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Good morning. Like Paul, we are all flawed and have messy pasts. Paul had a scandalous past. He was once known for ruthlessly persecuting and murdering Christians. Yet his past could not separate him from God’s love, and neither can ours. He wrote: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38‭-‬39) There is no failure, mistake, desire, or addiction that can separate us from God’s love. Sometimes words aren’t enough to express how incredible this is. The God of the universe truly loves us. He knows our deepest longings, imperfections, and weaknesses, and He still chooses to love us. What’s more, God is not ashamed of our past either. No matter where we are or what we’ve done, He meets us at our level. God guides us through life in a way that strengthens us and makes us whole. He uses our story to encourage others to experience His love. Just as we see Paul’s past as evidence of God’s unconditional love, others can see the same in our lives. Today, let’s share about God’s unconditional love to those around us. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Many of us know the feeling of making well-intentioned, half-way promises. Promises made symbolically, politely, but without intent/assurance of full execution. Like when someone asks if you’re going to an event and you politely say, “Yes, I’ll be there” when you might not? Or when you have told someone that you'd “always be there” for them? You don’t mean this literally, but you say it to symbolize your deep love and loyalty. When we’re in times of despair, the last thing we want is a halfway promise. Psalm 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." This means God couldn’t be any more present. When we are in trouble, God is exceedingly, abundantly helpful to us. God knows when we are scared, He knows when we are overwhelmed. And He knows how to help. "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19) God's promises are not half-way promises. We don’t have to worry about being forgotten, misunderstood, or misled. Our Father is there, helping us mend our broken hearts, being a shelter during the storm. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22‭-‬23 ESV) We often find ourselves wanting to be used by God, but we wonder about the mistakes we’ve made in our lives. We say, “I’ve messed up way too many times.” So we disqualify ourselves from being used by God. We allow our mistakes to define us and label ourselves as something that we are not: hopeless, untrustworthy, a lost cause. God’s mercies are new every morning. That means that every morning there is mercy for our mistakes. Even if we messed up yesterday, there continues to be new mercy for us today. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Before we had the ability to make mistakes, God had a plan for us. And even in our mistakes, God still has a plan for us in spite of our mistakes. He wants to use us even through our mistakes. He wants to use us even with our shortcomings. Remember what Paul says, "we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good day. What have past experiences with silence been like for you? For many people - boring! Boredom can be the worst, and most of us avoid it like the plague. Avoiding boredom is often just a defense mechanism against the uncomfortable feelings and thoughts that we need to deal with. So why would God ask us just to sit still and meditate? He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) Stillness makes us aware of those uncomfortable feelings and thoughts while providing an opportunity to become aware of God’s presence as well. Being still is one of the ways that we show up for God. He has the healing and strength we need, but we have to get quiet so that we can notice and receive that from Him. Join us in making time to sit quietly in God's presence today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning . It’s no secret that life can be hard. The struggle is real. Like most people we’ve had days when we have felt discouraged and drained. David, too, had days like this. We read of one such account in 1 Samuel 30:6 "David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God." We need to follow David's example by learning how to help ourselves feel better so that we can be strengthened in our hearts and receive the “portion” that God promises us during hard times. As followers of Christ we do this by leaning into God who restores us when we’re having a hard time. So, when the tough times come (and they will), step back and lean into the One who restores our souls. Have a good week. Blessings. Mike and Daphne.

