, we are basing our lives on the temporary. And the temporary, but definition, is not stable. But I think we do it because, at least if you are like me, we need to feel that we have some semblance of control. And we can only control what we see. So we invest our energy trying to make everything in our world just like so. In reality, however, our energy and time would be better spent in cultivating an eternal point of view. This eternal point of view allows us to see that we are part of God's master plan and that the things that happen to us while we are journeying through this earth are not where we find stability. The stability that brings peace is found on the Solid Rock upon which we stand, and as we trust Him, we let go...because we are confident in His promise that Victory is ours as much as it is His.

I know I am not just magically going to be swimming in the deep waters of the river of peace, completely undisturbed any time soon. However, I believe now, that the Holy Spirit IS working in me even if it is ever so quietly that I can hardly perceive it. But He IS because it is not about me. It is about His design, and I'm just a small piece of it, and as He works in others, He works in me as well...one day at a time...until He calls me home. 

My job in the meantime is to trust Him and to put my hope in the wisdom of His perfect will. Think eternal. Be grateful that He chose me to be a part of His plan. And remember we have already Won!

In the Precious name of Jesus our Christ! Amen!

Peace for the New Year!

 Where has time gone?

That is a common question around this time of the year. The last day of 2024...it just seems unreal, doesn't it? The answer? I have no idea...all I know is that it went way too fast, and at the same time, not fast enough. Marked by loss, anguish, anxiety, fear, I struggle to find moments of beauty. I know they were there, but they are blurred by the dense fog of hot tears. Today, however, I want to take a moment to turn my eyes to the One Who Makes ALL things new...and allow Him to clear my vision and light up the lamp unto my feet so I can see the path that leads me to where I can see the blessings.

Holy Spirit, Divine Gardener of our souls, on this cloudy morning, this last morning of 2024, I pray that You will guide me and inspire me to focus not on the weeds, but on the harvest of gratitude that you have grown all around my fields. Despite of all my efforts to mess things up, You are always creating a way and a purpose. One example of that this year was seeing Grant graduate from College. You took care of him all through his 4 years at Geneva and continue to do so today and for the rest of his life even though I am the most unfit of Mothers. You also took care of Dylan in his injury and have made something great come out of it: a passion, and for that my heart fills with joy. You took care of me in my despair when facing scary health results and surrounded me with the prayers of those angels you've placed on my path. You have walked with Dan every day as he strives to perform in righteousness everywhere he goes. You continue to take care of our extended families near and far. You have planted the seeds of fellowship in our beloved church and have cover us with Your presence and with the warmth of your embrace as we traverse through valleys of shadows and death. You have brought light in our darkness and a shelter in our wandering. You have shown us that You are, indeed, our refuge and strength just as You promised You'd be. Though the tears still flow, I trust You will one day, in Your time and place, wipe them all away.

Looking back at this year, I can say that I recognize how You are the One who can turn graves into gardens. You are the Only One who can make a mess seem beautiful...You are the One who can bring order out of chaos. And for that I thank You. I was reminded this Christmas season that it is not about me or my circumstances...it's not even about family and loved ones...it is all about You. You are the source of our gratitude. Your plan to take on flesh so You could be the Perfect and Only acceptable sacrifice to atone us, and Your decision to dwell in our hearts until You come back again or call us home IS what we celebrate. And for opening my eyes to that truth this year, I am most grateful.

Today, as we close the season and the year a word keeps resonating in my heart, mind and soul...the word is Peace. I know that over the years I have written quite a bit about the concept of peace. Now, I want to re-take it and re-claim it not as a concept in the abstract, but as a tangible reality that is possible to experience regardless of what is going on around us, because Peace is a Person. Peace is Jesus. True Peace is found in the Presence of Christ in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit, the most precious gift we could receive on this earth. So, as I enter 2025 with anxious thoughts and trepidation, I lift up a prayer that the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in our lives in magnificent ways so we know...really, truly know He is here, so His presence can fill us with the promised peace that should run like a river in our souls.

Have a blessed 2025. May we walk each day knowing He holds us with His loving hand so we can journey in peace. In the Precious Name of Jesus. Amen!

Chapter 7 of the Book Winning the War on Worry by Louie Giglio

 Do you remember who was the first person who ever taught you about "thank you" being one of the magic words?

