Calm in the Chaos: More Inspirations from the Funny Farm

By K. K. Hodge

During the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic, there seemed to be turmoil and chaos everywhere I looked. We were surrounded by illness, death, loss of jobs, business closures, political debacles, and just for fun, a couple of hurricanes and tornadoes. Life was quite chaotic. I began writing words of encouragement for myself, and soon began sharing them on my blog page. Each morning, I would settle in at my huge kitchen table or out on my back deck, and I prayed, “Give me a word, Lord.” Every day, God gave me a topical word, and from that, a devotional flowed from my keyboard. The words were truly God inspired. My sister and my husband challenged me to continue writing for 365 days, and I accepted the challenge. I thought I would run out of words, but oh no, not this wordy girl! God designed this old girl, and He gave me the gift of gab. Through daily Bible reading, research, and writing of these devotionals, I have grown closer in my walk with Christ, and my good, good God calmed the chaos in my heart day after day. I pray that you too will find solace in these words. May you find calm in the chaos of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664290945

K. K. Hodge

K.K. Hodge is a small-town country girl who has a passion for animals, a love for people, and an unrelenting commitment to Jesus. She is a nurse practitioner by profession and an author by the grace of God. K.K. and her husband, Jeff, own a farm in Mississippi. They have raised traditional farm animals as well as an array of exotic animals. She began writing books as a way of expressing her farm adventures and her faith. Her mission is to share the gospel with as many people as possible. K.K. has previously published two children’s books, Stinking Thinking, and A Raccoon Tale, one inspirational book, Inspirations from the Funny Farm, and a 365 day devotional, Calm in the Chaos.

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Copyright © 2023 K. K. Hodge.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9093-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9094-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023901607

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/01/2023

Contents

January 1

HOPING FOR A HERO

January 2

WALKING WITH GOD

January 3

LIVING WATER OR PUDDLE OF MUD?

January 4

READY FOR A VISIT WITH THE KING

January 5

DON’T BE A TURKEY

January 6

DON’T WIDEN THE PLATE

January 7

FIND A PENNY, PICK IT UP

January 8

FUTURE FULL OF FLOWERS

January 9

MOVING FORWARD

January 10

WHAT DO YOU DO?

January 11

I WANT TO BE LIKE PAUL

January 12

BEHIND THE SCENES

January 13

MONKEY BUSINESS

January 14

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

January 15

JUST LOOK AROUND

January 16

SHARPENING MY SWORD

January 17

GIVE ME SIGHT TO SEE YOU CLEARLY

January 18

KEEP PRAYING

January 19

DEAD ZONE

January 20

FRIENDSHIP

January 21

CUT IT OUT

January 22

GIFT OF GAB OR TERROR OF TALKING

January 23

FAITH IN THE FIRE

January 24

START RIGHT HERE

January 25

WALKING ON WATER

January 26

THE PERFECT GIFT

January 27

PRIORITIES

January 28

WAITING ON A DEER

January 29

REVEALED

January 30

COMING BACK

January 31

PUPPIES AND PEEPS

February 1

PULL ME OUT LORD

February 2

THERE IS A KANGAROO IN MY BED

February 3

BUT...WHAT IF I’M RIGHT?

February 4

PRAYER IS IMPORTANT

February 5

DON’T LIVE IN THE TUNNEL. LIVE IN THE LIGHT.

February 6

COMFORT

February 7

SUNDAYS AIN’T EASY ‘ROUND HERE!

February 8

REVIVED

February 9

LAY IT DOWN AT JESUS’ FEET

February 10

GOD DOESN’T MAKE JUNK

February 11

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY

February 12

THE ROAD TO TRANSFORMATION RUNS THROUGH THE TUNNEL OF TRIBULATION

February 13

SEEK HIM

February 14

MY FIRST LOVE

February 15

THANKFUL FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD

February 16

TWO THINGS ARE CERTAIN

February 17

NOT FINISHED

February 18

HANG ON, THE SON IS COMING

February 19

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

February 20

NEVER BEEN THERE

February 21

WASTED DAYS AND WASTED NIGHTS

February 22

FELLOWSHIP

February 23

WATERING WEEDS

February 24

HE EXISTS

February 25

IT’S ALL RIGGED

February 26

A FRIEND INDEED

February 27

JESUS AND COFFEE

February 28

SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN CHRIST

March 1

LET THEM SEE YOU IN ME

March 2

STANDING ON THE PROMISES

March 3

THE LITTLE THINGS

March 4

COME TO THE TABLE

March 5

STICKS AND STONES

March 6

A SERVANT’S HEART

March 7

HE KNEW ME BEFORE

March 8

WE DON’T HAVE TO ATTEND JUST BECAUSE WE WERE INVITED

March 9

BE A DAVID IN A WORLD FULL OF GOLIATHS

March 10

SET MY SOUL ON FIRE

March 11

FORGIVENESS

March 12

STRENGTH

March 13

SPRING IS COMING

March 14

GREENER PASTURES

March 15

DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

March 16

DAWN IS COMING

March 17

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE DONUT AND NOT THE HOLE

March 18

PRESSURE WASHED CLEAN

March 19

LOVING WELL

March 20

FINDING OUR HOME

March 21

STOP RUNNING

March 22

OTHER-CENTERED

March 23

DON’T WORRY. BE HAPPY!

March 24

HE NEVER LEAVES

March 25

BELIEVE AND RECEIVE

March 26

REMINISCING

March 27

I’M NOT LUCKY

March 28

WHO AM I?

