John 16:24 NLT “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

Mark 11:24 ESC “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Matthew 7:7 ESV “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

It sounds like the Lord would like to be a part of our needs, hopes, dreams, and wishes. Yes, He does!

I go to the Lord about everything! My fears, my needs, my shortcomings, my desires, my attitudes, my sins, and my accomplishments!

Philippians 4:6 ESV “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.”

I can tell you that about 25 years ago, I learned this scripture and took it to heart! I started praying about everything!

Peace, joy, laughter, my children, jobs, a Christian husband, my dream motorcycle and car, items I misplaced, people, situations, moods, daily needs, my personal growth, my relationship with him, wisdom, what my spiritual gift was, how to raise my children correctly, help to manage my money, protection, provision, and blessed health.

I could sit here all day and talk about the million and one things I talk to God about! Some might call me a “name it and claim it.” some may call me “weak,” “and some may call me “stupid.”

I call myself “blessed!” Not because of all the prayers God has answered but because of the personal relationship that has grown, because I talk to him daily. He, in turn, has increased my prayer life, grown me personally within him, given me Sunshine to write in, and smoothed rough and rocky paths…not only mine but my Children’s as well.

He does indeed show me where the car keys were last laid. He combs out my ruffled feathers and brings joy and laughter where a frown or grumpiness was initially sitting.

God is our Father in Heaven, and he loves us. We are his children!

Matthew 7:11 NLT “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

Go back and read Marks’s words, tho! Asking in prayer and believing you have received it!!! Just for the record twenty one, years ago, I married my Christian husband; on my wedding day, my husband surprised me with my dream motorcycle as a wedding present, and about 15 years after that, my dream car! I kept my faith and believed through all those years, and God was faithful.

Please understand my message! This is not about what we can get from God; he isn’t a magic genie in a lamp that grants wishes.

He answers the prayers of this who love him! Prayers for good, prayers for growth, prayers for others, prayers for our friends and family members. Prayers for understanding, direction, and life! And, yes even the prayers for the fun stuff!

It’s Gods desire that his children be prosperous so we have plenty to share with those who don’t. It isn’t his desire that his children go without! He wishes for our pleasure to be complete! Remember, He who is within us causes the joy, not the dollar amount or number of belongings we have amassed.

Praying to God about everything means sharing your life and world with him, simply having a conversation over a cup of tea or coffee. Learning about him and letting him comfort and guide you. The rest is icing on the cake.

Try it! Just look up to the sky and start talking. Visit with him as you water the garden, put on your make-up, drive to work, wait in the school pick-up line, or on your morning or evening walk.

The Lord is always with us, his line is never busy, he always picks up on the first ring and He never rolls his eyes when he sees our name on his caller I.d. 😉

I hope I’ve given you something to ponder this morning; it possibly evoked a spark of conversation you might want to share with God.

As always, thank you for spending some time in Sunshine and may you be blessed. ☀️❤️☺️

Did you know there was an actual “Doubting Thomas?”

Matthew 20:24-29 NIV “Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’

But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Matthew 14:31 ESV “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O’ you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

We are counted as the blessed! We believe tho we have not seen or have we? How many prayers have been answered? How many tears have been dried? How much strength has been given? Where did that unexplainable peace come from? The beautiful sunrise and sunset. The majestic forests, the oceans that pound in rhythm, rivers that race, and streams that giggle. Carpets of wildflowers waving in a field of glory. The summer sun and the autumn chill. The Lord is everywhere, we just have to open our eyes and look!

James 1:6 ESV “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

Doubt is a very close relative to fear! Strong tools used by the enemy; if he can get your mind off God and back onto your situation, he’s ecstatic! He has succeeded in causing you to resemble a kite on a windy spring day! Up and down, here and there…tossed about within worry!

Don’t feed your doubts ~ instead ~ Feed your Faith!

Hebrews 11:1 NIV “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Remember this; God may not answer our prayers the way we want him to, but He will always answer them. And that’s what we call faith!

Be blessed, be strong, be patient, and be assured!!!

And as always, Thank you for spending a few moments in Sunshine. ☀️❤️☺️

“Quiet times with God, the more peaceful I am…Quiet times with him help me focus on what I have rather than what I don’t.” Joyce Meyers~Quiet Time With God

Something magical happens when we begin to spend quiet time with God! We start looking for the gratification of our spirit rather than our flesh.

We become content with what we have and where we are rather than constantly seeking newer, shinier, faster, and bigger…always bigger!

Colossians 3:2 ESV “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Isaiah 25:3 ESV “You keep him in perfect peace who’s mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.”

