In the midst of our lives, and between the two great mountain peaks of God's acts in the world, we look back and remember, and we look forward and hope!
AW Tozer, From Heaven, p. 108
We live in the land between two Comings...But that raises the question, what about our life in-between?
Read MoreSunrise, sunset, swiftly flow the days...
Each morning at the beach, I experience sunrise after sunrise over the ocean, each one, unique and special and "speaking.". But I remember one evening, I unexpectedly witnessed a sunset over the bay. The horizon wasn't quite as straight and "uncluttered" as that of the ocean, but oh my! It was pretty close.
Read MoreYou belong to me, and I belong to You, TODAY, my Jesus.
You live in Me, and I live in you, TODAY, my Lord.
You abide in me, and I abide in You, TODAY, my Vine.
You save me TODAY and always, my Savior, and You save me right NOW, my King!
You are my I AM, now, TODAY...AND FOREVER!
Read MoreI’m feeling the need to revisit the truth of living my “today,” embracing my real life for all that it holds. Though I wrote this almost 7 years ago, the message applies not only for then, but also for now . . and actually every today of my life. It preaches to me (the author) to never lose sight of the present reality of my God in my very real today.
If I just lost you with that last statement, why not keep on reading. This is where I chose to live. How about you?
Read MoreThese were my waking thoughts one morning. And it became a conversation with my Lord. Maybe this is for you too...
Read MoreLet it happen... Let life unfold... Step into each day, each moment, and let it unfold before you...the moment...the day
Embracing my life today ... my now life ... my today life ... not the one I wish I had, but rather the one I have been given ... I want to do that, don't you? Otherwise, I end up fighting my own reality.
And if God is I AM, the Eternal Present Tense Person,then the place I will experience Him is in my real, now, today life. So today is mine, but it's above all HIS! Because each day is a gift from God, my I AM.
I don't know about you, but I need to constantly revisit this truth. I'm so prone to project into the future and occasionally into the nostalgic days of the past.
Read MoreIn the midst of our lives, and between the two great mountain peaks of God's acts in the world, we look back and remember, and we look forward and hope!
AW Tozer, From Heaven, p. 108
We live in the land between two Comings...But that raises the question, what about our life in-between?
Read MoreIn the midst of our lives, and between the two great mountain peaks of God's acts in the world, we look back and remember, and we look forward and hope!
AW Tozer, From Heaven, p. 108
We live in the land between two Comings...But that raises the question, what about our life in-between?
Read MoreYears ago, when our family was gong through a cancer health crisis, I read a book on alternative cancer therapies. It was a good book, but the best and most memorable part of the book to me was the introduction by Dr Patch Adams. You may remember the movie about this doc played by Robin Williams.
In the intro, the real Patch Adams said something I will never forget. He said, “Live while you’re alive.” He said probably for most of us it takes a life-threatening crisis like a cancer diagnosis to realize the preciousness as well as the brevity of life. It is then that people really begin to grab hold of each day as the gift it is.
Read MoreI was searching around in my blog the other day, looking for this post. Though I wrote it five years ago, I think it applies not only for that time, but also for today . . . and actually every today of my life. It preaches to me (the author) to never lose sight of the present reality of my God in my very real today.
If I just lost you with that last statement, why not keep on reading.
This is where I chose to live. How about you?
Read MoreFirst posted December, 2015:
These were my thoughts as I awoke early today. And it became a conversation with my Lord. Maybe this is for you too...
Let it happen... Let life unfold... Step into each day, each moment, and let it unfold before you...the moment...the day
But Lord, what about the preparing for what I know are my responsibilities? I don't want to be stressed, but how does that fit into my unfolding day?
I will unfold even the preparing before you, "This is the time...the way... for this preparing, for this scheduling, for this looking ahead... walk in it NOW!"
Yes, Lord! Is that how being "Ready for Anything" can be true? "Be it done unto me according to your word"...this way...this moment...this day...this life!
The skies don't seem to be as dark as usual The stars seem brighter then they've been before Deep within I feel my soul a stirring As though my hope has been restored
The shepherds say they've heard the voice of angels Confirming rumors spread across the land That a child protected well from Herod's anger Is our Father's Son, and the Son of man
Love is raining down on the world tonight There's a presence here I can tell God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel He's a Savior we have been praying for In our humble hearts He will dwell God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel
I feel compelled to tell all who will listen That peace on earth is not so out of reach If we can find grace and mercy and forgiveness He has come to save, He is all of these
Love is raining down on the world tonight There's a presence here I can tell God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel He's a Savior we have been praying for In our humble hearts He will dwell God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel
Love is raining down on the world tonight There's a presence here I can tell God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel He's a Savior we have been praying for In our humble hearts He will dwell God is in us, God is for us, God is with us
You're the Savior we have been praying for In our humble hearts You will dwell You are in us, You are for us, You are with us, Emmanuel
Abiding, dwelling, sinking down deep … living IN HIM Who lives IN ME! That’s what this hidden time is all about, isn’t it?
