Life is Good on the Ark

When my mind tells me, “I can’t do this!” I know I’m pushing myself too hard. I need to slow down...take a rest. Once again, God says: “You’re not dying. You’re just tired! Take a <Pause>. Give yourself a restful break. After that, you’ll be able to see more clearly the people around you and how to best relate to them.   Feel how they’re feeling. Solutions to the issues will come. Go sit in your quiet place and Just Breathe . My quiet place is a purple yoga mat with pictures all around me of my beloved children and of the ocean. Just – Breathe. In. Out. Take three long breaths. Or, more. If I can swing it, I take a restful nap. After that, to get energized, I go for a run or a walk along the beach. Just the sight of a brilliant sun on the water and a lovely breeze calms me. After that, I begin to see clearly the next important steps I need to take. Suddenly, it all becomes do-able! Remember to always picture the best outcome. Then, celebrate every accomp...

Every day while living on this earth I make a CHOICE. I feel most joyful when I choose to believe in God our Creator and in His good promises, as revealed to us in the Bible. I choose right now to believe His beautiful promises for me and for all my dearly beloved family members. A Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I confess my faith in You today. Please forgive my sins and please help me today to choose my thoughts wisely. Help me take those actions You will show me to do, in faith. God’s Promises are setting us free now. Believe them! The following verses are from the New International Version (NIV): He Himself is our Peace. [Ephesians 2:14] We know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him. [Romans 8:28] Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,  and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  [Isaiah 43:1-2] Even though I...

Let God restore your shattered dreams. We, like Joseph of the Bible, can develop 50/20 vision—a vision which tells us: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good!” (Genesis 50:20) Such trust dares to believe that God can take the worst materials and turn them into good. It projects meaning and purpose into what seems meaningless and accidental. Godly vision does not gloss over evil like some New Ageism philosophy. Instead, it looks evil straight in the face and recognizes it to be evil. However, our Creator God can transform all of that into good. Joseph never said, “If only…” or “poor me”…but instead he said, “How can I best serve my God in this place?” Romans 8:39: For I am convinced that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Samuel Longfellow: “Thy Providence turns all to good …Thou leadest me by unsought ways, and turns’t my mourning into praise.”

Sitting in the cool Upstate New York evening, staring across at the calm, quiet bean field, now on fire from the early September sun, I feel linked with all of Life. And I realize that somewhere in this world, this sun is just rising! It hits me like an ice-cold shower on a frosty October morning at Camp Cutler, the boy scout camp just north of Naples New York where my son and I spent one happy, beautiful and memorable week. I see now, today, that there are always at least two ways of viewing the same thing. You can view it as good, or you can view it as "bad." What I propose to do for the remainder of my earthly life is to put the best possible construction on every situation. To an artist that is like putting a pure gold frame around even the simplest painting. Something like "The Miller" by Millet...or "Woman Bathing," by Degas.   These are simple subjects, painted by a pure eye. Life is how you frame it . In its purest form, Life just IS. But hum...

I’m standing in front of the sliding glass doors next to my giant crimson poinsettia plant on New Year’s Day, looking across my balcony at the pale gray condos opposite. One balcony is trimmed with ropes of evergreen along the railing. The sky above is robin’s egg blue. Through a stand of trees off to the southwest, I see the golden glimmers of a fading sun. We made it through the family holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. I’m still alive! In a minute, I will plug in the tiny white Christmas lights all around these giant windows and play the James Taylor CD, “Hourglass.” Every day now I practice “breathe / let go” and get more grounded in my true self…more centered in my own heart. Every time in the past, at least 7,000 times, when I’ve said “Bye! See you soon!” to each of my children, I have always seen her again / seen him again. And, as God assures me, we will all three be TOGETHER FOREVER IN ETERNITY. “What part of ‘eternity’ do you not understand? –G...

Dear Child, this earthly life is just a dream, like a reflection on the water. The enemy is trying to tell you that this current trouble you’re going through will last forever. It won’t. Right now is just the dress rehearsal. You are being prepared for Opening Night--the Real Thing! I know these past few months have been hard. Very hard. I hurt when you hurt. But, an end to this is coming. After this will come the start of something new and truly wonderful. See, I am doing a new thing! Isaiah 43:19   Just last longer! I love you.

During a recent period of Christian meditation, I heard the Lord say this: It doesn’t matter so much how long you are here, dear Child. This is just your “earth suit” you are wearing now! It’s the “wanting to cling” onto things, wanting "everything to stay the same”…that causes suffering. Let go of clinging and start to feel your true freedom! What is really important is to fulfill your purpose here, My purpose for you here on this earth. Once you get a vision of what your purpose is, then you are truly free!

