Cheers to the Struggles-Guest Blog

As 2011 comes to a close, I have been taking a stroll down memory lane and thinking about all of the year’s events- the good, the bad, and the oh so ugly. My mind then wandered to the start of my young adulthood- the 18-25 years. The things that stuck out to me were the relationships built, memories made and most of all the struggles.

You see, the struggles are bittersweet to me. Without struggles, I would have no stories to tell. I would have nothing to say about the jobs I hated, boys I dated, and credits rated.

When I was 19, I quit my job as a bank teller, watched my parents move a million miles away and take my sister with them, was in a long term relationship I knew I shouldn’t be in, and my finances were quickly becoming completely disarrayed.

Needless to say, I was STRUGGLING.

I remember thinking my life was over! I would forever be unemployed, lonely and poor (I know, quite the dramatic). What I didn’t realize at the time was what a loving God I had on my side, who had a much bigger picture than my small mind could see. There was a night when I checked and saw my account was negative and had no idea where I would come up with money to even cover the overdraft fees. I felt totally alone and was so embarrassed of myself and the life I was living that I didn’t feel like I had anyone to turn to. I threw myself on the floor and cried out to God in the most desperate of times. It was then I realized that my only solution was Him. 

I’m a tiny bit of a control freak and all along I had been struggling because I wanted to do it all on my own, without His help and His perfect guidance. This was the most valuable lesson I ever learned. Now I know that God isn’t some magic genie that will just nod his head twice and make my problems disappear, and after that night, I was still broke as ever and had a long road ahead of me. But only He could fill the missing pieces in my life that I had filled with other useless things. It wasn’t pretty.  It has taken years of counseling, a few financial freedom seminars, and loving and supportive family and friends to help me along the way.

You see, I wouldn’t be half the woman I am today if I never struggled. I’m thankful for every struggle along the way because it forced me to cling to my loving God in a way I never imagined I would have to. When I felt so alone, He was there. When I was poor and jobless, He provided. When my heart was broken, He healed it. 

In the years that followed I was blessed to experience freedom from past relationships and the bondage of debt, study abroad in London as well as serve in Cambodia, find a great job and come to love and understand the reasons God sent my parents to Corinth all the way in Byron Center, Michigan!

I’m sure you are thinking that my life couldn’t possibly be perfect now and by NO MEANS is it. At times, my life is still what feels like a chaotic mess, but on the other side of the struggle I can say that I know and believe in God who is so much bigger than any struggle I could ever face. I have learned that every challenge that comes my way is just that. A challenge. But with God on my side, I got this.  

“But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage.” Psalm 55:16-18

So, cheers to the struggles and to the many more that are guaranteed to come in the 25-30’s.

Lissa

Lissa Cobb is my youngest daughter and according to her my favorite one! She is deeply in love with Jesus, enjoys making yummy food, travelling to new places and is learning to be an Aunt to Drake Spencer Dixon.  

You can follow her on twitter 

A Leaf Vacuum

I saw this cool lawn tool. 

A leaf vacuum is a new concept to me! Like a giant wet vac the leaves were raked together and then this large hose sucked them up!

 It was so cool! 

Standing there, standing and staring at the might and vacuuming power of this machine, lost in thoughts of how similar God is to this vacuum!

He takes our mess and cleans it up.  

If we will come to Him, be honest about our mess,

then he will take our sins and remove them! There is no mess to big or messy for Him. Many people think that they must get their lives together before they can come to God.

His might and cleansing power is amazing.  


The bible is clear about what God's deep love for us.

He does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear Him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a Father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

Psalm 103:10-13

End this year with a clean slate! 


Let God remove, restore and renew you!

Lord, I desire that you would take my sin and remove it!  Thank you that you say because of Jesus you will remember them, no more! 

You is Beautiful, Smart and Important!

This was the #1 post of 2011


You Is Beautiful

You Is Smart

You Is Important

These words were shared with a young girl, Mae Mobley in the movie, The Help. Abileen, her nanny spends a lot of time encouraging this child to believe that these words are truth. Sometime we also need to be reminded that someone thinks of us this way!


God, through the Holy Spirit has spent a lot of time reminding us of similar truths. God tell us that;


You is beautiful!

