Jesus in the Morning

Pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV

 In the Old Testament we learn that Daniel prayed three times a day and though we can’t be sure of the exact hours they do correspond to a chorus we used to sing, “Jesus-Jesus- Jesus in the morning, Jesus at the noon time. Jesus- when the sun goes down!” That little song neatly sums up the simplicity of prayer. Some of us say, “Well I’m really not a morning person!” Or “I’m no night owl!” as excuses for why we don’t begin or end our days with prayer. But in his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul tells us to” pray without ceasing” and king David tells us in Psalm 34 that he will bless the Lord at all times. In fact, everywhere we look in scripture, prayer is far more than just a night cap or a “Good morning Lord.” When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He set an example for us of all different times for prayer.

Early Morning Prayer:  And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35

Mid-Day Prayer Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  Luke 11:1

Evening Prayer And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went upon the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone   Matthew 14:23

Jesus prayed when he had to make decisions and he prayed to bless his food. Jesus prayed when he was sorrowful, and He prayed when he was joyful. Jesus prayed for his disciples, and He prayed for Himself. As Jesus prayed at all these different times, He taught us how to pray. How wonderful to remember that the prayer ministry of Christ did not end on the day He went to the Father, but the Bible tells us that right now, He is still praying for us!

Do You Have Beautiful Feet?

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach 
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:15 KJV

In March of 2020, all of the nursing homes, not only in Florida, but around the nation, closed their doors to visitors. For the next fourteen months those doors remained closed. No one but staff were permitted entry. In order to keep alive some form of communication with residents whom I had ministered to I began a small weekly devotional that I emailed to the activity department of three facilities. By 2021, I found that Rob Keller who I had met at our men’s group, was a graphic artist and was willing to do the layout and artwork to create a more finished publication. Somehow, word of what we were doing spread to Pastor Janice Burnett, who serves the nursing home community in Western New York and so with the Lord’s help and direction, the Sunshine Newsletter was born. While hardly an international sensation, this little newsletter, without funding or advertising is now being shared weekly in 10-11 different facilities in New York, Ohio and Florida. I am also thankful for Barbara Hegreberg of My Life in Our Father’s World and Patty Moore who writes He Said What? for their contributions. All of us according to the verse in Romans now have beautiful feet (though I won’t be posting a photo of mine). As we are now about to enter our third year of publication, I invite you to have beautiful feet too! Our goal is to share the message of the hope and true love that we have found in Jesus Christ. He is brighter than the sunshine of our best days and still shines in our hearts even when it is midnight in our soul. So, if you or someone you know would like to volunteer with writing, distribution, or technical assistance, please let me know in the comments section of today’s post. I will be delighted to send you guidelines and contact information for you to get in touch with us. Have a blessed week everyone and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Five Lessons From Our Feathered Friends

I rarely share from other blogs, but I was so blessed by this post from Securely Anchored that I wanted to pass it on. I do not know anything about Nancy Smith except that she is a fellow New Englander and a bird watcher. I am constantly amazed at how God teaches us some of His biggest lessons from His smallest creatures!

Our birdfeeders are strategically placed so we can view the many different species that come daily to visit. Living in New England brings different birds throughout the year as some migrate north for the warmer months and then fly south again. How do they know what to do and where to go? If we take […]

Five Lessons From Our Feathered Friends