Encouragement

You follow me…..


“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” John 21:20-23

Jesus and Peter were walking along the shore, birds flying overhead, water lapping gently…..I can almost see the expression on both Peter and Jesus’ faces when Jesus said, “What is that to you, you follow me.” Jesus never had a problem getting right to the heart of the matter. I can imagine Him looking right at Peter and then Peter looking down because He realized that he was being admonished. I don’t think Jesus said this harshly, I think He probably had his arm around Peter when He said it. He was trying to get Peter back on track, back to focusing on Him. Just what we need to hear today. It is so easy to lose focus, but I feel His steady gaze turned on me now. “Lori, what is that to you? You follow me.”

But Lord, what about when I feel so overwhelmed I can scarcely take a breath….
You follow me
What about when I can’t see where I am going….
You follow me
The pressure is blotting out all my peace….
You follow me, for I am going before you today.

My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30

Why do you think Peter was concerned about what would happen to John? What are some of pitfalls of comparing our lives to others?

Eternity in our hearts

Stairway at Butchart Gardens

Living with eternity always in mind changes our perspective on everything else that happens in this life. This is the great challenge, to keep this fixed always in the backdrop of our hearts and minds. In this way, nothing can totally devastate us as it would if we didn’t have this hope.

Everything around us, however difficult or bleak the circumstance may be, continues to be colored with this one idea, this one thought. This is not all there is….. Sometimes we feel as if we have one foot in this world and one in the next and we feel the weight of it when life gets to be too much. Some would say that living like that would taint this life, as someone who goes around with one ear closed, half paying attention to everything around them, but really it turns the volume up. Everything somehow seems more brilliant, more vibrant and alive, like a deaf or blind person who has just got their senses for the first time.

Paul felt the weight of eternity too……

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; Philippians 1:21-23

There is no going around it. We will constantly seek more in this life, because we know instinctively that there is more….He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

What do you think? Does knowing we have eternity make you sometimes want to give up on this life? Or does it make it easier to go on?

One year ago……


One year ago today I took a leap of faith and started this blog having no clue how to do it! What a blessing it has been to get to know some of you, my readers. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to have all of your support and encouragement. I look forward to another year with anticipation and prayerful expectation for what God will do in and though us all!

A special thank you to Elaine for your encouragement and belief that I could do this, and Abel who also kept after me at work, “Have you started your blog yet?”

I give God all the glory!

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

Love and blessings, Lori

Encouragement from Paul

Painting by Richard Serrin
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Col. 3:1-4

I can see Paul with his parchments in this cold, dank prison cell. Praying for his church. Praying for us all. This gives me encouragement today, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” people we may not even be aware of….praying for us, for the race, and at last the finish line…..”let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

May you be surrounded by the peace of Jesus today….

To see more of the artwork of Richard Serrin go here.

What encourages you?

God’s word encourages me daily, and the loved ones surrounding me encourage me as I see the obstacles they overcome and still remain positive; they inspire me to do the same! The birds encourage me each morning. They never question whether they should sing or not, they just do. They remind me that praising God should come just as naturally to me as singing is to them because he has done great things in my life and He is worthy!

A special little face I am thinking of encourages me too, because I want to be a good role model for her. And voices I have heard from my earliest memories, my parents who weren’t often encouraged themselves, but thought it important that they encouraged their kids….”You’re great….keep going, you can do it. I have faith in you.” Their presence in the crowd of all those choir concerts, and their joy in all my accomplishments!

I am also blessed to have a best friend who is my daily encourager…she is my advocate, the “Gail to my Oprah” or vice-versa. Everyone needs one like her, who speaks the truth in love, one who says in her actions, “I’ve got your back.”

And of course, so many friends through the years that have touched my life with kind words and acts of love. And all my sisters and brothers in the faith who have encouraged me in this journey toward Home. Like lights along my path, sometimes they show the way; and sometimes we walk side by side holding each other up. And to all these wonderful bloggers who encourage me without even knowing it with their beautiful artful blogs, to keep going with my humble beginning blog.

Click this link to see how other wonderful women find encouragement and share your own ideas!