Matthew 6:33 ESV “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Romans 8:28 ESV “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

I am not suggesting that finding peace and rest in our daily lives through prayer and a relationship with God will diminish our desires, but it certainly changes our perspectives.

The Lord fills so many empty places within us that we don’t need to keep plugging them with baubles, trinkets, and toys!

So…

Buy the shoes for fun or to fill the need for an outfit, not your need for love, acceptance, peace, and joy. Nor trying to fill the spot in your heart that God created within you meant for Him to fill.

Dear Lord, you know we love everything sparkly and shiny, big and fast. You see the plethora of advertising and marketing for anything the heart could want or desire! You gave us the wishes for the beautiful and fun but help us, Lord, to keep them in their places. Please help us each day to seek you first, your desires, and let the rest fall into place. I thank you for peace, joy, and laughter. The rest is just icing on the cake , and I thank you for that icing. In your glorious name Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen

I hope you have a blessed day and thank you for spending a few moments in Sunshine. ☀️❤️☺️

Romans 15:4 NIV “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”

The Bible is an amazing book! It’s depth is deeper than any ocean and covers even more ground. I have a learned pastor who is a master at teaching the Bible. He ties the old and new Testaments together by aligning scripture verses beside each other, creating a beautiful quilt of God’s word.

Yet, for those of us who aren’t Bible scholars or teachers of the word, it is a book of love, direction, help, wisdom, examples, and parables. The stories within rival any fiction on today’s market! God’s word is alive; it is breathed by the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16 NIV “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

We all grew up hearing “learn from my mistakes” or “looks like history is about to repeat itself.” you may have heard a time or two, “didn’t you learn from the last time?”

This is what history is, reading and learning from those who walked before us, whether from the books we studied in school or the Bible that depicts the beginning of time. Historical accounts of men and women who gave us examples of how and how not to live.

The greatness and the mistakes of our forefathers! The trial and error of those who blazed trails for us to follow. The path that leads to heaven and the one that leads to hell! It’s all there in black and white! History is alive in front of our eyes for all of us to see, read and learn from or to possibly fall like those mighty empires and giants who came before us!

Where are the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medes, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires today? These were mighty cats in their time, but they did not heed wise counsel and thought they knew it all and that their size was enough!

I don’t care how big we get or how much money we acquire; it would behoove us to pay attention to words of the wise, pages of old, and history repeating itself.

It would be wise to be prepared, for history is about to repeat itself, and we must be ready!

Thank you for spending a few minutes in Sunshine and I pray for you a blessed day. ☀️❤️☺️

Isaiah 40:12 NLT “Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?”

This is one of my favorite scriptures! Why? It doesn’t offer his glorious promises of love and forgiveness. It doesn’t tell me I am going to be ok! It doesn’t contain words like comfort, peace, understanding or strength.

But, what it does contain is SIZE…

There are other translations that read, “He holds the waters of the world in his hands!”

I think of this scripture when I stand on a sandy beach looking out at the ocean, from my limited view it appears never ending. Standing on the deck of a ship, ocean water is clear to the horizon, and its depth is so deep it’s truly unimaginable.

Cup your hand and look and the breadth and depth of your palm! Then imagine a palm SO big it can hold the waters of the earth! That’s a mighty big hand and in comparison my problems don’t even come close!

Don’t get me wrong I am not downplaying the hurts, pain, sadness, disappointments, trials, errors and life’s basic challenges but what I am saying, ‘is there is nothing on this earth to big for Gods hands.”

This is when the words like: peace, comfort, safety and protection come into play! God is bigger than my problems!

Matthew 11:28 NLT “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Philippians 4:19 NLT “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

Are you looking at a mountain today? Stop looking at the mountain and focus on the mountain mover! Troubles knocking on your door? Let Jesus answer it! Pain, illness and suffering? Call upon the mighty physician.

Philippians 4:7 NLT “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

I hope you find comfort in these words and picture of truly how grand our God is…Let Go and Let God!

Be blessed today and thank you for sharing some Sunshine with me. ☀️❤️☺️

Gratitude diminishes our feelings of entitlement. It’s the attitude that believes, “I am not worthy of this but I am so thankful to receive.”

We all can relate to the feelings that come when we do something for someone and it’s received by the spirit of expectation and lack of gratefulness!

I imagine the Lord feels the same way!

Everyday the Lord blesses us with his protection, provision, direction, wisdom, guidance, blessings, and strength. He gives to his children each and every morning a fresh new start! He forgives our sins when we humbly turn to him asking for forgiveness!

He heals our bodies, minds and spirits! He is always with us, all we ever have to do is look up and talk!

