I never thought I would need to remind myself to smile.  I hate to admit this, but I have smiled less, hugged less, and communicated less with people in general than I had six months ago.  Our lives changed dramatically with COVID-19.  One thing that has hit me hard lately is that I am using my smile infrequently.  I see social media posts that say, “I really am smiling behind this mask.”  I absolutely would have thought that I could identify a smile with or without the mask.  I thought our eyes would communicate the smile.  But in the…

When something goes wrong, we are targeted, bullied, or are not included do we go the extra mile and pray for the individuals involved?  How many of us after we give our worries to God pray for those who we fear? Recently, I was reminded by a friend regarding the power of prayer. I won’t give details of the situation but she indicated that when stopped at a stoplight she and her daughter were verbally harassed.  Her first instinct was not to talk back but to pray.  She prayed not for safety for themselves, but for the people who…

I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Issam Nemeh speak on True Faith this past weekend.  He encourages living our faith daily.  Not turning on and off our faith when it works best for us, but choosing to live by faith.  Living by faith takes commitment.  When things are going well, I remind myself to thank Jesus.  As things change direction and become difficult I thank Jesus for carrying me through the tough times.  I continue to thank Jesus for the strength to believe and experience true faith.  Dr. Nemeh spoke on having the right state of mind and having…

My faith is my first priority under all circumstances.  We are living in a world of change and many unknowns.  COVID-19 has redefined and intensified the unknown. Stretching one to think more carefully about how one lives life.  Rethinking what used to be normal everyday tasks.  Led by faith, but initiated with prayer.  1.  Prayer As I continue to find strength in prayer, prayer begins to consume my thoughts.  At first, prayer was inserted into my day when I saw a need.  I became addicted to prayer as I continued to see results and opportunities.  Where once I intentionally…