Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a good day. Kurt and Bo stopped to see us on their way home this morning and showed us pictures of Kurt on the ice after a sauna with only a towel on. ( And that also means walking all the way from the sauna down the hill too!)  They got lots done at the Silver Chateau and time to relax. I got cookies baked, went to Aldi’s, and getting things ready to go to the Lake tomorrow to celebrate Joe’s birthday. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
One of my daily prayers is that I would be more aware of God’s presence throughout my day; that I might see the Lord in all that is happening and experience His grace. Some of you know I love greeting cards; I love getting them but I really love to send them. The Lord also knows that, and just yesterday Al took a call from a friend whose lovely Christian mother died and she is going through all of her things. She invited us and others to help ourselves to some things left that she needs to dispense with. I had only 10 minutes before I had to go to an appointment but His gift was waiting for me under a table. What do you suppose I found? Bags of cards of all kinds to send! I felt as if the Lord was smiling and I just gave Him thanks.  Later I went back with a friend, whose health does not permit her to go shopping any more. And she found a whole new wardrobe of clothes that were just her size and even shoes and slippers. I rejoiced even more as I had remarked to Al in the morning that I felt sad for her as I could no longer take her shopping to the Mall. Isn’t the Lord full of surprises? He wants us to be awake and recognize His hand in our everyday life. Sometimes it is peace in the midst of what normally would be a tense situation and we know it is Him. There are many practices that also help us be mindful of Him since we have a tendency to drift and miss what God is up to in our lives. Some feel fasting helps them to be more awakened, humble and open to the Lord. But that doesn’t just have to be fasting from food; it could be from e-mails or the TV or our phones. Some find it helpful to journal as they see a pattern in their life of how God may be leading them. Others practice hospitality or spiritual formation. There are many spiritual practices that help direct us back to the Lord and to wake us from our routines and become mindful. In I Thess. 5:6 we are told to keep awake.  We are to be alert and awake to what God is saying and wants to do in our lives. Each of our journeys is unique and planned out by the Lord, so we have to see what works best for us at this time in our lives. As we grow in Him, we may need to let go of some practices and go on to something that is new to us. But we will know as we will experience His grace and be drawn closer to Him.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you be mindful and aware of His presence in your life.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy