🎵 A Recipe for an Unshakable Heart
designed in Photo Studio Pro app (with help from Gemini Nano Banana)
A Recipe for Surrendering the Outcomes
It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you stood on for our last election day in the US (midterms Nov 2026); waking up the morning after always leaves a lingering taste of tension in the air. If we’re honest, most of us have already seen notifications and texts on our screens or in the news that make our hearts sink. With a mix of wins and losses for each side, and still-unresolved confidence in election integrity, there will be a range of emotions that fill the air. And every single one of us will find peace and balance by surrendering those feelings and then anchoring our souls in something (or better, Someone) that doesn’t change with a ballot count.
When human systems, leaders, and cultural tides leave us unsettled, we need a recipe for our souls that takes our eyes off fallible human hands and places our trust back where it belongs: in the only Hands capable of holding tomorrow.
Recipe Prep
* Prep Time: One quiet, honest moment before the noise starts
* Cook Time: Ongoing daily simmering
* Yield: Peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7)
“[7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Ingredients
* 1 Heaping Cup of Reality Check (Psalm 146:3)
Every elected leader is flesh and blood just like you and me—prone to mistakes, short-lived terms, and human frailty. When we stop expecting mortal leaders to be saviors, we protect our hearts from being shattered when they fall short.
“[3] Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save.”
* 2 Measured Tablespoons of Sober Perspective (Daniel 2:21)
Governments and administrations come and go like seasons on a calendar. Daniel lived through multiple pagan empires and still confessed that God “deposes kings and raises up others.” The sovereign throne hasn’t changed occupants.
“[20] …“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. [21] He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”
* A Generous Pinch of Honest Lament (Psalm 62:8)
It isn’t unspiritual to feel disappointed, grieved, or weary. Bring the raw feelings directly to the Lord before unloading them online and risking presenting a bad example of your faith by exploding with bitterness—or hopelessness. The one who reminded us that God works all things to the good (Paul in Romans 8:28) had certainly seen his share of political leaders that negatively affected his life, and yet he reached people from prison cells that he might never have gotten an audience with otherwise.
“[8] Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah”
“[28] And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. ”
* 1 Full Measure of Gracious Salt (Colossians 4:6)
When neighbors, family, or friends are celebrating while you are grieving—or grieving while you are relieved—let your conversation be seasoned with grace. Our primary calling isn’t to win an argument; it’s to represent the Kingdom of God with gentleness and all the fruit of The Spirit.
“[6] Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
“[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
[25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. ”
The Method (Baking the Practice into Our Lives)
- Sift out the noise: Before opening feeds or cable news, spend the first fifteen to twenty minutes in stillness. Feed your spirit God’s Holy Word before letting the world dictate your mood.
- Knead your worries into prayer: Philippians 4:6 tells us to turn anxiety into petition. If there are policies or outcomes that trouble you, hand them over one by one instead of carrying the weight alone.
- Keep the heat steady: Circumstances change, but God’s character doesn’t boil over or cool down. Walk faithfully in His Spirit both within your close circle and in the larger areas of your reach—love your family, encourage your neighbor, do good work, and remember to shine God’s Light (don’t hide it under a bushel, but don’t try to burn people with it either) and know that if He is lifted up HE will draw men unto Himself.
“[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ”
“[15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Putting it All Together (Ready to Serve)
Place your finished recipe onto an anchored stand; an anchor of Hope. That’s always found in God’s Word. Know this: Hope that sets anchor into shifting cultural sand will always drift. Hope anchored into Christ holds firm, no matter which way the wind blows across the nation today.
Presidents, governors, and policies will write the history books of this world—even some bad history at times—but they cannot and do not ever write our eternity. Today, whether you are nursing disappointment or navigating friction with those who see the world differently, remember: our peace never rested in the hands of whoever sits in an office. It rests securely in the Hands that hold the universe.
And that confidence leads perfectly into this beautiful older hymn by Ira Stanphill…
And a huge thank you to Gemini tonight for helping me take my thoughts on this subject and turn them into a recipe format for my November theme.
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🎵Prompt Response: Worst Icy Travel Woes 🥶🧊
from Gemini Nano Banana, Wombo Dream AI, and Photo Studio Pro
What’s the worst travel experience you’ve ever had?
Ice = Slide = Crash
Yes, I think a car accident qualifies as a terrible travel experience even if it doesn’t end in severe injury or death. As usual, I have lemonade moments I’ve been able to gather from it, but there’s so much more to the story.
