Louder Than the Voices

 Happy Saturday! Sorry about no devotional last week but I am learning as I get older that I need to listen to God and listen to my body and not be so rigid about MY plans. I really planned on doing my devotional Saturday morning on the plane and then I had a dead battery, by the time I got home, I was just so happy to be home, I just wanted to be. So, I decided that was how it was going to be and I tried not to feel guilty about it.  I did have the layout for last week's devotional though, and it still needs said, because it isn't like things like last week never happen. Also, I think instead of jumping into another book, I may take a few weeks and look at some of my favorite verses and passages. This week we are starting with Hebrews 12:1-2. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,   2  f...

 Well, Happy Saturday! Happy Snowmeggedon, so we hear. We had big family day plans today to head to Indy but we are changing that, not so much because of the snow earlier in the day but because of the temps. So instead, there are cinnamon rolls in the oven, games on the table and we can have a great family day right here. Carol and I leave early Monday morning (per the current flight time) for St. Louis. Honestly, it won't hurt my feelings if our flight gets delayed just a few hours and they tell us that on Sunday night, but I know God will take care of however it works out. We are finishing James today! I am still torn between weather we are going to Philippians or Proverbs, but it is one of them. Hopefully I decide by next week BUT I will probably take a one week break as we are flying home next Saturday morning. So, lets dig in. James 5:19-20 19  My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,   20  let him know that ...

 We made it to another Saturday, and we are half way through January already. Someone said this week that January just feels like one long Monday and I can relate. Things didn't go as planned for me this week in a lot of areas, but they went okay and we are all alive and well so we will take it. I thought we would finish up James today but decided to break it off one more time, so we have got 5 verses today and 2 next week and we will have it done. So, lets dig in. James 5:13-18 13  Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.   14  Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.   15  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.   16  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other...

 Happy Saturday! We have christened the new year in and we are now on our way, hopefully we are even used to writing 2026 in the date by now. I am so excited, this has been a roller coaster of emotions week and I get to spend the day with the two people who know me best, Dani and Tammy. I. CANNOT. WAIT! It is funny, these two have been there through every up and down in my life, and I hope they would say the same for me. My friend Rob always talks about that line in Stand By Me, that says, "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12". These two are it. They know absolutely everything about me and like me anyway. It is funny, we plan these days months in advance but it seems like I never need them more than when we are getting ready for a day.  So, I want to get on with our Bible Study and get on with the day. We are pulling one verse out of James today, not because I am trying to skimp, but it is truly a stand alone verse. James puts a single verse in ...

 Happy first Saturday of the new year!! I hope everyone is doing well. I think we have had a very good start to 2026 and I am sure hoping that 2026 just keeps rolling along. It has already started hard for some of my friends and I am praying daily that things ease up soon for them. I am finally back to finishing James! And today we are talking about James 5: 7-11. And something most of us need more of but all of us are afraid to ask. Patience.  Do you ever think about how much time you spend waiting? How many times does that bring us stress? Little things like waiting in line at Walmart ( or Kohls can be worse!), waiting in traffic, waiting for a check to come in the mail, waiting to hear about a job, waiting to hear a diagnosis. We all spend a lot of time waiting and unfortunately, that is part of life. How we handle that wait though is a part of who we are in Christ. So, let's dive in. I am back to using my HEAR method as I feel it just really gets the verse really looked at...

 Happy last Saturday of 2025. I am actually quite happy to see this year come to an end. I am a firm believer that every day is a new beginning but sometimes we need the gift of a new calendar starting and to be able to close the door on the past. This has been an incredibly rough year in so many areas. There are years that things may be rough at work, but not so much at home or with friends, and vice versa, this year, the hard times seem to be coming from every direction. Last night, I was visiting with Robert about having joy. He made the statement that I always seem to have joy and I hadn't really thought about it but I realized he was right. I am definitely not always happy, but joy is not happiness. I feel joy is that ultimate peace and contentment that can only be found through that strong, stable relationship in Jesus.  Psalms 16:11 says, "You make know to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy". I decided as this year ends and the new one b...