I have come to a fresh understanding of what it means to be “saved.” It means that you got on the boat when you saw it coming, when you saw it docked nearby. Then, you had the smarts to say: “Please give me a ticket,” and you climbed aboard. All it takes is a simple, heart-felt prayer: “Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the wrongs I’ve done. Please be my Savior.” Christians sometimes wonder what life might have been like if they had not gotten on board with God. “What if I had just kept on going, totally focused on having fun?” The real answer: It was not really that fun. In our sober moments we remember that life back in “Egypt” was lots harder. We remember that we felt no deep-down peace. Christians, too, can struggle and suffer at times. The big difference is that now you know you have a true Friend who is walking beside you. A Friend who will never, ever leave you.  This is the True Peace.

These days when a gloomy thought pops into my mind, like when I’m waiting for the next “shoe to drop,” or when some imagined crisis looms…I now make a conscious choice to replace the gloomy: “I really don’t want X-Y-Z to happen!” I now replace that with this: “ This is what I really want and need: _____. Dear Lord, please show me my next steps toward getting it. Thank you!” Recently, I heard God say: “Get a beautiful vision for your life. Include what you really want for each of your relationships. Continue to thank Me for guiding you along the best paths for achieving your dreams. Then, watch as these happy dreams start coming true!” The key is to be very selective about your thoughts. Also, be extra careful about what you say out loud. As a child of God, your words have creative power! Only say what you really want. Then, wait for the miracles to happen!

I used to go through life like I was wearing dark glasses, viewing the downside of everything and keeping myself depressed. Imagining future crises. This affected my closest relationships and drained all the joy from my life. Sadly, I missed out on lots of present-moment happiness. Then one day I heard God say clearly:  “Don’t be greedy, always wishing for that one more thing that you think you missed out on. Be grateful instead! Look around you right now. See all the wonderful blessings you have in your life at THIS VERY MOMENT. Be very glad for them. Don’t rob yourself of these great joys! You worked so hard to get to this good place. You are also in a happier place than when you went through those really painful things in the past. However, in getting through those times, you developed courage and strong muscles!  Now—use that strength and make your commitment to be glad, not greedy!” Right away, I felt peaceful.

I met Marge shortly after I became a brand-new Christian. To keep my new faith strong, I had begun listening to Christian radio. One day the announcer mentioned a Monday evening prayer meeting at the home of Marge and Ed. This was a “God-wink” (a surprise blessing) since their house was only a few blocks away from my apartment! I began showing up every Monday night for praise and powerful prayer. Often, tears would stream down someone’s face as they knelt for prayer and met the Healer (the Holy Spirit). At the end of each meeting we all stood in a circle holding hands and singing the “Our Father” (“The Lord’s Prayer”). On these nights I felt like I had been transported into Heaven! Marge and I became close friends. She had the strong faith I first saw in my grandmother Lorena, the first person ever to tell me about God. Marge began sharing with me some amazing stories from her own life…. The noisy prayer meeting One Monday night as the prayer group was ending their time of wors...

Welcome to your safe place! I hope these heart-felt messages will encourage those of you who feel you're going down for the last time. I know it feels scary to be in that spot; I've been there. However--whether or not you believe in the original Creator, I encourage you to read further. My suggestion is, like they say at Al Anon: “Take what’s good and leave the rest.” You may just discover a loving Higher Power has been holding you up all this time. Hey— you’re still here! Finding my way “home”—to finally feeling I was in a safe place—took time.  I’m learning to take the risk to be open to a closer relationship with those who have proven they genuinely love and value me. Without the love and compassion, patience and ongoing forgiveness of my two children, my life would have been…well, I can’t imagine how much harder it would have been. Much colder and lonelier. My "Lifetime Movie" would show me eventually learning how to feel safe and okay, even during major ...

When the rug flies out from under you, or some major change occurs in your life that you were not expecting and do not want, you feel shocked…sad…hurt. You are going along as usual, worrying about the usual annoyances, when suddenly EVERYTHING CHANGES. You receive news that your project or your contract is ending. Or, something else happens that is totally unexpected...and, it feels terrifying.  Your first reaction is: NO! This is not happening. This cannot happen to me! I’m a good person. I’ve been kind to others. I’ve done my very best. How can this be? How could God let this happen? Change. Horrid change. Then the flood of feelings starts. Chaotic, mind-numbing worry thoughts wash over you. Desperate 3 a.m. fears. The feeling of drowning. Not wanting to get up in the morning. You feel like you’re dying. You want so much to stop the room from whirling around you. You try grabbing onto the first “prop” you can lay hands on. Anything to stop the pain and chaos. Bu...

