Friends are loyal to each other. They stick up for one another, don’t they. Or they should.
But in real life, our friends often disappoint us.
Well the good news is — that’s not my Friend Jesus.
Read MoreIn the early morning hours of this New Year, in the throes of my loneliness, I received the WORD that has been simmering deep in my soul, warming my heart for days, weeks — no months, even years —- FRIEND!
I am a friend of God, but more importantly…HE is MY Friend!
I had been so convinced my word for this year was “Light/Revelation.” But then I remembered that this warming thought of Friendship with God was grabbing me everywhere and at all times. His Whispers have followed me for years:
Read MoreHere we are again, friends. Another year has past, and for many it’s a time for the infamous “New Year’s Resolutions.” But several years ago I turned away from that initially hopeful, but later, dreaded “setting yourself up for failure,” tradition to a new thing altogether.
Resolutions are no temptation to me anymore. I’ve given up trying to change myself by my own self-effort. The indwelling Christ is my “Game-changer” and my “Life-changer.” And a few years ago, He brought a lovely “new thing” to my attention … the idea of a word for my year.
Read MoreDo not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.Behold, I will do something NEW, now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19
Everyone has regrets...it's part of the human condition!
Read MoreChristmas blessings from a branch in the VINE.
Enjoy this family story and a heart-grabbing song, my gift to you.
And most of all, join me in welcoming our JESUS!
Read MoreThere's a song that's been going through my mind and heart these Advent days. I even find myself bursting into a line of lyric here and there. The thoughts I love most in it are truths that have become more and more precious to me as I reflect Advent after Advent -- that our Emmanuel came to earth from heaven, not just to pay for our sins (as crucial as that is), but also to give us His divine eternal LIFE...deity indwelling our humanity. We can become children of Almighty God!!!
Read MoreAnd those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.
Matthew 4:16 NASB
I love this verse…it makes me think of Jesus the Son of God, the Light of my world … not just at Christmas, but every day of my life.
And this Christmas, the darkness could flood in for me. John and I have COVID during this most anticipated time of the year. All kinds of missed celebrations and holiday concerts and most of all, extended times with our “treasured ones.”
Read MoreEmmanuel … GOD with us! Jesus Christ, the Son of God became the Son of Man. This is Mystery without parallel.
No wonder this songwriter meditated for years to convey the depths of it all. Here is the backstory to what has become one of our current favorite Christmas songs … followed by a breathtaking performance.
Read MoreHe is HERE … right here, right now. The God of the universe in human flesh! Our Redeemer, our Brother, our Friend. The One who was waited for, longed for, foretold … now ours. Celebrate!
Enjoy this magnificent rehearsal of the coming of the God Who is HERE with us!
Read MoreHere I am with COVID just a week before Christmas. And I am living this message of acceptance and hope because of the Holy Spirit who lives in me.
Are you sick, struggling, away from loved ones, …? Why not reflect and receive from the Holy Spirit for your TODAY.
. . . The two things kept in balance are “accepting our present reality” and “holding on to hope” at the same time….
Read MoreMy Child...
Fear not...you are never alone for I am with you!
Fear not...you are never left out for you are one with Me !
Fear not...you are never condemned, but always accepted! I not only love you...I like you!
Fear not...you are always adequate with My adequacy...no matter how helpless and inadequate you feel!
Fear not...you are alive with my everlasting, indestructible life, no matter how dead you feel inside! I am your Life!
I AM in your "right here, right now," whether it be suffering in a hospital room or struggling over a wardrobe choice in your closet...and everything in between...I am with you!
Read MoreFor the past several years, I have been following an Advent devotional by a British author Tim Chester. One of the unique things that the author does is quote some “unknown to me” hymns and carols. In one of the devotionals, I recognized the final lines of each stanza in the hymn of the day. Sure enough! I had been listening to that very carol each year on an old Christmas CD in our collection.
Read MoreJoy is the flag that flies over the soul when the King is in residence!
Chuck Swindoll
Years ago, I was leading a small group of ladies through Paul's letter to the Galatians. In chapter 5, we came to a familiar passage:
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,and self control. Galatians 5:22-23
Julie was in that small group that year, and Julie was from Great Britain. I asked her about Chuck's metaphor. She assured me that it was true. When royalty is in residence at the palace, the flag flies. It's the signal to the "subjects" that their monarch is present.
Read MoreA few Advents ago, I met a new-to-me British author, Tim Chester, through his Advent devotional The One True Light. I’ve loved this little volume that has led me year by year through the first eighteen verses of the Gospel of John.
Well, this year I discovered his other two Advent books: The One True Gift (On Philippians, chapter 2) and The One True Story (on the story of Christ through the Old Testament to Jesus’ Coming). So this year, each Advent day finds me meditating through all three, each one in turn.
The books are not coordinated, but one day in reading all three, a thread grabbed and entwined me in an amazing truth: Jesus is not only Emmanuel, God with Us; He is also Emmanuel, Us with God!
Read MorePS For our 51st:
This 51st year of our marriage has brought home the memory of our early descriptions of one another.
John, remember how you used to call me. your “kick in the pants”?
And I recognized you as my “tether to the ground”?
So Mobilizer Me married Stabilizer You 51 years ago. What in reality was an asset from the start became one of our greatest struggles. But I feel this year, we have come to some turning points in accepting and appreciating these differences in each other. (Do you?) Why has it taken us so long and why has it been so hard?
… As I was mulling this over this week, I came across a reference to author George MacDonald’s three grand essentials without which “no meaningful life can be lived”:
someone to love
something to do
something to hope for
…a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.
I have come to realize many of us children of God go through the “impostor syndrome.” Maybe it’s when we begin to get a glimpse of what God has gifted us for . We may feel like “frauds” or fear it may be wishful thinking. Or because of others’ reactions — basically communicating “Who do you think you are?”
Read MoreWhy is it easier to weep with others in their suffering than rejoice with them in their success?
Jealousy?
Insecurity?
Self-importance?
Disappointment with my own life?
Scarcity mentality (that there's not enough "good stuff" out there for me too)?
Unfathomable oceans of grace are in Christ for you. Dive and dive again. You will never come to the bottom of these depths. (author unknown)
Those of you who have followed my blog for the past 10 years may have caught on how obsessed I am with the ocean and the beach.
Read MoreMothers are awesome creatures. They are the lovely reflections of our Father God's unconditional, sacrificial, faithful LOVE! Moms are the true HEROS of life, or should I say, HEROINES! My mother, Jeanette Galuszka Renner, is MY hero!
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.
