Hi! It’s Monday, March 2nd, 2020!

Thank you for taking time to read my blog post today! I appreciate your support and I pray that you experience God is a special and unique way today!

Signs is the photo word of the day.

I chuckled as I picked this photo out to use. It is from my trip to Walt Disney World a year ago. As I looked at this photo trying to somehow convince myself it was ok to use it even though it doesn’t really relate to God and Lent. But that’s when God opened my eyes and mind. Let me just say this, my interpretation and insight from God may be difficult for some to grasp and that’s completely ok. I love Disney World for a multitude of reasons and that’s why I picked this particular photo. If you been to WDW during the past decade or so you will most likely be familiar with FP (fast passes), it began with being able to get tickets for specific rides and return at a designated time and not have to stand in long lines. It can now be done online with a special WDW app on your smartphones! *https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/fast-pass-plus/product-description/

Forgive me, my brain went totally WDW, total distraction!

Back to “signs” I re-read the words in the photo, “stand-by” for what exactly? Life is truly about standing in line for all types of things, (grocery store, banks, gas stations, movie tickets, etc). With today’s technology we have found ways to get around these long lines, in a word “fast passes” or something similar. There’s no right or wrong in getting things quicker or easier. People can now escape lines at restaurants and fast food simply by using apps such as doordash or grubhub.

What about your personal relationship with God? Would a fast-pass work for you or would you prefer the stand-by line. I have to say the stand-by line works best for me. I definitely don’t want any short-cuts to salvation. God wants our “whole self” nothing less. Oh don’t misunderstand me, even our wholeness is less than best because we are in fact human. God is pleased by less than perfect when we make the attempt with all we have and fail in the process, rather than us not trying at all and failing. Not trying and failing is worse than failure, it’s prideful and arrogant to say the least.

Matthew 12:38-40

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.”

Signs can be found throughout the Bible. Recognizing God’s Will in our lives can at times be interpreted as signs. When we are in constant relationship with God, the Holy Spirit will help guide us towards God’s will. I’m staying in the stand-by line and listening for God’s Will.

~Matthew 22:37

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Galatians 5:19-23

“Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”

ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below. 

~Peace~ειρήνη~Charlotte

References:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/fast-pass-plus/product-description/

https://www.doordash.com/

https://www.grubhub.com/

https://www.biblegateway.com/

Greeting & Happy March 1st, 2020!

Celebrate is Lent photo for today! 📸

Usage of the word celebrate in the Bible (NRSV)

“They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.” ~Psalm 145:7

“But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.” ~Luke 15:22-24

“This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.” ~Exodus 12:14

“Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” ~1 Corinthians 5:8

I’ve always loved celebrating my birthday with family and friends. I look forward to it year after year. Age is just a number, for me it about being thankful for what I have been blessed with and I want to share my birthday with people who love me. When I was a kid my mom always made a big deal about birthday’s, mine and my brothers. I have pictures of a huge cake and all my cousins were there to celebrate! What beautiful memories. Celebrations, in my opinion should be often and shared. Celebrate life, celebrate friendship, celebrate whatever…most importantly always invite God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit along, we are nothing without them!

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~John 14:6

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” ~2 Corinthians 13:13

ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below. 

~Peace~ειρήνη~Charlotte

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com/

Blessings to everyone on this first Sunday of Lent 2020. Today is Sunday, March 1st, 2020, only 19 days until Spring! 🌷🌼🌸

The verse for today is taken from the book of Matthew where he writes the story of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Are you currently in the wilderness or perhaps emerged from a wilderness? Life is a wilderness if only metaphorically speaking. We people decide to trek their way through an actual wilderness the most important thing they do is plan for possible obstacles and/or situations. They prepare for the worst, to ensure safety and survival. Life is the same way, we want to be prepared. This is why we send children to pre-preschool, preschool, regular school, and provide opportunities for continued education whether it be college or job skills/trade opportunities. We are fascinated with learning though some might deny it thinking things like, my kid just plays video games or plays music all day…I would agree that a job of some sort is relative but to play video games successfully takes skills, a set of skills actually. And music, it’s more than liking an instrument, it takes commitment and practice to actual play the instrument and make music.

Feeling as if you’re in a wilderness can evoke many emotions but I want to remind you that we are never alone. Though at times, we may feel alone. God promises to always be with us. Thinking about Jesus in the wilderness and the circumstance in which he was tempted by the devil, I cannot imagine. Jesus had been drive to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, then Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. To say he was famished would be an understatement! It was then in this weakened state, the devil appears and begins to ask Jesus questions. If I go more than 24 hours without food I’m delirious! Jesus though He was hungry and tired, weak and probably a little cranky , resisted the devils trickery statements and loaded questions. He did not give into the devil. My personal thought is that Jesus trusted and relied upon His Father for strength. Jesus asks no less from us, right? Jesus is the Great teacher and the lesson I’ve learned from Jesus being tempted is to trust in God and His word. Jesus didn’t need trickery to outwit the devil. He quoted scripture and spoke truth. We know that Jesus had the power to overtake the devil at any time throughout their interaction but at what cost. What a huge lesson can be learned if we are willing to see it…Jesus did not need brute force to dispute the devils claims, Jesus did not have to prove who he was, he simply stated the obvious truth. In the end, the devil simply left because his tricks and smooth talking manipulative tongue lost.

As we continue our journey are there things that could be lost, recover, and rediscovered about by facing demons instead of fleeing from them? Remember, you are not alone and God has a host of angels watching over you.

Practice:

What do you need to face instead of flee?

1. One way to find out is to map out the last month.

2. Write down 5 significant moments.

3. If you were to draw a terrain of your last month, would it be mountainous, a flowing river or a deep woods?

dark forest wallpapers background | Forest wallpaper, Forest path

Prayer:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” Amen. ~Psalm 23:1-6

ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below. 

~Peace~ειρήνη~Charlotte 🙏🏻🌻

References:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_4:11

https://www.biblegateway.com/

https://www.abingdonpress.com/

The Sanctuary for Lent 2020 by Sam McGlothlin