Unfathomable oceans of grace are in Christ for you. Dive and dive again. You will never come to the bottom of these depths. (author unknown)
Those of you who have followed my blog for the past 10 years may have caught on how obsessed I am with the ocean and the beach.
Read MoreMothers are awesome creatures. They are the lovely reflections of our Father God's unconditional, sacrificial, faithful LOVE! Moms are the true HEROS of life, or should I say, HEROINES! My mother, Jeanette Galuszka Renner, is MY hero!
Read More… "Was that YOU, Lord! Did I do OK?"
Then He immediately said to my heart (no doubt about it!),
"Well done! You're my girl!"
"YOU'RE MY GIRL!"
from the God of the Universe!
from my Abba Father "who is very fond of me!"
…
I pay attention to my waking thoughts.
Ever since I discovered a poem by George MacDonald, tucked away in an old notebook on my husband’s shelf, my waking thoughts have been captured and inspired by God’s Wind-Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God. I have invited Him to do that.
Otherwise, my waking thoughts were being filled with the anxieties of life, the trap of the flesh aided by the enemy of my soul. . .
Read MoreOctober 31, 1517… the day that changed the world of Christendom forever. German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. His action launched what came to be known as the Protestant Reformation (Or Protestant Revolt, depending on which side you are on).
Luther never intended to leave the Catholic church, but rather to reform it. But in God’s will, reform and a Biblical revolution began and continues to this day.
Luther didn’t get everything right, but he did get it right that “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17) and so much more.
And Luther got something else right that helps us today. He got it right about how to live in the midst of a pandemic (the Black Plague) with God’s balanced, grace-filled perspective.
Read More…Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” …God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. … the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. Exodus 3:2-5 NLT
There is a “burning bush” in my daughter’s yard in Illinois. And it is ablaze with glory right now! So when three year old William and I came outside yesterday morning, we couldn’t help but notice the changes that seemed to happen overnight.
“It’s RED!”
“Yes, William, and it’s called a Burning Bush. You know what? God spoke to a man named Moses from a Burning Bush. It’s in the Bible.”
Read MoreI take my waking thoughts seriously. God often speaks to me in those thoughts. How do I know? One reason is that I have asked the Holy Spirit to grab those otherwise anxiety-prone thoughts. And He does. (Be sure to read Waking Thoughts.
Well this morning, I had the very strong and repeated urgency to post this devotional about salvation. If you persevere to the end, you will see how Jesus not only saves us eternally, He also saves us every day.
May you hear your Lord and Savior encourage your heart as you run to Him and experience His rescue today and forever.
Read MoreYears ago I had a mentor-friend named Donna. She was the one the Lord used to usher me into experiencing Christ in me as the One who does the doing in the Christian life! Her key phrase was (as I remember it) "God does it."
Then by the Spirit of God came the realization that my indwelling Lord Jesus Christ is my All in All! He is the Father's Ultimate Gift to me...no-thing else, no-thing more!
Jesus + Nothing = Everything
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Detachment, Relinquishment ... Letting go! No matter how you say it, it is hard but beautiful. And it is needed...needed, that is, in order to grow in the spiritual life. In fact, Jesuit Richard Rohr, says, "All great spirituality is about letting go." (Everything Belongs) Our Lord Jesus was the One truly spiritual Person on this earth. And He was detached in a healthy way. He was detached because He was attached to Another ... to His Heavenly Father. All through the gospels, especially the gospel of John, we see and hear this truth clearly.
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As I was walking one day, listening to a mixture of songs on my ipod, one of my old favorites by Steve Green came on, He Holds the Keys. This song dates back to the era when Steve was singing big songs about our big God! It was also during the time that I was beginning to experience Jesus as my Life in a deep way!
Read MoreYES, YOU ARE, MY PRECIOUS LORD!
YOU are my ALL IN ALL today and every day!
What glory it is to sing this song to YOU in worship.
My heart and soul and voice sing it out to YOU, who are so WORTHY! Amen.
Read MoreLord,
You are my King. I am your beloved servant. I live to serve Your purpose in my generation for your honor and pleasure (Acts 13:36). Live through me. Love through me. Serve through me...Today!
With love beyond my love. With skill beyond my skill. With forgiveness beyond my forgiveness. With endurance beyond my endurance...
Read MoreI had an interesting discussion with my daughter awhile ago. She asked me,
"Have you heard any messages about prayer that talk about how the Holy Spirit prays the prayers in us? Where in the Bible is that?"
Read MoreAre you struggling to feel connected to the Lord, though you may know in your head you belong to Him? Please consider exploring with us this fall, The With-ness of our God: Relationship in Every Dimension. This volume reveals a God who is intimately and securely united with us through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. In it you will find manna for your heart, not just your head. You will discover not only simple, practical instruction, but also meditation, stories for application, questions for journaling and just pondering...and more.
Read MoreI'm such a worker bee...how about you? I get great satisfaction out of accomplishing something. It can be a "driven" thing if I'm not careful. By the time I realize it, I'm really dragging! And rather than being satisfied, I'm disgruntled and out of sorts!
Being the worker bee is especially dangerous when it comes to the spiritual life. I lived for a long time under the yoke of what I call "to do list" Christianity. What a bondage! Self-effort doesn't work when it comes to doing what only God can do...which is anything and and everything of any spiritual value.
Read MoreAnyone who is thirsty may come to me!
Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!
For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’
My husband is not my source of unconditional love and I am not his source of unconditional love! It’s nice when we hit it right and make each other feel loved, but even that is short lived if we are looking to each other to fill our tank of need for love.
Sunrise, sunset, swiftly flow the days...
Each morning at the beach, I experience sunrise after sunrise over the ocean, each one, unique and special and "speaking.". But I remember one evening, I unexpectedly witnessed a sunset over the bay. The horizon wasn't quite as straight and "uncluttered" as that of the ocean, but oh my! It was pretty close.
Read MoreThere is a gem of a hymn that really grabs my heart and soul. I almost forgot about it until someone commented on an old post containing the song. The hymn? -- "The Love of God." The metaphor in the third stanza absorbs my mind and imagination:
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,…
For several years before my mom went home to Jesus, I spent lots of precious time with her on the coast in New Jersey. One of the highlights had always been my early morning walks along the beach at sunrise.
I’m returning to this blog that I wrote after a sweet summer with my mom at my sister's house in Belmar.
Maybe you too need some peaceful reflection today. Why not join me as I "go down the shore" and enjoy the glory of our great Creator in pictures (my own), Scriptures and song.
Blessings, my friend.
Read MoreI am never disappointed at the beach. I see and hear and feel and smell and even taste God here in a unique way. The vastness of the ocean and the littleness of me on the shore help to correct my perspective about God and my life. And the sunrise over the ocean speaks with new messages every day.
These mornings here at sunrise in Belmar, I have been arrested by an awesome observation.
Read MoreJanet Renner Loyd has been a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ most of her life. Her formal education includes a degree in education from the University of Arizona and also a degree in Bible & Theology from Moody Bible Institute. For more than thirty years, she has been involved in teaching and leading women’s Bible studies, retreats, and meetings…most notably Precept upon Precept and various studies that she has personally developed. Professionally, Jan recently retired from teaching language and writing to GED and adult ESOL students.
About her life, Jan says, “The most important thing about me is my relationship with my Father God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful to Him for His love, mercy, and grace to me and my family and friends...and the world.”
Jan has been happily married to John Loyd for more than forty years. They have two adult, married children and five lively young grandsons.
