How fitting for the doorknocker to reverberate and my dog to go wild with barking as I sit down to write this post. Over the past two weeks, we have had continual workmen coming in and out of the house due to water damage from the recent ice storm here in middle Tennessee. The first day, a strip of the hardwood floor was pulled up in our den; the second day, more was removed; the third day the kitchen bar and counter top was disassembled; the next and the next day, the kitchen hardwood and the baseboards disappeared. Today it's part of a wall.Early on in this venture, I kindly asked a workman where my bread/toaster drawer might be located so that I could make my daughter a quick sandwich. He said, "Oh, I took that drawer down to your basement. It's sitting on the floor behind the couch." At this moment, I decided that I had one of two options in handling this whole ordeal: either laugh or cry. I looked at the workman and smiled; down the stairs I went... hahahahahaha.Meanwhile, as the workman are ripping apart the kitchen and den, I am trying to write a devotional book. Hahahahahaha. And I'm a stickler for uninterrupted silence when I write. Hahahahaha.This morning, as I was getting ready for the unfolding of the day, the words persevere with pleasure kept rolling through my mind. I am already learning to live this phrase out through the daily "sweet and happy chaos" that involves the diverse people who currently reside here: Mac and me, our grad-student daughter, our high school daughter, our French exchange student, a PA graduate student, and a an amazing budding artist. (We also have an inside-dog that always wants out, and an outside-cat that always wants in.) This variety is all good, and I love it. However, it's these additional bodies showing up ALL THE TIME with hammers and drills and electric saws who are testing my tolerance level. Right now, I never really know who I'm going to meet in my hallway. Hahahahaha.So, can I persevere with pleasure, as I feel the Lord is asking me to do? Yes, but only with Him. Only He can give me a joyful attitude. And only He can change my perspective. Through all of this, He is refining me. Crazily, I am actually learning how to "pretend I am alone", drowning out all noice and choas as I write this assigned 365 day devotional book--241 devotional prayers down, 124 to go. Persevere with pleasure. Yes, Lord, I will.Reader, I am very aware that my current ordeal may be nothing compared to what you may be facing in your world right now. The things happening in my den may accurately represent the turmoil inside your own heart. Life is hard, and deep suffering is not laughable. Your situtation may be worthy of many long blubbering cries. Please weep, but weep with the Lord. He cares for you. Ask Him to come into your midst. Allow Him to fill You with His peace, and yes, even His joy, as you slowly rise up and press on. Know that He is with you right now and that He will see you through to the end. Only He can change your life's perspective, bringing beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3). Hear His words:Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Phil. 2:13Persevere with pleasure, my friend. Jesus is faithful to walk with you every step.Now I have to go….the roofers are here (what?????)….the dog just got out, and the cat just got in….hahahaha.

A couple of weeks ago, I joined my sister Peggy in Pheonix, Arizona for our 8th marathon in our 8th state. Lord willing, we hope to do 50 marathons in all 50 states… taking one marathon at a time, one step at a time. Peggy and I have a ministry called Hope Walking aCross America. Our purpose is to pray for each state we walk in, present His word while there, as well as provide a financial donation to a local ministry.

Why marathons? Both Peggy and I feel that running/walking 26.2 miles is something we do that really is "bigger than ourselves." We do it together, encouraging one another along the way, trusting the Lord to get us to the finish line. In a sense, a marathon is an ideal representation of our life's journey: we need God, and we need each other--in the highs and the lows, in the joys and the struggles. Sometimes in marathons, and in life, the struggle is almost too much to bear. Again, that's why we need God and His provision of a like-minded friend(s) to get us through to the end! All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Heb. 12:11-13

Tom and Doreen Strohm--Life changers!Why did we choose Arizona this go round? Well interestingly, about a year ago, a woman, Doreen Strohm, who is from a city near Pheonix, happened to come across my website and was intrigued with HopeWalking (*see below). Out of Doreen's kindness, she offered Peggy and me a place to stay whenever we came her direction. We took the offer with gratitude, and the pieces of our trip to AZ were slowly being put together. From this sweet encounter, my sister and I felt the Lord's leading to raise support in our marathon for their ministry called Jesus Cares, which is an amazing outreach for families in crisis. Their "marathon ministry" has been changing lives for more than three decades. Indeed, through them, Jesus Cares. I love how the Lord created this divine appointment between us. We now have dear friends in Arizona! Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, just as you are doing. I Thess. 5:11My prayer for you, reader, is that you would be encouraged today in your walk of life. You may be struggling on an uphill climb, feeling like you're on mile 23 and the end is nowhere in sight. (I'm referring to this mile because it was mine and Peggy's almost breaking point this time…"ugh! help!") If you are at this desperate place right now, hear these words in response to your weary cries: Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Is 40:31Trust in the Lord and press on, preferably with a friend who knows and loves you. It makes the struggle a little lighter and the enduring journey more beautiful. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for (sisters) to dwell togehter in unity! Ps. 133:1