When the Lord gently places an answered prayer in your life do you remember to thank him? Looking backwards on your life, do you thank him for all the unanswered prayers as often those turned out to be the best ones!!!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

All circumstances, that’s a bit harder! The will of God! Bear in mind the Lords ways are often contraire to the ways of the world. He may send us down paths that don’t make sense, that are scary, uncertain and confusing. This is when we thank him for what he is doing in our lives because we trust in him! Remember if God brings you to it; he will bring you through it!

Psalm 136:1 ESV “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

This is more then enough to be thankful for all by itself…steadfast love that endures forever! FOREVER!!!

Hebrews 12:28 ESV “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

The earth can quake, causing cracks big enough to threaten its strength but the kingdom of the Lord cannot be shaken! Within him, we can stand firm!

Romans 8:28 ESV “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

All things working together for my good! Yes!!!

Psalm 28:7 ESV “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”

My strength and my shield, life is a battle and I am thankful I never have to fight alone.

Psalm 92:1 ESV “A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O’ Most High.”

Dear Lord, O’ Most High,

I humbly bow before you today, thanking you for all that is in my life. The parts I rejoice over and even the parts that I learn and grow from. Forgive me when I receive and forget to say thank you!

Help me Lord to never get so placid that I start taking for granted all the blessings you bestow upon me every day! From the fresh air I breathe to the beauty my eyes gaze upon.

Thank you, Lord, for your loving hand always resting upon me and mine. In your glorious name Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen

If your day is a bit off, if there’s a monkey on your back, grey overrides the sky above…take a look around, take inventory of your body parts that work correctly, take a big healthy breath of fresh air, and thank God for his grace, favor, and mercy!

Be blessed today, and thank you for sharing some time in Sunshine. ❤️☀️☺️

Scripture warns us in many ways to guard what comes from our mouths!

Proverbs 18:21 ESV “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

The power of life or death!!! That’s scary power!

Do you talk too much? Do you call and or visit everyone you know so you can discuss your latest issue? Are your problems in life your vocal point? Is the only conversation you have filled with negativity?

Be careful…our words are a boomerang and have serious repercussions when sent out negatively or harmful because they come right back around to us!

Matthew 15:18-19 ESV “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defines a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

Matthew 15:11 ESV “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

Do you gossip? Is your favorite pastime talking about your neighbors? Do you voice your opinion about everything and everyone?

Is your tongue full of life or death?

Example: “Did you hear about so and so? I hear they are getting a divorce; I wonder why?” Did you hear so and so lost their job? Oh, I wonder what happened!” OR “I heard so and so are divorcing, it makes me sad, and I will cover them in prayer.” “I did hear the sad news regarding their position, God works in mysterious ways and I will pray for their next move.”

Ex: “My life is a mess, and it’s never going to get any better than this; why do I bother?” OR “My life is filled with one trial after another, but with God’s help, I will survive, and this too shall pass!”

Ex: “I have all these health issues; I can’t.” OR “I have health issues that limit me, but I will do what I can.”

Ex: “I am alone and lonely and will probably die this way.” OR “I am alone and lonely, but I know you see and hear me, Lord, and when the right time arrives, it will have the right person with it just for me.”

Luke 6:45 NIV “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

I can tell you by experience and lots and lots of practice that speaking positive rather than negative not only brings a beautiful softer boomerang our way, but can simply change the moment we are in!

How do I know this? I live by it!!! I can be a fussbudget, a negative Nan occasionally, and grumpy for no real reason! We all can; however, the key is not to let it stick around; a different word or two can shift the mindset, and before you know it, the gray has dissipated, and a ray or two of sunshine has started to filter through.

It’s up to us though to change our verbiage from death to life!

I hope you find some wisdom in these words today, as I have discovered that changing my words… changes my heart…changes my attitude thus changing my day!

By this, be blessed, and thank you for sharing a bit of Sunshine with me today. ❤️☀️☺️

Have you ever put your feet on the floor first thing in the morning and felt like a little gray shadow followed you out of bed?

It follows you to the kitchen as you prepare your coffee or tea!

It walks with you to the couch and sits down beside you!

Preferring that you look at the gray clouds in the sky and feel the morning chill reminding you that fall has arrived and winter won’t be far behind.

Rather than noticing the late blooming flowers still adorning the yard or yet to appreciate the beauty that comes with fall.

No, this little gray shadow would like you to be frumpy and disinterested, muddling about, shoulders slightly bent, looking for something to do and wanting to do nothing!

