Praise God! Jesus Christ is coming! Blessings, Lisa
Behold He Comes, Riding On the Clouds
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Category Archives: Life
True Peace
We all say we want peace. We all say we want a happy life. But it is hard. Life hits all of us hard with hard things that seem to produce the opposite of peace.
It all drives me running back to God’s Word to see what peace is. What it really is. What God tells us about how to achieve this elusive thing. All these verses encouraged my heart this morning, and I hope they do for you as well. There are so many wonderful ones that I had trouble selecting my favorites. Praise God for his perfect wisdom! Blessings, Lisa
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. – Romans 8:6
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. -Isaiah 26:3
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. – Psalm 34:14
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. – 2Corinthians 13:11
Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. – Isaiah 48:18
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. -1 Thessalonians 5:23
Photo -one of Killarney lakes, 2001. Ed Lyons
Dusting Off
Old friend rediscovered
The dust is off
The hands are rusty
But the strings are true.
How many times we lose track of something in the crazy busy pace of life. The dust accumulates, and we forget. There is such joy in the rediscovering of something that was lost.
Be it friend, family, hobby, faith. The dusting off reveals the beauty of the once was and still can be.
“You have forsaken your first love…..repent and do the things you did at first.”- Revelation 2:4-5b
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ” – Luke 15:4-6
Blessings, Lisa
The Romantic Now
The knight rides his white steed over impossibly green hills. He rides toward the hard stone of the castle’s protection, but mostly, he rides to see his love. He needs to make sure she is safe before the battle. His horse senses his need; his hooves seem to fly over the soft ground.
Aaahhh….the romance of the past. As I think of scenes such as this, it is all glory and grandeur and amazingness. In reality, the knight was probably cold, exhausted, and underfed. His body hurt from the hard days on horseback. The castle would be very cold and dark when he arrived. But his love…..that is the same as in my daydreams.
Love has the ability to transcend conditions, circumstance, history.
People of the past had no idea that their reality would be romanticized in the future. They just knew they were living and doing the best they could.
Challenge to myself? To live today as if it were a movie. Glory, grandeur, drama, love. Because life does have all of that. If I will just open up my eyes to see it.
Our home is our castle, now. The romantic now.
The saying, “Write your story well” comes to mind. So true. Let your character soar today.
Blessings, Lisa
Images: Donegal Castle, Ireland. 2015 Ed Lyons
The Beauty of the Unexpected
A sudden shift in melody, an unexpected pause
The change in light at daylight’s end that brings a sudden thrill
A new taste swirling ’round the mouth
The wakening pulse with travel
The unexpected brings with it refreshing change of perspective
c2022 Lisa Lyons
I am challenging myself to embrace the unexpected this weekend. To not react to it with anxiety and trepidation, but with openness and excitement. Something different. Something exciting. A new challenge. An obstacle to figure a workaround. A change in my too stubborn mindset.
Here is a treasured photo of my son at age 7 embracing the unexpected, circa 2001. We were doing the tourist thing at the Cliffs of Moher, and a kind musician saw his interest in his accordion. He immediately offered Joshua a go at it. Better yet, Joshua jumped right in and went for it, with little knowledge of the instrument. Beautiful memory, wonderful encouragement and joy for all of us.
Blessings to you as you embrace your unexpected surprises this weekend, Lisa
Think About These Things 