Are You Ready for Some Football?3

It is better to have respect for the Lord and have little than to be rich and have trouble. Proverbs 15:16

A few years ago there was an Atlanta Falcons player that had great wealth and fame. He was well known, well liked and played exceptionally well. He had a great treasure! But then, because he did not fear the Lord, he did some things that were not acceptable. He eventually lost his job, lost his reputation and created a lot of turmoil. How much better would it have been if he had honored God? Remember that wealth does not necessarily bring happiness.

Psalm 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AECyKry2kQ

Wow! This song in the video not only follows the psalm in word but really helps bring the meaning. It ministered  to me...let the Word of God minister to you this morning.

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom. 

 ¹Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.  

²Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.  

³But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.  

⁴I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

⁵I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.

⁶I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.  

⁷Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

⁸Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah

Playing Games at the Foot of the Cross

Michael Altshuler-"You are the Pilot!"

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."

I like this quote but I do have a little issue with it if you are looking at it from a Biblical point of view. I understand that what Michael Altshuler is saying that you pretty much have control of your own destiny. Ah ha...but really, not....

Consider the How the  following verses affect the fact that you will have bad news...and bad times-
Joshua 1:5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I heard the other day that if God is your co pilot you should change positions! God is the pilot of your life and my life! Allow him to be in control. Take strenght from the verses above. He has not changed nor will he. He began a good work, he is not done yet. Just call to him, he has not left you alone!

Then, if you're totally relying on God, then as co pilot, don't stay in the bad situation. Fly out of it and get on with what God wants you to accomplish in this life!

Last but not least, as we travel through this life, whether we are in a good time or bad, remember this verse: Galatians 6:9-10 "Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don't give up. So when we can do good to everyone, let us do it. Let us make a special point of doing good to those who belong to the family of believers."

Jacob Riis-encouragement

When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it-but all that had gone before.-Jacob Riis

Isn't that the truth! Think about it...so many times we live our day with one "blow" after another touching and affecting our lives. Without realizing it people deliver "blows" to our soul. Some are on purpose, others are just careless words or deeds and still others "blows" go by unnoticed except by the receiver.

God's Word is a place of comfort and peace. But, He also delivers "blows" to our soul because sometimes.....we need it. He says in His Word "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
John 15:2. So He prunes you if your good to make you better and He prunes you if your bad to make you better. Either way, you are pruned if you do and pruned if you don't!

Hurt is going to happen. It is what you do with that hurt that determines where you go. And remember the next time someone throws a "blow", that hurting people hurt people. Inside they may have had 100 blows by someone and they are ready to give up. One more blow and they may be ready to split in two.

In these trying times, we need to be especially aware of these things. Be overly anxious to say a good word to someone. Look for ways to do a good deed.

I would love for you to share comments on this page! If you have done a good deed or had a good deed done to you-Share it with the rest of us! Encouragement is always good.

Why We Need Each Other

I will admit...this is not my writing. I found it on http://www.freechapel.org/ website as the devotion for Sunday October 24, 2010. It was to great to leave alone. We need each other. It is true, it may not be your problem right now but eventually we will all suffer if we don't help bear one anothers burdens.

Why We Need Each Other

“Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak.”            1Th 5:14 NAS

A mouse looked out through a crack in a farmhouse wall and was distraught to discover a mousetrap. When he went to tell his buddies, the chicken said, “Sorry pal, not my problem.” The pig said, “I’ll pray for you.” The cow was busy and said, “Come back later.” Dejected, the mouse was left alone to handle his problem. That night a poisonous snake got caught in the mousetrap and when the farmer’s wife went to investigate she got bitten. She developed a raging fever, and everyone knows you treat a fever with chicken soup. So the farmer took his axe to the barn for the main ingredient! As his wife’s condition deteriorated and neighbors gathered, he had to butcher the pig to feed them. Finally she died. So many people came to the funeral that he ended up slaughtering the cow to make dinner for them all. In the end everybody lost!

The Bible says, “Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” It only takes one thing to be an encourager: a willingness to “bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves” (Ro 15:1 NAS). Before deciding somebody else’s problem has nothing to do with you, read this: “If one member suffers, all the members suffer” (1Co 12:26 NKJV). You can’t sit on the sidelines while someone’s hurting; tomorrow it may be you! We are told to “Share each other’s burdens” (Gal 6:2 NLT). When one of us is threatened we’re all at risk. Our lives are woven together for a reason; each of us is a vital thread in another person’s tapestry.

