As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, and watch the sunrise, I could not wait to share with you the most exciting news.

It is so wonderful, so overwhelming! I just sit here, and I am so full of excitement that I want to shout it from the mountain tops.

I am like a kid who has a secret, or parents who found out they are having their first child.

Each moment, the excitement grows, and I just want to share it with someone.

So, I am going to share it with you today. Ready? Today is another wonderful day!

It was made by God for you and for me, and we should be filled with excitement and joy to be a part of it.

It is contagious when you really think about it. Another day of life! Let us enjoy it together.

God bless you and have an exciting day.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

As I sit and have my coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about “pressure.”

Pressure during difficult times makes us value life. We are better able to understand ourselves and others when things change.

When your children go off to college, you are excited, but then you miss them.

You cannot wait until they come home, and then, when they do, they just want to be with their friends!

And you can’t wait for them to go back!

When our lives change, I think about the people who lived through the Great Depression, or people who have lived through wars, with their loved ones away and in danger, sometimes for many years.

In times like that, it is important for us to ask the bigger question: What do I truly value?

What am I doing to make the best of the situation that I have no control over?

When we feel pressure, I know it seems easier to sit and complain, to criticize all those in leadership, to think that they do not know what they are doing, and thereby add to the negative energy that already exists.

I challenge you today to find value in this day, in your family and in the reality that God is ever-present in each moment.

Today, make a difference. A smile and a wave to the people walking their dog, the joy in preparing a meal, the prayers of Thanksgiving that we have homes and food and loved ones are all simple ways to cope with daily pressure.

We should gain strength from our grandparents and parents who survived much worse than our current problems.

Let us value today, because today is all we have, and bring the Spirit of God to all.

Have a blessed day!

As I sit outside, enjoying HIS handiwork, and having my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was reflecting on “WAITING”!

Have you ever waited for God to answer a prayer, or asked for HIM to show you the way, or asked HIM to help you with something, and you felt like HE was not listening?

HE may have been asking you to wait, patiently.

Waiting is difficult for most of us. We want things now!

We want an answer now! But Jesus tells us that waiting is a gift and that HE is preparing us while we wait.

I have been struggling with this for some time. I finally realized that I needed to focus on the waiting itself.

As I look back, I do not think I would change this time or anything else that has happened in my life.

In my waiting, HE has taught me many lessons. HE has shown me so clearly HIS love and presence.

If you are waiting for something from the Lord, know that this waiting time is valuable.

Look right in front of you and you will find what you are looking for.

HE is speaking to you in the space of WAITING, and HE will show you HIS love.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

So, today let us strive to be patient, to slow ourselves down, to take a deep breath and to wait, for HE has a perfect plan.

Have a great day!

Another beautiful morning watching God’s creation come alive while I am having a cup of coffee with Jesus.

I have come to find this to be a very important part of my morning.

I am used to spending a lot of time organizing my day, my calendar, making my To-Do list, and then I try to fit in prayer.

Now the first thing I do is sit down with HIM, to pray, to listen, and to ask HIM to direct my day.

As we create habits, it is important to create habits that drive us to the FATHER.

Yes, that includes physical activity and emotional stability, but most of all, quiet time with HIM.

Sometimes self-pity gets in the way. When we become immersed in misery, we turn to HIM with a list of all the things that are not going right for us.

But self pity removes God from our lives and replaces it with self-interest.

It causes us to complain, always wanting more, always wanting answers.

We never have enough, we are never satisfied, and then nothing wonderful or amazing can ever happen in our lives.

Today, sit before the King of Kings, take a long, deep breath, and just BE in HIS presence.

Be in HIS plan. Be in the moment. That is where it is safe and peaceful, and where you will see your Lord.

Have a blessed day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking, do you ever wonder what belongs to you and what belongs to others?

I wonder why we spend so much time taking care of what belongs to other people.

It could be another person’s addiction, or problems, or feelings, or negative behavior.

It all belongs to them and yet sometimes we try to own it.

People’s behaviors are their own, their hopes and dreams are their own, their lies and deceptions are their own, but so often we want to become their “office manager.”

It is not the job that GOD assigned to us.

We must become our own LIFE managers, not everyone else’s.

We have enough of our own issues and problems ourselves, and we need to own them.

We need to take care of them ourselves. Today, let us work on a clear sense of what belongs to us and let others handle what belongs to them.

Today, I will deal with only myself, my issues, and my responsibilities, and I will take my hands off what is not mine.

I do this, believing and trusting that God cannot work when I am interfering in someone else’s life.

So, I am really excited today! I only have to handle my own stuff!

Oops, look at that big pile over there…I think it’s mine! Have a blessed day, managing your own life!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, before the sun even rises, I was thinking about “news”.

It’s hard today to tell what true news is.

I watch different channels and sometimes it is hard to know what to believe.

I am not sure if we will ever know all the truth to what is happening in the world, but, as Christians, we are given the GOOD NEWS, the truth!

God’s word will lead us through life, for Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

That is the only news we need to hear! So, today let us come to HIM and put our trust in HIS word!

This morning, as I was having my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about graduates.

It is the season for graduations. I have grandchildren who are graduating from eighth grade, from high school, and even from college.

I challenge graduates to make a difference, with hearts filled with gratitude!

There are so many things you can do to make our world better today.

I challenge my grandchildren, and all graduates, to write a letter to five people who have made a difference in their lives, telling the parents, grandparents, coaches, and teachers how they helped them get to where they are today.

{And be sure and use spellcheck so you sound intelligent!).

Or put on your caps and gowns and clean up an elderly person’s yard.

Or go help serve the homeless in that cap and gown, serenade your grandparents outside their door, drive by your church in your cap and gown and go in, kneel down, and thank God for the blessings you have.

My point is that you made it, now share it. I am so proud of my graduates!

I am looking forward to the life they will live, the life that begins today.

Put on those caps and gowns, and go out into the world to make a difference.

And, by the way, take a selfie and send it to me. I would love to celebrate with you.

God bless you!

As I sit and watch the sunrise, and have a cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about the end of life.

A few years ago I had the gift of visiting with a friend who was dying and who has since passed.

She was really in the prime of life, and shared with me the importance of time.

She shared that she wished for more time, more time to enjoy the simple things, her family, and her relationships.

She had worked a lot and said, “And for what? I have a lot of things, but what I really need is more time.”

My conversation with her has really challenged me to slow down and focus.

I am used to rushing around all day, thinking I am helping people, but now I begin each day with HIM, whom I profess to love and serve.

This time is not wasted; it has served to put the rest of time in perspective.

Perhaps Jesus is calling you to spend time with HIM, time with your spouse and children, time in HIS creation.

Or maybe HE is calling you to slow down to experience HIS presence in this moment.

The sun is beginning to rise, and I think of how many of these sunrises I have missed because I was in a hurry.

I want to thank my friend for reminding me how precious each moment is. So, take a deep breath.

It is a new day. Take time to connect with God, with your family, and with God’s creation.

Instead of wasting time today, make time for HIM!

Or, as my mother used to say, “Do not make me give you a time-out!” Have a blessed day!