Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 58

Hold Fast in Hard Times — More Than Anything (Day 19)

I cried my way through most of this evening.  Happy tears, I promise.

I was reminded that my Abba is the Repairer of broken things.   I thought I’d share this beautiful song with you in case you are prone to forget like I am….

 

He will break your darkness.

He is the calm in your chaotic storm.

His promise eternal will never fail.

There is no other name.

Jesus… more than anything.

May I never forget.

I’m sharing “More than Anything” joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

 

The post Hold Fast in Hard Times — More Than Anything (Day 19) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Hold Fast in Hard Times — Tree of Life (Day 18)

 

 

 

I’m sharing “Tree of Life” joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

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Hold Fast in Hard Times — Keep Trying (Day 17)

As we head into the weekend, here are some wise words to consider:

1.  “We can always name a trial and a hard place. But when we look past our own pain, and help someone in theirs, we see we aren’t alone. We can step back and get a different perspective and sometimes that view leads to gratitude. Sometimes it leads us to healing.  And often it’s the answer we’ve been waiting on.” — Kristin Welch shares “The Question God Wants us to Ask” at (in)courage

2.  “I don’t always understand His ways, and I don’t know why so much of life is one step forward and two steps back. But I do know that asking the hard questions helps me unclench my fists and, instead allows me to approach God with open-hands. Holding my plans lightly not only helps me release my times to the Lord, but it also places me in a posture to receive from Him. Trust looks like hands raised and open, a sign of worship and surrender.”  Kimberley Coyle  shares “How to Trust Even When You Get Rejected Time and Time Again” at Circles of Faith

3.  “The wilderness is not a place of desolation and futility and hopelessness, but a place brimming with wild possibility.” — Michelle DeRusha shares how the wilderness is “a place full of promise and hope” in this very transparent post about personal disappointment.

4.  “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it everyday.”

~ Henri Nouwen (quoted by Bonnie Gray in her post at (in)courage.)

5.  “Yesterday’s victories get shelved like so many grade school trophies. We can choose to see them as relics of the good old days or as a vow of assurance, his promise of loyalty and trust. In looking back we see a chronicled listing of answered prayer, a record of His works. Taking a look back offers a clear view – the difference between now and then, what life looked like before we let him in. A flashback helps us trust him with the whatever may lay ahead and encourages us to believe Him in the present. Taking a look back helps us rest.”  (Love this post from Lisha Epperson as part of her October 31-day series.)

 

 

I’m joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and sharing “Keep Trying” with like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here

The post Hold Fast in Hard Times — Keep Trying (Day 17) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Hold Fast in Hard Times — Pimple Popping (Day 16)

I am a pimple popper.  If I see a red blotch on my face, something triggers in my brain that moves straight to my fingers.  I squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the life out of those little boogers.

But, I am trying to reform.  I am trying to reform because my husband is not a fan of my pimple protocol.   You see, I try to pop the pimple, but it never really goes away.  I squeeze until I get a big red welt on my face, and then I try to cover it up with concealer.  I think it looks better, but I guess it really doesn’t.   It looks inflamed and unhealthy.

My man said that if I just ignored the pimple, it would go away faster.  I didn’t believe him.

Honestly, I thought I would get past the pimple stage.  I mean, I am not a teenager any more.  Who would have known that I’d still be getting pimples at almost 50 years of age?  I guess pimples are just a part of life.

Earlier this month, I woke up one morning to discover a little red pimple right on the edge of my upper lip.  Have you ever had one of those?  They are tiny, but they are so painful.  I looked at that red blotch in the mirror, and I wanted to squeeze the life out of it.

I wanted to pop it, but I didn’t.  I resisted the urge because of my husband.  I chose to ignore that blemish.  I just let it be.

You know what happened?  That little booger disappeared in two days.  I actually forgot all about it.   I just woke up one day and looked in the mirror, and it was gone.

I must confess that my new perspective on pimples has changed me.  I’ve come to realize that sometimes I just need to stop trying to control my circumstances.  Sometimes, I just need to let it be — because when I force things, it inflames the problem and makes my life much more unhealthy.

Lord, help me to bear in mind that blemishes in life are brief.  

 

Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

so that you may be blameless and pure,

children of God without blemish

though you live in a crooked and perverse society,

in which you shine as lights in the world

Philippians 2:14-15, NET

Something to think about…

 

I’m sharing “Pimple Popping” and joining The Nester and friends for #write31days.

To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

 

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Hold Fast in Hard Times — Consistency Counts (Day 15)

I wish I could have more of a Mr. Rogers mentality sometimes.   I could use his calm temperament on difficult days.  Fred Rogers was a man of precise habits and traditions.  He did the same things every day, and his inner serenity was not impacted by outward circumstances.  I’m not sure that I am always a desirable neighbor — especially when my heart is anxious, and I am flailing around trying to organize my racing thoughts.

Granted, Mr. Rogers lived in a make believe world, and I do not.  But, the fact is that this world is not really my home.  I am “just a passing through.”  I need to take my focus off the here and now and envision the greater glory to come.

When I read my Bible, there is one person besides Jesus who I realize would have made a great Old Testament Mr. Rogers.  As I read the book of Daniel, I see consistency in every circumstance.  Poor Daniel had the rug pulled out from under him so many times, but he was always as cool as a cucumber.

