InstaEncouragements Blog

Alexa, Turn on the Party Lights!

7/31/2018

Some time ago I strung lights around the perimeter of our three-season porch. Beautiful, round bulbs that give off a lovely glow and say, "Let's have a party!" I call them my party lights.

Recently my husband connected them to our Alexa Home app and now I can say, "Alexa, turn on the party lights!" whenever I want them on. It's magical! I know when Alexa turns on the party lights, there is going to be a good time.

Wouldn't it be lovely if we had that kind of control over other aspects of what seems to be our out-of-control lives?

Oh that we could shout commands like, "Alexa, make school gun violence end." or "Alexa, give us all the money we need to live a life of comfort." or "Alexa, cure my father of his cancer." We could go on and on and on.

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23-Year-Old Me How Will You Be Intentional Today?

7/27/2018

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23-Year-Old Me How Will You Be Intentional Today?

When I was 23, I carried a one-year-old on one hip and an infant in the opposite arm. Those were exciting times filled with lots of adventure and very little sleep. If you’re that 23-year-old right now, God bless your weary soul!

Back then there was no such thing as “free time.” To pick up a Bible and sit down to read without interruption was a rare thing—almost unheard of. The blessings of memorized scripture was a godsend. The nursery workers at church were angels. But that’s a whole other post!

Memorizing Scripture has been a part of my story since I was a young child. I know though, that this great blessing is not a part of everyone's story. Today, when I face difficult situations, I can pull down a passage of Scripture from my mind’s library to meditate on.

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Listening to the Rain and Things to Think on

7/24/2018

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Listening to the Rain & Things to Think on

Last night I lay awake for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was only two, very long hours. I read as usual. Reading myself to sleep has become quite the habit of late. It's relaxing. It's only me, and no interruptions. Usually it's a chapter or two and I'm sleepy. But last night it was two, three, four... I was growing somewhat agitated with myself. I knew I needed sleep, desperately. So two hours in and I put the Kindle away and began to pray, "Lord, please help me sleep tonight..."

Lately, sleep has eluded me quite often. Anxiety, which has never been even the slightest part of my life, has crept in with a vengeance, infiltrating my soul. I hate to admit it, but sadly I've allowed it.

Don't get me wrong, I know where my faith rest, I have no doubts. I know Who formed the stars, Who named them, Who cares for the sparrows, Who calls me redeemed.

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Roses Are Red and They Have Thorns

7/20/2018

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Here's the deal, we all have thorns. Some of us have a lot of them. Even roses have thorns. In II Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul talks about his thorn. He calls it his weakness. He was tormented by it and pleaded with God over and over to remove it.

Is there a thorn in your life that you have asked God to remove? Do you have a weakness that you think you would be better off without?

God's reply in verse 9 was most likely not what Paul expected, and certainly not what he asked for. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” And in verse 10 Paul writes, "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." He delighted in his weaknesses. He delighted in his thorn.

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Loving People Like Jesus Loves

7/17/2018

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Who doesn't admire Fred Rogers, his character and all his wisdom? My children grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. I even grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Generations have grown up watching this man and his humble love for others.

Two of My Favorite Mr. Rogers Quotes

"Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people."

"How sad it is that we give up on people who are just like us." -Fred Rogers

Isn't it the truth! I am so glad that God loved me, even before I loved Him. He knew me before I knew Him. He knows my ugliness and all my messiness, and yet He STILL loves me.

"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

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7 I AMs Found in Scripture

7/13/2018

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"Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, 'I am who I am.' And He said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13-14

During the burning bush experience recorded in Exodus 3, Moses, who is looking for authority to speak to Pharaoh and the Israelites, asked God His name. God replies, “I Am who I Am.” When God said this to Moses, He was literally saying: