Time for an Umbrella...

(From my daughter...be blessed!)

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does that person who doesn’t even believe in God seem to flourish and succeed while nothing in my life seems to go right? And how come when it rains it pours? Age old questions answered by the Only One who can.

“He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:45

So what’s the difference between me, as the righteous in Christ, than the unrighteous if we all get rained on anyway? Well…It’s all about what kind of umbrella you use. With God as our umbrella we are covered. Literally. It rains, it gets ugly, things fall apart, nothing goes as it should, and we sometimes reach our breaking point…but we don’t. We can cry out to God at any time, as many times as we need to, and find shelter from our storm. Even when it’s chaos around us, under His protection, we just don’t get as wet.

I’ve seen those who don’t know Him scramble for safety under all sorts of false coverings when the first raindrops fall. Then I’ve watched them crumble into bitterness, anger, defeat, and depression as they drown under the weight of their broken coverings.

I’ve also seen those who, under His protective umbrella, go through the hardest things and still have joy and peace. Getting wet but not drowning. That’s the difference!

Maybe you’ve never thought about God as an Umbrella? It’s time to start!

Try Him…He’s so capable.

“The LORD is your shade at your right hand.” Psalm 121:5

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by: Dayspring Boldt Broxton

Pulled Apart...

Are you…worried…or anxious about something?

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…”  Matthew 6:25a

The original Greek word for worry here is so interesting. The word literally means to divide in parts, suggesting a distraction, a preoccupation with things causing anxiety, stress, and pressure. It means to be pulled in so many directions trying to figure out the resolution to a troubling situation. A sense of feeling scattered, torn apart or undone.

Sometimes we think to worry is the responsible thing to do, excusing our preoccupation with it. However, in Christ, to worry is to say He is not big enough, smart enough, wise enough or He lacks the resources to help us in our need. Really? And yet…this is what our worry reveals.

How about we do a preemptive strike against worry? Let’s soak in all of Jesus words concerning our life found in Matthew 6:19-34.Then, let's choose to believe what Jesus says is true. Finally, let’s rest in His arms and obey implicitly when He gives us direction.

We need not be torn apart...He is worthy of our trust.

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His Presents....

Secretly, I love presents…

“For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
John 1:16 AMP

I know it is more blessed to give than to receive, nevertheless, I honestly love receiving gift after gift after gift on my birthday or holidays. Yet I struggle when Jesus is the One giving them to me.

I often leave His gifts wrapped in their boxes with the pretty ribbons left untied. So beautiful to gaze upon, but I’m not sure I am worthy, ready, or willing…to open His gifts. Yet, He pursues me and never gives up on me; to someday open these gifts and make them mine and then pass them onto others. He wants me to tear into these presents with abandon like a toddler on their birthday.

He paid the highest price for these prizes and for us. I don’t want to let these wonder-filled treasures go unopened any longer. How about you?

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Calm the Storms...(in your life!)

(From my daughter...you will be encouraged!)

I love Bible stories! They are so big, in your face and full of miracles! Like the one where the disciples on the boat are freaking out in the storm and Jesus is sleeping. And they wake Him up all panicked and…

“He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.” Luke 8:24

That’s awesome! Can you even imagine?!?

So why is it that when stuff happens in my life I forget that He is the same God of yesterday? Why do I put Him in a box of cool Bible stories and give Him no power in my present?

Just a few weeks ago I was facing something I was so scared of. My heart was racing, I was sick with stress, and I just wanted it to be over with. Then I heard these words:

“The waves and wind STILL know His name.”

Read that again. Out loud.

Those same nasty waves and that same stinkin’ wind that Jesus rebuked back then are the same kind of waves and wind we face today in our lives. And He STILL has power over them. He hasn’t changed from the God of cool Bible stories and miracles so let’s stop acting like He has!

You know what I did that day I was so afraid? I wrote those words I heard on the sides of two of my fingers and I looked at them all day through my situation. I had a peace and a calm that was unbelievable and amazing.

Why? It’s simple.

“He calms the storm.” Psalm 107:29

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

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by: Dayspring Boldt Broxton

Spring Cleaning...

Hmmmm...A recent magazine cover intrigued me...

“Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;         Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.”                       Lamentations 3:40-41

Yes, I could use some spring cleaning.

You know, some heart cleaning. Some heart examination. Some spring cleaning for my soul. Knocking down some cobwebs of complacency and dusting off some stuff the Lord wants to revive and refresh in me. Possibly cleaning out some closets where I have allowed things of the world to start piling up and I have grown sloppy about their priority in my life. It is time to let the Holy Spirit breathe His fresh wind and blow away any filters or conditions I have placed upon His working in and through me.