March 29

DON’T GIVE UP

March 30

ALL-ACCESS PASS

March 31

ALWAYS AMAZED

April 1

REMEMBER THE CROSS

April 2

IF JESUS COMES TOMORROW

April 3

RAISED UP

April 4

THE TOMB IS EMPTY

April 5

PATCHWORK QUILT

April 6

SUNDAY IS COMING

April 7

GOD KNOWS

April 8

STORMS OF LIFE

April 9

EVERY DAY IS SPRING

April 10

IF THE GOOD LORD’S WILLING AND THE CREEK DON’T RISE

April 11

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH JESUS?

April 12

DON’T COMPARTMENTALIZE CHRIST

April 13

GOD RESCUES

April 14

TRUST

April 15

FORGET ME NOT

April 16

BETTER GET SOME HELP

April 17

HOPE

April 18

I’M TIRED, BUT I’M GRATEFUL

April 19

MISSION MINDED

April 20

JOY

April 21

HE LEADS ME

April 22

MISSIONS

April 23

CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE

April 24

THIRST

April 25

LET’S GO FISHING

April 26

REJOICE

April 27

I KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOOD

April 28

I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH

April 29

TALENTS

April 30

GRACE

May 1

MERCY

May 2

GROWING WHILE WAITING

May 3

PUTTING OFF AND PUTTING ON

May 4

STUCK

May 5

STILL SMALL VOICE

May 6

GOD RULES, OR DOES HE?

May 7

REFRESHED PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY

May 8

SOUR LEMONS OR SWEET LEMONADE

May 9

WASHED CLEAN

May 10

LOVE

May 11

TAKING CARE OF THE TEMPLE

May 12

SHARING

May 13

TROUBLE, TROUBLE EVERYWHERE

May 14

CONNECTED

May 15

BAREFEET AND CLIMBING TREES

May 16

CRISIS

May 17

TRUST

May 18

WORRY

May 19

FOLLOW THE LEADER

May 20

GROWING PAINS

May 21

TESTS

May 22

GOLDEN RULE

May 23

MOVING TOWARD THE FINISH LINE

May 24

BE SALTY

May 25

RESOLVING CONFLICT

May 26

FAMILY

May 27

CLING TO THE VINE

May 28

BE STILL

May 29

STEAKS, WORMS, AND TRUE LOVE

May 30

FOLLOWING THE RECIPE

May 31

NEVER FORGET

June 1

INTERCESSION

June 2

ALWAYS PRAY

June 3

THORNS

June 4

NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD

June 5

LOVING OTHERS

June 6

JOYFUL HEART

June 7

ANCHOR

June 8

MOLDED AND SHAPED

June 9

CRACKED POTS

June 10

EMPATHY

June 11

UNITY

June 12

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

June 13

MOUNTAINS AND MAJESTY

June 14

DEVIL, GET OFF MY BACK!

June 15

FAMILY

June 16

SAVED

June 17

PICTURE PERFECT

June 18

ONE TRUE GOD

June 19

FEEDING TIME

June 20

SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

June 21

CHURCHING

June 22

GRAINS OF SAND

June 23

CHANGED

June 24

IT IS WELL

June 25

ETERNAL HOPE

June 26

SUNRISE, COFFEE, AND JESUS

June 27

LOVING WHEN THERE IS NO PEACE

June 28

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

June 29

VALUED

June 30

PRAISE THE LORD!

July 1

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

July 2

THE POWER OF PRAYER

July 3

SLOW DOWN

July 4

FREEDOM

July 5

IT’S GONNA BE OKAY

July 6

THE RIGHT NOURISHMENT

July 7

OUTSIDE IN

July 8

ENOUGH

July 9

HEAVEN

July 10

GET OUT OF THE WAY

July 11

NO GREATER FRIEND

July 12

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

July 13

RESCUER

July 14

A THANKFUL HEART

July 15

CROWNS

July 16

CALM IN THE CHAOS

July 17

HABITS

July 18

NO BAD DAYS

July 19

GETTING RICH

July 20

GOD WILL MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE…EVEN IN A PILE OF GARBAGE

July 21

THE LITTLE THINGS

July 22

ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER

July 23

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

July 24

STANDING UP OR SITTING DOWN?

July 25

PERSPECTIVE

July 26

STAMINA

July 27

SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

July 28

FAINTING GOATS AND THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB

July 29

FACING GIANTS

July 30

EXPECTING ANSWERS

July 31

JUST SMILE

August 1

JUST FISHING

August 2

CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

August 3

RESCUED

August 4

DO YOU KNOW?

August 5

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

August 6

BE A FRIEND

August 7

REST

August 8

PLANTING, WATERING, AND GROWING

August 9

THANFUL FOR THE WORD

August 10

THE TRUE VINE

August 11

SEA OF FORGETFULNESS

August 12

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THAT

August 13

WHAT ARE YOU CHASING?

August 14

SOMETHING TO COUNT ON

August 15

LIVING IN PEACE

August 16

I’M NOT IN CONTROL, BUT I KNOW WHO IS

August 17

GROWING IN CHRIST

August 18

MY WEAPON

August 19

OH, MERCY!

August 20

A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO BE

August 21

HELP! I’M TOO BUSY

August 22

STORMS

August 23

FAITH IN ACTION

August 24

PUTTING IT ALL IN GOD’S HANDS

August 25

BORN AGAIN

August 26

TEMPORARY HOME

August 27

OH, MY HEART!