We don’t know for how long or when it will end. But we do have an amazing opportunity right now to learn in our experience what it means to abide … whether in quarantine or in our everyday TODAY.
Read MoreFor everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die...
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a,4a (NLT)
Time, that fleeting commodity that holds us while on this earth! Yet, we can't hold onto it! And for all of us, time is ticking away. We are closer to the end of our earthly journey every second that we live.
Read MoreIn the midst of our lives, and between the two great mountain peaks of God's acts in the world, we look back and remember, and we look forward and hope!
AW Tozer, From Heaven, p. 108
We live in the land between two Comings...But that raises the question, what about our life in-between?
Read MoreSunrise, sunset, swiftly flow the days...
Or so the song goes ... and so go our days. The days at the coast with my beloved extended family have flown by.
Each morning, I experienced sunrise after sunrise over the ocean, each unique and special and "speaking." (See my previous two posts). Then on our last evening there, I unexpectedly witnessed a sunset over the bay. The horizon wasn't quite as straight and "uncluttered" as that of the ocean, but oh my! It was pretty close. And the way it impacted me was surprising.
Read MoreBefore I return to my life in Ohio, I would like to share another aha from my mornings at sunrise at the Jersey Shore.
In my previous post, I wrote of the new realization that came to me as I viewed sunrises this trip ... that although our God is unchanging, God's mercies change day by day, just as the unique sunrise changes moment by moment. So too for us, each of our todays is unique with different circumstances, different joys, different sorrows, and different stresses. God who is our All meets us in each with exactly what we need as we trust Him day by day.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
Lamentations 3:24 NLT
Well, here is my final thought. God intends that His mercies spread to shape the atmosphere around us. In other words, His mercies are meant to be shared. You may ask where I got that from the sunrises. Well, let me tell you what I noticed.
Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart. Proverbs 27:19
I love 4 year olds...they understand so much! A few years ago, I told my then 4 year old grandson Evan that we choose our attitude. And he got it!
I didn’t always think that was true, but the older I get the more I believe our choosing has a lot to do with it. And if we are children of God, the living, indwelling Christ empowers us to have an appropriate attitude for the situation.
I experienced this simple truth with another 4 year old when I was teaching preschool many years ago.
Read MoreFor everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die...
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a,4a (NLT)
Time, that fleeting commodity that holds us while on this earth! Yet, we can't hold onto it! And for all of us, time is ticking away. We are closer to the end of our earthly journey every second that we live.
Read MoreAll we have is today. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may not be ours. It’s today or it’s nothing.
And God is in our today. He is I Am. He was I Am when yesterday was today. He will be I Amwhen tomorrow becomes today. He was there when those hard and/or beautiful things happened in the past. He will be there for whatever lies ahead. Actually, He is already there, because He is I Am. And He is in the Eternal Present Tense.
Recently, someone assured me when I was agonizing about my daughter moving with her husband and 4 little ones because of a military transfer, that God is already there.
Read MoreAll grandmas love to tell stories of their grandkids, and I'm no exception. And so I do have a number of my blogs tagged as grandson stories. (But now I do need to broaden the category to "grandchildren" because of our darling Claire Elizabeth.) But I have always had a rule for myself: I only share on A Branch in the Vine what God teaches me through their little lives. And so this post is no exception.
Read MoreJanet Renner Loyd has been a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ most of her life. Her formal education includes a degree in education from the University of Arizona and also a degree in Bible & Theology from Moody Bible Institute. For more than thirty years, she has been involved in teaching and leading women’s Bible studies, retreats, and meetings…most notably Precept upon Precept and various studies that she has personally developed. Professionally, Jan recently retired from teaching language and writing to GED and adult ESOL students.
About her life, Jan says, “The most important thing about me is my relationship with my Father God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful to Him for His love, mercy, and grace to me and my family and friends...and the world.”
Jan has been happily married to John Loyd for more than forty years. They have two adult, married children and five lively young grandsons.