Indiana, March, 1991…
I told the story of when I first met my husband after a 3-day journey from Arizona to Kentucky. My company, Parkway Studios, arranged a couple job sites for me where I’d be close to Kentucky. One of them was in Knox, Indiana.
Once we knew the location, David got a room in the same motel across the parking lot, and we spent time together before and after my work days. It was at a Pizza Hut during lunch that he picked out a date in April and told me we’d get married then. I think he already knew I would say, “yes,” so it really was just about setting a date. I liked that the man knew what he wanted, that he liked the number 7 like I did, and that it was on Sunday. But it was only a month away, so we had some quick planning to do. Being a Sunday in April actually helped, though.
A Precarious Drive
Just before my new week started, I needed to take him back to Louisville and then drive back to Knox the next morning. It started a blinding snow on the trip to Kentucky, so I had him drive, but I was really scared. I was raised out west, so driving in snow was a whole different—and scary—experience for me. I was praying silently, and he started praying out loud. The good thing about that was it let me know my marriage plans were the right decision because his prayer showed me he was a godly and Holy-Spirit-Filled man. And about halfway back, the snow was almost completely stopped.
The next morning, I put on a pink sweatsuit a work friend had gotten me for Christmas. She knew I didn’t wear pants, but she said she wanted me to have something warm for under my skirts during the icy weather we’d been working in. It turned out to be both a good and bad decision to wear just the sweats for driving. I had not considered that the snow from the night before would keep getting deeper in Knox even if I was no longer seeing it in Louisville. See, not raised in that stuff.
Ice!
But it was worse! In the middle of the night, the snow had turned into a terrible ice storm. And driving on ice was even more unfamiliar to me than driving in snow. Yikes! 😬
So remember, this was 1991. Only rich people had phones in their cars, and that was not me. By the time I got to Kokomo, traffic was at a dead stop because of a major road where a power line hung precariously over metal railroad tracks that crossed the road. I watched many car doors open to hide people who just had to “go” and hoped I wouldn’t be one of them because I didn’t have a passenger to hold up a jacket or anything for privacy. The stand-still lasted 4 hours, and I had no way to go anywhere or call anyone, including my company who may have wondered why I was not in the room to show pictures. Though it turned out the whole town was shut down, so viewing pictures was not on anyone’s list of important things to do, and I don’t think there was any power to light or heat the room anyway. But I didn’t know that then.
Moving Along
When I finally got moving, I went a couple miles and found a phone to call Parkway. I don’t recall if I found a place with food or a bathroom because the next events were so traumatic that much of my memory of those two days has completely faded into the background.
As I headed toward Knox, the road kept getting slipperier and slipperier. A little slide here and there had me rehearsing words from my Uncle Bob about turning into the skid. There was a large vehicle in front of me that dug deep ruts in the snow, so I just tried to keep my wheels inside those ruts, and it was working—until that vehicle turned down a different road.
And Then it Happened
Very shortly after the truck turned off, I was left to maneuver on snow with a layer of ice over the top of it. I got to a bridge (and didn’t know that bridges freeze faster and deeper than regular roads) and almost immediately began sliding. I turned the wheel and lightly pumped the brakes, but nothing stopped my back door from hitting the guardrail so hard that the window glass was in the front of my hair. That hit bounced me across the road where I was heading for another guardrail, and I could see the icy creek over the side of it. I was scared I’d hit the rail and be tossed upside-down into the creek. I cried out to God to save me, and the car suddenly turned so that the side of it hit the rail and bounced me back to the other side of the road and beyond the bridge. I gave it gas and drove myself into the snow bank to get off the road in case any other cars came sliding along, and then I just sat there with my heart and thoughts racing.
The car behind me witnessed the whole thing and carefully got past me to pull off the road in front of me. He walked up to my window to see if I was okay and was genuinely surprised that I was mostly unharmed. He was in a nice car that apparently had a phone in it and said his wife was calling a tow truck for me, but there were a lot of accidents, so he didn’t know how long I’d have to wait. But I was safe in the car, and warm in my sweats and jacket, so I just waited. I hated watching the other car drive away, but what else could they have done?
The Parts That Made it the Worst Experience
After telling me my car was likely totaled and towing me into town, the driver took me to a hotel where I could use a phone to contact Parkway, and David, and my insurance company. But the phone lines were mostly out or hit and miss because of the ice storm. I didn’t want to call any churches in the area because I was afraid they’d tell me the accident was my fault for wearing pants. (There’s a long story about a manipulative church that got me to that point, but that’s for another post.)