August 28

LIVING SANCTUARY

August 29

SAFE

August 30

GET YOUR WORSHIP ON

August 31

UNITED WE STAND. DIVIDED WE FALL.

September 1

SECRET SERVICE CHRISTIAN

September 2

LET US PRAY

September 3

WHO AM I?

September 4

PERFECT PEACE

September 5

DON’T LET THE BUZZARDS WIN!

September 6

EXILE

September 7

IF ONLY WE COULD SEE

September 8

ENJOYING OR ENDURING

September 9

COME HOME

September 10

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

September 11

REST IN HIM

September 12

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

September 13

ARMED

September 14

FAITH AND HOPE

September 15

DROPPED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

September 16

LEGALISM VS GRACE

September 17

CHANGING WITH THE SEASONS

September 18

THANKFUL I’M A BUMMER

September 19

DON’T BLAME THE DONKEY

September 20

THREE LITTLE THINGS

September 21

REJOICE

September 22

ATTITUDE OF GRATTITUDE

September 23

BACK TO THE BASICS

September 24

FOUND

September 25

BIRTH AND REBIRTH

September 26

PICTURE THIS

September 27

FOLLOWING

September 28

WHAT DO WE NEED?

September 29

A WHOLE LOT OF FAITH

September 30

JUST DO IT!

October 1

LOVE IS FRIENDSHIP THAT HAS CAUGHT FIRE

October 2

FELLOWSHIP

October 3

ON A MISSION

October 4

GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF IT

October 5

SPIRITUALLY DEAD

October 6

MY HEART SINGS

October 7

ONE MORE TRIP AROUND THE SUN

October 8

PEACEMAKER

October 9

PROVING OURSELVES

October 10

PROBLEM SOLVING

October 11

LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

October 12

BELIEVING WITHOUT SEEING

October 13

KEEP ON WORKING

October 14

HOW DO YOU SMELL?

October 15

PEACE, BE STILL

October 16

LOOKING UP

October 17

FEELING LUKEWARM

October 18

REFRESHED

October 19

RESTORATION

October 20

BE A SHEEPDOG

October 21

REMEMBERING SALVATION

October 22

JUST AS YOU ARE

October 23

GOD IN THE VALLEY

October 24

I’M SO GLAD I’M GOD’S PUMPKIN

October 25

USE WHAT YOU HAVE! DO WHAT YOU CAN!

October 26

JESUS IS COMING SOON

October 27

GOD-FI-DENCE

October 28

THE VOTER GUIDE

October 29

CALM AFTER THE STORM

October 30

DON’T BE DISCOURAGED

October 31

REFORMATION DAY

November 1

THANKFUL

November 2

THERE IS POWER IN PRAYER!

November 3

A SOLID OAK

November 4

JUMPING THOUGH THE WINDOW

November 5

COZY IN CHRIST

November 6

GETTING BACK TO CHURCH

November 7

HIS WILL NOT MINE

November 8

DEFINITION OF BLESSED

November 9

IT’S TIME TO SHINE

November 10

MY GOD IS…

November 11

HOPE AT THE END OF THE ROPE

November 12

ANSWERED PRAYERS

November 13

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE LONELY

November 14

LIMITLESS

November 15

SUNDAY BLESSINGS

November 16

FOXES AND GRAPES

November 17

NOT EASY, BUT WORTH IT

November 18

SWEETER THAN HONEY

November 19

A NEW HEART

November 20

THANKFUL

November 21

HE KNOWS ME

November 22

HELEN KELLER

November 23

SLOWING DOWN

November 24

CONNECTED TO THE LIGHT

November 25

BUT WHAT CAN I DO?

November 26

ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR

November 27

THE BEST BLACK FRIDAY GIFT EVER

November 28

GOD’S WILL

November 29

WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP?

November 30

IN THE LION’S DEN

December 1

SERVING GOD BY SERVING OTHERS

December 2

NOT DEFEATED

December 3

FINDING JOY

December 4

WORRIER OR WARRIOR

December 5

STOP AND SMELL THE POINSETTIAS

December 6

CHRISTMAS BUCKET LIST

December 7

LEARNING TO BE HUMBLE

December 8

MOLEHILL OR MOUNTAIN?

December 9

THANK GOD! I DIDN’T GET WHAT I DESERVED!

December 10

DID MARY KNOW?

December 11

CANDY COATED MEMORIES

December 12

THE SWEET GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP

December 13

‘TIS THE SEASON

December 14

NOT ALONE

December 15

WHY SHEPHERDS?

December 16

I DON’T UNDERSTAND

December 17

SILENT REFLECTION

December 18

WHERE IS THE LAMB?

December 19

WOMEN OF THE WORD

December 20

HOW CAN THIS BE?

December 21

IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US

December 22

GUIDING LIGHT

December 23

THE REST OF THE STORY

December 24

THE CHRISTMAS CROSS

December 25

IT MEANS MORE

December 26

HE’S ALWAYS THERE

December 27

TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR A GOOD DAY!

December 28

NO FEAR

December 29

STILLNESS OF THE DAWN

December 30

HELL, FIRE, AND BRIMSTONE

December 31

CLOSE EVERY GATE

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This devotional book is a collection of devotionals written during the years of 2020 and 2021 in the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic. As we were going through the many trials of COVID, I found my daily respite in writing words of encouragement. This is a collection of those words that God graciously laid on my heart. I dedicate this book to my loving husband, Jeffrey, who stood by my side, patiently allowed me to write, and graciously listened to my words. I love you, Jeffrey, and I thank you for being my best friend and the love of my life. I also dedicate this book to my sister, Chandra, who encouraged me to write for 365 days. She is my biggest cheerleader. But most importantly, I give glory to God, for it was God who inspired all these words. Each time I sat down to write, I prayed and asked the Lord to give me a word. He never failed. He gave me these words, and I am happy to share them with you.

