How do we respond to choices that are before us?

Respond appears one hundred and four times in the Bible...

Respond means to say something in reply... 

This word came up in a group discussion, and it led me to think about how we respond to others. Thinking deeper, I found myself questioning how we respond to God. 

What was the first question God asked man in the Bible? I did not have to look very far. In Genesis 3:9, the first recorded question is found. 

Adam and Eve were in the garden. We don’t know how long, but long enough to know who formed them and placed them in an Eden full of everything they would want or need. A beautiful place where they could live and grow. The presence of God was a delight, and I am sure when they heard Him, they would come running to Him to share with Him all they were doing. 

One day, that changed. They heard His voice calling them. His call that day was: “Where are you?” He was not met with the love and joy that had been there before. 

Adam’s response was: “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself”.

This was the first question and the first answer recorded for us to read. 

Is God still asking the same question to man today? And to get personal, Is He asking me the same question today? Am I eager and excited to hear His voice in my garden of life? He loves us and loves to walk and talk with us. But do we hide from Him? Do we fill our lives so full that we have no time for Him? 

“Where are you?” He has not left you. He is seeking you. He will be your beloved Savior, your hope, the joy of your life. Respond to His question today!

“God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

Written by Joann Turnbull  

Photography by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer  

Inspiring Music by (YouTube) 

I Surrender All CeCe Winans

Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure -  St. John Paul II

Meaning of adventure an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity:

Are we ever ready for the Great Adventure??  How do face life? Are you timid and shy? Are you a risk-taker? Do savor the moments or are you so self-consumed you let the beauty of life pass you by ??? Do we grab life with gusto? Or do become complacent and stand in the mundane? 

To complicate matters what does the Bible say about adventure?  Is there excitement? Is there a thrill for the risk-taker ?? Many people feel this old dust book we call the Bible is boring and old! Why bother? To tell the truth, I was one of those people... Boy was I wrong... lol 

I have been on the most amazing adventure... Sometimes I never left the comfort of my own home. You may think that is impossible? 

But, I have discovered the key 🔑. To life and Love... it’s the biggest treasure this world has to offer!! I have to admit I was not in control of this adventure, my journey has been in the hands of another... 

It’s when I let go and let Him have control of my life is when life began to take on new meaning, and the mundane became alive! Even that old boring book began to come alive,  words started jumping off the page and into my heart!!! I began to sing a new song and had a bounce in my step. I began to look at each new day with the excitement of a child at a new theme park !! I could not contain my enthusiasm!  I had a smile appear and it seemed to radiate from within. It could not be wipe from my face ... 

God was my biggest risk. In the beginning, I treaded lightly and I was unsure how this adventure with God would be perceived? So I held back ... I was shy about sharing my excitement. But as I trusted Him, I began to let go and let Him guide my life.  And my Love for Him grew. ( His love is out of this world) My vulnerability became less of a stumbling block ... And I found new freedom... He freed the child within ... It's when I let go. I found me... He has been the Greatest adventure my heart and soul have ever experienced!!! 

Be a risk-taker ... Risk-loving God with all your heart, all of your mind, and all of your soul!!  

Turn the key. Give Him control and you too will have that adventurous smile... Feel Alive!!  

It’s Him, It’s always been Him... 

Zoom zoom 😀😀😀

“Go,” the LORD said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” Deuteronomy 10:11

Photography & Written by Lori Garner 

Sinner's Prayer

Inspiring Music by (youtube)

365 - day 58... ED SHEERAN'S 'PERFECT' AS A WORSHIP SONG!

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We need Him to be our focus.

Meaning of self-absorbed: preoccupied with one's feelings, interests, or situation:

“So, God created man in His own image. So, where and when did our spiritual journey go off track? Where are the life and love teachings of Jesus? Are our core values on vacation??? Have they eroded with time?

Are we so absorbed in our work, interests, or hobbies that we've lost sight of what's truly important? How do we find our way back to a simpler, more meaningful way of living where love, relationships, and life itself are the priorities?

It saddens me to see our relationships and our world in such an eroded state. It wounds my heart to think that we've lost our grip on reality. 

Have we become callous-hearted?
 