Alone!
So at least I was safe and unhurt, but I had no other clean clothes since most of my stuff was in the hotel at Knox, no voices of comfort with so many downed phone lines, and no transportation since my car was towed away. I’m not sure if there was any place to eat within walking distance, but I vaguely recall a handful of snacks from a machine at the hotel. And I don’t even think the TV was working. I had never felt so alone, and to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that alone again. I remember thinking that it was the closest thing I could imagine to what Hell must feel like.
Hope…
By the next morning, I was able to make a phone call to David and to the insurance office. The agent came and picked me up and let me make any other necessary calls from his office since I had a long distance plan with Sprint that allowed me to dial a toll-free number to route my calls through to get their billing instead of hotel rates. Eventually, I was able to get a loaner car through the select coverage for that on my insurance plan. And I got back to the hotel at Knox to either finish showing pictures or call the customers to reschedule after the ice storm. I headed back to Louisville to spend a few days shopping for a wedding dress and being very glad to not be in that ice storm any longer. Apparently, it was one of their worst and lasted up to six weeks in some areas of the county.
“[5] God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.”
Lemonade
Besides being unhurt, I got a very understanding insurance adjuster who agreed not to total my car since I was still making payments. Totaling would have paid it off but left me with nothing for a down payment to get a replacement. Plus, I loved my little red Sentra. The two doors on the right side never really worked right again because of the damage to the part between the doors, but it got us all the way back out to Arizona for our honeymoon and so David could meet my family. I think I drove it at least 5-7 years after the accident, so it hung in there well. And unless that event was the reason I later needed neck surgery for a slipped disk, it was pretty amazing that I walked away without much more than glass in the front of my hair. Still, that’s not a trip I ever want to repeat.
And I’ll add a nice fitting song you may not have heard in a while,..
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Aesop’s Fables Month: The Bundle of Sticks
YahShua (Jesus) gave His followers a clear, unmistakable marker by which the world would recognize His grace:
“By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
— John 13:35 (B.S.B.)
I recently spent a day with my brother and got to hear some background stories that inspired his ministry and some of his song lyrics. Between the testimonies of both him and my sister-in-law, I found my heart going out to the brokenness created in them by broken and unhealed people on their paths.
Maybe my heart grabs this because of the hurts I’ve experienced when I was an innocent victim. I don’t necessarily agree with the statement that hurt people hurt other people since knowing how it feels to be a victim has kept me from intentionally hurting others. Still, I can see how unhealed broken people can cause pain in others when they lash out as a method of self-defense or self-protection.
On top of pondering all these stories, today’s news took me to the protests in Spain where disconnected property buyers (referred to as “Vulture Capitalists”) are displacing the elderly and families by raising their rents beyond what they can pay. While I’m pro-capitalism for hard-working people with big dreams, I’m not at all on the side of greedy people who take whatever they want just because they can afford it. And it’s easy to see how allowing people to purchase properties at a distance without being a fellow countryman or neighbor inspires exactly that type of greed.
The distance between people, especially when distance becomes spiritual or emotional, causes them to stop being neighborly in their hearts. If they are physically distant, it’s even easier because they cannot see the effects of their amoral behaviors against real people with real needs.
But even without physical distance, humans who separate themselves from others by thinking they don’t need to respect every other person in their sphere of influence make a lot of decisions that deliver hurts well beyond those with whom they interact directly. There are too many scenarios to demonstrate this, like generations of family members grieving someone killed because a driver decided their own night out mattered more than human life, but I would urge people to look more carefully at how they affect others than at how others affect them.
The Classic Fable Retold: The Bundle of Sticks (Perry 44)
An aging father had a family of sons who were constantly quarreling and bickering among themselves. Despite all his warnings, they refused to live in peace, their divisions making them weak and vulnerable.
Weary of their strife, the father tied a bundle of sticks tightly together with a cord. Calling his sons to him, he handed the bundle to the eldest and told him to break it. The son strained with all his might, but try as he might, he could not crack the bundle.
One by one, the other sons tried and failed as well. Then the father untied the bundle, handed each son a single stick, and told them to snap it. In an instant, every single stick was easily broken in half.
“My sons,” the father said gently, “if you keep together and help one another, you are as unbreakable as this bundle. But if you separate, quarrel, and isolate yourselves from one another, you will become as fragile as these broken twigs.”