January 1

HOPING FOR A HERO

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Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Yesterday, we closed the gate on another year. It was a wet and rainy night here. We didn’t ring in the New Year with fireworks and blasts of excitement. We rang it in quietly tucked in our cozy, warm beds. No fireworks, and no raising of an apple on Time Square. No, I just snuggled up in my big old king-sized bed next to the man I love and thanked God for the past year, and I asked Him to be with me in the coming year. We spend this time of the year in great reflection. We remember the successes of the past year, and at the same time, we remember the trials and failures. We smile with pleasure as we remember the good times that we shared, and a frown sneaks across our brow as we remember the low times. As we walk into this new day and new year, we must forgive and forget, and move forward seeking the path that our Lord and Savior has planned for us. Oh, what a plan He has for us!

If we read Jeremiah 29:11 in context, we soon realize that it doesn’t mean what we thought it did. We cling to this verse with thoughts that God’s plan is to prosper us. However, there is a lot more to it than that. The Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronted the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years. (He did not, by the way.) Jeremiah called out Hananiah’s lie and then stated the promise we read in 29:11. God did indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it was a plan that would give them hope and a prospering future. But before He gave the promise, he shared instructions from God. In verse 7, he proclaimed, But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Wait, what? Surely that wasn’t what they wanted to hear! The Israelites wanted to go home. They didn’t want to stay in bondage any longer. They wanted God’s plan to be their plan…to get out of Dodge. But that isn’t how God works. God wanted the people to stay right where they were and help the people that enslaved them prosper, and by helping their captors prosper, God promised that they too would prosper. But wait, there is more! In verse 10, Jeremiah delivered a little more distressing news from God. For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. The Israelites had to remain in captivity for seventy years. That had to hurt, but thankfully, the words of verse 11 came next. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Verse 11 is where it is at! God’s promise is to give us a future and a hope just as He promised the Israelites while they were in bondage. What does this mean for us? We are going to go through some very difficult days, and some of those days will be much more trying than others. We must remember God can turn those difficult situations into key moments that make His plans for us prosper. God is NOT out to bring harm on us. He loves us so much, but sometimes in our darkest hour, we feel that He isn’t there. We feel that He has left us. We ask Him why He isn’t there or ask Him where He went. He didn’t leave. He never leaves, but sometimes we endure dark moments so that we can experience the most important lessons to help us grow closer to God. It is always on my darkest days that I learn to depend totally on the Father!

God has a way of using the scariest and darkest times of our lives to show us His saving power and grace. Everybody has their favorite superhero. Don’t you just love Superman, Batman, Ironman, or Spiderman? They always swoop in at exactly the right moment, just in the nick of time, to save the world from certain doom! Well, my friends, we have a real-life superhero that puts all these fictional heroes to shame! God sent His Son to save the world. That same God that sent His Son to forever change the world is the same God that is here with you and me today. And that same God has plans for you, and those plans include a future filled with HOPE! Today, rest in the arms of the true Superhero: Jesus Christ. Place your hope in Him. I leave you with these words from Paul in Ephesians 1:18. having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

January 2

WALKING WITH GOD

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Deuteronomy 5:33 You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

With the events of the past year now in our rearview mirror, many of us are not merely walking into the new year. Many of us are running into the new year! Everyone wants to move well past the turmoil of last year and jump right into a new year. A new year is like opening the cover of a brand-new book. The book smells new and fresh. The pages are not worn, and they may even stick together at first. But wait, as you open the book, you find that the pages are blank. There is nothing there. The pages of the book for the new year are completely empty. In this particular book, only God knows. For you see, God is outside of time. He already knows what will happen in the coming year, and He knows exactly how to prepare you and help you make it through.

Our cousin, Carl Strosnider, shared this statement on his daily devotional site this morning, Walk with God, and you will never step into anything He can’t bring you out of. As I read those words, my mind said, Whoa! That is deep, and deeply true! It touched me, and really made me think about how I want to walk into the new year. How can we walk with God in the coming year? We only need to follow Christ with every part of our being. If we are following Christ in all our actions, thoughts, and ways, we can’t help but stay on the right path. And we must ask Christ to walk before us and with us through each day of life. As you make your new year’s resolution this year, are you resolving to walk with God?

I can’t help but think of the men walking to Emmaus after the crucifixion of Christ. And he said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? And he said to them, What things? And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened." (Luke 24:17-21) Do you remember the story? Two friends were walking along and sadly discussing the events. They must have been so distressed. They thought that Jesus was the Messiah. They thought that He had come to rescue them, but He was crucified. They thought that this was the end of the story. They thought that their Savior was gone. They had no idea that they were walking side by side with the Messiah.

Jesus spoke with them and took them through the scriptures explaining things concerning himself, but they could not see that it was Jesus himself walking with them. Finally, as they arrived home, it was getting late, and they invited Jesus to have dinner with them. He then revealed Himself to the men.