Are we driven to pursue dreams with infectious enthusiasm, fostering a culture of kindness and compassion that inspires others? Do we seek to understand diverse perspectives before we disregard how our actions may affect others? Do we leave scars with our actions? Are our words thoughtful or full of judgment?

Are you one of the genuine hearts that truly care? 

Are we a society that prioritizes selfishness or selflessness? Do we demonstrate authentic care and compassion, or do we simply walk away and move our attention to the next issue? Are we full of self? Are we disengage, or do we put in the work to create a meaningful and lasting impact in our own lives and the world and the people around us?

God created man in His image, which also includes our heart... Does our heart reflect His love? Or have we dimmed His light? I do not claim to have all the answers, however, 

I do believe we can make a difference... 

We can be less aggressive... we can be more understanding, more loving, more caring, or KIND.

I challenge you to start today, be that heart that can make the difference in someone’s day with just a smile and a kind word... 

or just STOP... 

And say simply say I LOVE You... God loves you ... and mean it! 

Let’s not be a hollow image of God... Let’s learn how to shine in His light once again... let’s learn to live this life from the best teacher I have grown to LOVE... Jesus... 

It’s Him. It’s always Him.  

And I am a work in progress!  Never forget GOD LOVES YOU!

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3). 

Photography & written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

Inspiring Music by (YouTube) 

Love Restores/ A Worship Song Inspired by Ezekiel 36/ English-Hebrew Messianic Worship Song 

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6

The meaning of Storm: a storm, a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow. A tumultuous reaction; an uproar or controversy: 
Move angrily or forcefully in a specified direction:

The word "storm" appears in the Bible one hundred and nineteen times. 

Storms can come when we least expect them.  Many can come with complete knowledge, allowing you to prepare for the worst... When I think of storms, I think of Florida, where in my lifetime I have weathered many violent storms. 

As I think about these storms, I have witnessed the devastation they can cause to life and property. In life, there are storms we face that rage within. 

Let’s look at the storms of life that we feel in our soul… It starts with a distant rumble. We can see grey clouds moving swiftly across the sky… Lightning crashes and bolts of light furiously light the dark sky. The winds pick up speed… And we hear the sounds of the rumbling get closer and closer … Everything in its path is showing signs of being battered and worn…  

The human soul will hide in fear, thinking that it will not be able to stand the violence felt. But when our soul retreats and goes deep. Something amazing happens, we find God's gift. He instilled a resilience and a hunger for life in each life He has created... as soon as we find Him there, these storms lose their strength and soon die. And our soul finds a strength we did not even realize existed. It’s at these times that we begin to understand the beauty of our Heavenly Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

He is our rock, our anchor, our Savior. Find Rest in Him when you face any storm life may throw your way. Get anchored and feel Him in your soul….  

It's Him, it's always Him.

And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. Matthew 8:24

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Bible Verses From KJV, Easy  

Sinners Prayer 

Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm (Live from YouTube Space New York)

“I am convinced that there is no great distance between heaven and earth, that the distance lies in our finite minds. When the Beloved visits us in the night, He turns our chambers into the vestibules of His palace halls. Earth rises to heaven when heaven comes down to earth.” — Charles H. Spurgeon

Meaning of between in the time, space, or interval that separates

The word between does not seem to be a word that appears as a word that has been counted.

Between day and night. It’s 3:27 am and darkness fills the air ... yet it's morning ... transition to daylight will come soon ... 

When we think of heaven and earth do we question what is the space between? Why are we earth-bound? Our bodies hold us captive. But our souls can move between worlds... do we tap into that resource? It’s a beautiful gift from our Creator? 
Sometimes I feel a tug war between my heart and soul.. Gravity may hold my body but my soul has been freed to soar to greater heights!!

We have a mission a purpose here on earth. However, there seems to be a yearning in our soul to return to our Creator our spiritual home our First love. We are in the state of between... How does one reconcile this with our heart? How do we find peace in our souls? How do understand this with our limited mind? 

He gave us you... “Holy Spirit” You are our beautiful “between”. You are our between love. You are our between peace. You share with us a heavenly love, and gently teach us the greatness of Jesus and our Heavenly Father... You teach us what beauty awaits and you show us the way. You share the essence and beauty of a love beyond our human understanding... 