NFL-Baltimore Ravens

Since the Cleveland Browns are in the AFC North, I thought I could share some biblical insight for each team name…I will try not to be biased…especially for the Baltimore Raisins…oh sorry, Ravens. Must I remind you that this “raisins” team originally moved from Cleveland? Feel free to watch this three minute video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFuN3-DbM9w

Ravens are very symbolic in the Bible. My pastor has a sermon about ravens and doves. www.freechapel.org . The raven is a scavenger and hunter.  Pretty much eats garbage. Maybe I should just stop there….

No, here is a verse that sheds a good light on life! Ponder on this verse today-Luke 12:24  "Think about the ravens. They don't plant or gather crops. They don't have any storerooms at all. But God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds!”

Are you worried about a job loss? Are your bills piling up? Is God who he says he is? Has he changed? You are worth much much more to God and if he is who he says he is, God will provide. It is hard, I know. Trust me at this point in my real estate career….I know. But, I have this opportunity to tell you that you are worthy and He is able. Trust him, easier said then done sometimes but that is the basis of our faith. Believe and do not doubt.

Psalm 2

Today you can listen and read! Let it be absorbed into your soul.

Psalm 2

The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom

 ¹ Why do the nations rage,
         And the people plot a vain thing?
 ² The kings of the earth set themselves,
         And the rulers take counsel together,
         Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
 ³ “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
         And cast away Their cords from us.”
       
 ⁴ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
         The Lord shall hold them in derision.
 ⁵ Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
         And distress them in His deep displeasure:
 ⁶ “Yet I have set My King
         On My holy hill of Zion.”
       
 ⁷ “I will declare the decree:
         The LORD has said to Me,
         ‘You are My Son,
         Today I have begotten You.
 ⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You
         The nations for Your inheritance,
         And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
 ⁹ You shall break^[a] them with a rod of iron;
         You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”
       
 ¹⁰ Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
         Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
 ¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear,
         And rejoice with trembling.
 ¹² Kiss the Son,^[b] lest He^[c] be angry,
         And you perish in the way,
         When His wrath is kindled but a little.
         Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him

Robert K. Greenleaf

“Purpose and laughter are the twins that must not separate. Each is empty without the other.” Robert K. Greenleaf

Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Ah, this quote from Robert K. Greenleaf is pretty easy to apply. Think about pursing your purpose in life only as you go on your journey…no fun, no laughter, no happiness. How would you keep on that path? What would the final outcome produce?  So purpose without laughter would be horrible!

Then, if you think about laughter that has no purpose…it’s not funny. It is kind of annoying actually. So do not separate the laughter from the purpose either. Below are two verses that give us permission to laugh and our purpose is to praise Him for the great things He has done. Then our purpose in God’s plan is working for good! Good includes laughter!

Take time today to focus on God’s plan for your life and add a little laughter to it today. To get you started I added a video I found on youtube that absolutely made me crack up. The American soldiers are trying to teach Afghan soldiers how to do jumping jacks. It is hilarious.  Enjoy! Please share with me funny video links you come across. It is great to start the day with something fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx1AJF3DCFo

Woody Hayes

Isn’t it interesting that we all do have the same amount of time in a day, a week, a month and a year yet some people get a lot accomplished and some seem to be running and accomplishing hardly anything at all. What are you doing with your time? Do you give your time to the Lord?

Here are a few ways to spend a few moments at the beginning of your day-

*Each morning when you wake up know that something good is going to happen and say it! “Something Good is going to Happen Today”

*Then read or listen to something funny! We should never get too busy to laugh

*Thank God for providing the opportunity coming your way

*Thank Him for something He has already done

*Compliment your spouse, child or parent

*Read from God’s Word

*Go out of your way to do something for a stranger!

You can add to this list. Just be aware of how you are spending your day. Do more things that matter and let go of the things that don’t. People matter!

Woody Hayes said “The only thing even in this world are the number of hours in a day. The difference in winning or losing is what you do with those hours.

God’s Word says in James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

Make a difference today-do something for someone else.

Browns are "playing" Steelers

No comment on the title. No comments at all....

The following is from a devotional I did for Free Chapel's children's ministry monthly devotional on football. (http://www.freechapel.org/)

"He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored." Proverbs 13:18

If you are to be a part of a football team you have a lot of work to do BEFORE you actually get to play the game. Every day you need to be at practice, do drills lift weights, eat healthy and learn the plays. if you are late to practice or do your drills incorrectly, your coach, who want you to be your best, may tell you to change your attitude, to be at practice on time "or else", or to do a drill over.