The men had absolutely no idea that they were walking right alongside of Christ the King! As we enter this new year, we remember the chaos of the past year. We recall the tragedies. We think about the heartaches. We remember the struggles. We talk about these things until we are blue in the face. We share our grief, anguish, and unrest with those around us. We try to handle everything on our own. We may even want to wallow in our own little pity party for a while. We may feel alone, isolated. Yes, this past year has been difficult, but there is great news! We do not have to walk into the unknown of the coming year alone! Christ cares about our troubles. He cares about our lives even down to the most minute detail. He wants to walk with you as you begin writing the pages of the book of the coming year. Just as He chose to walk with the two men on their way to Emmaus, Jesus chooses to walk with us too! And just as they asked Him to stay a little longer, we can ask too!

Yes, we have started a new year, a new book. We have no idea what will happen this year, but Jesus already does! He knows exactly how to prepare us for the things to come. He goes before you, and He walks with you! Let’s commit to walk with Christ this year!

January 3

LIVING WATER OR PUDDLE OF MUD?

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Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 4:13-14 Jesus said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

In Jeremiah chapter 2, the prophet Jeremiah is proclaiming the Lord’s case against His people. His people had strayed away from God. They were doing their own thing and living their own lives without regard to God and His goodness. They had angered God, and He chose the prophet Jeremiah to make His case to the people. In verse 13 of this chapter, Jeremiah shares that the people have done two evil things in the eyes of God. First, the people had abandoned God. They abandoned the fountain of living water. Secondly, they dug for themselves and filled cracked cisterns that could not hold water. We see throughout the Bible scriptures that the living water is a reference to Christ. Just as we require water to live, we require the Living Water for eternal life.

There are multiple references in the Old Testament of thirsting after God. Two thirds of the human body is water. Water is an absolute necessity to live. When we haven’t had enough to drink, our mouths get parched and dry, and we crave water. We need it to survive. The same thing happens in our spiritual life. We need the Living Water to survive. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need Christ, and when we distance ourselves from the Living Water, we end up with a pot full of mud. We get bogged down in the daily drudgery of life. Rather than filling up with the Living Water, we end up wallowing in a puddle of mud!

God proclaimed in Jeremiah that the people had abandoned the Living Water. They had the opportunity to walk right up to the well and fill their pots with fresh clean water. They had every opportunity to walk with God and quench their spiritual thirst with the Living Water that was so freely flowing. However, they abandoned God. Instead, they dug down below the free flowing well of Living Water and tried to fill their cisterns or clay pots with their own water source, but their pots were cracked…much like their lives, and the water leaked right out of the pots. Their pots were full of mud, but there was no Living Water.

I think that this is what is happening in today’s society. Christ is still offering the Living Water. It is flowing abundantly. Our hearts crave this Living Water. We can’t survive without it, yet we try to do things on our own. We try to dig our own wells in life. We try to find our own sources of joy and happiness, and we try to fill our pots with things we hold dear. BUT…our pots are cracked, and in the end, the pots are just filled with nothing but mud. There is no true joy. There is no true happiness to be found in our pots. No, my friend, we can only find true joy and happiness from the river of Living Water.

Are you feeling thirsty today? Why don’t you go fill up at the spring of Living Water that flows eternally. Fill up with the Spirit. Get up, get dressed, and get in God’s Word! Choose the fresh, bubbling spring of Living Water that gives eternal life rather than an old mudhole that leaves you dirty and still thirsty at the end of the day.

January 4

READY FOR A VISIT WITH THE KING

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1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers.

2 Peter 3:10-11 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness.

Wow! A chaotic year has ended, and with the New Year, we cling to hope and faith in a Christ filled future. I think I’ve said it more times this past year than any previous year, I’m ready for Jesus to return! My question for you today is, are you ready for a visit with the King? A few years ago, an elderly patient told me that she was ready for Jesus to come back. She said that she always made sure that her home was clean and tidy because when He returns, she wanted to ask Him to come in and have dinner with her. Can you even imagine it? Can you imagine supping with the King of kings, Lord of lords?

Personally, I try to keep a tidy home, but I’ll admit, when company is coming, we do a little more intense cleaning to prepare our home. I want everything to be perfect. I want our guests to know that they are important to me, and I want my home to declare this. If I were to plan a big dinner party, but failed to clean the house first, how would my guests feel? If the dirt of a day’s trudging in and out of the dogs after romping around our eighty-acre farm remained on the floor, dirty dishes remained in the sink, or just day to day clutter was lying around, how would my dinner guests feel? They would look around and think that I had not prepared for their arrival. Perhaps they would think that I had busied myself with the meal, but I had not taken the time to prepare the home for their visit. They might think that I had invited them over, but really hadn’t expected them to come. It would appear that I had taken the time to arrange a visit, but I hadn’t taken the time to prepare for the visit.

I think that maybe this is how some of us are walking in our faith walk. Many of us say that we have accepted Christ. We have the membership card tucked safely in our wallets. It is like a get out of hades free card that we hold on to. But we aren’t really walking with Christ. We may have said that we invited Him into our hearts, but that was the end of that. Sometimes people make a head decision, but there is no heart decision. You must have both, y’all! You can’t just make a mental decision to follow Christ without allowing Him in to be the ruler of your heart.