The Strength of a Three-Fold Cord
When people isolate themselves—whether through greed, a lack of empathy, or the cold calculation of treating human lives as commodities—they leave a wake of brokenness. But God has called us to something entirely different.
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
— Ecclesiastes 4:12 (B.S.B.)
May we choose to look out for our neighbors, to bear one another’s burdens, and to stand unified in the love of Christ rather than drifting apart in self-absorbed isolation!
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🎵Cliché Month: Pretty is As Pretty Does (and My Thoughts on Dolly Parton)
Long before “pretty is as pretty does” became a staple of Southern front porches and mountain wisdom, it began as an Old English proverb: “Handsome is that handsome does.” It traces back through centuries of literature, from Geoffrey Chaucer to Oliver Goldsmith, and the saying served as a timeless social check. It reminded generations that outward charm, fine clothing, and physical beauty are entirely hollow if they aren’t backed up by kindness, integrity, and good deeds.
My earliest recollections of Dolly Parton are from a 45 my mom bought us with Coat of Many Colors on side A, and Me and Little Andy on side B. We all loved side A, but my empathetic heart was drawn to the song about the sad and cold little girl and her puppy, Andy. (I’ve included the video at the bottom so you can listen along.) From there, I listened to a variety of music until I gave my life to Christ at 19, so I didn’t hear much about Dolly until she began releasing gospel music like He’s Alive backed by a full choir.
By that time, I was also paying closer attention to the lifestyles of those who portrayed Christianity in entertainment to see if they really believed in their hearts. Some things Dolly said and did made it hard for me to see her as genuine, and I wondered if she was just adding gospel music as another genre on her resumé. Of course, in all entertainment and media, there is no guarantee that what we see or hear is anything deeper than an act, so we pray for each of them with grace and know that God sees their true hearts.
A Rooted Love for Her People
On a recent trip to Pigeon Forge, we finally rode the aerial tram. Our tram operator gushed over Dolly as so much more than just a singer and actress. He talked about all she did for her community after the big fire in 2016 (a tragedy that made me cry when I saw the news reports), and about her project to get books into the hands of every kid in her home state of Tennessee. He even said something along the lines of “No one better ever come here and say anything bad about our Dolly!”
I really hadn’t known much about her philanthropy until then, but now, as the world mourns her passing and celebrates her life, the tributes are everywhere. Time and again, they show how Dolly never outgrew her deep sense of home or her love for the mountains where she grew up. For example, after the wildfires swept through Sevier County in 2016, she didn’t offer empty platitudes from afar. Through the “My People Fund,” she delivered no-strings-attached monthly checks to hundreds of families (900+) who lost everything, helping her neighbors rebuild from the ashes up. And when there was money at the end, she divided it among them with an extra $5,000 each.
A Legacy Written in Millions of Books
Her philanthropy was always driven by personal empathy. Dolly founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to honor her father—a hardworking man who never had the chance to learn to read. What started as a local initiative in East Tennessee has now become a worldwide literacy project that’s placed hundreds of millions of books directly into children’s hands to inspire their love of learning, completely free of charge.
A Sparkling Personality
In a culture obsessed with appearances, Dolly Parton spent her life proving that old cliché with her own inner beauty. Growing up one of 12 children in the rural mountains of East Tennessee, she learned the stinging pain of superficial judgment from those who had more than she had. When her mother lovingly stitched her a winter coat out of discarded fabric scraps—the true story that inspired Coat of Many Colors—schoolyard classmates ridiculed and bullied her for wearing rags. Rather than growing bitter, Dolly realized a profound truth: worth is never defined by a price tag, and true riches come from the heart. She decided early on that she would sparkle in her behavior first, and the rhinestones and sky-high wigs became a joyful outward celebration of a heart that was already overflowing with love.
Her approach mirrors the wisdom found in 1 Peter:
1 Peter 3:3-4 World English Bible
[3] Let your beauty come not from the outward adorning of braiding your hair, and of wearing gold ornaments or of putting on fine clothing, [4] but from the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (WEBUS)
But wait… Didn’t Dolly do exactly all that outward adornment? She did, but from what I’m learning, it was secondary to her drive to truly shine from the inside out. In one interview, she said she never felt pretty, so all the decoration was playful compensation for that. And if Scripture isn’t saying we must forego outward beauty, maybe it’s okay if it’s in balance, secondary to what’s on the inside. Dolly seemed to understand that flashy costumes and outward fashion fade, but a soul anchored in love, empathy, and active generosity carries eternal weight.
