Autumn

Sue’s Views 
The trees are starting to change colour and there is a definite ‘nip’ in the air!As we reluctantly say goodbye to summer ….. let’s remember that every season has its purpose and is necessary for life to continue. I personally love autumn! It has a beauty of its own. The vibrant array of colours ….. the crunchiness of walking on fallen leaves ….. the crispness of the sunny days! It causes us to prepare for winter by putting on an extra layer. In nature ….. it’s clear out time! It gets rid of the old to make way for the new. Not a bad time for us to do the same!

Remember What God Has Done!

Sue’s Views

I don’t know about you ….. but I forget things very easily these days! Maybe it’s because life is so full and our minds are operating on overload most of the time. I don’t want to think it’s because I’m getting older ….. but that too! One thing I’ve found valuable is to keep a journal. Some days I simply write down what I did that day. Other days I take more time to process my thoughts and feelings. One thing God told the Israelites over and over was ‘Don’t forget!’ When you go into the Promised Land and possess houses you didn’t build ….. crops you didn’t plant ….. livestock and riches you didn’t earn ….. don’t forget that everything you have comes from God. When I look back at my journals throughout the years ….. I’m reminded of the many challenges God has brought me and my family through. The many blessings He has loaded us with daily. The lessons learned ….. the growth that has taken place. It all ends up with thanksgiving! If life is tough right now ….. take a moment to remember the One who has brought you through ….. and will continue to do so.

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Filled with God’s Spirit

Sue’s Views
No matter how sophisticated we think we are ….. or how famous ….. or how talented ….. we are all made from the same clay! It’s what fills that clay vessel that makes all the difference. God’s Spirit on the inside transforms us from a clay pot ….. to a treasure trove. From a container ….. to a dispenser of His love. So instead of comparing yourself with other pots ….. let Him fill you and do things through you that you have not yet imagined!

All Things Bright and Beautiful!

Sue’s Views
We enjoyed a lovely family day out yesterday at Butterfly Creek. It reminded me of the old hymn ‘All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small. All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all!’ From butterflies and lizards ….. to farm animals ….. to alligators … to dinosaurs! Each creature is so different and intricately designed. We certainly do have a creative and amazing God!

It’s Worth the Climb!

Sue’s Views
Much of life is an uphill climb. It takes more energy ….. and motivation ….. and it’s easy to settle for the ‘low road’. But the ‘high road’ has a better view. You can look back on where you’ve come from with perspective ….. instead of always wondering, “What’s up there?”

The Lord’s Prayer

Sue’s Views
When Jesus disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray ….. He gave them a model prayer which has come to be known as ‘The Lords Prayer’. It wasn’t meant to be quoted parrot fashion but to be followed thoughtfully. It contains all the elements required to live each day in Gods blessing. It starts by putting God in His rightful place ‘Our Father in Heaven’. It acknowledges who He is ‘Hallowed be your name’ ….. determines our desire to see Him reign as King on earth ‘Your Kingdom come’ ….. and our willingness to put His will above ours ‘Your will be done on earth as in Heaven’. Then we can bring our physical needs ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ ….. our spiritual needs, ‘Forgive us our debts as we forgive those indebted to us’ ….. our mental and emotional needs, ‘And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.’ Finally ….. it reaffirms who God is, ‘For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.’
If you use this pattern every day you will never run out of things to pray for your family and loved ones!

Decision Time

Sue’s Views
Finding it hard to make a decision? Ask God for wisdom. He has all the facts ….. and He wants you to do well. But you must act on what He shows you to do. Faith pleases Him ….. even more than whether or not you make the right decision. He can steer you in the right direction ….. but you must make the first move.

Faith is …..

Sue’s Views
What is faith? It’s not wishful thinking ….. or a way to get something you really want. It’s seeing something that God has promised ….. but that doesn’t yet exist. If I can see something ….. I don’t need faith to believe in it! Faith is something that grows ….. like a tree. It starts off as a tiny seed that looks nothing like a tree. But ….. given time ….. it grows into something that brings forth fruit ….. shelter ….. and beauty. Faith is like a muscle that must be exercised in order to strengthen. It also pleases God!

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Sue’s Views
God has new territory for us to possess. It may be spiritual territory ….. emotional ….. mental ….. or material ….. but it is most likely occupied at the moment. Opposing forces don’t want you to have it. In order to possess something ….. we first have to dispossess it! Israel didn’t just wander into the Promised Land and take over. They discovered it was occupied by enemies of God and they weren’t going to hand it over easily. God had promised them that they would win the battle ….. but they still had to fight! When we fight in God’s army ….. we are assured of victory. So ….. ‘Be strong and of good courage ….. for the battle belongs to the Lord!’

Home!

Sue’s Views
Board games really bring out the true character of a person! There’s the competitive ….. ‘must win at all costs’ type! Then there’s the strategic ….. ‘takes their time before making a move’ type. The aim of the game is to get home! The Israelites journey was something like a board game. They started out well ….. but then they would find themselves back where they started! They won some battles ….. but lost some as well. They had to learn to trust God and not rely on their own strategies. Their goal was to get to the Promised Land which was to be their new Home!