Meaning of struggle: A struggle is a war, fight, conflict, or contest of any kind. 

As I struggle to know how should we study this word many thoughts came to my mind. 

I see so many people who are struggling with larger-than-life struggles. Then there are those that are so full of self that they struggle with such superficial things? Like what to wear to their next social event... Some struggle with how many likes they get on their social media post? I struggle with why? Why is that so important?  Have we missed the importance of life itself? 

Why does God love us so much? Why does He never give up? Why would He go through such pain for people that have become lost or have become too numb care? 

How do we explain this behavior to our children? After all, they look to us for guidance. We are their role models. 

How do we come to grips and free our hearts? How can we be the change... it is a struggle when our world seems so out of control??? 

Many of us watch the news and struggle with what to believe? 

I can only share my thoughts because I too struggle... However, when I have doubt I return to my higher power. He is not of this world!  He reigns supreme... He holds the keys to a beautiful peaceful existence beyond the craziness of our world. 

So, my struggle shifts to why? Why do so many turn away from God? Why did it take me so long to realize the true reason we exist? Why did I not know Him before now? If God has a plan why did He make life to be such a struggle? 

With time I have learned that He did not make life a struggle... He made life to love! And to be loved.  He came to earth with a purpose ... To teach us about life and how to love. 

Our Heavenly Father wants the best for His children... We are the ones that fell short... The human race let Him down. But the good news is He has never stopped loving each one of us. 

It’s our fault, We have been our own worst enemy. 

We have learned to live in the now! We have become singularly focused... Greed, power, and self have scared many hearts... We have detached ourselves from the true meaning of life and this isolation has kept us from loving without boundaries... Many have behaved selfishly.

Thoughts of many hoarding supplies danced in my head... 

How do we regain the gift of love? How do we turn to Him for guidance? How do we shift our focus from living in the now to seeking a beautiful future for eternity? I say... take whatever measures that are available to you to find Him... Pick up a Bible, Find a church, or simply get on your knees and ask Him to show you the way... 

He has never stopped loving you! You do not have to handle life’s struggle alone... He is our Creator, Our mentor, Our peace amidst any storm... Every question, every struggle... He is the only answer!!! 

It’s Him, It’s always Him... 

And yes, He had me at Hello.. 😍❤🔥

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1John 4:4 

“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.” John 16:33

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Model/Fighter Gabriel Chacon

Sinners Prayer 

Inspiring Music by (youtube)

KADOSH ATA (Joshua Aaron & Misha Goetz) Messianic Praise and Worship

 Triune Loves Me Art

“It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.” C.S. Lewis 

Meaning of division is a disagreement between two or more groups, typically producing tension or hostility.

"a growing sense of division. 

We located 44 verses about this ugly word ”division” 

When I look around in our troubled world there is more division than love!! 

How did things become so unbalanced... This discord seems to roll downhill. So many diverse opinions? beliefs, lifestyles? Not to mention politics, ethnic groups, and, religious beliefs??? 

How did we get so lost?? Where did the compassion and love go?. When did we become so preoccupied that our values eroded like sifting sand??? 

I have to ask...  What will Heaven be like?? Is this life a test?  If we can't get it right here? Will we even be invited?? 

We must work towards understanding, and acceptance of our differences. We need to build bridges instead of divisions... 

If we study the Man many claims to love perhaps we can learn how to love like Him before it's too late??? 

I pray that if you read this to the end, He softens your heart and that you feel a calling to make a difference in our world...  Shine His light so bright that the division will no longer be seen... Or even felt!!

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have been taught; avoid them. Romans 16:17

Photography, Art & Written by Lori Garner  

Inspiring Music: YouTube The Youngbloods - Get Together

The meaning of somewhere: some unspecified place.

The word somewhere is in the Bible 13 times. 

This word is so vague… can somewhere be found? Can we find this special location on our trusty GPS??  Or is it just beyond the horizon?? 

There are times when I pray that I have been whisked away to a faraway land. And it's there I find love and a feeling of peace that can not be described… 

Is this a spiritual location between heaven and earth?  I know it is somewhere my soul yearns to go … There is a force there that has captured my heart… It is there that I can hear and feel a His sweet whisper in the wind … 

When I am there the world as I know it grows dim. 

I can feel a warm light source that fills my soul as He patiently teaches me of the beauty that abounds while I am in His presence … 

Is it somewhere in another dimension of time and space? Or is this a glimpse of heaven? 

Perhaps it is just a tease of the love that awaits? 

My mind can not seem to rationalize where this somewhere is? 

 So it slowly surrenders to my heart and soul… 

Was this “somewhere” in time written by my Creator long before I was even born? 

How does He fill the hearts of so many? How does He provide such a unique meeting place for anyone that seeks Him…  I hear His home has many rooms? Now I know why… 

The somewhere is the GPS He placed in my heart… it’s personal, it’s intimate and it's a place that my heart longs for… It feels like home.

You see somewhere is not a physical location. 

It’s Him. It will always be Him. 

He is my somewhere, today, tomorrow until the end of time.

I call Him Elohim...  

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:2-3 NIV

But one has somewhere testified: What is man that You remember him, or the son of man that You care for him? Hebrews 2:6

Photography, Art & Written by Lori Garner  

Inspiring Music: YouTube

Jewel  - Over The Rainbow https://youtu.be/G_V1Xg3A3_A

Mary’s Perfect LOVE

When a beautiful blessing caused heartbreak.  

As a mother how do you reconcile that your child carries the weight of the world on his shoulders? How can you deal with seeing the pain in your child's eyes? How do you stand at his feet and watch him take his last breath?  Witnessing this must have put a rip in her heart so deep she felt it was beyond repair... She must have suffered every wound, every tear, and every drop of blood that fell. The anguish must have been beyond comprehension.  She gave us such a precious piece of her life.. She gave us her beautiful son... She was just a child herself when he was born. But she trusted God to hold her hand through her life's trial. 