Yes, it is time for some spring cleaning. A daily, few minutes of self-examination at the end of each day to see where Jesus has been able to shine or where I may have allowed my own shadows to dim His light through the windows of my life.

Hmmmm...want to join me?

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week...(remember Easter just happened!)

Should you be tempted to be discouraged about an aspect of your life...the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, resides in you! Take time to drink deeply from His limitless well and be refreshed.

Should you face challenges in your school, work, or home life, keep your eyes on the Savior and give Him thanks for all of the wonderful things He is doing. Look up! Look only to Him! Your gratefulness will cause challenges to lose their ability to distract you from His mighty power working on your behalf.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because Who is in you is greater than anything! 1 John 4:4

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(From my daughter...be challenged!)

Have you ever seen a pig in pearls? No? Well I have. Too many times to admit.

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7:6

I’ve befriended and dated a few dogs and a few pigs in my lifetime. And because of my choices, my heart has been torn into pieces.

God is teaching me that unless they surrender to Him, you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks or keep a pig clean. I can’t be accountable for their choices, only mine. I can be hurt, I can be angry, and I can do a lot of blaming. However…it was MY choice to allow them into my life. I have to take the responsibility for giving my “pearls” away.

Even if I feel like they deceived me I can look back and see all the signs I chose to ignore. What are you ignoring?

Is it any wonder the story of the prodigal son takes a turn when he finds himself jealous of the swine? He immediately gets up and runs home! So take stock of who you alone have allowed in your life, and if a relationship needs to be cut off…do it! If you find yourself torn into pieces by choices you made, own up to it and run home! The Bible clearly states that Jesus will bind up the pieces and restore us. Just as the prodigal son was, we too can be restored.

So…Save your pearls by guarding your heart! 
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by: Dayspring Boldt Broxton

Jury Duty...

The weight of the cross hit me today...while serving on jury duty...

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, 
sat down at the right hand of God, - Hebrews 10:12”

Being in this situation, at a courthouse, soon to be sitting in the front of the judge’s desk brings home the reality of Jesus’ horrific and unimaginable sacrifice...for me. I was found guilty. I stood before the righteous Judge of the Universe...and I was found wanting. Treason against the Holy One. My crime? Rebellion. The sentence was pronounced: Death.

Yet, on Good Friday so long ago, the Judge Who had every right to pass sentence on me, took off His robes, stepped down from His raised and most high and holy platform, stood in front of me, then took the death penalty...for me.

So I could go free. Pardoned completely. Forgiven absolutely.

This is the story of the cross. I will never earn this freedom and pardon, nor is there anything in me which could have brought it about. It was...and is...God’s love alone.

I never want to forget this.

At the Start of this Week...

At the start of this week...

Should you find yourself discouraged about an area of your life, a circumstance, a relationship…you name it…don’t let the enemy dis-mantle your courage by dis-couraging you. Jesus is bigger, stronger, tougher, smarter, and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Let Him rebuild your confidence in His abilities...not your ability.

Should find yourself timid, fearful, or anxious…this is the time to run to the LORD and not away from Him. He has not given you a spirit of fear…but a spirit of power, love, and sound, safe thinking.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because Who is in you is greater than anything! 
1 John 4:4

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Forgiveness...from my Derby lovin' daughter...be blessed...

The rules of roller derby clearly state reasons for expulsion from gameplay: “Fighting… A Skater who only defends blows and does not engage in the fight will not be penalized.”

I don’t know if Jesus laced up His skates and hit the track like I do, but He says the same thing:

“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” Matthew 5:39

I’ve never been physically assaulted on or off the derby track, but I sure have been hurt and assaulted emotionally by others. In Bible times a slap was culturally known to mean a deep insult to someone. Jesus isn’t saying not to fight against a physical attack. If someone is beating you with a bat I don’t think you just lie down and say “Go ahead!” Turning the cheek doesn’t mean you allow yourself to be physically assaulted, or that you become a victim or a doormat.

Turning the cheek simply means: we don’t fight back. We don’t do evil for evil, we don’t hold a grudge, and we don’t avenge ourselves. It’s not a “fight” until the second blow. Think about that. It isn’t a fight without two parties involved.

When we are emotionally injured we have an opportunity to not strike back. To not fight, to not inflict injury, rather we show God’s love through forgiveness. The forgiveness of one injury may prevent another injury from them. But if we avenge ourselves we will no doubt draw another injury to ourselves. It goes like this: They strike, we strike, they strike, we strike…it can turn into an endless cycle.