If you choose not to listen to the instructions you will eventually be cut from the team or asked to leave. If you choose to listen to the instuctions you will grow stronger and become a better player. That is what God wants from you. Listen to His instructions and you will be stronger and become better for His team,  the Kingdom of God. Choose not to obey His commands, don't read your Bible, don't attend church-and you will hurt your team. Choose wisely!

PSALM 1

My friends, sometimes it is just as soothing to the soul to meditate directly on the word of God. No stories to go along with it, no explanations, just read this out loud and rest in His greatness. You are blessed! Watch this video and be refreshed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0DVrTk80Ps

Blessed is the man
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.
 ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
       and on his law he meditates day and night.
 ³ He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
       and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.
 ⁴ Not so the wicked!
       They are like chaff
       that the wind blows away.
 ⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
       nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
 ⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
       but the way of the wicked will perish.

Jim Rohn

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. -Jim Rohn

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have hleped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:10-12

When I was a preschool teacher one of my favorite stories to tell the children was The Three Billy Goats Gruff. They loved it. I had a bridge made out of wood and four wood characters- three billy goats: small, medium and large, and a mean, ugly troll. When the first two small billy goats tried to cross the bridge the troll would come out and scare them and make them go back to where they were. They were afraid to cross the bridge because the troll would get them and eat them! Until, the large billy goat came. The large billy goat was not afraid of the mean, ugly troll. As a matter of fact, he kicked that mean, ugly troll into the river and he floated away never to been seen again. Then at that time, all three billy goats were able to cross the bridge.

Think of that in our lives today. We have a bridge to cross to get to the next step in our faith, in our finances and in our family life. We come to the bridge and sometimes there is a mean, ugly troll that is hiding. When we take those first few steps to cross, we lose our focus and the mean, ugly troll looks so big and intimidating. What does that mean, ugly troll look like to you today? Is it an illness? Is it a house payment? Is it not being in love anymore? What is it?

Keep on, keeping on. The troll is nothing. He has been stepped on and thrown in the river by many others. You have become fearful of nothing. God has already gone over the bridge and conquered the troll in your life. All you have to do is remember your faith and keep going. Be diligent. Don’t lose focus! On the other side is the green grass just waiting for you.

Helen Keller

Psalm 8:3-4

When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

 What is man that you are mindful of him,
       the son of man that you care for him?

Man is such a complex being. When you stop to think about every cell that makes up our bodies, or how conception creates a baby inside a woman’s womb it is hard to believe unless we have faith in an all knowing, all powerful God.

He created us in His likeness. He desires our love for Him. He placed inside of us a future and a hope and He wants us to be successful. What we choose to do with the hope and our future, God has allowed us to determine. He is with us all the way but we need to have faith in Him. Trust him and do not be afraid.

Helen Keller has every reason to be bitter about the life she had to endure with no sight, no sounds and no speech. But, she determined in her heart, that she too has a hope and a future. She became an author. She learned how to speak with her hands. Of all people she could have found an excuse for not doing anything and everything. But she did not stop. Below is a quote from this famous American.

No Pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit. -Helen Keller

Trust God and do not delay. Do not put off what you know you can do. For if you become pessimistic there may be an undiscovered cure, an unwritten novel, an undeveloped relationship or a missed opportunity.

Mary Kay Ash

Psalm 139:1-2

Lord, you have seen what is in my heart.
      You know all about me.
 You know when I sit down and when I get up.
      You know what I'm thinking even though you are far away.

God has created us with the capability to do amazing things. Our minds let us think, dream, reason and experience emotions. It is the organ that controls body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. It absorbs information about the world around us. It handles our physical coordination like walking, talking, standing and sitting.

Those are proven items you know about your brain. You can search the web and find information about how the mind controls your body. What is also true but hard to prove is that God gives you ideas. Your mind dwells on them. Some people act on those ideas and some do not. Below is a quote from the founder of Mary Kay cosmetics.  

Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who implement them are priceless. –Mary Kay Ash

God is with you and He has given you the ability to do what your heart desires. The thoughts you have, God already knows. Once you acknowledge your desires, step out and act on those ideas remembering to give the glory to God. Have the faith to believe that God wants you to be one of those priceless people who implement the ideas in your heart.

H E L P ME!

Matthew 5:41

Suppose someone forces you to go one mile. Go two miles with him.

Matthew 5:42

"Give to the one who asks you for something. Don't turn away from the one who wants to borrow something from you.

The patient is not moving. The wound is open and carefully the surgeon removes the broken heart and as he is nearly finished the patient’s nose glows red and the room explodes with a “BUZZ”!!! It is the sound no one wants to hear! Be glad it’s only the game of Operation! The surgeon is your dad! The patient, Cavity Sam, is just a piece of cardboard on top of a silly box with a current running through its metal parts. It is fun even though it is not very easy.

