true

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True
Revelation 19: 11
Photo by Marge McCoy

nothing

Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Jeremiah 32: 17

Photo by Elizabeth Pike

as the deer

As The Deer

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after You.
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship You.

[Chorus]
You alone are my strength, my shield, to You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship You.

I want You more than gold and silver, only You can satisfy.
You alone are the real joy Giver and the apple of my eye.
[Chorus]

You’re my friend and You are my brother, even though You are a King.
I love You more than any other, so much more than anything.
[Chorus]

Written by Martin J. Nystrom, 1981
Photo by Marge McCoy

deliverance

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7,8
Photo by Cheryl Cook

near

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
Psalm 145: 18, 19
Photo by Elizabeth Pike

shadow

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:1
Photo by Cheryl Cook

clamor

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4: 31, 32
Photo by Cheryl Cook

twister!

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Right hand yellow, left foot blue; when you hear those words do you picture a little white plastic mat with colored dots arranged in rows? Does a childhood memory come to your mind? Do you grin when you think of a time you played the game Twister? Maybe you unfolded the mat and played with your cousins while on a camping vacation. Maybe you played with a group of school friends at a birthday party, or maybe it was a favorite part of a family game night. Twister is a light hearted game designed for laughs.
Don’t you wish life could be just as light hearted? All you have to do is stand there and wait for the spinner to land on a color and a body part, look down at the board and see if you can bend and twist to the correct colored circle without touching an elbow or knee to the mat. Sometimes you master the move with ease and sometime you are twisted into an awkward or uncomfortable position and fall down. There are ups and downs in the game and sometime other players get in your way. If you get out you can always blame the spinner, the other players or your own clumsiness.
Just as we can’t predict what the spinner will tell us to do in Twister, we can’t control everything in our lives either. In real life we don’t rely on colored dots to direct us in the way we should go. We don’t have to wait for someone to tell us to put our foot on red so we can spend time in prayer. We can’t use the excuse that we were told to move our hand to yellow when we make a bad choice. We have the ability to decide which way we are going to go, how we interact with those around us, and how we handle the obstacles that come. We have control of the spinner. Situations and circumstances come our way that we could never plan and may not want but we still get to choose how we live out each day. Are you twisted up with sin? Are you entangled with worry? Are you entwined with bad influences? The devil seems to strike at our weakest moments.
In the game of Twister it is every player for himself. The goal is to bend and twist and outlast all the other players. In life we all have decisions to make each day. Let us remember that we are not alone. The Lord is near in our valley of decision. He is waiting with mercy and grace for us to draw near in our time of need. We may stumble along the way but with God’s help we can stand strong and be a winner.

Dearest Heavenly Father – We thank you for fun childhood games and the happy memories they bring. As adults we realize that not everything in life is light hearted and many things can’t be laughed off. Help us look to you as we face the ups and downs in life. We know that the choices we make impact us and those around us. We thank you for your guidance for we know that in you we will find mercy and grace to see us through all the twists and turns in this life.

Devotional and photo by Marge McCoy

flourish

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55: 10, 11
Photo by Jean Pike

rose of sharon

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, bloom within my heart;
Beauties of Thy truth and holiness impart,
That where’er I go my life may shed abroad
Fragrance of the knowledge of the love of God.
Refrain: Jesus, blessèd Jesus, Rose of Sharon,
Bloom in radiance
And in love within my heart.
Jesus, Rose of Sharon, sweeter far to see
Than the fairest flowers of earth could ever be,
Fill my life completely, adding more each day
Of Thy grace divine and purity, I pray.
Refrain
Jesus, Rose of Sharon, balm for every ill,
May Thy tender mercy’s healing power distil
For afflicted souls of weary burdened men,
Giving needy mortals health and hope again.
Refrain
Jesus, Rose of Sharon, bloom forevermore;
Be Thy glory seen on earth from shore to shore,
Till the nations own Thy sovereignty complete,
Lay their honors down and worship at Thy feet.
Refrain
Words:Ida A. Guirey, 1922
Music: Charles H. Gabriel,
Photo by Marge McCoy