Even knowing how important his role is, the loss must have always haunted her soul.  She was left behind with all her human frailties to embrace and understand the magnitude of his life.  Only her son could deliver such an amazing gift of peace and healing to her heart. I am so grateful for her and her sacrifice.  

When you look for strength remember this story of a mother and child and their journey. It’s unconditional love at its finest.. It’s the most beautiful love story we will ever know... 

Today let’s remember Mary's sacrifice and her beautiful gift of LOVE.  

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

Luke 1:46-47 KJV

Photography, Art & Written by Lori Garner  

Inspiring Music: YouTube

Anne Wilson - Mary, Did You Know? (Official Audio)

They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. 

Titus 1:16

The meaning of deny; is the state that one refuses to admit the truth or existence of.1 John 2:22-23 

We located 40 verses in the Bible that speak of the word denial… 

If the roles were reversed between Jesus and ourselves What would it take?  How far would we go to prove ourselves to this unforgiving world??  Would Jesus deny our very existence??  

Even those who claim to be believers have shown doubts and have denied Him when things in life get a little sticky or challenging …

I will admit when we think with our human mind His story seems so hard to believe. How could the story be real? How could our Creator love us this much? Why hasn’t He denied us of His amazing love? 

I can only share my experience. I will admit there have been times I too have questioned how He could be real? Is He just a manifestation in my mind??  And then I have then been swept away with thoughts of the day He touched my life and all doubt dissipates like a vapor in the wind. He doused me in an unexplainable Love and in an instant, everything changed… He opened my heart to see the beauty that had become mundane. I began to see and hear with a freshness that I had missed since being a child.. He has taught me many things. He has held me in the lows and celebrated my highs… He has freed my once-bound soul… 

How could I have any doubt? How could I deny Him?? How could I not give Him control over my life.. when this life I call mine was His from the very beginning?? 

Denying Him is like stopping life dead in its tracks... 

I had an experience recently. When I shared a painting of Jesus as an infant with a Christian group that will remain nameless… I was told it was not Christian enough.. and the word deny came to rest in my heart… 

We must be careful of how and why we close doors… it just maybe Him coming to visit that one soul that has been searching for His love… Not all messages from God come to us as we expect… He is an unpredictable spirit and has been known to teach us in unconventional ways… 

Matthew 10:33

But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

Who among us has been appointed as “the keeper” of the gate ??  

I believe it’s Him and only Him... 

Only He knows our true heart… 

Photography, Art & Written by Lori Garner  

Inspiring Music: YouTube

We Are Travelers and God Is Our Home 

Meaning of Bench: a long seat for several people, typically made of wood or stone."a park bench” 

After all this time of studying words, I am still surprised when a word comes to mind,  that I doubt is in the Bible… Well, Bench shows itself in eight instances… color me surprised!! 

As I read the scriptures that contained this word, the word that accompanied the word bench was judge… 

We as a society have learned to lead with the word judge… How did we become so unaccepting??? 

So full of self, so righteous?? 

I have had many experiences on this bench… however things are never as they seem. 

Many of you know I meditate.. and a vision that comes to my mind is the bench. I listen to music that lulls me into a state of peace and as my mind drifts Jesus appears. He looks just like many of His followers see Him. 

Chestnut brown shoulder length hair, His cream color robe, sandals on His feet… His skin is tan…His face is peaceful His smile is engaging …His eyes of blue have a boyish sparkle.  Most of the time He reaches for my hand… no words are spoken … He leads me to this bench.. it looks like the one in the image I have provided.. as we approach the bench He lets go of my hand and sits down… He looks at me and smiles and pats the bench with his hand… as to welcome me to sit. 

So I make my way there and sit next to Him. I snuggle in close. 

And lingered there a moment and then found myself laying my head down in His lap… He loving stoked my hair much like a parent and child… 

Sometimes He hums a soft melodic tune. 

I close my eyes and take a deep and deliberate breath, my body relaxes and my soul drifts off to a slumber rich with peace. I feel protected and loved while in His care… My Jesus-induced sleep drifts into a heavenly state of mind… 

I am not sure why this image often appears in my meditations … But I have concluded it happens often when I am tired… I do believe He knows what we need more than we do… “Peaceful Sleep”

So the next time you have trouble sleeping or you feel that life is a little overwhelming… close your eyes and find peace beyond our human understanding. His bench is a place of reflection, rest, and rejuvenation… 

It’s Him, It’s always Him…

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”Matthew 11:28-30

Photography, Art & Written by Lori Garner  

Inspiring Music: YouTube 

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, and too short for those who rejoice, but for those who LOVE, time is eternity. Henry Van Dyke..

Did I lose you or did we all lose?? When we lack understanding, and compassion towards others….. with each strike and blow,  there is a price to pay... we may not realize it at the time. 

But I believe, we lose just a little piece of our heart… and it creates a void that is so difficult to fill…No matter where we run, no matter how hard we chase completeness... The opportunity to love and to be loved slips just past our fingertips…

We were created by God to love… but without understanding, compassion and kindness… love is only a shallow emotion… 

How deep is your love ??  Is it just a shallow emotion or have you taken the time to understand??? 

“ walk a mile in my shoes”

“ things are not always as they seem”

And now these three remain:  faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.  

1 Corinthians 13:13 

“It's shame some people will have to learn how to appreciate you by losing you.”

Photography, Art & Written by Lori Garner  

Inspiring Music: YouTube 

Audrey Assad - Sound of Silence live, acoustic (Simon and Garfunkel)

God's promises are all on condition of humble obedience. Ellen G. White 

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15