There are several internal ailments that may have to be removed to gain points to win the game. A broken heart (100 points), butterflies in the stomach (100 points), writer’s cramp (200 points) and bread basket (1000 points). When physical hurts are in a game it is fun. When they happen in real life it could be painful. If it happens to a friend or family member it could be scary.

Sometimes when a friend is going through a physical trial we don’t know what to do or what to say. We all know someone right now that does not feel good. Maybe they had surgery like Cavity Sam. Maybe they have lost a job and have become depressed. Perhaps they are involved with a divorce. Daily there are so many wounds to our soul.

Be an encourager today. You have probably thought about someone while reading this that could use some encouragement.

What can you do?

*Hand write a note. Send it in the mail…have we forgotten how to do that?

*Call them on the phone so they can hear your voice and you can hear theirs.

*Bring them a meal, bake some cookies, bring a bag of groceries

*Watch their children at your house so they can have an hour to do whatever they want

*Wash the car of an older adult

*Walk next door or down the street and mow someone’s grass

PAY IT FORWARD

What can you say?

Psalm 86:5-The Lord is forgiving and good abounding in love
Psalm 100:5-The LORD is good and his love endures forever; He is faithful

Psalm 106:1-Give thanks to the LORD

James 4:10- The Lord will lift you up.

Matthew 5:4-God will comfort you.

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In my Chutes and Ladders post, I got a comment from a friend that she did not know the game and would not purchase it for her children when they were small because she thought there were a lot of parts. So, in case there are followers that are not familiar with How to Play Operation, Here are the rules copied from Wikipedia-

In "Operation" there are two sets of cards: Doctor and Specialist cards. The Specialist cards are dealt out evenly amongst the players at the beginning of the game.
Players take turns to pick Doctor cards, which offer a cash payment for removing a particular ailment, using a pair of tweezers connected with wire to the board. If a player successfully removes the ailment they collect the amount shown on their card. However, if the tweezers touch the metal edge of the opening during the attempt (closing the circuit), a buzzer sounds, the patient's nose lights up red, and the player loses their turn. The player holding the Specialist card for that piece then has a try, getting double the fee if they succeed. Since there are times when the player drawing a certain Doctor card also holds the matching Specialist card, s/he can be tempted to purposely botch the first attempt, in order to succeed on the second try, for double value.
The winner is the player with the most money after all the pieces have been extracted.
The game can be difficult, due to the shapes of the plastic ailments, and the fact the openings are scarcely larger than the ailments themselves.

Mr Potato Head

Mr Potato Head

Proverbs 15:13
A happy heart makes a face look cheerful. But a sad heart produces a broken spirit.

“The eyes are the mirror of the soul” is a famous saying. If you are really interested in how someone is feeling you will be able to see in their eyes whether they are excited, fearful, sad or happy. By looking at someone’s eyes you can really see what they are feeling. Sometimes they say they are ok but you see in their facial expression that they are not ok. Sometimes friends want to hold you in suspense by holding back the excitement inside of them but you can tell by their expression that they are not telling you some good information.

God created us emotional creatures. We feel sadness, joy, excitement and embarrassment. He knows what we are feeling even when we try to hide it. Sometimes we try to hide it from those around us but if we are around those who know us well, it is pretty hard to hide our feelings.

Think about Mr. Potato Head. He surely can not hide his feelings. When you take his mouth and put it in as a smile, he looks happy. When you take the mouth and put it in upside down, it creates a frown and he looks sad. Be aware of people’s eyes and facial expressions. Sometimes they may be telling you something without even using words.

When you feel down remember that God is always with you and He is available to you. Call to Him. Share your feelings and thoughts with Him. After all, like Mr. Potato Head, we can not hide our feelings from God. He already knows what we are thinking. He also has the answers to all of our fears. He has the words to comfort our hurts and He has the knowledge to encourage us when we are going strong. God is our all in all!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Are You Ready for Some Football? I have joined a football pool with one of the lenders I use. It doesn't cost anything, which is good, because I haven't won anything yet. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even come close. Perhaps it is my method of choosing the teams. You see, the way I choose the winners has nothing to do with the teams EXCEPT for two. I choose the Cleveland Browns to win every week. AND, I choose whichever team is playing the Pittsburg Steelers. That is it. That is all I care about. Then for the rest of the selections I either choose all on the right one week, all on the left the next, every other one and so on, ….probably a little less technical then the others in the football pool.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwkl5q6AaS8

Just in case you get a little more attached and emotional about “your team”. Whether they win or lose, in the grand scheme of things, is irrelevant. It is only our walk with God that will continue to influence our lives for the rest of the week. These times we are living in seem to be especially hard. People around us are hurting. Struggles in all areas are defeating so many.  But, take heart! We know the one who has overcome!