Hope and Grace
I hope it’s right to think of her as now being in The Lord’s presence. I pray that the generosity and empathy we witnessed were tiny compared to the love in her heart for her Creator. And I hope that anything she said that didn’t line up with Scripture was said or done unintentionally and is fully covered under the abundant mercy and grace of God.
Like the uplifting flutter of the song Love Is Like a Butterfly, Dolly’s life was a masterclass in spreading color, light, and genuine care wherever she went. She elevated the old proverb into an art form—never dimming her iconic sparkle. True beauty is never only skin-deep; it is measured fully by the record of love and grace you leave behind.
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🎵Cliché Month: Stop and Smell the Roses 🌹
It seems like everything is a rush and a hurry these days. The chaos of trying to do all, be all, and have all keeps us striving on a regular basis. But does it bring the results we truly long for, like contentment and peace and happiness? And if not, how do we get there?
I think taking a detour that leads to someplace beautiful could be a great start.
Where Did “Stop and Smell the Roses” Come From?
While the sentiment feels timeless and like we’ve been hearing it forever, this modern idiom is often traced—not so far back—to professional golfer Walter Hagen. In his 1956 autobiography, The Walter Hagen Story, he wrote a famous piece of advice: “You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
I guess many people’s favorite flowers are roses, so over the decades, popular culture refined “the flowers” into “the roses.” Eventually, it turned into a universal shorthand for slowing down to appreciate the blessing of the present and whatever is going on in the moment. Even though my favorite flower is the carnation, somehow Stop and smell the carnations doesn’t have the same ring to it. 😉
It’s a Blessing to Focus on What Matters
When the pace of life becomes overwhelming, stopping isn’t just about freezing in place; it is an intentional act of redirecting our thoughts toward sensing all the goodness around us. Thinking, seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling all take just enough time to help us focus on the moment. King David needed a break like this during his time of exile:
Psalm 143:5-6 BSB
[5] I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands. [6] I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.143.5-6.BSB
Taking that mental detour allows us to shift our gaze from the chaos of our schedules to the steady faithfulness of our Almighty Creator.
Releasing the Worry of the Rush
Much of our rushing is driven by the anxious belief that if we don’t hold everything together ourselves, things will fall apart. Anxiety isn’t just a topic on commercials advertising some new pharmaceutical relief; it’s a very real part of many lives. Even Christians with all the reasons in life to be at peace often struggle.
I don’t think I’ve shared yet about my diagnosis of severe PTSD (found when I was tested for Adult ADHD), but it has had effects on my health and in getting things done more than once. At the same time, I feel that God has given me experiences to recall and meditate on to bring balance. One of those was a trip to Niagara Falls almost 30 years ago. And it’s a story about the falls themselves that builds my peace and trust in The Lord.
Niagara Falls Erosion and Geology tells about the cracks that led to a couple major collapses at the American Falls with the major one in 1954 taking chunks of the viewing platform and railings at Prospect Point.
On my visit, I heard the story, so when I looked over the edges and saw the piled chunks of cement with pieces of the old railings sticking out, it made it very real for me. What makes it have balance is knowing how the falls became so much stronger as that collapse leaned against the crestline of the American Falls that still stands firm. And not only strength, but white water beauty was added to the scene as well.
Jesus reminds us that He is The One who governs our lives and plans to bring strength and beauty from them as well. And He gives us reason to lean into Him instead of collapsing into worry and grasping with white knuckles a railing that may not promise the safety we seek. He says…
Luke 12:25-27 BSB
[25] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? [26] So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest? [27] Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.12.25-27.BSB
If God clothes the delicate petals of a bloom with such care, we can safely pause our striving and trust Him with our days and our moments—and with our whole lives.
An Invitation to Rest in YahShua
Ultimately, pausing to notice beauty clears away the mental clutter at least long enough to hear our Savior speak. He speaks most in His written Word, so while you’re stopped to sense the blessings around you, pick up a Bible and find great and precious promises to give you new strength:
Matthew 11:28 BSB
[28] Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.11.28.BSB
Whether it is literally taking a beat to stop and breathe deeply while you walk in a garden, or simply turning your heart toward quiet gratitude in the middle of a busy week, don’t forget to take a pause today. What is one small, beautiful thing you can stop and appreciate right now?
Something I appreciate is really good song lyrics. This song by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family came from a cave-in (loss of a baby by miscarriage) in her own life. May the lyrics speak to you, readers, as you need them.
