when you pray, expect answers

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

Yesterday i went into great detail on my broaden knowledge and new respect for snakes... even wishing for a good snake to return to my yard making it safer.  But i didn't expect God to answer and have one cross my path that very same day.  My prayer was genuine, but was i really ready for a change?

  

  

As the dogs and i rounded the turn to our driveway, we caught sight of a black snake crossing up and over the curb and through our fence.  I was amazed... and stunned.  Instantly i was reminded of a concern... we have 3 nests of baby birds in our yard. Yikes! With sticks and moth balls in hand, i went in the backyard to watch over the nest.  It wasn't long before i spotted the snake high in the shrubs.  The babies parents did too as they created quite a ruckus squawking and flying about the snake.  

At the end of the day, i had to leave me worries with God.  I did place a snowman nearby to hopefully deter the snake from robbing the most vulnerable nest. Yet, i know complete, full protection is from Above. God and nature have a way of working; it's not always what we want, but we have to trust God for the best outcome.

Father, when we pray, may it be with a heart full of TRUST and CONFIDENCE and EXPECTATION in You, and not fear on the hows. You sometimes answer our prayers in ways that boggle our human understandings. May the unknown hows not be a stumbling block to our prayers. Help, inspire, spur us on to DO what we can in difficult situations, and to also keep boldly praying for what's good and pleasing in Your sight, trusting Your answer and way is Perfect. 

we are loved and chosen by God,

may we live like we believe it,

veneal

things i've learned this summer

             

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

I am not a fan of snakes, but this summer has been an eye opener for me and even caused a change of heart. After encountering 4 snakes, eye-to-eye, i now see them differently and have a new appreciation for them. 

The first snake i saw was a "harmless" black snake in my backyard, but it was not welcomed by me.  I wanted him tossed over the fence, far and fast.  Next, a little brown snake wiggled up from under a pot, scaring my aunt and me. It met with a shovel out of our fear... and ignorance. The deadly copperhead was only inches from getting into my house, and was stopped by our cat and a timely appearance by my husband. Snake 4, a king snake, was at the tip of my toe while on a walk, but unfortunately he had already expired.  Out of the 4 snakes i met, 3 are actually beneficial, and good to have around. 

So here's the uncurling of my snake education.   There are many more nonpoisonous snakes than poisonous ones.  The coloring can be misleading in identifying dangerous snakes.  A better indication is looking at their eyes.  Poisonous snakes have  elliptical eyes, not round, but who wants to get that close?!  A better test is head shape, and remember the saying, "BIG HEAD... YOU'RE DEAD!"

Father, i think similar guidelines can apply to about any group of animals or people.  Not all are bad, and not all are good.  But i do believe there are far more good animals/people than bad. When we haven't gotten close enough to examine or know another, keep us from being judgmental.  Continuous learning is necessary and helpful. Please lead and direct our paths to not harm the innocent through fear or anger, and help us to find ways and methods to better assist those who could pose a threat.  As Your children, surely, we can be wiser and kinder, and possibly make a difference for the better.  Lead us, Father, in Your Ways.

we are loved and chosen by God,

may we live like we believe it,

veneal

a Mighty Word ~ (silence)

"Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3

Wonder what kind of world this would be, if we did what our mother taught us... If you can't say something nice, then please don't say anything at all.

Be kind, at all times.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

we are loved and chosen by God,

may we live like we believe it,

veneal

what is your decision?

"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9 

Consider every decision you have made in life so far and the many decisions to be made. Our decisions are connected to actions, reactions or lack of.  Each one has played a part in getting us where we are today and where we will go tomorrow... go left, right, turn around, stop -- say yes, no, ignore, override. There have been good ones, bad, stupid, brilliant, crazy and embarrassing decisions. And each one has contributed to where we are today; decisions, past and present, are the building blocks of our life.

Where we go in life and what we accomplish from here depends on our decisions today and tomorrow. With each decision we have opportunities for greater growth and change, if needed.  May they all count to the good of God, others and then self. 

Building our life on Him and His Word provides security, strength, righteousness, and peace for every day. Father, may our decisions be pleasing to You, bring healing to our devastated world and comfort to our aching hearts. 

we are loved and chosen by God,

may we live like we believe it,

veneal

uncomfortable, for the good

"The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made." Psalm 145:9
  

Discrimination... you can see the hurt of it on many faces.  Faces of color, lifestyle, physical, mental or emotion differences. They all painfully know how it feels to be ridiculed, mistreated or ignored daily by the so called normal. Being "normal" puts one in a dangerous position of passing judgement on others.  Is it right to judge people different from what we view as normal or acceptable? We don't choose our makeup; we are all created by God.  The psalmist wrote --

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

 My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

The psalmist goes on to say --
Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.