Sister fun at the Pheonix Suns game

Grand Canyon--An Amazing Master-piece*If you are interested in what intrigued Doreen, see my website at www.respitefortheweary.com and search the sidebar for the post label: "From Passerby to Crossing the Street".

One of my "go to" passages of Scripture is II Chronicles 20:1-30. It's about a king of Judah named Jehoshaphat who found himself in a desperate situation. In these verses, he and his people got word that the enemies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir were coming against them to fight and throw them out of the land.King Jehoshaphat's response is threefold: he prays, he stands firm, and he worships.His prayer, together with the people of Judah, is beautiful, beginning with praising God as their protector and ruler, and ending with a humble petition: For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You. (20:12)God answers his prayer by telling them, "Don't fear, don't fight, this battle is Mine…stand firm." (see 20:15-17)And so the king obeyed; instead of fearing and fighting, he and his people stood at the battleline and worshiped the Lord together with music and song. (see 20:18-21) What an interesting battle tactic!The result: Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. (20:22)Today, do you feel as if you are being attacked on all sides? Your enemies don't necessarily have to be physical; you can be fighting emotions such as frustration, confusion, and dismay (name your enemies). In your battle, choose to follow the incredible wisdom of king Johshaphat of long ago. Put your eyes on the Lord alone, trust and stand firm in who He is, and then just start singing praises to His name. Allow Him to dispel the power of your enemies!All day long today, sing in your heart the very words that the people of Judah sang on the battlefield thousands of years ago: Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever! (v.21)And may you have rest on all sides.Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around. (20:30)

I recently returned from Sharptop Cove which is a Young Life camp in Jasper, Georgia. My daughter Maggie is currently working there as a nurse over the summer months. Last week, my husband Mac was able to be the camp doctor, so it was a sweet thing to see the two of them serving side by side.Another sweetness to the week was watching the ministry of Young Life in action from start to finish. The heartbeat of this ministry is to reach high school students-- particularly the kids who are living through all kinds of brokeness--broken homes, broken hearts, broken lives. Local Young Life leaders reach out to these kids all year long in the lunch room, at football games, after school, in their world. Then these faithful leaders recruit these students to sign up for summer camp, promising them the best week of their life. Each are desperate for real love, but are searching for it in the world's "mirky mud puddles", not knowing or not believing that they can drink from the living water of Jesus Christ. Can He really offer something better?And so the buses arrive at camp, hundreds and hundreds of teenagers unload, and as the week progresses in Young Life style, the gospel unfolds...hearts are won...and angels rejoice.The beautiful thing about this ministry is that the ones (YL leaders, staff, and volunteers) that are pursuing these kids were once, not too long ago, sitting in the exact same place as these campers. They too were wallowing in their brokeness; but then, the message of the gospel changed everything on the inside. Jesus redeemed their hearts in the midst of their mess, giving hope to what seemed like a hopeless unfixable life.And now, drinking from living water, these redeemed people are redeeming people.A wonderful truth: God can do great things through the faith filled heart, no matter how young or old their walk with the Lord may be.For example, look at scripture: the woman at the well, after encountering Jesus, immediately ran back to her city and manybelieved in Him because of her testimony (John 4:14). And then there's Zacchaeus the tax-collector, after sitting with Jesus, declared instantly that he would make restoration with all those he cheated on financially (from Luke 19). The disciples, likewise, were all a mess, but as soon as they were filled with His Spirit, they became His witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). They didn't wait years to figure it all out; and God didn't wait years to use them. The Good News was too good to keep to themselves!I ask you to join in with the sweet story of redeemed people redeeming people. If you only know one bible verse or truth about God's character, share it with someone who is hurting today. It's His Spirit in you that does the marvelous work, not your fancy words or well organized persuasion. When we share our hope, we grow in our faith.On the last early morning of camp, I was sitting on my porch, enjoying the peaceful setting of the Georgia mountainside. And then, through the mist, along came close to a hundred teenagers walking quietly down the path. They were taking their "new believer's walk", with their leaders by their side; yes, they each decided, Jesus could offer something better. I sat in joyful silence and took it all in.Thank you, Young Life leaders for your faithful pursuing love concerning these kids. You are an inspiration to me. I am praying for you as you are now back home, involved in their broken lives; yet now on the inside, they (and you) are not without Hope. Your Redeemer, Jesus, lives.Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" Isaiah 40:9