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Prompt Response: You Make the Lemonade
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
Sometimes, I think people have the idea that getting lemonade from the lemons in life simply means looking for the good in the bad. That’s my specialty. I’m often very good at finding even a thread of hope or promise within a terrible situation.
But what if it’s more than just looking for the thread? What if we learn from a young age to actually be the one responsible for adding just the right amount of sweetness to turn a sour moment into something more palatable to help us survive it. And maybe more than survive it, thrive from it because just sugar or honey in a glass by itself isn’t refreshing at all.
So learn your tastes. Figure out which sweetener is the best to your many tastebuds. Maybe you prefer honey or agave, or you need a sugar-free additive like Stevia leaf. Maybe you’ve even learned that the juice of one orange to about 5 lemons makes a lovely mix of flavor and color in a tall glass of summer refreshment.
In life, even if you’ve grown up as a survivor from a dysfunctional home, you cannot see the future and exactly which lemons might come your way. So get a recipe ready for dealing with the bumps and potholes no matter what they are. The first part of the recipe will always be looking for the golden thread of hope or peace to hang onto until you can get to the sugar jar. And I believe the strongest golden thread is the voice of our Creator as He speaks to us from His Word.
Take Romans 8:28 for instance…
Romans 8:28 BSB
[28] And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rom.8.28.BSB
Notice it doesn’t say all things (or all lemons) are good, nor does it say we should just give up and wait for them to turn good. It says they will work together for the good. And here’s an interesting factoid: the Greek word used for “work together” in the verse is synergeo—where we get our word “synergy.” That implies partnership, cooperation, and an active blending of ingredients.
And remember this: you are not alone. Whether you are young or carry a bit more experience, your Master Creator is already in the kitchen with you ready to help you with your lemonade mixture. He will provide the ingredients for the golden thread and the sweetness, just like He provides oranges and sugar cane for real food and beverage recipes.
King David learned this, and even though he dealt with many bitter things in life, he ultimately proclaimed:
Psalm 34:8 BSB
[8] Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.34.8.BSB
And later in this same chapter...
Psalm 34:19 BSB
[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.34.19.BSB
Note: Compliments to Google Gemini as my collaborator and for giving me the info on the Greek in Romans 8:28. It fit perfectly with the direction for this post.
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🎵Looking for Love—And a Father
In my last post, I shared the beautiful memory of my birth father—the man who tattooed my name on his arm as a mark of his love for me. But human stories are rarely simple. Sometime shortly after my fifth birthday, he was gone. And a little girl was left wondering: Why did he leave? What did I do wrong?
When your hero leaves, that important space is left empty. A lifelong search begins looking to replace everything that’s missing. Love; a father; protection; a new hero. If you don’t know what a father’s protective love actually looks like, you start looking for it everywhere and in everything.
In the years that followed, my mom made great efforts to replace what my little sister and I were missing. Men came and men went, many who tried to play “Daddy.” While some of them worked hard to live up to the name in their own fractured ways, darkness, addiction, and brokenness sometimes invaded those dynamics. Instead of finding safety, boundaries were broken that love should never have crossed.
When the very people who are supposed to protect you become the source of your wounds, the marks left behind may be invisible from the outside, but they are there nonetheless. These are not marks of love like a tattoo; they are stains of shame you feel the whole world can see on you. And those marks breed a quiet, devastating conclusion: If earthly fathers brought pain and abandonment, how could I ever trust an unseen Heavenly one to love me and stay in my life?
The “Foster Child” Mentality
By the time I was a teenager, I was looking for love—and a father—in all the wrong places, learning all too well how to live with a victim mentality. But God is a master of rescue. Years later, after I began walking with Him, He began the work of healing those old, deep wounds. Eventually, I was even able to find a place of reconciliation and peace with those in my past who had hurt me.
Yet, as wonderful as the healing was, a quiet barrier remained around my heart. Not having a solid and safe father figure while growing up left me entirely unequipped to comprehend God as a “Father,” especially as my Father.
I read the Scriptures about the “Spirit of Adoption” bringing us into God’s family, but in my heart, I still felt like an outsider. To me, God felt like the world’s best, safest “foster parent.” I knew He cared for me, but how could I accept Him as a true Father when I didn’t even know what that word meant? I wanted to be a real child of God, not just someone pulling up an awkward chair at a mixed family table.