Good morning. Over the years we have discovered the importance of gratitude. Gratitude grounds us in the present and changes how we look after life. Having a personal relationship with God leads to a life of gratitude. Gratitude helps us see a bigger and better picture. It helps us see what’s really going on. The good as well as the bad. The moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow. The successes as well as the failures. The rewards as well as the rejections. What we have learned about being grateful is that one cannot be well without it. Without gratitude we end up being miserable - not getting what we want doesn't see what we have. We become truly grateful when we can say “thank you” to all that has brought us to the present. Paul writes: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:15‭-‬17) Today we can demonstrate an attitude of gratitude to those around us. Let's do that with thanksgiving in our hearts to our awesome Father. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. It has been said that we do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking. The only place where we actually live is in the present moment. 'Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”' (Exodus 4:2) I, Mike, am reminded that we have what we need for all that God has prepared for us for today. When David was confronted with the prospect of going to face Goliath, he could not use the King's armour. He approached the Philistine with what he had - a staff, a sling and five smooth stones - not what somebody else had. “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug." (1 Kings 17:12) Elijah's response to this was to tell the widow of Zarephath not to worry, but to take what she had and prepare a meal for him. Often what is illogical to us is logical to God. Coveting what is not ours can lead to our downfall, as was the case with Achan. (Joshua 7) God asks us what is in our hand. It is all we need for the present. God has our future is His hands. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. You are the apple of God's eye. He says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" (Jeremiah 1:5) He has great things in store for you. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) You do not need to face life by yourself. “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) So what keeps us from enjoying the presence of God? Life is full of shoulds. We should do this or we should do that. They are single-minded in their attempt to pluck us out of the present moment and force us to rehearse a future filled with an endless checklist of unspoken and unrealistic expectations. Shoulds are like squatters taking up free board and lodging in our minds with the relentless ambition to always be our boss. Should says we should do better/be better. Who we are in the present moment is not good enough. Letting “should” be the boss will never lead us to the life God longs for us to live. God's antidote to shoulds, that seem to nag us the whole time, is love. Love is the overwhelming reality of a God's presence. So in the place of should, love offers a new pattern. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God's love doesn't make demands. His love invites us into His presence, His embrace. As the week draws to an end, let's enjoy the embrace of His presence. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Rehearsing the future keeps one from living in the present and missing what God has for us here and now. We borrow future possibilities and try and make them present realities. We rehearse the future through worry as well as pretending. Worry is living in a not yet that is worse than our now. Worry interrupts the present with concerns about the future. The power of worry is that our minds blindly follow along its path. Jesus said: "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34) Pretense is one of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to ways the enemy tries to convince us to deal with the daily life. It keeps us from living as our true, authentic self. Camouflaging your deepest desires advances our ability to please and play a part, but it keeps you from who God created you to be. Pretending forces us to live life in the future, leaving us feeling overwhelmed, empty, and disconnected from God and others. "Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else" (Galatians 6:4) Being authentic, here and now, brings release from the future. Let's live the life we were created for. In doing so, we will discover peace. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The past is a great place to learn from, but it’s a terrible place to live. Rehashing the past is like trying to change something that has happened. The devil will try all sorts of things to pull us down. He wants us to live in the past sothat we will lose what God has planned for us. One of the devil's tactics involves making us feel guilty. Guilt is felt in the heart, held in the body, and replayed in the mind. Guilt is silent suffering from mistakes we made in our past. Guilt is a self-conscious emotion committed to rehashing past experiences that we had and which hold us back from realizing all that God has for us - His forgiveness, His embrace, His love and His peace. Shame is another way we rehash the past. Shame spells “Self Hatred At My Expense". Shame can come from something we’ve done or something done to us, something we’ve said or something that has been said to us. Shame has one simple goal - to get us to believe we are unworthy of God's love, healing and forgiveness. Isaiah has good news for us. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord . “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18) As we lean into God we experience His presence and peace, daily. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Many of us navigate through our lives on autopilot, without knowing what we are doing, thinking, or feeling. Our bodies are here, but emotionally, spiritually, and relationally we’re not really here. We have become disconnected from what is happening in our lives. We're living in "what was" or playing "what if" games while forgetting how to be here in "what is". • We replay a conversation that already happened over and over again. • We find ourselves thinking that one day our life will be better than it is now. • We avoid situations where something could go wrong. That's not how God created us to live. We will never experience the peace of God if we don’t dwell in the present with God. Psalm 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." God is ever-present. While God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the only place to experience the presence of God, the ever-present help of God, is in the present with God. Let's not dwell on the past nor worry about the future. God says: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. As followers of Christ we have the desire to live lives Holy and acceptable to God. The closer we are to God, the more we will pursue holiness, focusing on following God, not on defeating sin. Through Jesus, God already provided us with freedom from both the penalty and the power of sin. Purity and righteousness will be a natural result of a life lived close to God. So how do we do this? By faith in Him. Faith is a direct result of intimacy with God. The closer we walk with Him, the greater our faith will grow. Faith is our response to God’s Word to us. We demonstrate our faith every time we obey God. If we find ourselves lacking faith, the answer is not to try harder, it is to draw closer to God. God leads, and we follow. God initiates, and we respond. As we give ourselves over to His leading, we hear His voice more clearly. We learn to listen for the promptings of God and respond with faith and keep in step with Holy Spirit. Keeping in step with the Spirit flows from an ongoing, personal, intimate, and growing relationship with God through the Spirit. God will direct us as we daily surrender our lives to Him and develop an intimate knowledge of His will for our life. Let Psalm 119:33&35 be our prayer today and in the week ahead. "Teach me, Lord , the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight." Blessings. Mike and Daphne