JUNE 19, 2025

   “As an act of goodwill you must sacrifice all the futures you might have for the one that he designs for you.” 

― Dexter Palmer, The Dream of Perpetual Motion

PSALM 28-30

 11You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.(30:11-12)

ACTS 21:1-14

10After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”

12When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

JOURNAL 

Love does not exist without sacrifice. That’s the inescapable truth. You will either sacrifice your own selfishness for the good of others, or you will cling to your desires and, as a result, someone else will bear the cost of what you withhold. Real love requires a death to self. As Dexter Palmer wrote, “As an act of goodwill you must sacrifice all the futures you might have for the one that He designs for you.” And that’s exactly what Paul did.

In Acts 21, when the prophet Agabus warned that Paul would be bound and handed over in Jerusalem, the people begged him not to go. But Paul’s response cut through their fear: “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). That is love made visible through sacrifice. He saw the cost clearly—and still chose to walk into it. Why? Because he had already surrendered the life he might have had in exchange for the one Christ had called him to live.

And that kind of surrender brings a deep, settled joy. Not because it’s painless, but because it’s purposeful. As James reminds us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). Trials aren’t joyful in themselves—but they are the result of walking in faith and choosing the path of Christ over comfort. That’s the joy of someone who knows why they’re suffering and for whom they’re suffering.

We can’t have everything. That’s just reality. You can’t go north and south at the same time. You can’t live for truth and lies, or righteousness and sin. Every yes to God is a no to something else. Every surrender is a sacrifice. Jesus made this plain when He said, “Be either hot or cold”—don’t try to do both (Revelation 3:15-16). Half-commitment is no commitment at all.

This is why I must choose with clarity. Sacrifice without thought is reckless; but sacrifice rooted in love and truth—that is the foundation of a life well-lived. When I pause, reflect, and choose God's design over my own ambition, I am choosing power, love, and sound judgment (2 Timothy 1:7). And even if that path leads through sorrow or suffering, “You turned my wailing into dancing… clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent” (Psalm 30:11–12).

God’s will is not always safe—but it is always good. And when I walk in it, I can lay down every other possible future, knowing the one He’s written is enough.

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds,

JAMES 1:2

JUNE 18, 2025

 

“Success involves failing first. Ask any successful person. Ask any experienced person, really. It's all part of the creative process, so sit back and allow the artist within you to sprout, blossom and flourish. You must accept that your first, second, and third attempt at something might suck. It's a necessary step in improving your skill. Failure is your teacher, not your judge.” 
― Connor Franta

NEHEMIAH 7-8

9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”(8:9-10)

ACTS 3

6Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

JOURNAL 

“Success involves failing first,” writes Connor Franta. And he’s right, ask anyone who's ever created anything worthwhile. The artist within us is often shaped in failure, not in perfection. Failure teaches. It doesn’t condemn. It refines the edges and tests the foundations. In the spiritual life, the same is true. It’s in our weakness and brokenness that God often speaks most clearly.

Nehemiah reminded a weeping crowd not to mourn over their failings, but to rejoice in the grace of the Lord. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). That verse hit me deeply today. God’s joy—not my performance, not my progress, not even my success—is the source of real strength. When I sit with that, I realize how often I’ve made the goal itself the idol. How often I’ve mistaken achievement for purpose, and discipline for identity.

But God's joy spans beyond the boundaries of today. It's not a fleeting feeling tied to circumstances—it's an eternal, anchored joy in what He is doing, has done, and will do. It pulls me out of the isolation of my own striving and places me in the wide, redemptive story of God. His joy is infinite, which means strength is always available, even when the scoreboard says failure.

That truth realigns how I view personal goals. Yesterday, I wrestled with their place in God’s kingdom. Are they meaningful? Yes. And no. Yes, because God can use them, just like Peter used a simple phrase and an outstretched hand to lift a man who had never walked: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). And suddenly, the man’s ankles were strengthened, and he began jumping and praising God (Acts 3:7–8). That moment had nothing to do with Peter’s resources or abilities. It was simply faithful action, rooted in divine power.

That’s what our goals can become: faithful action. A framework through which we learn trust, obedience, perseverance, and surrender. They’re not the finish line, they’re the training ground. They’re not essential in eternity, but they are essential in becoming; in how we relate to God and others in the process.

So yes, chase them. Work hard. Dream big. Set goals and go after them. But hold them lightly. Because they are not the source of your strength. They are not the measure of your worth. And they will not complete you.

Only God does that.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

That is the journey. Strength not from striving, but from hoping. Not from arriving, but from abiding.

And in that space, joy is your strength.