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🎵 Daddy Can Never Forget Me
Yes, that’s my name. No, that’s not my dad. Lol 🤣 I looked everywhere for the old photo I had of my dad with a small group of soldiers in Vietnam, but I couldn’t find it. So, I decided to have Wombo recreate it for me. My dad did have my name tattooed on his arm since I was his firstborn, and years later, that ink inspired a song.
While I can’t find the exact words for the song right now—I have a feeling it’s only on paper in one of my many notebooks— I still remember the heart of it. It’s about how no matter how far away my dad went, even getting married and having other children, that tattoo meant he could never totally forget me. Even if he’d had the tattoo removed, the remaining scar would always remind him of the name that used to be there.
There’s a beautiful Scripture about God’s hands where the exact same rule applies. I’ve used bold and italics to highlight the part of the verse I’m referring to.
Isaiah 49:15-16 BSB
[15] “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!
[16] Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.49.15-16.BSB
As my song continues, I mention how God also has a tattoo right in the palm of His hand, and that, just like my daddy, Jesus can never forget me. Years ago, when my dad read those lyrics when he was running from The Lord, he told me it brought him to tears.
Dear reader, maybe you are like so many this Father’s Day (including me) where your human father has left this Earth. This year, I’m without my birth father and my stepfather, and others (like a grandfather) who were fatherly toward me.
But that is because this life is temporary. It will always lack the things that would make life “perfect,” but it will never lack The most Perfect Savior and Friend we could ever have. That Perfect Savior let nails pierce right through where our names are written, shedding His perfect blood for us. And because of those scars, He can never forget us.
Here is a beautiful chain of promises from the Scriptures reminding us of that truth—from The Torah, through the Psalms, to the words of YahShua, and into the epistles:
Deuteronomy 31:6 BSB
[6] Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.31.6.BSB
Psalm 37:25 BSB
[25] I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.37.25.BSB
Matthew 28:20 BSB
[20] and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.28.20.BSB
Hebrews 13:5 BSB
[5] Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.13.5.BSB
I’ll wrap this up with two beautiful songs I found. The first is directly inspired by Isaiah 49:16, titled “Engraved on Your Hands.” It features gorgeous video scenes, rich lyrics, and beautiful moments sung in Hebrew (with both Hebrew and English subtitles).
This second one has amazingly moving lyrics paired with beautiful beach imagery. (It may be AI generated, as I couldn’t locate specific vocalist info, but the message is timeless):
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Blog Break: Sharing Some Pictures
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
A very long day that ended with a visit to a medical provider for a UTI and antibiotics means I must simply share some nice photos and then go to sleep quickly. I’m thankful I got my first dose by a shot to start healing faster. And I’ll know tomorrow how much the muscle will hurt since they pack the medicine in that way (have not experienced this before), but the advice was to drink lots of water and move a lot. I spent time walking on the treadmill as soon as I got home, and it eased the pain tremendously already.
Now, enjoy some beautiful rainbow images I captured with my Olympus camera some years ago. I had 4 all together, so I made a collage of 3 with the 4th as a background.
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Prompt Response: Faith is the Answer
How do you handle fear and self-doubt?
I’m not sure where I learned the two acronyms in the image above, but I know they weren’t together when I learned them. The idea of the first part is to see fear as nothing to fear. But, in truth, sometimes it really is something that can harm us or those we love, and being in fear is the normal response we need to activate our “fight or flight” response.
Whether it’s a real, worthy of fighting or evasive maneuvers, fear, or the weight of tossing our troubles around in our minds until they harm us whether they come to fruition or not, FAITH is still an answer. Faith may give you the wisdom you need for a proper fight or the direction to run for a good getaway. Or, faith may just tell you to stand your ground and be still because the battle belongs to The Lord. The hardest and easiest part is when faith tells you that nothing will change but that nothing changing also means God is still on His throne taking care of what we can’t control and of our eternity.
On that last part, I can tell you honestly that the idea of losing anyone I love and care for from this Earth is hard. Thinking of my own passage into eternity is hard. And I need statements like the one above to remind me that God’s got it all in His hands.
Still, it’s totally human to fear and doubt. In Psalm 56:3, King David didn’t say he would not fear but rather …
Psalm 56:3 BSB
[3] When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.56.3.BSB
Though, once he acknowledged that he could be afraid, he strengthened himself in The Lord and went on in verse 4 to say …
Psalm 56:4 BSB
[4] In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.56.4.BSB
When the roots of our fears and doubts are of our own making, they can harm us at least as much as real dangers. Recently, I spent an entire night with my lessons, blog, and sleep all negatively affected because I feared an unknown scenario where I’d received a subpoena. Not being a person who likes to defend myself even when I know I’m innocent, that postal note on a certified letter let my mind wander to many possible scenarios. The next day, I thought of better possibilities (like an old family parcel with water rights finally becoming worth something), but oh how the wandering mind can torture us until we know the truth. And at the end, not one thing I imagined matched the real reason for the letter.