I really do not remember. The concept of saying "thank you" has been so ingrained in me since my first consciousness that I could not pin-point who was the first person who ever instilled that rule in my heart. And yes, we also think "thank you" is one of the "magic words" in the cultures of the people who speak Spanish. We have adults telling us in very stern voices and with raised eyebrows, something like: "¿Cómo se dice?" or "what do you say?" every time we are supposed to say thank you. So early on, we learn.

The question is: WHY??? Why do societies place such an importance on making sure children grow up knowing how and when to say this expression of gratitude? Why is it so crucial that we learn it? 

Did you know that expressing thanks is not as universal as we think? In some cultures, it might even be considered rude and/or a sign of vanity to say something like "thank you." That blows my MIND!

More interestingly, did you know it is within the Judeo-Christian world where the concept of gratitude is most deeply rooted and practiced? 

Look at these trivia bits: in China, they don't really say thank you because they think the favor will come back around in the future. In other Asian countries, they view saying "thank you" as distancing, insincere, rude or even too sarcastic to be appreciated. Some indigenous languages don't even have a word for "thank you." In Hebrew, however, expressing gratitude is key...especially when praying. Check this out. As I was reading about these things, I found out that the very word for a Jewish person (Yehudi in Hebrew) has the same root as giving thanks – which is hoda’a in Hebrew. So, instead of calling the Jewish people – People of the Book, linguistically it would make more sense to call them “the Grateful People”! It is no wonder then, that regions of the world where the principles of Judeo-Christianity have had a great impact, would place such emphasis on being grateful. 

Pastor Giglio in chapter 7 of his book Winning the War on Worry brings up a ton of important ideas to ponder. One of them is the role of a grateful heart when waging the war against worrying. He brings the point home by citing Philippians 4: 6-7,

"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"

Did you notice the little phrase "with thanksgiving"? Pastor Giglio wants us to really pay attention to that little combination of words tucked in the middle of this powerful piece of Scripture. He wants us to realize that a grateful heart is instrumental on this battle against worry, which in essence is the battle for our minds. When worry attacks, we literally lose our minds. We lose control over our minds and we spiral down into a pit of negativity and despair that is very difficult to climb out of on our own. The best course of action is to not allow ourselves to descend down those depths of darkness. Sometimes, however, the weight of our circumstances is so heavy that we slip and fall. It is then that we must recover our minds and remember God's Word that encourages us to pray and to be thankful..."in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5: 18). Notice the call is to be thankful in... it doesn't say for all circumstances. So in our darkest hour we recall the Goodness of God and His enduring love, and all His attributes and all He is and all He has done for us and how He has rescued us before so He will rescue us again, and we thank Him in advance for all of that and we dwell in Him, seeking His Light and trusting He is holding us as we continue to thank Him in our hour of worry.

See, the devil knows gratitude pulls us out of the pit...that's why he doesn't want us to remember to be grateful in every circumstance. He feeds his lies to us telling us "really? You are thankful for this??? What kind of a cruel god gives you garbage and then asks you to be grateful for it? But it is "in" it...not "for" it so don't listen to the enemy, listen to the truth, and the truth is that "gratefulness is a torpedo that sinks worry," like Pastor Giglio says. "Gratitude opens the doorway for praise, and praise dispels fear. Worry and worship cannot be in our mouths at the same time. One always displaces the other." (96)

So, I encourage us to try this together. Next time we are either descending or already down there, in the darkest corner of the pit of worry, let's start thanking God. Let's start recalling our blessings, naming them one by one...maybe we should have a list of blessings written down so we can read them out loud at this moment...and let's see what happens. What do we have to lose? Nothing. We have nothing to lose and a whole lot to win. Although we do have one thing to lose: worry. For, as we praise and thank God for our blessings, worry will begin to lose its power in us and the peace that transcends all understanding will begin to flow like a river.

Even though I can't remember who was the first person to teach me about saying "thank you," I'm so glad I grew up in a culture where they teach kids to be grateful. It is a most crucial weapon to win this war, indeed!

Let's wrap it up with the prayer at the end of chapter 7:

Father, I just want to say thank You. thank You for saving me. Thank You for seeing me when I was far off. Thank You for the power of Your cross to overcome every bit of darkness and despair. thank You for being able when I am not, for being awake and alert and mindful of me. You are infinite and intimate, and I bow in adoration of You. Amen!

Chapter 6 of the Book Winning the War on Worry

 I. LOVE. HOME. RENOVATION. SHOWS!!! Some may say I'm addicted to them.

I just can't get enough of those shows. I love them so much that we had to get rid of our HGTV subscription because nobody could remove me from my favorite chair in front of the TV...so, I'm happy to say that it has been a couple of years since I have watched any. I went cold turkey and I haven't been back. I finally realized I had wasted enough time watching (also, Dan cut me off since he realized where the "leak" in our finances was...)

