There Are No Throw Away Days

  Do you ever have those times in your life where you have something unpleasant that you have to deal with but you’d rather not? Like maybe an upcoming medical procedure, or confronting a friend who hurt you, or filing your taxes. We all have things, whether planned or not, that come into our lives that we would rather ignore.

  When I have something unpleasant on the horizon, I find myself first of all dreading it, then wishing it would go away, then finally when it gets here I just want the whole day to pass quickly so that I can be done with it and move on to the next day. Kind of like making the day into a throw away day.

  But when I throw the day away, I’m not only throwing away the bad parts I don’t like, I’m also throwing away all the good parts. When all I can focus on is the thing I want to ignore, I end up blinding myself to God’s goodness around me. And believe me, no matter what a day holds, there is always God’s goodness to be found. Our attitude determines whether or not we see it.

  Even if we are facing the most horrendous and painful day and there is no joy to be found, we are still handed the good gifts of grace and mercy. We may be having a difficult day, or two, or three, or four, but our lord and Savior did the unimaginable for us. The day Jesus faced (because of us) is a day that changed all other days, past, present, or future. We haven’t a clue really as to what God has done on our behalf. That day on the cross marked the beginning of every single one of our days being filled with grace and mercy.

  So if grace and mercy are all you can find in your day – it is enough – and it is to be celebrated, not thrown away with the rest of it. I’ve learned now that because of grace and mercy there are no throw away days.

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (Emphasis added)

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

John 1:16

Dina Pugh

Dare To Be A Daniel

“But Daniel purposed in his heart…”

  Those six words from the book of Daniel, chapter one, verse eight have lingered on my heart recently. The Bible tells us that Daniel was a teenager when he was taken captive by the Babylonian king, King Nebuchadnezzar. Although Daniel was relatively young when he was captured, (some say as young as 15 years old) Daniel refused to compromise, he refused to follow the crowd.

  Verse 8 says, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” That must have taken great courage for Daniel to stand his ground on what he believed.

  Those words, “But Daniel purposed in his heart”, were the result of Daniel’s belief and reverence for God. From a young age, as well as throughout his entire life, Daniel was determined, resolved, resolute, and intentional regarding his walk with God. I so admire that.

  There’s a well-known Sunday school song titled, Dare to be a Daniel, with a chorus that goes:

Dare to be a Daniel,

Dare to stand alone;

Dare to have a purpose firm,

Dare to make it known!

  Like Daniel, I too, want to purpose in my heart. Purpose to live my life in a way that honors God. How about you? Will you join me in daring to be like Daniel?

Dina Pugh

Beautifully Kept

  Our first month of 2017 is drawing to a close. A brand new year is ahead of us. Are your New Year’s resolutions still holding strong or are they beginning to wane a bit? Or maybe you are like me and you don’t even bother making resolutions because you already know you’ll never stick to them anyway.

  Does a new year hold promise for you or does it bring hesitation of the unknown? I try to look at a new year with hope instead of hesitation, but we just never know what a new year will bring with it. I think we can at least expect a mixed bag of blessings and hardships. Hopefully the blessings will outweigh the hardships but even if they don’t, God will see us through. No matter what a day, a week, a month, or a year brings, God is in it.

  God is there when the doctor helps to deliver your new baby and God is there when the doctor delivers the news that you or a loved one has cancer. God is there when you land that perfect job and God is there when you lose your job that supports your family. God is there when you say, “I do” to the love of your life and God is there when the love has grown cold and walked out the door.

  God smiles in our joys and holds us in our sorrows. I have said this before: God is our One True Constant. We were made by Him and for Him and yet we are the ones who receive the wealth of His love. We can do nothing to earn this kind of love. This kind of love is absolute. God freely gives it. It is ours for the taking and it is by far the greatest thing you will ever have on earth. It far exceeds your best day ever and it far outweighs your darkest night.

  So if you have placed your life in God’s hands then no matter what today, tomorrow, or this next year brings, you are and will be beautifully kept by God.

Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (Emphasis added)

Dina Pugh

Christmas is Messy

 I’m not sure when it began, but for several generations now we have been duped. We have been led to believe that alongside the celebration of Jesus’ birth there needs to be more. There needs to be decorations on trees, lights on houses, gingerbread cookies warm from the oven, gifts to buy, parties to attend, and the list goes on. And with all of these “necessary” things comes the misguided idea that it all has to be picture perfect and Pinterest worthy.

  But what happens when it’s not? What happens when you strive to make everything perfect but you burn the cookies, forget to buy Uncle David’s gift, and your beautifully decorated tree is dead two weeks before Christmas Day? Is Christmas ruined?

Christmas can never be ruined because Christmas isn’t about things, it’s about the Person of Jesus. It’s God leaving His dwelling of unimaginable splendor, glory and perfection and stepping into a messy, filthy world.

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7

  Jesus brought His goodness into our brokenness, He shed His light into our darkness. And guess what? Jesus still does this today. He is Emmanuel; God With Us.So if you are finding yourself striving for the perfect Christmas, don’t. It already came. The perfect Christmas was given to us 2,000 years ago. Let the wonder of Jesus be your Christmas.

Then the angel said to them, 
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 
For there in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

Dina Pugh

The Power Behind the Thunderstorm

My absolute favorite season is here; Fall. I love all things Fall…the changing of leaves, pumpkin spiced lattes, the cool, crisp air and the excuse to wear boots and scarves.

Along with this year’s fall came our first fairly substantial rain for the season. Although rain is not my favorite (yes, I know how desperately we need it here in CA) I do, however, love thunderstorms.

As I drove our son to school this morning, a thunderstorm was almost on top of us. The flashes of lightning were brilliant, but it is the thunder that I most enjoy. Maybe I enjoy the thunder more than the lightning because I know the thunder won’t hurt me. The thunder rolls loud and booms with power, but it causes no harm. The lightning’s power is different. It cracks and flashes through the sky in mere moments and can cause harm to anything it touches.

Thunder and lightning are powerful, but the One who created the thunder and lightning is All-Powerful. He alone holds the universe in His hands. How often do we stop and take a moment from our frazzled lives to think about the wonder of God? Are we so constantly wrapped up in ourselves and in our needs, wants, and expectations that we forget the hands that made us?

The Bible tells us in the first chapter and verse of the gospel of John that Jesus is the Word and that the Word is God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Bible goes on to say in Hebrews 4:12-13: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

That’s power.

Like lightning’s power to slice through the air and reach its target, God’s power can slice through our very soul and spirit, exposing the true intents of our heart. Something to think about. I’ll leave you with the words found in Joel:

So rend your heart and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Joel 2:13

Dina Pugh