Dear Ones,
Hope you are keeping warm. We have snow and so beautiful. The Halloween party last night was a fun time with the community room highly decorated and candlelight, games, costumes, prizes, good food and lots of laughter. Such a fun evening for all. This afternoon we are invited to friends for coffee and fellowship. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Change comes and sometimes very quickly! When it was getting dark last night, I looked out on a clear sidewalk and a green lawn with some colored leaves. Much to my surprise as I opened the blinds this morning, everything was all white and covered with a blanket of snow. It was beautiful but what a sudden change. Fortunately. I had put away the chairs and small table from our balcony yesterday and got out the shovels, not realizing I would need them so soon.;

Changes come in our lives that seem to come suddenly and without our permission. I think of the two friends from our church, who recently experienced radical change overnight as they are now widows. Some people are active and then in the thud of a car accident made invalids. Or one who is a healthy body builder now faces a limited time to live with a diagnosis he did not want to hear. In just the blink of the eye, things can change but thankfully God does not change and will always and forever be there for us.

So how do we live in the present? We don’t want to live with anxiety, waiting for something that could happen to change our lives for the worse; but rather living in trust and confidence to the One who will take us through any situation. The One who created us and the whole universe, is He not capable of caring for us? He promises us peace even in the midst of the chaos of our culture and all the unknowns that come to mind. But if instead of thinking of the “what ifs”, we firmly trust Him in all things, then we will be peaceful even when changes come unannounced.

Like the Apostle Paul told the Christians in Phil 4:6-7, “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace (shall be yours, that ‘tranquil state of soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Challenge for today: Don’t live in fear but trust the Lord for the changes that come into your life and live in His peace.