For you created my inmost being;

   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

   your works are wonderful,

   I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

   when I was made in the secret place,

   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Think about how adorable a baby is. Any new parent will tell you that their child is the most beautiful child that they have ever seen.From every crinkled brow to funny shaped ear, Parents adore their children.  This how God your father thinks about you!


The book of Song of Solomon is thought to be a picture of Christ and His relationship with us. Listen to what God says to you,“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me (Song of Solomon 2:10). You are beautiful!


You is smart!


It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 

1 Corinthians 1:30

You are Important!


         You were created in His image
 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen; Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. Psalms 8:4-8


         You were the reason that God sent his son to die for you.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I John 4:10

You have been Chosen!

For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up! and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:3-7

To put it simply, He does not make Junk!

Receive His love and encouragement today. He created you, loves you and adores you. Live in that knowledge!

Father, I am humbled to think that you are looking in my eyes and telling me that I am beautiful, smart and important in your eyes! Help me to live in this knowledge and to accept how you view me as the truth! Your beautiful, smart and important daughter.

My First Give away- Not a Fan book

My first give away!


One of my favorite reads from 2011 is the book "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman.

Here is the description from the Not a Fan website.

Are you a follower of Jesus?

 Don’t answer too quickly.

In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you’re not into Jesus, period.

In any case, don’t take the question—Are you a follower of Jesus?—lightly.

Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman . But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers.

Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humor, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you.

If this books interest you, enter your link below! or leave a comment telling me why you would like a copy of this book.

Be Still-Guest Blog

Be Still. Calm. 

Ugh!!!! I can’t handle it! Too quiet, too still, too calm.... I must do SOMETHING!!

Welcome to the mind of Brenda Renderos. You would probably never guess this is my mind at our first meeting. I’m initially the silent type. But alas, my mind struggles in being still and calm.

The last few months have been a season in revisiting the spiritual disciplines. Of course tithing, prayer, Bible study and fasting. But also solitude, silence, reflection, confession...

Interesting how these last few months have been very full ones. Some strife but mostly an abundance of blessing and growth within the ministry I serve with. My calendar has been full almost every day and the ministry is flourishing in an amazing way. It’s exciting! The sort of thing that gets my blood pumping and I can find myself going non-stop if I’m not careful. So many in need and reaching out. So many wanting to grow and serve. So many with questions. So many.

Once again God’s timing is perfect.

We can so easily fall into the trap that we can and must do it all. And that if we don’t then that somehow lessons our value. I’m a leader in ministry, wife of 17 years, mom of 3 kids (one is a teenager!), sister, friend, mentor and I could go on! But at the end of the day those don’t define who I am. They are roles. They are things that I do. Areas of gifting and calling.

So who am I? Who are you? Outside all of your roles and titles, who are you?

I’m sure many of you are speaking either verbally or mentally right now who you are in Christ. But how deep into the core of your being have you received that?

Life has many demands of us. In those demands we can quickly and very subtly forget where our true identity comes from. During this time of flourishing and down right crazy schedule I know without a doubt that I am one who could have fallen prey to this.

What was the safety net?

• Times of going away for silent retreat. 
• Times of prayerfully reflecting on the Word of God. Study times, yes. But also times of reflection. 
• Times of solitude. Unplugging. Phone shut off. 
• Times of confessing those areas of struggle with those close and trustworthy. 

It has been during these times that my strength has be renewed and my purpose clarified. 
My identity secured and priorities put in order. 
My worries handed over and the sorrows turned to joy.

 It has been during these times of leaning on my Abba Father that He has pressed into me as well and been my anchor and compass. The anchor to keep me from drifting and the compass to keep me on His way.

As difficult and impossible as it may seem during this busy season to be still, consider the alternative of losing your way in the hustle and bustle of life. 

Where would you rather be? Tossed with the waves here and there? Or anchored in His heart and secure in His way?

Psalm 46:10b “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Brenda

To read more of Brenda's thoughts about walking with Jesus, visit her delightful blog Jalapenos and Chocolate.

I Believe-Merry Christmas

I see this word everywhere! 

Believe. 

It is thrown around as if there is something magical about the word itself.  

I understand the intention.  

We were made to believe.  

We were created to trust in something, someone grander than ourselves. 