You won’t find Daniel stuffing himself with oreos to help him cope.  This man doesn’t lose sleep when he is under attack — his mental alarm clock is still ticking steadily.

When faced with opposition, I tend to hide with the blinds closed, and the lights off.  My welcome mat gets pulled inside, and the front door sign says “nobody is home.”  Not Daniel.   He is at his post — windows open to the world.

Daniel kept his daily appointment with God, no matter what.  He was a disciplined man who feared God above all.

The practice of prayer is the key.  Daniel understood that he needed God’s strength to face his day.  He made prayer a priority on sunny days and on rainy ones.

Tomorrow is a new day.  I cannot control what crazy circumstances my come by way, but I can settle my heart and determine to stick to the stuff like Daniel did.  I can quietly choose to make every day a good day in my neighborhood.

 

 

Serve only the Lord your God and fear Him alone.

Obey His commands, listen to His voice, and cling to Him.

Deuteronomy 13:4, NLT

 

 

I’m joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and sharing “Consistency Counts” with like-minded sisters at Coffee for Your Heart, Tell His Story, Spiritual Sundays, Recommendation Saturday, Faith-Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, and Thriving Thursday.

To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

The post Hold Fast in Hard Times — Consistency Counts (Day 15) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Hold Fast in Hard Times — Lifeline (Day 14)

Whenever I travel by plane or boat, the trip always begins with instructions on safety procedures.   I know to put the oxygen mask on myself before a toddler.  I know this in my head, but when the turbulence hits, I go into panic mode and flail around in fear.

Today, the Lord reminded me that spiritually there are also lifelines that will keep me safe in the storms of life.  I thought I’d share my thoughts on keeping your heart and mind safe in a VLOG…

 

 

We who have run for our very lives to God

have every reason to grab the promised Hope

with both hands and never let go.

It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline,

reaching past all appearances

right to the very presence of God…

Hebrews 6:18-19, MSG

 

 

I’m sharing “Lifeline” joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and linking up with like-minded sisters at The SDG Gathering, Testimony Tuesday, and Rich-Faith Rising.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

The post Hold Fast in Hard Times — Lifeline (Day 14) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Hold Fast in Hard Times — Take a Stand (Day 13)

I’m a bit of an HGTV addict.  If my hubby is not hogging the remote, I am usually cozy on the couch with one eye on my laptop and the other on a house re-design.

This weekend, Nicole Curtis was on repeat.  The show is called Rehab Addict.  This little blonde knows how to work a back hoe and jigsaw, and she loves to restore condemned historical houses to their former glory.

Honestly, she is a little crazy.  I see her strutting confidently into a house that looks like a tornado blew threw it, and I can’t see the beauty.

I watch in awe as she scrubs disgusting claw-foot bathtubs until they sparkle white.  I shake my head in disbelief as she patches up 100-year-old kitchen cabinets.

Nicole is a believer.  She knows that the foundation of that house is worth standing on.  She cares not what other people might think.  She is on a mission.

I got to thinking tonight about how I could learn a little lesson or two from Nicole about how to Hold Fast in hard times.  I am living in a world where people are quick to discard the long-standing and deeply rooted for what is shiny and new.

I am standing on a firm foundation, no matter what this world may say.

May I never fail to see the beauty.  May I never forget that I am on restoration mission with Him.

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;

In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;

At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,

As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;

I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

“How Firm a Foundation (vs 1-3)

holding fast the faithful Word as he has been taught,

that he may be able, by sound doctrine,

both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Titus 1:9, NKJV

I’m sharing “Take a Stand” joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and linking up with like-minded sisters at Sharing His Beauty, Playdates with God, and Unforced Rhythms.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

The post Hold Fast in Hard Times — Take a Stand (Day 13) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Hold Fast in Hard Times — Help is on the Way (Day 12)

Every year, the Lord tends to give me a song that carries me through the ebbs and flows of the seasons.  When I chose “Hold Fast” as my theme (or when it chose me…), I realized almost immediately that this song and I were going to be friends.  The melody of this song beats in my heart almost daily.  I hope it will encourage you today.

 

 

 

Hold Fast.  Help is on the way, my friends.
He’s come to save the day.

 

I’m sharing “Help is on the Way” and joining The Nester and friends for #write31days.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

The post Hold Fast in Hard Times — Help is on the Way (Day 12) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Hold Fast in Hard Times — Love Lockdown (Day 11)

Let love be genuine.

Abhor what is evil;

hold fast to what is good.

Romans 12:9, ESV

Stay in love lockdown mode. 
Love deeply from the center of who you are.

I’m sharing “Love Lockdown” joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here.

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Hold Fast in Hard Times — Make the Turn (Day 10)

 

The Bend of the Road
by Helen Steiner Rice

Sometimes we come to life’s crossroads

And we view what we think is the end.

But God has a much wider vision

And he knows that it’s only a bend-

The road will go on and get smoother

And after we’ve stopped for a rest,

The path that lies hidden beyond us

Is often the path that is best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger,

Let go and let God share your load

And have faith in a brighter tomorrow-

You’ve just come to a bend in the road.

 

 

 

Let’s stop and rest for a spell.
May He strengthen your spirit as you Sabbath.

 

 

 

I’m joining The Nester and friends for #write31days and sharing “Make the Turn” with like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew.
To see all of the posts in this series, head on over here

The post Hold Fast in Hard Times — Make the Turn (Day 10) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.