This describes my morning! Do I know what might have attached the little cloud to my day, maybe? I have unexpected dental work next week that overloads my nervous system! I’ve been watching too much news, perhaps? Possibly tired or just a gray imp.

Whatever the reason for gray clouds, we have two choices: one, we can stay that way and spend the day resembling Eyore, or we can refuse to allow that type of energy to remain!

We must fight back against the doldrums! Look up scriptures on positive news, the fruit of the spirit, gladness, and joy!

PRAY!!!

Dear Lord,

Good morning and thank you for watching over me as I slept. I have a dreaded gray cloud hovering over me this morning, and I ask in your power and name, Lord Jesus, to overcome this feeling and to be filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control fill my spirit and dissipate the former.

I refuse to give into the emotion of negativity, and thank you, Lord, for a breath of fresh air to sweep through my body and home! That I face this new day renewed from a good night’s sleep and your presence that walks with me every day.

I thank you that my spirit rises above the soiled ground we walk upon and soars amongst the fluffy white clouds that will share the sky today! I thank you for the reminder that if the gloom tries to seep back into me, I am quick to dispel them!

Thank you for a beautiful day where peace, joy, and laughter will reign. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray! Amen…

I don’t know about you, but I already feel better and have a smile on my face! I may have to repeat said prayer, but that’s ok! I’d rather repeat and smile anyway!

On this, be blessed today, and thank you for sharing a little bit of Sunshine with me. ☀️❤️☺️

We don’t know what tomorrow holds. We don’t even know what this afternoon or evening has in store for us!

I am at the age and stage of life where I ponder future aging and the trials that naturally come with it! These alone cause some nervous anxiety.

I watch the news and view disorder and mayhem on our city streets every night. I heard last night rent is going up 14%, and wages don’t support that kind of increase! Our sidewalks are lined with tents of the homeless, and drugs are rampant. This causes me grave concern.

Our climate is changing, and Mother Nature is out of control mad! Our Iceland animals are losing ground on which to live and survive! The ocean is disobeying its boundary lines, and fire doesn’t care! The devastation feels endless and daunting.

Do I succumb to feelings of fear and hopelessness? Do I allow myself to fret and stew over what my elderly years may hold in store for me? Do I feed myself daily with the world’s negatives?

NO!!!

I choose to believe in the word of God! If I don’t know the word, I look it up! We all have phones with a plethora of information at our fingertips! Depressed, look up scripture for depression! Worried, look up scripture about worry! Penniless, look up scripture on finances!

Depressed: Psalm 34:17-18 ESV “When the righteous cry out for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Worried: Philippians 4:6-7 ESV “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Penniless: Philippians 4:19 ESV “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Luke 6:38 ESV “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you!”

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

This is the comfort I believe in; this is the comfort I have when the chill of tomorrow starts to blow.

I may not know what my tomorrow holds but I certainly know who holds it!

And with that thought, be comforted and blessed today. Thank you for sharing a few moments in Sunshine. ☀️❤️☺️

“Any fool can count the seeds in an apple. Only God can count the apples in the seed.” Barbara Johnson~Boomerang Joy

Oh, there are so many ways to go with this quote; however, what comes to my spirit this morning is…

We can only see what’s in our present! God can see our tomorrow!

We can see the apple, feel it, smell it, taste it, and cook with it. We can plant the apple seed in the ground and hope it will produce a tree bearing beautiful fruit.

Not only does God see you planting the seed; he knows your labor and hope, but he also foresees the results of that labor and hope!

Sort of like prayer!

We bring our seed of need to the father, plant our prayers at the throne of God and then wait for that seed to sprout. We water our seeds daily in faith and thankfulness, knowing the father shall supply all our needs.

Philippians 4:19 NLT “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

But…

Just as it takes time for the apple seed to sprout, push its way up through the soil and into the light and fresh air. It also needs watered, cared for, and nourished. It then needs its growth season, possibly a storm or two, all the while becoming stronger each day.

Again, same with prayer!

We start by asking for our needs to align with God’s will! We plant said prayers deep within our faith! We daily seek the Lord and his word that keeps us growing strong as we weather our storms and seasons. When we do our part, God is always faithful in his!

Psalm 33:4 NIV “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.”

As we wait for God’s answer to our prayers…we need faith and patience.

Romans 12:12 NIV “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Galatians 6:9 NLT “So lets not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV “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.”

And there you go!

The Lord sees and hears us. He sees our today and tomorrow! He knows how many apples that seed will produce, and he knows you!

Be blessed by this, be patient in your season and fruitful in your harvest.

Thank you for spending some time in Sunshine, and have a blessed day! ☀️❤️☺️