Peter was asked who he believed Jesus was. Mark 8:29

The disciples believed that Jesus was the one. John 6:69 

The crowds believed many things about Jesus Luke 9:18-19

They thought He could be;

John the Baptist 

Elijah 

One of the prophets come back to life.

What do you believe? Who is Jesus to you?

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

I Believe! 


Merry Christmas!

An Unexpected Advent-Guest Blog

I am in love with Christmas time. 

I have always felt this way about December.  I attribute most of my Christmas obsession to my dad.  We like to call him Mr. Christmas.  He worked hard to create special traditions every year.  One tradition I loved was when he got the Christmas movies down from the attic.  He would hide them away all year long and the day after Thanksgiving they would come out of hibernation.  He would be standing on the ladder, box in hand, as I shouted for White Christmas and jumped with glee.

My dad also made sure that we knew the real reason we celebrated Christmas.  We would be sure to go the church in our Christmas best.  I have fond memories of matching Christmas dresses for me and my sister and cool crisp mornings walking into the church on Christmas Day to celebrate our Savior’s birth.

With all these memories dancing like sugarplums in my head through the years you can bet your bottom dollar that I had big plans for December.  Advent activities, hot chocolate parties, cookie baking, and of course some Pinterest crafts were all on the docket. 

Most importantly, I had planned on using these activities to teach The Bug, my 2 ½ year old, who gets mad if I leave the ½ out, about the reason we celebrate Christmas.

But then, something unexpected happened…life happened and my plans got put on the back burner and then the burner behind that one. 

Being a mama to a 6 month old and a toddler has taught me over and over again to let go of my daily expectations.  I have learned that to thrive I need to embrace the unexpected.  Otherwise, I walk around thoroughly disappointed and downright cranky…teaching things I’m not intending to teach.

Ironically, coincidentally or providentially, it seems that it is when the unexpected hits and expectations are held loosely enough to be forgotten that the lessons I desperately want learned find a way into my ordinary circumstances.  His unexpected cameo in the midst of my “big plans” always steals the show.

It was one of these unexpected interruptions that has caused this Advent season to be one I will never forget.

A week ago, Sunday, after soaking in my guilt of failure from another week not being what I had planned it to be I heard a whisper.  We were at church and the Bug was in my arms. 

“Take her in the Sanctuary.”

I shooed the thought away like an annoying gnat or an absurdity I gave a second’s worth to.

Again, the thought rang in my ears.

“But, that’s breaking the rules.”  I said, answering the quiet tug. 

                                                                                                       

(Kids have to be 3 and up to come into the adult worship service.)

I couldn’t shake it.  So, I snuck my 2 ½ year old into the sanctuary.  We stood in the back.  The Spirit of worship was thick.  I couldn’t help it.  I raised my empty arm and closed my eyes.   I engaged in the moment. 

A few minutes later I opened my eyes, and what did I see, but my sweet Bug, hand in the air just like me.

Unexpected.  Beautiful.  A lesson I so desperately want her to learn.

She can tell me that it’s Baby Jesus’ birthday.  She knows that the wise men brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.  She can name all the figurines in our nativity.  For this I am grateful, but it was the unexpected lesson she learned that I will remember most from this Advent season.

My Bug learned a posture of worship.  I know that you don’t have to raise your arms in the air to worship God but I also know that the posture we take in our worship is important.  I raise my hands because if I don’t I will burst.  Some days it’s my posture of praise and thanksgiving other days it’s my posture of grief and desperation.  Either way, it is how I turn to God and say, “In this mess, I am yours.”  The Bug saw my posture and something made her decide to try it too.  I always try to remember how my kids will learn from my example but this lesson was so…unexpected.

Christmas time with little ones is magical.  Their enthusiasm and excitement can be so contagious.  Their smiles and belly laughs light up our home like a Christmas tree.  I can’t wait for even more memories as future Christmas’ come and go.

However, I will never forget that one moment I had with the Bug.  There weren’t any Christmas lights, there wasn’t any hot chocolate and the Advent calendar was at home collecting dust.  But, she still learned an important lesson in spite of my plans going awry. 

My Christmas wish this year is that her sweet moment of mimic will turn into a heart that worships with abandon and I will continue to unexpectedly teach her so.

Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. Psalm 28:2

Allison

I'm just your average prodigal daughter who went looking for love, fame and fortune in all the wrong places. When I finally came to my senses I was lavished upon. I am passionate about life and my relationships: my husband, whom I call "fly," and my sweet children, "The Bug" and "Little Man," and the people who still love me in my messiness. I have a strong infatuation with musicals, Shakespeare and 90's top hits. Nothing makes me more angry than injustice, especially when it's done to "the least of these." I believe with every ounce of my being that God takes our messes and creates beauty...so here's to my beautiful mess.

Read more at Allison's blog A Beautiful mess

Superstar

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Matthew 2:9-11

Jesus, the son of God has come! He is in our midst.

During this season I pray that like the Magi, you will

Be overjoyed

See Jesus

Worship Him

Present Him with gifts

Caramel Apples

One of my favorite traditions for Christmas is making caramel apples. They are quite the process but oh so worth it! From the buttery caramel to the creative decorating I love every step, mostly! For the complete recipe click here.

Step 1 Wash the apples and insert wooden stick.
If the apples are not washed, the wax will cause the caramel not to stick

Step 2 Make caramel sauce
The caramel must get hot enough to make it to the firm ball stage. If it isn't hot enough the caramel will not harden.


Step 3 Dip apples into caramel
Allow the caramel to drip off of the apple a little  and begin to harden before placing apples on parchment paper or too much caramel slide off of the apple.

Step 4 Prepare Chocolate
Only prepare as much as you can use while it is still warm or the chocolate will harden quickly in the bowl.


Step 5 Apply the chocolate to the apple.
This can be done by swirling or dipping


Step 6 Coat the apple in a topping
This could be, Reeses, Butterfingers, Oreos, Nuts, Nutterbutters, Coconut, graham cracker, toffee bits or anything else sweet.

Step 7 Place the apple lovingly in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon.


Step 8 Give as a gift.
Watch as their eyes grow big and their mouths begin to drool.


Step 9 Rest! Well done!

Apples taught me a great trust lesson.

When making these caramel apples we must follow the recipe to ensure the best results. As Christians we must follow the recipe for life that God has given us.  Sometimes we don't understand the steps or why we have to follow them, but just like the recipe there are reasons why things must be done. The process can be as important as the finished result!




Trust that His steps are right.

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8

Trust that He will lead and guide us.
God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response. Psalm 119:33-34 Message

Trust that He knows what the outcome will be.

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.

Father, some days I just don't understand the why and how of life.  I am frustrated by the things that happen and the hurt that occurs.  I am trusting that your steps are right, that you will lead and guide us and that you know the outcome. Please remind me of this when I am weary.. 

Toy Story 3

"Do you know what makes Woody special? He will never give up on you!", Declares Andy as he gives away his treasured toys. 

People told me that they had cried during this movie and I thought they were silly! Yes I cried.  At that moment when I made the connection between Woody and Jesus it all made sense to me! 

We all long for someone to believe in us. 

To stay with us! 

To see us through!

Jesus is Immanuel,"God with us".

Jesus has promised to be with us!

I will never leave you or forsake you! Hebrews 13:5

I will always be with you. Matthew 28:20

I will send you another counselor. John 14:16

Do you know what make Jesus so special? 

He is with us and He will never give up on you!

Father, I needed to be reminded of your deep love for me today! Thank you for using a movie to speak the tender words, "I am with you! 

The Buried Life #2

I started working on my list. 

It is the "What 100 things do you want to do before you die?" list. 

In No particular order here is the first ten. 

1. Write a book 

2. Complete 100 miles on my bike in one day. 

3. Skydive 

4. Share about Jesus in Russia 

5. Develop a mentoring program for women.

6. Organize my kitchen cabinets

7. Spoil grandchildren (my daughters will love this!)

8. Go to Relevant in 2012

9. Vacation in Ireland with my husband

10. Memorize a psalm 

This is going to be harder than I thought.  Just taking time to think through the things that I feel compelled to do is tough.  I kept thinking, "this sounds shallow, what will people think?" I am going to fight through these thoughts and keep working on my list anyway. After all it's my list! 

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 3:17

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Colossians 3:23

I am also going to pray about the list. God might have things that I have haven't even thought of yet that He want's to reveal to me. Can't wait to discover what they are! 