Our hearts must be filled with the Holy Spirit, but we don’t have to spend years cleaning our hearts and lives up before we invite Christ into our hearts. No! If we wait until we feel we are deserving enough, the time will never come. So how then do we prepare for a visit from the King? Unlike the preparations for a dinner party in our home, Christ is the one that has extended the invitation to us. He has extended an open invitation for salvation and a relationship. We only must accept that invitation and allow Him to be the Lord of our hearts. When we accept Christ as our Savior and have made both a head and heart decision to follow Him, He helps us clean up those things that were keeping us from a relationship with Him. Oh yes, my friends, He not only shows us the things that are dirty and that need to be cleansed, but He also helps us clean those things up! I have a dear old friend that will come over before a party and help me prepare. She helps me get everything tidied up, and she helps me prepare the food and set the table for our guests. Christ is an even better friend! He provides everything we need to have our table set and prepared for His glorious return! He gives us His Spirit to guide us and show us the way. He gives us His Word which helps to lead us and encourage us as we walk daily with Him. He gives us grace, mercy, and oh so much love!

I don’t think I will ever feel that my home is totally prepared for the return of Christ. I fear that I will be like Martha, rushing around to make sure everything is perfect for the arrival of the King, when I know that Christ would rather me be like Mary and sit down and soak up the glory of His presence! We do not know when that great day will come, but one thing that I do know without a shadow of a doubt is this. When Christ finally returns, my heart will ready, and until that day, I will continue to strive daily to work on the things that separate me from Him. I am so ready for a visit from the King! Are you?

January 5

DON’T BE A TURKEY

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Galatians 6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Matthew 15:18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

As I walked down to the barn early one morning just before daybreak, I spied with my little eye a white hen lying on the ground. The hen was all crumpled up surrounded by a few loose feathers. At first glance, it appeared that a predator had killed the hen during the night. Sadly, this can happen on a farm from time to time. I failed to inspect the chicken closely as I was in a hurry to feed all the animals and get on with my day. In my mind, I made a mental note to dispose of the poor old dead chicken after I finished my chores in the barn.

I am only human, and I admit that sometimes mornings on the farm are a struggle. There are many days that I roll out of bed, throw my old robe on, walk outside and pull on those old muck boots, and stumble to the barn while rubbing sleep out of my eyes and wondering why in the world am I doing this? But before I even have time to collect my thoughts and spend any time at all contemplating the subject, I hear the answer loud and clear. As I approach the barn, it truly comes alive with all the morning noises: chickens cackling, roosters crowing, cows mooing, goats and sheep baaing, and pigs oinking. Those loud, chaotic, early morning shouts of joy (and sometimes impatience) from the creatures that I so dearly love, can turn a frown upside down like nothing else.

As I fed my furry and feathered friends, I quickly forgot about that dead chicken I saw on my way to the barn. I visited with my barn crew, talking to them, singing to them, and just enjoying the morning as I tried to share the joy with them that they so freely give to me. After everyone had been fed, water buckets and troughs were all filled with fresh water, and everyone was noted to be in good shape, I gathered eggs and said my morning goodbyes.

I had just latched the barn gate and turned around to head toward the house when I saw that chicken out of the corner of my eye. Oh, it was still laying there, but this time, our tom turkey was jumping up and down on that chicken like a kid on a trampoline. That poor chicken wasn’t dead. It was just playing possum and pretending to be dead so that the mean old turkey would leave her alone. I quickly scooped her up and carried her to shelter to recover from the damage done by the turkey dance. After she was held in isolation for a while, she quickly recovered.

Turkeys can just be plain mean sometimes. God didn’t bless turkeys with a whole lot of smarts to begin with, and I suppose maybe they feel like they must act out to try to appear smarter than they are, but they fail so miserably. We have owned several breeds of turkeys through the years, and I must admit that I haven’t found that one species is any smarter or more kind than another.

Turkeys can also be territorial. They will accept you into their flock if you are the hand that feeds them, but that doesn’t mean they have to like you. And just because you feed them, provide safe harbor for them to rest their weary heads, and keep them safe from predators, it doesn’t mean that they owe you or your kin folks any kind of allegiance. We’ve had turkeys that tolerate my husband and I but failed to tolerate our children. The turkeys would pounce on our sons for no reason at all. They would also jump on our vehicles and scratch them up…again, for no good reason at all. They can just be downright ornery!

Why do they feel the need to act out this way? Who knows? I’ve tried to have conversations with them, but unlike some of our other pets, I can’t make heads or tails of what they are saying. It seems that they just want to feed, mate, and be left alone. They appear to act out to try to show that they are tougher than they actually are, or perhaps they feel threatened and are acting out as a defense mechanism. Maybe they just want to show us who is the boss, but they aren’t smart enough to realized that the farmer is the boss.

How many times do we act like silly old turkeys? If things aren’t going our way, we get defensive and act out. If someone argues with us and makes us feel inadequate, we get angry, and we act out. We take it out on the person closest to us even if that person hasn’t done anything wrong. When we get passed over for a promotion, don’t get a compliment for a job well done, or don’t get something we want, we get our feathers all ruffled up and throw a fit. We don’t like to lose. We don’t like to be wrong. We don’t like it when we do not get our way. We want to be admired. We want to be praised. We want to be loved. Many times, we feel that we are not getting any of these things or that we are not getting enough of these things, and we start acting like a silly old turkey. We tend to forget that this is not what life is about. It’s not about us gaining praise, admiration, and always getting our way. Life is about praising God, showing admiration for Him, and recognizing that He loves us and because He loves us, we should show that love to others…all others…even those others that act like turkeys that we don’t want to love. If we could just learn to recognize that the true meaning of the gospel of Jesus Christ is love, we would all be a whole lot smarter and a lot less turkey like.

