On News and Brave Conversations

I woke up to bad news today, from the Middle East, from the White House, and from my home state– Oregon. It's hard to "rise and shine and give God the glory" when I know what's falling around the world.

I also awoke to a gnawing realization of a hard conversation I needed to initiate.

Why is it so hard to believe God is good when difficult days arrive? And WHY are difficult days so common?

The logical end of it all MUST be that I truly believe that God should only bless and prosper me, and the entire world. Strange, since just days ago I was wondering how it is that God doesn't only curse and strike down us humans...

And that conversation went well. Reconciliation was found. We only scratched the surface of the crust on our hearts, but it was a beginning. We'll keep on cleaning.

The reward for our bravery was hope. Isn't that what relationships are for? To point each other upward to the Hope, remind each other why we breathe, and love as we have been loved.

Hope as a reward: it multiplies. The more we hope, the more reason we have to hope. And hope is born of trust.

I trust God. I know God is good. I know God is in control. I know He has a plan. So I can hope in Him, and know that tomorrow I can wake up, breathe, and hold on to hope.

And I love God! My heart is made complete only in Him. He is all I need.

Faith, hope, and love. Only God working in me could have produced these results!

Over everything we must love. Love cries out for brave conversations– between man and God and man and man. These require faith and bring hope. And hope brings, in the end, joy.

And who doesn't need joy?

251. Teaching mom to drive (the mower) ;-)
252. Fun last night
253. Friends dressed as nuns
254. Timmy saying sweet things about people
255. Love for and with my big brother!!
256. Prayers for far away people
257. A paper organizing my thoughts and beliefs
258. Elvis downstairs right now– weird...
259. Math. Making. Sense. !!!!!
260. A GREAT EMAIL FROM A PRO PHOTOGRAPHER