Anyway, I still dream about home renovations and redecoration, and relocation, etc. I just get so excited with the prospect of seeing something completely gutted and then put back together in new and fascinating ways. I picture it in my mind and it looks beautiful...then, when I see it completed it usually is way better than anything I imagined. One of the things I love the most is the opportunity to fix problems that could have been hidden behind the walls and we didn't know anything about. We remodeled our bathrooms a few years ago and since then our drains have been working so much better! In our old house we remodeled the kitchen and the bathroom and the back patio. I hated to leave since we finally had gotten everything to work like clockworks! The patio remodel was total insanity. They found boulders buried underneath! Literally, the contractors had to rent a crane to pull them out! It was so weird. I wish I could find the pictures. I can't wait until we remodel our kitchen in our current house since everything is falling apart in there. But I digress...

The reason I started thinking about this was because Pastor Giglio in chapter 6 of his book, Winning the War on Worry, talks about "putting a dagger in the heart of worry" by using the metaphor of undergoing a "home renovation." Actually, he is not talking about just like a kitchen, bathroom or patio remodel. Nope. What he is encouraging us to do is to totally demolishing the house! (75) That is serious stuff. Can you imagine? How long have you lived in your current home? I haven't lived here very long, but I think of Dan's homestead...it has been in his family for over 100 years. He doesn't really know any other home, "home." I cannot imagine his family ever considering the passing thought of demolishing that old house...unfathomable. Yet, that is precisely what we must do if we want to stab worry in the heart and finally defeat it. We have to completely tear down the house we have built for it to dwell for as long as we have been worried.

It is discouraging to think that we built that house of worry. But the encouraging thing is that since we built it...we can demolish it. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, by the strength of Jesus and the Word of God, we can tear it down. Like Pastor Giglio says, "the wrecking ball that turns this house of lies into a pile of rubble is the power of the Name of Jesus." (76) The same way the spiritual warfare is not of this world and we have to battle it with weapons that are not of this world, we demolish the house of worry using the tools and strategies provided to us by the Spirit. And the first one is: a new way of thinking.

Pastor Giglio says that in order to drive the dagger through the heart of worry we must think about different things than the things that are causing us to worry. He uses Philippians 4:8 as the basis for this strategy:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

I LOVE this verse. I always have been drawn to it as a way to help me achieve the renewal of the mind that we are commanded to do in Romans 12: 2. But I can say I have never put it in the context of a total house renovation manual to get rid of worry. But it is so clear now that he points it out. Worry is all about a state of mind. The way to eradicate it is precisely by achieving the renewing of the mind...but how do we GET to that renewal? Well, by doing what Philippians 4: 8 says: "think about such things!" What things? whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. 

What an "AHA!" moment. 

It's all about being aware. Pastor Giglio says, whenever the thoughts of worry begin to creep up into our minds and hearts, the first thing we need to ask ourselves is: "where did that thought come from?" He suggests we ask the question out loud again and again. The answer will come to us and it will be that the thought came either from God or from somewhere else. And the way to confirm if it was from God is by going back to Philippians 4:8. We ask ourselves, is it true? Is it noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy? If the answer is no...then...the thought came from somewhere else and we must combat it, take it captive, by thinking about such things in the list.

One of the practical exercises we see in this chapter is to take one of the words Paul encourages us to think about and write out a list of thoughts that relate to that word. I suggest we take a word a day, and create a list for each of the words...so...when we are attacked by worry, we can go to our lists and think about the things we wrote down. 

I know, it all sounds way too easy. And it is NOT. But the most important thing we need to remember is that it is not by our power that we will accomplish any of these things. It is by the power of Jesus living in us. "Through Christ we are resurrected, a new creation, no longer under the power of this world and its ways. We are free and perfectly loved, and as such, we can take back our minds, eliminating worry and accepting the easy and light yoke of our Good and Gracious Savior!" (83)

So let's gather our tool box. Let's gut the house of worry. Better yet, let's tear it down. Let's fix the hidden problems, replace the plumbing, open the drains, find the leaks, pull out the buried boulders and rebuild. By the Power of Jesus, we can do this! Be with us, Lord. Be Our Cornerstone! In Your Hands we place our efforts. Amen!