January 6

DON’T WIDEN THE PLATE

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Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

When I think of the statement, Don’t widen the plate, the first thing that comes to my mind as a nurse practitioner is a diet. I spend a good bit of my day teaching portion control and proper eating habits. But today, I’m talking about a different plate. I’m talking about the home plate on a baseball field. In case you are like myself and are not really a big sports fan, let me explain the basics. A home plate in baseball is 17 inches wide. It doesn’t matter if it is school ball, minor league, or major league, the plate size is supposed to be 17 inches. That basic fact is important for today’s ramblings.

As I said, I’m not really a big sports enthusiast. God didn’t bless me with athletic abilities or skills. He gave me some other great skills for which I am very thankful for. He gave me the skill to be a nurse practitioner, farmer, wife, mother, grandmother, and writer. He even gave me the skill to fall gracefully (and not so gracefully) from which I’ve earned the title Queen of Klutz. No, I’m no athlete, but even I have heard of Coach John Scolinos. He retired from coaching in 1991 after beginning his coaching in 1948. In 1996, he made a speech that impacted many coaches in the field of baseball using a simple home plate. He began his speech with a room full of 4,000 baseball coaches at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN, with a 17-inch home plate hanging from his neck like an oversized necklace. The visiting coaches were likely on the edge of their seats awaiting great knowledge and baseball secrets to roll off the tongue of this wise and renowned coach. They got way more than they bargained for.

After speaking for several minutes, Coach Scolinos finally got around to the home plate that was hanging from his neck like an elephant in the room. He asked the crowd how wide home plate was, and they answered 17 inches. He even asked about the size of home plate for different leagues and age groups. The answer was always 17 inches. He then, after a long pause, asked what do they do if a big-league pitcher can’t hit home plate? Should the plate be widened to 18 inches, 19 inches, or perhaps 25 inches? If it is enlarged, maybe they would have a better chance of hitting it. The coach then turned the plate towards himself and used a Sharpie to draw a house on the plate. He then said, This is the problem in our homes today. With our marriages, with the way we parent our kids, with our discipline. We don’t teach accountability to our kids, and there is no consequence for failing to meet standards. We just widen the plate! He went on to speak of America, our schools, our churches, and our government. We are constantly individually and corporately widening the plate.

I don’t know baseball, y’all, but even I understood that, and I understood it to be completely true. He spoke those words in 1996. Coach Scolinos died in 2009, but wow, what a mark he left on this country. There is so much wisdom in these words, but all these years later, we are still widening the plate. We wonder why society is failing. We wonder why everything is not as it should be. Well, it could be because we keep widening the plate. The game of baseball has instructions and guidelines. The players, coaches, and umpires know the rules of the game, and they know the standards which they must uphold. They don’t change the rules to suit the player or the game. We have an instruction manual for life. God gave us His Holy Word, the Bible. Unfortunately, we don’t follow our manual the way that the baseball players follow theirs. We tend to pick and choose the parts that we want to follow. If there is something we don’t like, we simply ignore that part. When we get angry, we pick out a piece of scripture that goes along with our current rage and shout that part to the world, but we leave out the context in which the scripture came from. We quote scripture on good days, and then shout obscenities on other days. We look and see what is good for society and assume it is good for ourselves, even though we know that the Word of God contradicts this. We try to add to the Word or take away the stuff we don’t like. We can’t keep widening the plate! And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Revelations 22:19)

If we want our country back, our homes back, our families back to the way things should be, we must stop widening the plate! We must join together and read the instruction manual for life every day. Learn the standards that Christ has given us. I’ve always been a rule follower, and following Christ is something that I want to do with every ounce of my being. I’ve heard it said that the Bible is just an old book of rules or that it’s too hard to follow the standards of the Bible. I’m here to tell you that it is not! When you give your heart completely to Christ, serving Him becomes a joy, and learning the standards for living a godly life becomes a yearning. It’s not hard work. It’s pleasing to the mind and soul. Today’s challenge is to get back to the basics! Let’s get back to God’s Word and remember His ways because His ways truly should be our ways! Don’t widen the plate!

January 7

FIND A PENNY, PICK IT UP

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Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Psalm 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Psalm 62:1-2 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Find a penny and pick it up, and all the day you will have good luck! I have no idea how many times I chanted this as a child. I can recall my childhood days of shopping trips and huge parking lots. We always scoured the ground as we walked looking a coin that someone had inadvertently dropped. There was a little rule to this luck game though. The penny had to be heads up to bring good luck…at least that was what we were always told. If it were tails up, the coin was left behind for some other lucky person to find. Oh, what a joy it was in finding a shiny coin and putting that coin into my pocket.

Nowadays a penny isn’t worth much at all, but I still catch myself looking to see if a discarded coin is heads up or not. I didn’t realize until recently that the heads up part actually has a lot more significance. I read a story about a wealthy employer who had invited his employee and spouse to his home for a weekend. The employer lived a true life of luxury and his vehicles cost more than the employee’s home. He took them out to the finest restaurants, and the employee was enjoying the lavishness of it all. She knew that it wouldn’t last long, and she was soaking up every minute of it. One night, as they were walking from the car to a restaurant, the rich employer stopped for several seconds looking down at the ground. The employee looked trying to discern exactly what the employer had spotted. She saw nothing but a darkened aged penny and some discarded cigarette butts. After a few moments, the employer bent over, picked up the penny, and put it in his pocket with a big smile on his face.