God who created and knows us completely... loves us without barriers and prejudices.  Sometimes i wonder if He allowed differences to separate the sheep from the wolves... to show the destruction of prejudice... to shame pride...  to grow compassion... to smack the face of arrogance... to test our following of His second greatest commandment -- love your neighbor as yourself.  

I think God wants to flip the tables.  I think He wants the normal to feel uncomfortable enough to change their heart and hurtful ways.  To be like Jesus is to love like Jesus.  And He loved all. 

Father, i don't want to be normal; i want to be uncomfortable enough to make a difference; i want to be more like You.  Remove any barriers i have to people, so i can love them all like You.  Only You can judge... You alone know our hearts.

we are loved and chosen by God,

may we live like we believe it, 

veneal

Blisters, by Lydia

Writing and sharing God's Word has been my passion for 20 years. It is my greatest desire to help others see and know God is working in their lives through ordinary events. He doesn't talk to a select few, and it's not always about parting a sea, He talks to all His children and sometimes it's during a routine day. When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2011, I was "out-of-order" for several weeks and unable to write any Salt Shakers devotions. My daughter, Anna, and some co-workers from school stepped in and kept the Salt Shakers going, writing beautiful devotions. It was my reminder we are all replaceable and we are all needed by our Father.

This week I heard of another special Salt Shaker writer. My neighbor, Lydia Johnston, told me her 12 year-old granddaughter subscribed (on her own) to my Salt Shakers devotions several months ago. While at the beach this week, her Lydia wrote her own devotion. I was so touched; and I share it with you now, as a reminder to listen. God is speaking to you, and His message through you has the power to change lives and the world.

EnJOY Lydia's devotion. And i would love to hear and share from some other Salt Shakers too!

Blessings, friends. We are loved and chosen by God, may we live like we believe it, veneal

"Blisters"

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11 

This week I have been at the beach! Yesterday, I went to the beach, put on my sunscreen, waited a few minutes and ran to the ocean with my boogie board! It was tons of fun, I got to meet two of my second cousins! Then we left (my immediate family, and me) and headed over to my first cousins house. My mom and step dad dropped my brother and I off, and left. 

When I got there I applied my sunscreen, then we drove to the river for a boat ride. So, I waited before getting wet. We had a lot of fun on the boat ride, we saw two bucks on someone’s dock! Then we headed back to their house. 

We arrived back at their house and applied sunscreen, then raced over to the pool and jumped in! (I did not wait for my sunscreen to dry) We were at the pool for about two hours, and man did I get sunburned. That night I applied lots of moisturizer, hoping the redness would go down. 

This morning, I woke up and saw that it wasn’t nearly as red. That was great, I thought to myself. Then later when I started washing my face, I saw what looked like a clump of moisturizer, then I tried to rub it in, but realized that it hurt. Moisturizer doesn’t hurt, I asked my mom and she said it was a blister! On my FACE!!! Ahhhhh! Not just one, but two, it was terrible. Now I am sitting on the sofa writing this devotion with ice on my face, and if that wasn’t bad enough when I go on the beach I have to wear a hat, how is the hat going to stay on when I’m boogie boarding? 

I did learn a valuable lesson, wait after you apply sunscreen. Before this happened, I didn’t realize the importance of it, but because this happened I know to wait before I get wet. The water will just wash off all the sunscreen you just put on. Learn from my mistake, it is not fun to have a sunburn or blisters. Just wait, it will be worth it. If I had not gotten these blisters I would have never learned this lesson. This is God’s plan, and things happen for reasons. 

Dear God, I have faced a lesson and saw it as a punishment, Help me see these situations as lessons, and help me learn from them. Amen. 

written in love by,

Lydia Morton

Columbia, SC

are you happy?

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and He began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Matthew 5:1-12

Another version, Good News Translation, of Matthew 5:1-12 reads as follows:

Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where He sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and He began to teach them:

True Happiness

3 “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor;
    the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!
4 “Happy are those who mourn;
    God will comfort them!
5 “Happy are those who are humble;
    they will receive what God has promised!
6 “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires;
    God will satisfy them fully!
7 “Happy are those who are merciful to others;
    God will be merciful to them!
8 “Happy are the pure in heart;
    they will see God!
9 “Happy are those who work for peace;
    God will call them his children!
10 “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires;
    the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

11 “Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are My followers. 12 Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted."

This version expands my understanding of happiness, adding a refreshing, different perspective. There is fleeting happiness like from eating a double cone of your favorite ice cream, and then there is continuous, unending happiness from belonging to God.  I am so thankful for the Good News, thankful for Jesus. May we never doubt/forget we have an Everlasting Reason to be happy.

Praying peace, comfort and happiness into your day .

we are loved and chosen by God,

may we live like we believe it,

veneal