Break the cycle.

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Written by: Dayspring Boldt Broxton

We Are Known...

Everyone wants to be...known...

“For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. 
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.”
Psalm 139:1 

I spent an hour today with a new believer. There is nothing quite like seeing the lights turn on in someone’s life when the truth of God’s Word begins to transform, heal, and breathe new life into them.What a privilege to read Psalm 139 with someone...who has never read it before. 

The very first verse sums up the entirety of this beloved psalm...we are known.

Whether we want to be known or not...Jesus knows...all of our deepest hopes, insecurities, dreams, loves, fears, feelings, thoughts, passions...the list goes on. No one knows us like He does...not even ourselves. 

So rest in this knowledge. Do not hide. Let Him search your heart and uncover and restore the real person you are in Him...His precious and cherished child...to bring Him glory...

And make Him known to the world.

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Your Own Lane...

“Stay in your own lane!” is a phrase we often hear.

He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." John 1:23

John the Baptist knew who he was, what he was about, what he was called to do, and he stuck with it. He stayed in his lane and we love him for it…locusts, honey, and all.

I lived too many years wanting be someone else. Wanting to look like someone else, act like someone else, and have the God assignment that someone…anyone...else had. I wanted to be in any lane but my own. Jesus changed all that.

One of the greatest gifts He has given me is to be comfortable in my own skin. To really enjoy who has made me to be, even as the goofball I am. I know what I am supposed to do…and I LOVE it. I know very few people who can say that about themselves. Only in Jesus…in His presence…can the layers of stuff be driven away and the real you will come forth. What are you waiting for?

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At the Start of This Week...

At the Start of This Week...

Should you feel overwhelmed by stuff, circumstances, and obligations even before you step foot out the door, remember the One who holds the stars in place and knows each of their names. He holds you and knows you, too. Cast your cares upon the Him who has already nailed your cares to the cross. He is able. Enough said.

Should you be experiencing physical ailments or know someone who is, turn to the Great Physician. Instead of merely asking to be made well, ask Him if there may be any underlying issues, either emotional, practical, or something from the enemy at work. The Holy Spirit will give you greater insight to pray and battle effectively.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes that will be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because Who is in you is greater than anything!
1 John 4:4

The Letter

(from my daughter...)

The Letter...

Here I am. I hear your cries. I collect all your tears. Not to hold them against you. Not to make fun of you. But because I actually care about each one that falls. Not one slips by without My knowledge. Not one. Even when you cry for the smallest, stupidest things. Even when you cry for things you shouldn’t. Even when you cry in anger. Even when you cry in pain: physical, self-inflicted, or brought on by others. Even when you cry simply because that is all you want to do. I care. I do.

Not one tear goes unnoticed or unaccounted for. I feel each one and what it represents. I collect it not to shame you. Not to hold it over you. Not to shove it in your face later. I collect it so I will feel all that you do. When your heat breaks I know every crack, every fine line, every deep crevice and I take it in My healing hands. When your life seems to fall apart, I am there to help find all the pieces and help put the puzzle back better than ever.

Love,
Your Father

“You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered into Your ledger, each ache written in Your book.” Psalm 56:8 msg
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Dayspring Boldt Broxton

Grace and Truth....

We need both…scandalous grace and healing truth…

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14

Scandalous grace seems to take so long for each of us to lean into and receive. We have such difficulty forgiving and blessing ourselves - and others - most of the time, it seems incomprehensible to us the God of the Universe would extend this free lavish gift to us. This grace is a broad place of standing free, complete, and whole in the Father’s presence, regardless of what we have done.

And yet, Jesus is healing Truth. Truth is sometimes hard to hear or face, yet without it the lies of our adversary, the devil, will keep us captive. Truth is the healing, delivering, soul-scalpel held by the Great Physician’s hand of unending grace.

What do you need as you read this? Grace? Truth? Jesus is both. Invite Him to speak into your heart in this moment.

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Circumstances....

I am going to be oh, so honest here. Sometimes our circumstances...suck.

“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,”
Philippians 1:12

Paul most likely wrote this letter during his first Roman imprisonment. Most certainly, prison is on no one’s Top Ten dream destinations. Yet, in this place of being held against his will Paul introduces us to the excessive lavishness of our God to fulfill and satisfy our lives no matter what is taking place and where it is happening. God has a higher plan.