The employee was shocked. She thought, why in the world would this man of extreme wealth pick up an old, discarded penny that wasn’t worth a thing. It troubled her throughout the meal, and finally, she mentioned to the employer that her child had collected coins and wondered if the coin he found was of some special significance. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out the penny with a smile and told her to look at the penny and read what it says. She read the words, United States of America. He said, Not that, keep reading. Then she read, In God We Trust? The man said, Yes! And he went on to explain that if he trusts God, then the name of God is holy, even on a coin. He explained that whenever he found a coin, he sees that inscription. It is on every single United States’ coin, but we never seem to notice it. He further explained that when he sees a coin, he stops and prays and places his trust in God at that moment. He picks the coin up as an act of response to that trust, and he stated that for a short time, at least, he cherished the coin as if it were gold. He also shared that it was God’s way of starting a conversation with him. He said, Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

I think of all the coins that have passed through my life over the years, and I just let that phrase slip right through my hands without giving it a second glance or acknowledging the name of God. This story sheds a whole new light on Find a penny pick it up! I look around at this beautiful country that God blessed us with, and I recall that we were founded as one nation under God. I can’t even entertain the thought of watching the news this morning because it is just another reminder that we are no longer one nation under God. Oh, don’t get me wrong. God is still in charge, but this nation is so divided. There is utter chaos ongoing, and I’m afraid it is going to get much worse. I trust that God has a plan though. His plans are always so much better than anything I could devise in this simple mind of mine. I just get a little impatient at times waiting for the plan to unfold. But then, I am reminded of a simple but significant phrase on a seemingly worthless penny, In God We Trust. I think I’ll start looking for pennies again. We need that simple reminder all day every day, and it is written on all of our coins. Place trust in God. The future seems uncertain, but I know my God is bigger than all my fears. I’m going to trust Him!

January 8

FUTURE FULL OF FLOWERS

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Psalm 23:5-6 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Are you and optimist or a pessimist? I think that as a believer in Christ, we must be more optimistic than pessimistic. When I face the coming year, I can worry over the future events that are yet to come, or I can rest assured that my future will be bright. When asked why I am so optimistic about the new year, and what I think the new year will bring, I can joyfully say that I think the new year will bring flowers, lots and lots of flowers, fresh garden vegetables, and homemade jelly! Oh yes, we must make lots of jelly. These are a few of my favorite things. How can I know that the new year will bring these things? Well, that’s simple. I’m going to plant flowers, lots of flowers. I’m going to plant and care for our garden, and I’m going to make the jelly. I know that these things will be a part of my coming year because I intend to do what is necessary to make these things happen. If you know me at all, you know that my thumb is as black as soot, but praise the Lord, He gives me great soil, water, and sunshine, and He gave me a husband with a very green thumb.

This past year was not one of my favorites. There were a lot of trials, losses, and difficulties, and it looks like this year has started off on the wrong foot as well. If I were pessimistic, I’d look at the coming year with a frown on my face and run the other way. But, because I know Christ, I can face the new year with optimism. We tend to get caught up in the trials of life, the negativity that surrounds us, and circumstances that are beyond our control. These things try to steal our joy away. But those difficulties haven’t met our God yet! No! We can’t let the trials of life stand between a joy filled life with Christ. What then do we do? When we find ourselves discouraged or down, we must remember that we need to give our troubles to God. We simply need to share all our concerns with Him, and He will provide the strength to not only endure the difficulty, but also to overcome it!

It really boils down to the fact that our attitude is a matter of choice. We began each day fresh and new, and we can face the day with fear, or we can face the day with faith. The first thing I do each morning when I wake up is pray. The next thing I do is grab a cup a coffee and dig into God’s Word. Afterwards, I can rest assured that no matter what I may have to face during my day, I will not be facing it alone. Does this mean that I won’t have any bad days? Of course, it does not. But it does mean that I can face each day full of hope and faith in Christ, and at the end of each day, no matter how bad things seem to have been, I can look up and thank the Lord for seeing me through every trial. My hope is in Him, and His unfailing love carries me through every single day.

I love Psalm 23. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5) READ THAT AGAIN. My cup overflows with blessings. One of my favorite sayings that my family has heard hundreds of times is: My cup is overflowing, and I’m drinking from the saucer. With Christ, this is absolute truth. He bestows blessings upon me that I definitely do not deserve, and He gives me so many blessings that my cup literally overflows. The next part is even better than that. His goodness and unfailing love with surely pursue me all the days of my life. Y’all that is better than a big old slice of chocolate cake and hot cup of coffee! His goodness and unfailing love pursue me! Wow! Isn’t God amazing? And you can be sure that if he is pursuing this old redneck girl from Mississippi, He is pursuing you too!

Are you optimistic about the coming year? What do you think it will bring? I think it will bring lots and lots of flowers, but I know that it will also bring hope, love, laughter, and life. And with that hope, love, laughter and life, we can plant seeds joyfully sharing the love and light of Christ to those we encounter every day. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know who holds the future!

January 9

MOVING FORWARD

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Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I spent the entire day yesterday taking down the Christmas decorations and storing them away for another year. I wasn’t moving slowly, but I did kind of overdo it with my decoration efforts this year. Last year was tough on everyone, and I know that the One who got me through every single difficulty was the One we celebrate at Christmas. Although we weren’t going to be having any big parties this year, and only immediate family and friends would enjoy the decorations other than myself, I still wanted to do it up big. Why? I know that we celebrate Christ every day, but I felt like I needed to really celebrate big this year.

Yesterday, as I was taking everything down and struggling to stow it all away, I was temporarily regretting my decision to go big this year, but when I woke up this morning, there were no regrets. Today as I finish getting my house in order, I