Sharing football games (and other fun stuff) with people you love creates happy pathways in your brain. In this often sad-looking world, we really need all the JOY we can find. God wants us to feel joyful! Remember: --In life, as in football, you play hard and make some really GREAT plays! Let yourself feel good about those! --OK, so you will make some mistakes; learn from those and then start playing again . If you get knocked down, get up again and keep on playing . --Run TOWARD the ball…not away from it! Grab that ball and hang onto it. --Know that having the ball means that some other people are going to chase you and try to get it away from you; however, it’s well worth the struggle. : ) --Life is a TEAM SPORT. See and value the good-heartedness in your teammates, in your family members…and in yourself. --Speak words of LIFE to yourself and to your team members. We are RESILIENT.  We are STRONG and getting stronger.  We are BETTER TOGETHER ....

Joseph’s faith became a kind of Ark , a place of safety for his family, when a seven-year famine hit Egypt and the surrounding areas. Joseph’s faith in God never changed despite the many difficulties he went through, difficulties which might have caused a less courageous, less determined person to fall away from God. But Joseph’s firm faith paid off when God finally placed him in the high position of “prime minister” over Egypt . In this role, the faith-filled Joseph was able to ensure the survival of the Egyptian people and also preserve the lives of his own father and brothers and their families. I’ve learned many life-changing lessons from Joseph’s faith. FIRST : When God gives you a dream, hold onto it! D on’t let anyone talk you out of the blessings God has planned for you. Even if it takes a long time, know that God’s timing is perfect, and you will receive every good thing God promised you. Joseph was only 17 when his brothers sold him into slavery. He was carted off ...

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.”  Hebrews 11:1 New Living Translation (NLT) Tyndale The Prodigal Son’s father had faith. The dad was ready and waiting when his son came home; he trusted God to bring the young man back safely. “…And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 (NLT) Joseph, too, had the God Kind of Faith. Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt for years, having committed no crime! Yet, he did not stop believing that God cared and had a glorious future planned for him. Though still a prisoner, Joseph was willing to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and to give God the glory for it: “It is beyond my power to do this. But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” Genesis 41:16 (NLT) Joseph held onto his faith despite his difficulties. Soon, God made him ruler over all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh! What is faith? Here’s...

Lessons from Bill Murray’s “Stripes” They say laughter’s good for the soul. True. I watched Bill Murray last night in the movie “Stripes” and still have a smile on my face. (John Candy’s in it, too–double-fun!) Murray decides the Army is his ticket to the Good Life. But, he quickly finds out Army life is harder than T.V. ads would have you believe. When a new recruit can’t climb up the rope ladder, his sergeant hollers: “Even WOMEN can do this!” I laughed till I cried, watching Bill Murray (playing the role of John Winger) trying to get the benefits while avoiding the punishments of Army life: 10 mile runs at 5 am; hand-scrubbing garbage cans; doing 50 push-ups in the rain. More than once, John considers going AWOL. He would have, too, except it’s a federal offense and he’d be even worse off. Finishing Basic Training/Boot Camp feels like the worst thing he’s ever had to face in his life. I’ve been going through God’s Boot Camp making some major lifestyle changes. At first I threw...

More and more I'm seeing this life on earth as “School.” Maybe God's Ark is a floating university! I’m going to need to re-take some courses there I've already taken. Currently, I'm learning to look for God’s Perspective and to practice not making a mountain out of a molehill. When a loved one and I experience a misunderstanding, it's just that. Not a catastrophic event. Misunderstandings do not mean the relationship is over or my life is ending. A misunderstanding, or a mis-communication, can happen for any number of reasons. For example, maybe one—or both of you—is hypersensitive, or even overstressed at the moment. You may have read something into someone else's comment that was not intended. They could say, "I'm working on organizing my finances." You could interpret that to imply you are being financially irresponsible! If I'm feeling stressed or depressed for other reasons, my "radio receiver" may not be accepting clear mess...

My dear friend, Larry, a courageous man of God, recently went to be with our Lord. Larry, I can almost hear your voice now, like a cry in the wilderness. Everyone you met, you pleaded with to turn to Jesus Christ, “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Your strong faith in a wonderful and generous Creator-Father reminded me of what’s truly important—trusting our lives to Him. I remembered, too, to daily thank God for my two awesome children, my gifts from God. Your unwavering trust in God’s goodness renewed my own faith when it was faltering. You’ve never been afraid to speak your faith or stand up for what you believe. I remember the night my son said: “Larry gave me pamphlets to read on the Creation, and I’m going to read them!” Whether you were talking to a friend, a new acquaintance or the President of the United States, your testimony remained the same. I remember the glow on your face and your shining eyes when you showed me your replica of Noa...

One important lesson I'm learning by studying Noah and the Ark: Everything happens in God's time. Impatience on our part is futile. God is in charge of the whole operation. When we finally acknowledge that and begin to cooperate with God's Plan, doing whatever part is ours to do, good things begin to happen. It all flows. When I began to write this, the Eastern Seaboard of the United States was being deluged with non-stop rain from the effects of a hurricane. Even today, the news is filled with heart-breaking stories of human suffering. Yet, I believe there is cause for hope. I believe our Creator will soon end the rain and dry the land. Good things are coming!