This past week I had the opportunity to share part of my testimony with a couple of young friends. I was indirectly asked, "How did you come to know the Lord?" and "How have you grown in your walk with Him?".I explained that although I have been a Christian as long as I can remember, God used His word and His ways to chase me down with His love in a deeper way in my mid-twenties. At that time I was wrestling with a lot of things that kept me disgruntled and discontent: my husband was an orthopedic resident pushing hours that are now no longer legal in the medical world; I had two toddlers, but also experienced two miscarriages; we had no money; and personally, I was dealing with a shattered dream of the recent past, and another rock-my-world present trial. Quite frankly, I was depressed, and the "woe is me" mentality ruled my life.But somewhere during that time God sent a faithful friend along my path; after my friend had walked life with me for a while and quietly listened to my woes, she then tenderly spoke timely words that penetrated my wounded heart. She simply said, "Chris, do you know that you can choose joy?". My initial reaction was, "Are you kidding me? Do you not see all this calamity going on in and around me! I deserve to be unhappy!" (skewed thinking!). But in my soul, I knew that she spoke truth. I am thankful to say that these words were the beginning of a life changing perspective for me; now over two decades later, no matter the circumstance, I remind myself, "Chris, you can choose joy". Over the years of putting this not-so-easy decision into practice, I've learned how to get-to-joy faster.The first thing is not to complain or grumble. If I'm in the midst of a trial, it's not a surprise to God; it is actually in this selected place that He has called me so that I can depend on Him in a deeper way. He will show up. But I must choose not to quench His spirit with my disgruntled or disbelieving heart. Having this attitude kills joy. God tells me to do all things without grumbling or disputing (Phil. 2:14). The second thing is to be thankful. Replace the "Woe is me!" with "Wow is the Lord!". Sometimes I just say thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, over and over and over again, just so I won't focus on my seemingly negative situation. Thank Him for whatever comes to mind concerning who He is (merciful, compassionate, powerful, good, wise…) and you will be busy all day long with thankfulness growing in your heart. Having this attitude births joy. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night (Psalm 92:1).I am forever grateful for my friend of the past that challenged me to choose joy. And I am praying that my young friends will likewise, choose joy today--not sadness, nor even happiness, but the joy that is found only in Christ. It's a decision that requires determination and perseverance through His abiding spirit. Jesus is joy. Choose Him.Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

Let's face it, we live in a me first culture. On one hand, it's quite a natural response: we feed ourselves when we're hungry, we shower when we're dirty, we sleep when we're tired… we just do things for ourselves.But the me first mentality can grow dangerously beyond this instinctive disposition. It's the push and shove to be the best, it's the looking out for your own personal gain, or the lifestyle of "I'm gonna do what I wanna do in spite of how it affects others" that can cause strife to so many. And when there is a multitude of me-firsters in the same place, all going at life with their own selfish vigor, it can be a social war zone, in marriages, in families, and in the workplace.So how do we combat the seductive monster of SELF CENTERED LIVING?Jesus.He did things differently.…He first loved us. I John 4:19When Jesus came to earth, the King of kings and Lord of lords didn't flaunt His power over the weak. The unblemished Holy One didn't trample underfoot the lowly. The all Wise and Knowing One didn't shame the ignorant. No, He first… loved us.And what was the depth of His love?But God demonstrates His own love toward us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8There is no greater sacrifice from a no greater God-Man towards a no greater company of me firsters.Without question, it is God's will for you to be the absolute best you can be in the area of gifting in which He has blessed you. But at the same time, put your agenda down (or the agenda you have for your spouse, or for your children); don't climb another rung of the culture's egocentric ladder. Instead, stop and look around. Someone may need the Jesus that lives in you. Do what He did; He first loved.Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Phil. 2:3-5I am convinced, embracing the He first mindset will change the direction of your life, for the better.