The Light in the Darkness

"For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him." (2 Samuel 22:29-31 NKJV) New Orleans and those that live in the Gulf area are being hit yet again with a hurricane. Gustav is categorized at a higher level than Katrina. Katrina was a level three hurricane, Gustav is forecasted to hit land at a level four. Gustav, and its aftermath, is the darkness for many. But, God says for those who trust in Him He will be their shield, they can run over walls, and against troops. In other words, no matter how many and or how difficult their past, present and future challenges are, God will get them through it. I know it may not seem like it or feel like it at the time but God will. It's promised to you. We can also be one's light in the darkness. We can reach out to those around us. Just giving someone a hug, a pat on the back, or a warm smile or touch can be the light in their darkness. We never know what one is going through and that might be just what they need. Because here we are directly north of Louisiana, we are expecting up to 6000 displaced humans and animals to arrive here. If possible, we are going to look for ways to volunteer. If you're not in an area receiving displaced families (for ANY reason) you can find others to help. At the very least you can pray for these people and their pets. I encourage you this week, on behalf of those affected by Gustav, to reach out to someone or a needy animal...help someone, donate a big bag of food to your local shelter(s), call someone, send someone a card, or just take a minute to pray for someone. And, if someone does something nice for you this week, thank them, pray for them (in secret), and then pay it forward. Love, Beau

More Blessed Than You Realize

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blesearth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven..." (The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-11a., Luke 6:20-23) Some of you think that being poor in spirit, mourning, hungry, thirsty, meekness, and being persecuted are NOT blessings. But, it is in our weaknesses, when we are most vulnerable and open to God's wisdom and help, that we are most blessed. God does His best work on us, within us, and through us, when we are at our weakest, most vulnerable, and suffering. There are also other blessings we do not see. How many times have you said or thought, "I am/was so lucky"? Change the word lucky to blessed and see how your awesomely positive your perspective, and attitude, changes. For example, one might think they were lucky to have won a lottery. Another way of looking at is I am so blessed to have won and come into that money to pay that unexpected bill. Or, "I was lucky that driver didn't hit me" might be changed to I am blessed God was protecting me, I didn't get hit, wasn't delayed, and have no damage to my car and or no one was injured. Perception is EVERYTHING. Jesus teaches us in The Beatitudes to see the glass as half full, not half empty, to see the silver lining in the clouds, and to look for the blessing in everything. So, the next time you start to say you're lucky say you're blessed, and see the blessings in the suffering...and always know Jesus is with you 24/7, 365 days of the year. Love, Beau

Always Held

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121: 1-4 NKJV) We never know what is going to happen while we are asleep. Mom has a fear of being put under anethesia because she hates that feeling of losing control as it takes effect, and not knowing what will happen while she's unconscious. The good news is that God is in control and He is never sleeps, He is always awake. And, God is always watching over you. We are always in God's sight being held up by Him. You can let go of your worries, fears, concerns, and anxieties because God is on the job even when you're sleeping, or even when you're a bit "spacey" during the day. So, if you're tired, struggling, or whatever has you less aware right now, and before you drift off to sleep, let go of all those things and let God. Be at peace! Love, Beau

The Tour Guide

"I cry out to the LORD with my voice; With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me." (Psalm 142:1-3 NKJV) We go through the path of life with many things getting in our way. Some of these are our own weaknesses, bad habits, failing relationships. We can't work them out, we can't see solutions, and some things in life we just can't fix. We are also stubborn and hesistate to ask God for help and guidance. We don't think about the fact that the moment we turn to God for help things get easier. We find hope, insight, strength, guidance, encouragement and peace. God created everything, and knows the path you should take. He is our "tour guide" through life, and if you let Him lead you He will show you the way you should go. Just stay with Him, and let Him lead you through your path. Love, Beau

Resting for a Day

"Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings." (Leviticus 23:3) The word Sabbath means to stop. Stop working, stop cleaning the house, stop cooking, stop running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done...just STOP. God created the sabbath, not us. God in His infinite wisdom knew we needed a day to rest, reflect, renew and recharge. Otherwise, we would burn out and not be as effective. But so many of us today go 24/7, and we're tired, stressed, anxious, and burnt out. Consequently we are not as effective as we could be. What do you think would happen if, for just one day, you didn't do anything. Well, the laundry would still get done, the house might not be spotless but it would still be clean, and deadlines would still get met. Even better yet you would probably feel better, have more energy, and get even more accomplished. The Holy Bible says six days you shall work, and rest on the seventh. It didn't say it had to be on a Sunday. Many religions rest on Friday or Saturday. Pick YOUR sabbath. Now, here's the catch..it's a day of solemn rest, a HOLY day...so while you're resting remember it is also a day set aside to worship and praise God. Go to the church, synagogue, or temple of your choice, or how you praise God, and be sure to thank Him for your day of rest. Love, Beau