As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was reflecting on a GK Chesterton quote that someone sent me. It says, “In the struggle for existence, it is only those who hang on for ten minutes after all is hopeless, that HOPE begins to dawn.”

In one way or another, we have all experienced hopelessness. We wonder if things will ever be normal again. Fear creeps, manifesting itself as worry or anxiety. But when we stay close to the Lord, and hold on tightly to HIM, Hope begins to dawn!

Today is a new dawn. We need to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, put a smile on our faces, and approach this day with HOPE. Our whole demeanor needs to be one of spreading HOPE. Where there is HOPE, there is the Lord, and where there is the Lord, there is peace and joy!

Have a blessed day filled with HOPE!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus on this BEAUTIFUL DAY, I was reflecting on James 4:8, which says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” Do you find yourself sometimes saying, “As soon as I get this done or that done, I will make time for prayer?” Or “When I get my To Do list done, I will take time to be alone with the Lord.” You will always find that the time just disappears. We need to make sure we make time for JESUS!

We can get distracted and move away from God because of the busyness of our day. But God never moves away from us. We need to slow down, especially with our time with the LORD. We can’t rush through our prayer time, quiet time, or Scripture reading.

Today, I am going to focus on being near to HIM and at peace with HIM. I will take the time to be in HIS presence.

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I decided to call it, “TAKE IT TO HIM DAY.” That reminds me that I need to take to HIM everything that is going on in my life. It’s so easy to turn to other things to guide us. People turn to popular opinion, to counselors, to the news, to horoscopes, to psychics, to whatever else that is out there, but Jesus tells us to take it to HIM!

When we take our worries, our fears, our frustrations, and our anger to HIM, things begin to happen! That is why we always need to stay close to HIS Scriptures, to study them, to search for answers, knowing that GOD’S WORD will guide us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not. In all your ways be mindful of HIM, and HE will make straight your paths.” Today, open His word, place it in your heart, and let Him be your guide. In other words, make it a “TAKE IT TO HIM DAY!”

Have a blessed day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I decided to call today a day to “MAKE IT MEANINGFUL.” We can give meaning to everything we do from the time we get up until we go to sleep. We can wake up with a smile and a heart full of gratitude for a new day, or we can wake up and complain about what we need to do. It’s all about ATTITUDE.

Jesus invites us to make this day MEANINGFUL. We can change our whole day by just having a heart of GRATITUDE. A kind act, a simple prayer for someone, gratefulness that we have things to do make all the difference. We can make driving to work meaningful as we talk to God about the day ahead. We can make tasks that we don’t want to do meaningful by offering them up for someone who is going through a hard time.

Today, I’m going to give MEANING to each moment throughout the entire day! I am going to praise God for the ordinary things as well as the extraordinary things. With gratitude and thanksgiving, I’m going to live this day with new opportunities and new adventures.

Happy “Make It Meaningful” Day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about how FEAR oftentimes dominates our lives. It drains us of the energy we need to enjoy this life. It blocks relationships and can even make us ill. FEAR oftentimes keeps us from our relationship with Jesus. If we really believe God’s WORD and we open our hearts to HIM, then we should have nothing to fear.

The OPPOSITE of FEAR is safety and TRUST. Fear is something that we play out in our minds. What we fear is usually not true. When we are living in the past or we are afraid of tomorrow, we can’t live in the PRESENT MOMENT. We cannot live in the present moment and live in fear at the same time. We cannot live in fear and yet TRUST in Jesus at the same time. The DIVINE MERCY teaches us to pray, “Jesus, I trust in YOU.”

So today, on this beautiful morning, with the changing of the seasons, the day of the Lord, let us name our fears and SURRENDER them to the FATHER. Let us make today about living in HIS presence, about worship and adoration, about love and peace! FEAR is another four-letter word we need to remove from our vocabulary.

Have a blessed day. Don’t worry. Be happy!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about the fact that God’s grace is all we need. Sometimes we go through life looking back saying, “What if…,” or “If only….” But Jesus calls us to stay focused on HIS grace and HIS promises. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says, “MY grace is sufficient for you!”

Look to the past as lessons learned rather than as a place to stay. Stop looking in the rearview mirror or you’ll end up in a wreck! A friend of mine is famous for saying, “It is what it is!” Live in the present moment and ask the important questions: “What does the Lord want me to do today? How can I be more loving and forgiving today? What am I grateful for?”

Those are the questions that need to be answered. Leave the “what if’s” and the “if only’s” in the past where they belong. Today belongs to the Lord. He wants you to be a part of it!

Have a blessed day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I decided to call this, “Don’t Forget HIM Day”. Every day is a great day to recognize what God has done for us. We can look back with gratitude that we are here today. And we can look forward to what God has in store for us this day.

Today is your new beginning. Take time to renew yourself by FOCUSING on the FATHER, CENTERING on the SON, and SURRENDERING to the SPIRIT! Put a smile on your face, a bounce in your step, and HIS Spirit in your heart!

Have a blessed day.

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about a saying a friend sent me yesterday. It says, “If the grass looks greener on the other side…stop staring. Stop comparing and stop complaining and start watering the grass that you’re standing on!” So often we compare ourselves to others. We think their lives are easier or better than ours but, in reality, all life comes from God and all life is good. Even the difficult parts of life, like sickness and death, are just a continuation of life and life lessons God has planned for us.

Today, I’m going to start watering the grass that I’m standing on. I am going to work to stop comparing and complaining, for God has blessed me beyond measure. Every day, I strive to live in the present moment, focusing on what God is asking of me, and listening for His voice.

Have a great day, and pray for help in accepting the life God has created for you.

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about “DETACHMENT”. When should we detach from people? When we are hooked into reacting with anger, fear, guilt, or shame? Is it when our mind gets focused on revenge, and we plot how to protect ourselves? This is when we need to think about detaching for a time, so we don’t act out of pain, and let space and time help HEAL the issue.

What’s most important is that we find our inner peace. Getting centered and restoring balance will help us. We can do practical things like breathing deeply or exercising. As we center ourselves, we can look at the issue differently. The Holy Spirit will guide us to a new approach.

Today, if someone or something makes you react in anger, fear, shame, or guilt, step back, center in the moment, and, with God, let HIM take you to a safe place where you can bring HIS peace into the situation. When you find this place, you will find the PEACE and the connection you need.

Have a blessed day.