God loves us

April Hope Whispers

Trudy Den Hoed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
“Hope is the silver shaft of sun breaking through the storm-darkened sky, words of comfort in the intensive care unit, the first spring bird perched on a snow-covered twig, and the finish line in sight. It is a rainbow, a song, a loving touch. Hope is knowing God and resting in His love.” 
~ NLT Life Application Study Bible: Zephaniah introduction

We Have a Living Hope

So many are feeling hopeless and seeking for hope that I’m not surprised that the two posts read the most this month are about the hope that is still alive for us.

🦋 Hope is Still Alive Because Jesus Lives!

🦋 How the Sand Dollar Points to Hope, Love, and Peace

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 
In His great mercy He has given us new birth 
into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Peter 1:3

God’s Whispers of Love

Are your hearts sometimes sinking in the mire of despair?
Are you feeling forsaken by God?
God whispered this to my heart and He is whispering it to all of us!
(Is Life’s Journey Too Great For You?)

My precious child,

I’m still the same God today.

I was there for Elijah

And I am here for you.

Arise and eat, My child.

The journey is too great for you.

Eat the manna of My love

Drink My life-giving water

Relax in the arms of My grace,

My power and My will.

And you will find rest

For mind, body, and soul.

I hold you, My child,

In the arms of My everlasting love,

No lies can snatch you away from Me.

You are safe with Me.

Marvelously made and enough.

Ssshhh…

Be still, My child, be still.

Be encouraged

You don’t have to journey alone.

Rest in My Truth,

And I will refresh your weary soul.

Nature Retreat

” I love to think of nature
as an unlimited broadcasting station,
through which God speaks to us
every hour, if we will only tune in.”
~ George Washington Carver ~

I was looking through Shutterfly at some old photos and found ones from our 2013 trip to the Black Hills. Such beautiful views bring back memorable quiet moments of awe. It’s a comfort to know that the same God who has such power to create such beauty will also take care of us. 🙂

February Hope Whispers

Trudy Den Hoed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Truths that Breathe Hope

❤️ GOD Values Us ❤️

“Look at the birds.
They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns,
for your heavenly Father feeds them.
And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?”
~ Matthew 6:26 NLT ~

❤️ God Doesn’t Merely Tolerate Us; He Delights In Us ❤️

“For the Lord delights in His people.”
~ Psalm 149:4a NLT ~

❤️ Victory Is Already Ours Through Jesus ❤️

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?
Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity,
or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger,
or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say,
“For Your sake we are killed every day;
we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory
is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
~ Romans 8:35-37 NLT ~

Sometimes God Says No

🦋 “What if God’s ‘NO,’ is really a gift? His way to protect us from what we cannot see, provide something better than we can imagine, or be part of the process of growing us closer to Him.” – Lysa TerKeurst

🦋 “The key is you have to trust that God only has the best in store for you. If God says no to something, He says yes to something even greater. It is when you fully surrender all of your desires to His will that His perfect will is done.” – Nick Vujicic

🦋 “I know now, Lord, why You utter no answer. You are Yourself the answer. Before Your face questions die away. What other answers would suffice?” – C.S. Lewis

Nature Retreat

“How countless are Your works, Lord!
In wisdom You have made them all;
the earth is full of Your creatures.“
~ Psalm 104:24 HCSB ~

Thank you to my brother John
for these spectacular photos.
🙂 Please respect copyright laws. 🙂

Hooded Merganser
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Bittern
Isn’t it amazing how camouflaged this bittern is?
Red-winged Blackbird Doing the Splits 🙂
Botta Pocket Gopher
Western Banded Gecko – This little gecko may have had a close call in life. Do you see a difference at the end of his tail? If a predator snatches these geckos by the tail, they can release that part and regenerate a new one! Amazing, right?
Black Widow
The black widow is one among several spiders whose defense strategy is to play dead.

Wishing You a Wonderful Summer

Trudy Den Hoed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“It’s a GOD-thing.” I’ve been thinking and saying that a lot lately as God has worked in wondrous ways in opening the way for us to sell our home in a condo association and buy a twin home.

During an anxiety-ridden week filled with surprises, decisions, and suspense, I read the following post and God calmed my heart to remember that even if He said “no,” it would still be a GOD-thing because He has loving reasons for everything. His heart beats just as strongly with love for us through those “no” stories.

“We all have “no” stories: times when hopes flew and prayers pleaded,
but God said “no.” And in those times, it can be tempting
to doubt God’s heart and to question His love.
But Lamentations 3:33 assures us,
‘… [God] does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.’”

Elizabeth Laing Thompson
When Jesus Cries With You

I probably will not be returning to blogging for the rest of this summer. I’m not certain when, but know you will remain in my heart and prayers. I pray God will fill your hearts with the SONshine of His love this summer and always!

“For His unfailing love for us is powerful;
the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.
Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 117:2