Let me encourage you today with this-we are currently playing the game but the score isn’t even close. We have already won. Meditate on these words and celebrate your victory!

Psalm 44:5-7 

 ⁵ Through you we push back our enemies;
       through your name we trample our foes.

 ⁶ I do not trust in my bow,
       my sword does not bring me victory;

 ⁷ but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.

 
1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 5:5
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Luke 10:19
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Revelation 1:8   "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," says the Lord God. "I am the One who is, and who was, and who will come. I am the Mighty One."

Revelation 1:9  I, John, am a believer like you. I am a friend who suffers like you. As members of Jesus' royal family, we can put up with anything that happens to us.

Today, once again I am rooting for the Browns! Sorry Atlanta friends! 

Etch A Sketch

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sadness. There will be no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the way they used to be.”

Up and down or side to side, the two white knobs on the Etch a sketch are the only parts that move. It has not changed much over the years. You don’t need batteries or even electricity. The magic screen upon which your drawings appear is glass, covered with clear plastic film. Inside, aluminum powder and plastic beads respond to each turn of the knob. The left and right knobs control the rods inside, moving the stylus where the two meet.  When the stylus moves, it scrapes the screen leaving the line you see.

Those who have talent and patience enough can spend hours moving those two knobs creating a beautiful portrait or heavenly landscape. But, one little shake of the Etch a sketch in the wrong direction and the entire picture will be destroyed, or disappear. In a moment, what has taken hours and skill to produce is wiped away. But, not to fear, the slate is clean again and you can start over.

God created our surroundings by speaking them into existence. He used a rainbow of colors for his landscape on Earth. He made every detail unique. Then one day, He shook the earth. He made the rain cover and destroy everything. All that He saw as good and beautiful was destroyed. But, He allowed Noah and his family to survive and God started a new portrait.

Some day soon, this Earth will again shake. God will take his people to heaven and things that we had on our Earthly Etch a sketch will be wiped away. Nothing sad, nothing that makes us cry or causes us pain will ever appear again. We will see things we have never seen before. And we will be in awe of the sight before us. Forever, only things that make us smile and laugh will be with us in Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ

Chutes and Ladders

James 1:2-3

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Fourth grade was probably my favorite year in school. I had Mr. Siberski, the coolest teacher EVER! We went on tons of field trips and we played a lot of made up games but what I remember most is recess.

We would run outside as quickly as possible to get a swing. We played kickball and hung from the monkey bars. And then there were other days we lined up to use the slide. One after another we climbed the ladder, got seated at the top and when the way was clear we slid down.

Someone else must have liked the slide because they created the game Chutes and Ladders.

Think about it. Life is a little like Chutes and Ladders. Sometimes you go up and other times you are down. When you play the game, it doesn’t stop when you go down a chute. You keep going. And if you happen to get the tallest ladder it doesn’t mean you’ve won and you can quit.  You have to keep going. You may encounter a Chute after you thought you were going to win but the ups and downs are the point of the game.

God allows us to experience ups and downs too. He does not expect us to stop when we are “up” or quit when we are “down”. Just keep going. He will bring you through it all. God knows where you are, He knows where you are headed and He is not going to let you go. He is with you all the way!

JUMP ROPE

Jump Rope

Psalm 28:7
The Lord gives me strength. He is like a shield that keeps me safe. My heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart jumps for joy. I will sing and give thanks to him.

Picture this…the weather is perfect, not too hot, and not too cold. Sun is shining. Two of your friends are over and you are sitting in the driveway thinking about something to do. You go to the garage and find a jump rope. In an instant you and your friends are twirling the rope and jumping reciting-

“Down in the valley where the green grass grows,
There sat Sally sweet as a rose.
She sang, she sang, she sang so sweet,

Along came Johnny and kissed her on the cheek,
How many kisses did she get this week?”

1…2…3…4…5…6…and you miss, and laugh! You switch places and your friend now jumps to the same rhyme, as you begin to twirl the rope. It is a good time for exercise, laughing and becoming friends.

The Bible tells us that God enjoys being with us. He loves when we are spending time with Him. He knows every hair on our head and He wants us to be joyful.  

Read today’s verse again and remember today that God loves you. The Lord gives me strength. He is like a shield that keeps me safe. My heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart jumps for joy. I will sing and give thanks to him.