Just who are you? How did you come to dwell within our hearts our soul and our very thoughts?  I have felt you stirring since birth.  But I did not recognize who you were. I was between worlds .... and my heart was bound to things of this world... But for some reason far beyond my own thoughts, you freed my soul to newfound freedom and understanding... 

You are a beautiful gift from our Creator, our Heavenly Father, our greatest LOVE. He gave us the gift of His very breath... 

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). 

It’s Him, It’s always been Him. 

Our first love ... 

I live in a state of between.. while my body must remain on earth, my soul has a yearning.. a thirst.. to know everything about this beautiful love. My heart will always feel that pull to one day return home... I love you Holy Spirit. The very thought of your abundant beauty and knowing that You are God’s very breath, 

It is Your essence and Your abundant love. You have taken residence with my heart and soul... You leave me in awe of Your very existence... 

You still wow me... 🤩 

Written by Lori Garner

Photo by Kendall Hoopes from Pexels           Bible Verses From KJV, Easy  /                 Sinners prayer 

Inspiring Music: Youtube 

Father, Son, Spirit (Official Lyric Video) // A Table Full Of Strangers // Jason Upton

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of us.” ― Teresa of Ávila.- 

 The meaning of peacemaker is a person who brings about peace, especially by reconciling adversaries.

Ten verses in the Bible reference the word peace. 

To fully understand the word “peacemaker,” we must look at the meaning of its root word, which would be “peace.” I found such peace in my soul when I discovered that in the translation of the Hebrew word shalom, which, according to Jewish theology, comes from a Hebrew verb meaning 'to be complete, whole'. ... The term-'peace' originates most recently from the Anglo-French pes, and the Old French pais, meaning peace, reconciliation, silence, agreement" (11th century). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace)

Most of us are likely familiar with the distinction between being at peace and being in a state of unrest and discord.  We all strive for that beautiful state of mind. It affects our hearts, our souls, our minds, and how our life in general operates. 

We know what peace is… But what is PEACE-maker? How do they intercede between two parties that have a conflict? What are their attributes? 

Here are my thoughts. They must have a gentle spirit. They must be good listeners.  They must be able to maintain a neutral understanding heart. They must look at both sides of the dispute with an open mind. They must maintain a loving disposition toward all parties.  But the peacemakers are not without scars. They take the conflict into their soul. And they make every attempt to bring peace to all parties. 

However, they stay troubled when their mission of being the peacemaker fails or falls short. But there is hope for the Peacemaker… Their mission might fail, through no fault of their own. But they know time is on their side. 

Where do they go to maintain their own peaceful existence when they need to refuel??

I must admit when my thoughts went to the attributes of a peacemaker, my mind pictured Jesus. He is all the above and more. And we all know when His peace is shaken, He goes to our Heavenly Father. 

Now if we go back to the Hebrew word shalom, which, according to Jewish theology, comes from a Hebrew verb meaning 'to be complete, whole'. ... 

That must be the answer. When our souls are at odds with others, we are fractured. Our hearts are broken. But when we are with the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, we are whole. They give us peace that surpasses all human understanding.

If we were to study Jesus and try every day to emulate His attributes, we could become peacemakers.  OUR TROUBLED WORLD NEEDS PEACE. BUT PEACE IS NOT EASY, IT TAKES WORK, IT TAKES UNDERSTANDING, IT TAKES LOVE… 

I would like to acknowledge that we have all had our challenges. Our peace has been eroding a little bit at a time. Many relationships have been stressed to the max. Some are even broken.  

As we travel in our journey of life. I challenge you to be the peacemaker. Let’s heal all wounds. Let’s bring LOVE alive in our hearts and in our lives. And if you do not think you can be the peacemaker.  Let’s help the Peace-Maker complete His mission. 

It’s Him, It’s always Him.  

Shalom! 

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” KJB Luke 2:14 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

So, then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Romans 14:19

As it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:18

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Bible Verses From KJV  / Sinner's Prayer

Music from YouTube

Peace (Official Lyric Video) - Bethel Music feat. We The Kingdom | Peace

Darkness will not gain victory over the light of Christ. In faith, there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't…

The meaning of dark the absence of light in a place: darkness, blackness, absence of light, gloom, gloominess. 