So, did I put those weights of the world on a tray and hand them over to The Lord? Unfortunately, not. And He might have been extending His arms, ready to take over, the whole time. As many times as I’ve written about fear and shared miraculous testimonies, wouldn’t you think I’d know better by now? But alas, I am human and have a lot of experience that has set me up for fear and doubt—probably like everyone who reads this post.
I hope that sharing this helps someone to get through a fearful event or time a little more easily, even if it’s because you now know you’re not alone in being a person who loves and trusts God but still gives in to your fears at times. And I hope creating a visual of someone passing the weight of the world to the waiting hands of God will stay with me (and you) for the next time fear becomes a battle.
I wrote the poem below for my sister in 2015 as we both maneuvered life after losing our mom. You can find it to download in its largest size on my Flickr page at https://flic.kr/p/ybqdqj where I’ve listed a regular copyright but am happy to let people use it for personal and non-commercial purposes. Since I’ve placed it on items for sale at Zazzle, I must protect my copyright to make sure no one comes and says I took it from them, but I’m a big believer in freely I have received, so freely I will give.
(Both the image and words are by Crystal A Murray © 2015)
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Creativity Day
I had a bit of a stressful day today, and I have a really busy day planned for tomorrow, so I decided that tonight was a great night to just do some picture playing while my phones charged before sleep. No deep words of wisdom other than to remind you (and myself) that God’s Word promises us that He will work everything for the good for those who love Him and are the called according to His purposes. To be able to work everything to the good means He is with us in those everything moments. So this is me trying to release any and all fears, anxieties, and issues with my battles with low self-esteem (though I know God sees me better than I see myself, so that helps), into His hands. I’m sure my readers have had their hard days and battles as well, so as I pray for those who visit my writings, I’m also grateful for those who take me to the throne when I’m not as strong as I’d like to be. Thank you with my whole heart. 🙏
Romans 8:28 BSB
[28] And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rom.8.28.BSB
Philippians 4:6 BSB
[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/php.4.6.BSB
Proverbs 19:21 BSB
[21] Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the Lord will prevail.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/pro.19.21.BSB
And now, more pictures…
Good night and Shalom! 🕊️
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🎵 The Clock on God’s Wall
Anyone who read yesterday’s post to the end where I talk about my stepdad being in ICU without a DNR probably expected a goodbye post to follow soon. And you’re correct. But oh how perfectly God directs the timing even of the hard things. We can trust the clock on God’s wall.
I waited for a bit today to see if I got any phone calls; did my daily Bible study and other routines, made a cup of coffee, etc. I got out my phone to make the call to the hospital ICU for an update, and then realized I should finish the task I was on so it wouldn’t make noise during my call. The wait delayed my call for about 5-10 minutes. When I got the palliative nurse on the line, she gave me the news that his heart had stopped in the past 5-10 minutes.
I don’t consider things like that to be coincidences. I see them as a piece of timing that God orchestrated perfectly and nudged me into. He knew the difference it would make if I were talking to the nurse when the monitors began to signal my dad’s final moments. But by hearing it in the past tense, I was able to feel the jolt of sadness but also the peace of knowing he was in God’s hands already. Bittersweet is a good adjective for that. So, while I mourn a bit on this Earth, I can also rejoice that we have such a loving and personal Lord and Savior to plan for our needs and carry them out in just the right timing.
I tried a bunch of pictures with Wombo, and they just weren’t working, so I asked Gemini to better interpret what I was trying to say. I think the image is amazing, and because I did no personal editing or framing on it, it’s public domain for anyone else who might want to use it. I did not ask for the Scripture, so that was an extra nice touch. Here are those verses from Ecclesiastes 3…
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 BSB
[1] To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: [2] a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, [3] a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build, [4] a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, [5] a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, [6] a time to search and a time to count as lost, a time to keep and a time to discard, [7] a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, [8] a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/ecc.3.1-8.BSB
And one more verse that seems fitting…
2 Corinthians 1:4 BSB
[4] who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/2co.1.4.BSB
I’ll close this out with a beautiful and fitting song by Casting Crowns…
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