31but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

ISAIAH 40:31

JUNE 17, 2025

  "Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it” 

― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

NEHEMIAH 4-6

9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”

11But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.(6:9-15)

 

ACTS 2:14-47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

JOURNAL 

Nehemiah faced relentless opposition—not just physical, but psychological. The enemies of the wall tried to wear him down, to distract, manipulate, and intimidate him. But he saw through it. He prayed, “Now strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9), and refused to hide in fear or act in self-preservation. His discernment, anchored in a greater purpose, kept him moving forward. And in just fifty-two days, against all odds, the wall was completed (Nehemiah 6:15).

What a contrast to the vibrant community described in Acts 2. Instead of fear or manipulation, these early believers lived with sincere hearts, radical generosity, and deep devotion—to God, to one another, and to the mission of Christ. “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts... And the Lord added to their number daily” (Acts 2:46–47). When the Spirit of God takes root in a people, they become something greater than the sum of their parts—an outpost of Heaven.

That phrase—an outpost of Heaven—has stuck with me. I want my life, my home, my heart to be that. And I’m reminded of Viktor Frankl’s words:

“Don’t aim at success... it must ensue... as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself…”

Frankl survived Auschwitz and wrote Man’s Search for Meaning, a book that pierced my heart at a time when everything felt like it was crumbling—career, marriage, identity. I had chased success, but it only left me emptier. That book, and more importantly, the Spirit of God, began to realign my view of success. I began to see that success isn’t something I could grip tighter. It’s something that follows when I live with purpose, faith, and love.

Paul writes it plainly:

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
That Spirit frees me. I don’t have to control outcomes. I don’t have to strive for the approval of others or anxiously chase worth. I simply get to show up and give my best—sweeping streets or stewarding influence, it doesn’t matter. The joy is in knowing I am God’s child and doing what He’s asked of me, no matter how “big” or “small” the task looks to the world.

Success is then redefined: it becomes the quiet confidence of knowing I’m walking in obedience. It becomes the peace of surrendering outcomes to my Father. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!... And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4,7).

Today, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. I have breath in my lungs, a body that moves, people I love, and a Father who knows me fully and loves me completely. That alone is enough to rejoice. So I’ll keep aiming not at success, but at faithfulness. And in doing so, I trust success—in God’s definition—will quietly follow.

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7

JUNE 16, 2025

   “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. ” 

― Walt Disney Company

NEHEMIAH 1-3

17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.

They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”

20I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”(2:17-20)

ACTS 2:1-13

1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^b 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

13Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

JOURNAL 

God is a God of action. He sends out Abraham, Moses, David, Jeremiah...the people are asked to risk and take action. Obedience to God is found in action. Worship is an action, obedience is an action, love is done in action. I really don't believe you can be a true follower of God and not be taking action that stretches and causes you to seek and trust God. It is the essential channel of good leadership, however before action must come vision and direction. Both Nehemiah and the disciples received this vision and power before they set out on their mission. 

Mission is what this life is all about. Every believer has been given a mission to bring the love of God to the world in which they live...to their particular outpost in this world. The ultimate purpose in following God is to serve, not to be served. It is to give, not to receive. It is to live a life of action, not one of passivity and sloth. For God has given me the gift of life, energy and a healthy mind and body. I am to use it fully, not half-way, not some of the time. One day I will have eternal rest but that is not today, and I am not to waste my days longing for it. I am to spend my days and hours in action...obeying God and serving mankind. Building an outpost of heaven in my place in this world.

31but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

ISAIAH 40:31

JUNE 15, 2025

 “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” 

― Leonardo da Vinci

EZRA 9-10

5Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God 6and prayed:

“I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

8“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place^a in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.(9:5-9)

ACTS 1

12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk^c from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

15In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)

JOURNAL 

The intensity by which Ezra mourns takes me aback. Do I really look at my actions and the actions of my family and my household with this level of scrutiny? Do I consider my actions and my ways and have I been faithful alone to God? Is my life consumed with seeking him...obeying him and being successful in doing all he leads me to do?

I am not...I do not...

Reading in Acts it is amazing that the followers of Christ numbered 120. God is successful in working through his believers. We are to be successful in doing those things he leads us to do and accomplish. The difference is that I have the spirit of God within me. That was made possible at Pentecost which is to come up in the next few chapters. That doesn't mean that my actions no longer matter. Rather it is simply a matter of perspective...operating for God as a slave vs. operating as a son. 

Jesus made it possible that I would now be robbed in righteousness, no longer do I need to wallow in self-pity or scramble to feel justified. No longer must I feel shame for the past or experience the penance for past failures. I am justified, loved and made a son of prominence and privilege. That is the miracle of the gospel and the miracle of Jesus' death. 