Dark in the Bible is referred to 225 times.

Dark or Darkness I believe touches everyone at some time in their life... I chose this word today because as I write about this word I am sitting in the darkness of my room... 

Darkness can be an overwhelming scary place. It’s where creepy things go bump in the night... It is the anticipation of things unknown. We can become paralyzed due to fear.  It can rob us of so much life. During my journey, I did experience a time of darkness. It made me feel a loss in my soul, it made me cry, it made me bewildered and sad. Looking back I found out that in my darkest hour I found out a lot about me.  I do believe there are times we are given life trials so we can grow. But I also found out that no matter how sad or difficult things might seem I was never alone. I did find out that God never left my side. His gentleness and love held me when I felt lost. He became my best friend, my confidant, my guiding light...The darkness that tried to consume my soul had no choice but to flee... 

I did learn over time to appreciate the darkness, those “stillness” moments, those quiet times when the house is void of light and family noise! This dark hour is when I find my Heavenly Father, my quiet time with Him, and His word breathes light into my soul. He fills my heart with a love that is difficult to contain. If I love Him? Is no longer a question. It becomes IF I get up a few minutes before everyone ... I will find my golden hour ...my solace, my LOVEs ... 

There is no darkness that can rob me of His eternal light.  You see this darkness is not a place, It not something we can see with our eyes. It's a place deep within our souls. And I have found when we invite God into our lives,  His light begins to shine from within.  He gives us that light that shines even in our darkest hour. Because we can be confident that we are never alone. We do not have to fight life demons by ourselves. He is victorious over all things we may encounter. He stands tall, strong, and ready. So pick up the light sword and be ready for any battle that may rage from within... Being ready is half the battle... 

The power of light that we feel is from within... 

It’s Him!!  It’s always Him.

Photography & Written by Lori Garner Bible Verses From KJV, Easy  Sinners prayer Inspiring Music: YouTube

God's Light Shines in the Darkness 2011

 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will give rest for your souls" Matthew 11:28-30 

Meaning of rest an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity

The word "rest" literally means to relax in peace; it also implies people's mourning for the dead. In the Bible, the word "rest" appears over two hundred times.

When I closed my eyes to rest my thoughts on the word rest... This mental image appeared... Fall leaves bright orange with beautiful deep hues of red. They danced so gracefully across the ground as the wind gently pushed against the beauty of the moment. 

Are we much like leaves in the wind?  Or do our souls yearn for a peaceful existence? Unrest can cause anxiety and fear. 

With our world pulling at our time, our hearts, and our obligations? How do we find the precious time to rest? 

Exactly what happens to us when we rest?  We can expect our breathing to slow down and our body to relax. "When you wake up, it's almost like you've time-traveled, feeling like you only fell asleep. 

I must confess I am having a difficult time writing this word after a full day of activity. Determined to take what we call a time out ... I put on my PJs grabbed my electric blanket sat in my lazy boy... Put on my headphones and tuned in to my favorite playlist.. and away I went to that magical place. Where our worries disappear, where our body becomes limp ... and our mind and soul are free to experience a beautiful blissful state where dreams can whisk our way.  

What an amazing gift from our heavenly Father.  He knew our bodies could not keep up with our freed souls... And created rest so our bodies could repair and refuel.. while our soul connects and communes with our Creator  ... I must say when I find Him it is the sweetest, the most love-filled relaxed moments in time... My soul soars with delight and my heart is filled with abundant joy. I could stay there forever... as a matter of fact, I have asked Him to let me stay more than once... But just as this amazing dance begins to pick up momentum... the moment and mood are broken with that familiar annoying buzzer sound. 

The alarm..ugh .. hit that snooze button and you try as you might pick up the moment just where you left it? Sadly you discover it has vanished into thin air... but the sweetness of this relaxing getaway lingers on you like the fresh morning dew. 

He is amazing!! How did He think of so many wonderful gifts to give His Children??? 

Well, I have more time. I am going to meditate on Him... I am going to rest on Him... He moves my soul !! 

It’s him. It’s always Him!!! 

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music:

Rest in Jesus