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. I Corinthians 2:9

What's on your list?

Are you Fruity?

Taken by Kathy Stuby

This picture reminds me that our lives have a purpose, "to bear fruit" John 15:8

Bearing fruit means focusing your life to reflect the glory of God.

He who has the wisdom of God is full of good fruits: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:17,18).

John 15:45

Hebrews 13:15

Galatians 5:22,23

A couple of self reflection questions-

How are you focusing your life to reflect God's glory?

What good fruits are being produced in your life?

Why not stop and thank God for the fruits that are being produced in and through you?

Father, you are the giver of all gifts and you are the one that produces the fruit in our lives. Help me today to focus on you and your glory. Help me to reflect you in all I do and say. 

Warning Signs

2:30 am and I feel as if someone is watching me. I open my eyes and there next to the bed is our dog Spunky.  She looks directly at me and beckons me to pay attention to her.  "This is odd" I think, gently pet her and then roll over to go back to sleep. Within a minute she is standing up and pawing at me. Slightly more awake, I also notice that she is shaking.  Usually this means that she is frightened. 

That is when I heard it. "Beep"! Somewhere in our house this quiet sound was signaling a warning.  Spunky was just trying to make me aware of it.

Falling out of bed I stumbled into the living room. No beep happening there. Following my every step Spunky was eager to make it stop. Downstairs the sound became louder leading us to the furnace room. The warning beep was telling us that the battery in the fire alarm needed to be changed. Fortunately we had a battery and after fumbling to put the battery in correctly, it was replaced and I found my way back to bed.


Both the "beep" and Spunky acted as warning signs for me. I am grateful that God has placed warning signs in our lives as well.


There are warning signs that we;


are walking the wrong way
Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise. Ephesians 5:15



have wandered from the truth

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8

that we have trusted in the wrong things

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. Psalm 118:8

that the evil one is about to attack

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

 A firetruck and an ambulance use a siren, a train beeps it's horn and flashes its lights, and A fever warns us of sickness and infection. These signals are intended to keep us from harm. God has also warning signs. They are to protect us and redirect us.  


Where is the beep coming from in your life?


Father, thank you that you have given us warnings to heed.  Your love is protective and guiding. Show us what to pay attention to and what to turn away from. 

Scrooge

We went with some friend to see the "A Christmas Carol". You know the story of a man who chose wealth over relationships and joy. Then after being shown what his life has been and what it will end up he chooses to have a change of heart. I was struck by this phrase that the ghost of Christmas past said to him.

"May you be happy with the life that you have chosen."

This phrase hit home. We choose to live a certain way and there are outcomes that are based on our choices. If we choose to focus our attention on one thing, then we will by default ignore another thing.

Where we choose to put our time, energy and money, may or may not bring us the happiness that we are looking for. Ultimately the choice is ours. 

In Deuteronomy 30 this concept is clearly laid out for us.

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 

If we love God and walk in His ways, we will be blessed.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 

If we are disobedient and follow after other things there will be destruction.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:15-20

"May you be happy with the life that you have chosen"

Weekly Reflections

Share something from your blog with us! A Reflection of your week to encourage, inspire, resonate and make us laugh!

I am like a squirrel!

Peering through the gate was this adorable creature! Normally squirrels are afraid of people and go scurrying away. This little one came closer when I began to talk to it. 


How did a squirrel that should be afraid of people seem so comfortable approaching me? 


Some background for you.  

• This squirrel has become a regular on the patio of a restaurant that also has an outside seating area in Downtown Grand Rapids.
• Often patrons of this restaurant eat peanuts.
• This squirrel has become accustomed to having it's food provided by the people who visit the restaurant.

Because of it's good fortune with people and their kindness towards this squirrel he has decided that they are safe, approachable, and will provide food.

Through the years I have become more an more like this squirrel. In my relationship with God I have become a regular at being where others gather to worship and have become accustomed to being fed right from His hand.

What have I learned about God through my experience with Him?

• He is faithful in keeping His promises

God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)

• He is gentle and kind John 10:11
• He forgives and then does not remember my sin any longer. Psalm 103:12
• He is trustworthy! Psalm 22:4-5

Father, thank you for you simple reminders that you are always near, always faithful, always trustworthy.