Watching some of the period dramas over the past few years...seeing the difference between those considered heir's and those considered slaves is a striking juxtaposition. The freedom is incomparable, but also the responsibility is undeniable, I think this is what God's intent is for us. To gain the sense of the responsibility we have as heirs. To embrace and own that sense of identity and power, but to use it in accomplishing his purposes. We are not here to make an easy life for ourselves...we are here to do great work. That work is building an outpost of God's kingdom wherever we are planted. In whatever time we have to live...we are to be the shining light on a hill. A place where those that are hurting, lonely and lost can experience the love and power of God. 

 4But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.^b 6Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^cFather.” 7So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. 

GALATIANS 4:4-7

JUNE 14, 2025

  “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.” 

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

EZRA 6-8

11Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble. 12May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.  (6:1-12)

JOHN 21

4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.^c 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

JOURNAL 

In Ezra 6, we see God working through King Darius—an unlikely ally. Though the Jews were living under foreign rule, exiled from their homeland and legacy, God's hand never left them. Darius not only allows the temple work to continue, but issues a decree with fierce protection: “May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple” (Ezra 6:12). It's a powerful reminder that God's purposes are not confined by human systems or failures. Even when His people seem lost in exile, He raises up provision and protection from unexpected places.

In John 21, we see another moment of divine tenderness. The disciples have returned to fishing—perhaps discouraged, maybe disoriented by the death and resurrection of Jesus, uncertain of what’s next. Then Jesus appears on the shore and calls out: “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” (John 21:5). What follows is a familiar miracle, echoing their first calling. But even more profound is Jesus’ quiet, redemptive moment with Peter. The one who had denied Him three times is now invited to affirm his love three times. Jesus doesn’t shame him. Instead, He restores him, over a fire of burning coals and breakfast. Grace wrapped in everyday familiarity.

These two stories—separated by centuries—speak the same truth: God does not abandon us when we fail. He meets us in our weakness, in exile, in denial, in despair—and still calls us back to purpose. Like Peter, who was overcome by his own failure, we may be tempted to retreat into what feels safe or familiar. But Jesus comes right into that space—not to remind us of our failure, but to rewrite the story.

This reminds me of 1 Peter 1:6–9, where we are told that “though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials… these have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith… may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (vv. 6–7). Our trials are not pointless. Our failures are not wasted. They are the very soil where faith grows.

So today I rest in this truth: earthly failure is never God’s final word. In fact, it may be the very beginning of restoration. Whether through the decree of a foreign king or the quiet offering of bread and fish by a campfire, God is always drawing us back—restoring, rebuilding, and reminding us who we are and whose we are.

What grace. What hope.

 6In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

1 PETER 1:6-9

JUNE 13, 2025

   

 “Even in the mud and scum of things, something always, always sings.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

EZRA 3-5

10When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;

his love toward Israel endures forever.”

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. (3:10-13)

JOHN 20

11Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

JOURNAL 

The historical perspectives surrounding this event along with the biblical account is fascinating. I also find it compelling how the women become the central focus from the point of crucifixion up to the resurrection. Mary is considered to have been very wealthy and a supporter of Jesus' ministry. She was said to have been healed of demonic possession and is mentioned by name at least 12 times throughout the gospels...which is more than most of the disciples. 

It is interesting, how her initial response is “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” She obviously has the means and ability to do this...what is also interesting is that most criminals who were crucified were tossed out and their bodies were eaten by wild dogs, etc. Nicodemus is known to have used his position and gained permission for Jesus to be buried in a tomb. I have no doubts that Mary was a central figure in getting that done. 

Thinking through all the drama that surrounded this moment in time, makes it even more compelling to think of Mary's state of mind when she encounters the risen Jesus. Again though, that is the work of an amazing God. Also, it is incredible how subtle this meeting is, instead of angels and trumpets, it's Jesus simply calling Mary by her name. Also I am sure this is not how Mary saw all of this unfolding. No one really did, this was the farthest thing from their minds a few days prior yet God transformed perceived tragedy into glory. 

Thinking of this in terms of my life and this day in time, this is the reality that I so often miss. Jesus is simply calling my name, through his word, through prayer, through the love of friends and family. God is in it all and never fails to care for me in the simplest and most powerful ways. Even in the mundane or the tragic,  he is there calling and offering life. That life is the 24 hours of today and what I do with it. These precious 24 hours are what can turn the mundane or the tragic into the miraculous..."From ashes...to glory"

 8And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:8