“Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:21-23
“May the GOD OF HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
“If we look back on each of our lives, how many times did God have another plan than we did? Seasons of pain and suffering. Times of loss and heartache. Days of darkness where we wondered if God was really with us at all.”
(Over the past couple of months, this 2015 post has been visited often, raising it to the most popular post so far in 2020.)
Nature is a Retreat of Hope
“Adopt the pace of nature.
Her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thank you to my brother John for these stunning photos.
(🙂 Please respect copyright laws. 🙂)
Meet Desi, a 20 to 25 year old male desert tortoise, recently adopted by John and MJ. Desert tortoises are protected. If someone takes them from the wild or they roam into the city, they cannot be released back into the wild because of disease concerns. These may be adopted by Arizonian residents who create a nurturing habitat for them and are approved.Desi is traveling through the trumpet vines.Young Great Horned OwlDid you know an owl has three eyelids? The upper closes when an owl blinks and the lower closes when he sleeps. John captured the third diagonal eyelid on an immature owl, the nictitating membrane, a thin layer that cleans and protects the surface of the eye.Immature Cooper’s hawkCooper’s hawkIsn’t this raccoon cute? 🙂Gadwall Duck Pair
I’m taking a break from posting. I hope to return the first Tuesday in August. Meanwhile, please feel free to email me if you have a prayer request or just want to connect with me. 🙂 (My email is in the right-hand column.)
God bless and strengthen you through whatever troubles you are going through!
“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
SAFE
by Victory Worship
“You are never far away Always reaching out to save My weakness covered by Your strength And I am found forever safe I found my fortress in You And my soul is anchored with You My resting place is in Your name Forever safe”
Hope-Breathing Quotes
“I know the world is crazy right now, but I’m so thankful that God knows our names, understands our emotions and is intimately involved with the development of our faith.” ~ Lois Flowers
“Darkness comes. In the middle of it, the future looks blank. The temptation to quit is huge. Don’t. You are in good company… You will argue with yourself that there is no way forward. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has more ropes and ladders and tunnels out of pits than you can conceive. Wait. Pray without ceasing. Hope.” ~ John Piper
“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
Nature is a Retreat of Hope
““Be as a bird perched on a
frail branch that she feels
bending beneath her,
still she sings away
all the same,
knowing she has wings.” Victor Hugo
Thank you to my brother John for these beautiful bird photos.
(🙂 Please respect copyright laws. 🙂)
Black-Necked StiltRoadrunner with a Lizard for His LadyAs part of the mating ritual, he carried the lizard from tree to tree and made a cooing sound.Green HeronGreen HeronGreat Blue HeronGreat Blue HeronGreat Horned Owl
I didn’t get a post written last week as my emotions felt too raw and needed some processing.
Yesterday I came across an old post. Within it were some truths that encouraged my heart. I’m sharing them again with you, praying they will give you hope through whatever storm of life you are in.
♥God is God. We are not. We don’t need to make sense out of everything. Someday we will fully understand the bigger picture of all this.
Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” John 13:7 NLT
♥The events and circumstances that perplex us can lead us into a deeper faith in God. They help us to rely more heavily on God and His promises. They refine us to be more like Jesus.
“But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous]. Job 23:10 AMP
♥Bad things happen when people who are given choices choose evil. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us or doesn’t care. No evil will separate us from His love.
“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow— not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
♥God has the power to protect us from evil, but sometimes He chooses to allow us to break, so we can be led deeper into the brokenness He suffered for us. The more we connect with His brokenness, the more He can use our brokenness to help others who are broken.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20
♥No matter what happens, God’s plans and thoughts are for our good, not for evil. He gives us a future and a hope in Him.
“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 AMP
♥The sufferings we go through here are nothing compared to the glory hereafter.
“For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!” Romans 8:18 AMP
“Look Up Child”
by Lauren Daigle
“Where are You now When darkness seems to win Where are You now When the world is crumbling…”
Freed to Fly 