Paul is not calling us to gloss over real, difficult, and challenging circumstances that are trying to our souls. He is calling us to intimately know the Savior.To genuinely know His presence, His touch, His voice, His strength, and to experience His love in the deepest parts of our being. When Christ’s presence becomes our daily life, cultivated by simply taking the time to be with Him, and to experience (not just read) His Word, life changes. It did for me...it can for you

As we really begin to know the Lover of our souls, we will be able to agree with Paul in Philippians 1:18: “In this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” No matter where we are.

A Goofy Thing...

It started as a goofy thing...my nick-name, Sue Bee....

"Awake, awake, Deborah! 
Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise...
lead your captives away...”
Judges 5:12

I was working at a ginormous County Office of Education...and I started signing off all of my emails as “Sue Bee.” Get it? Sue Bee...Sue B....Sue Boldt. Silly huh?

Nevertheless, God works in amazing ways. Years later, while reading the story of Israel’s judge Deborah (Judges 4-50) I heard His still small voice telling me, I....was a Deborah. One who is not only in the midst of battle, but training others to do go and see their enemy vanquished. I hope this doesn’t sound pretentious, however, Jesus was confirming again what He had already spoken over my life, what He had impassioned me for, designed me for...and equipped me for.

And then I read my Bible’s notes. The meaning of the name, Deborah...is “honey bee.”

All this to say...He has a name, a calling for you. If you aren’t sure of it yet...look for the little things He is doing and saying around you. Lean into His presence...He will make it all clear.

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He Will Heal...Our Heart...

{From my daughter...be encouraged...}

I was fifteen years old the first time I felt my heart break. Really break. The kind of pain that makes you want to crawl into the fetal position on the floor and die. It was also the first time I realized that the Bible wasn’t just a bunch of old stories and that it could actually…gasp!...speak into my life. My friend’s mom sent me a flower with this verse attached during my teenage heartache and it touched me deeply:

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Flash forward twenty-one years when I found myself in yet another wanting-to-crawl-in-a-hole-and-die heartbreak and my mom sent me this verse and it spoke into my very core:

“Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I [God] have not made sad…”  Ezekiel 13:22

And then, this morning my Bible fell open to the words of Jesus, “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted.” To literally “bind up” the broken heart. And this is what blows my mind: Jesus came to heal, to bind up, our broken heart no matter the cause. Read this sentence again. Slowly.

He didn’t break it. He didn’t hurt it. He didn’t make us sad. No. He is the only One who can and will truly heal our heart simply because of who He is and His love for us. Anything else is just a temporary fix.

No matter what broke your heart: be it family members, best friends, worldly accidents, people, a spouse, an ex, whatever… Jesus is the One who can heal you.

So let Him.

Written by Dayspring Boldt Broxton

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week…

Should life (aka: the world, the flesh, and our enemy) throw you a curve ball…well…you are already on the winning team in Christ. Let Him…be your catcher. In other words…don’t noodle, worry, be distracted, or become anxious about your situation. Place your concerns completely in His capable hands…and let Him coach you as to what to do next.

Should you grow impatient, weary, or wary…keep your eyes on King Jesus. Head to His throne room on your knees. Let the Holy Spirit fill you up and overwhelm you. His strength is all that you need (and a good night’s sleep will help, too…someone needed to hear that!).

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes that will be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because Who is in you is greater than anything! 1 John 4:4

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HIS...

They call her Sara “4-Names." It’s an inside joke that even she is in on since she’s been married three times. I laugh politely every time I hear it; I admit it’s pretty clever. But honestly, I’ve had four last names too. I’ve also been called a lot of names. I’ve called others names. I’ve even called myself names. And I hear the meanest name-caller of all, satan, scream names at me until they start to sink in as truth.

“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” 
Isaiah 43:1

His?!? Me? You? His?!?

The Creator of all? The One who knows me inside and out? Knows my secrets buried under layers of good works? Knows my thoughts that would make Lady Gaga blush? Knows all my past, present, and future mistakes? Yep. That’s the same One who calls you and me, “Mine.”

Only we often don’t pay attention this life-altering name. Instead we replay all the other names and find comfort in their familiarity.

Today let’s try something new. Something daring. Something that could change it all. Today let’s live as His. No matter what you face today declare, “I am His!” Write it on a post-it and stick it everywhere you are: the steering wheel, the mirror, the computer. HIS. I promise...if you start living your day as HIS, everything will change. He is the ultimate Master Name-Caller and He proclaims the only name that should stick over your life and mine...

HIS.

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photo: Ashley Jael on instagram w. permission