“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
While watching animal rescue videos on YouTube recently, I was touched by a non-profit organization that travels through the country to rescue abandoned and abused dogs throughout the U.S. I have a soft spot for dogs, so I cried when I saw the animal rescuers reach out to these poor dogs. Some of them were so tiny it’s hard to believe that someone could abandon them.
The rescuers brought food – usually a cheeseburger – with them to feed the dog and gain its trust. Little by little, the dog would respond, some would shake with fear and anxiety and others would cower away. In the end, after the patient attempts of the rescuers, all the dogs, whether big or small would end up in the arms of the rescuer as if they’d been friends for life. All they needed was love.
Welcome! Thank you for stopping by. I am so excited to connect with you. You may be wondering what this site is all about. Well, it’s about helping you step into your greatness and creating “The Boomerous Life”. If you are a baby boomer, this site is for you. Here’s a deeper look into my mission.
I want to help women find what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Many of us in these years don’t even know who we are, after being consumed by years of family and career. When we face losses of a spouse or job, some of us are completely lost – “What now?” Hobbies and leisure time were not even engaged in. Deep within us is a yearning, a need to be alive, to even PLAY again or to make a difference.
In some cases, part of the discovery is to learn how to make some more money doing something that is less stressful. We want to do something, but not in such a mad driven, consuming way or by doing what others define for us. There, also, is a need for something gentle, to wash over us – less worry, peace…. Some of us actually need permission to do nothing – simplify our lives, throw away the guilt, learn to say “No”, learn to quiet the chatter in our minds, ….
There are moments in time that invade our everyday lives—circumstances in which the paths of strangers cross as part of a God-designed plan. The end result causes us to stand in awe knowing that He is and He delights even in the small details of our lives.
My husband, Mark, and I had traveled many hours on I-10 across the Florida panhandle on our way to Baton Rouge, La. After a quick pit stop and fresh lipstick, my legs were ready to hit the trail around the rest area. Mark was still in the restroom with the keys to Bella (our Mini-Cooper), so I wedged my small black zippered make-up bag between the locked car’s side mirror and window.
When we later re-entered the highway with increased speed, the little bag flew from its perch, and I knew right away I had forgotten to retrieve it. “It’s OK, Mark.” I quickly directed, “No need to go back. The bag is old and lipsticks are easy to replace. Let’s not take the time.”
How many times have we faced a horrifying moment when reality hits? So it was as we stopped for lunch and I reached into my purse for my wedding ring—the wedding ring I had slipped into the make-up bag the night before for safekeeping.
Oh, no! I couldn’t believe this was really happening. But in the midst of regret and self-condemnation, the Lord brought comfort, strength and even—surprisingly—the words of a song that brought my focus back to Him. “Lord, You are more precious than silver. Lord, you are more costly than gold. Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds. And nothing I desire compares with You!”
"I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs." (Luke 11:8, The Amplified Bible)
If, as God tells us in 1 Timothy 2:4, it's His will for all men to be saved, why aren't we seeing more of the masses of lost people born again every day? Have you ever wondered that?
I have...and as I've sought the Lord about it, I've come to realize that, for the most part, it's because those of us who are already saved don't pray persistently for those who aren't. Instead of persevering--staying before the Father, praying for them to receive the bread of salvation--like the man in Luke 11:8 did for his friend, when we don't see immediate results, we simply give up and go home.
What we don't realize is this: Perseverance is the key to success in intercession!
When our life is hit by crushing circumstances, we may feel lost, hopeless, or be troubled by anger and despair. Scripture tells us that God not only allows suffering, but also provides a purpose for our trials.
Oh my, you should see the roses in my backyard!
Hi I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and this June, I have been picking and plucking my Double Delight roses; in fact, take a minute when you have the chance and go to my radio page at joniandfriends.org would you, because I’ve posted a photo of these incredibly beautiful roses.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, and there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
The Bible talks about the world beginning with the creation of a beautiful garden and two blameless people who walked and talked with God. They were truly innocent – they didn’t even know that they were naked. But it didn’t stay that way. They chose to turn away from God and sin entered the world, and with it guilt, shame, regret. Humankind was no longer blameless. But God still loved the world that he created and so he sent his Son to redeem it.
Jesus came, and died, and rose again to wipe the slate clean. He was scourged, tormented, and finally nailed on the cross for humankind’s sins – this was all part of God’s plan to bring you and I back into relationship with him. God wants to be a part of your life. Is this the life for you?
God is perfect, powerful, and yet personal. The Bible tells us: “He (God) is the Rock. His work is perfect. Everything He does is just and fair.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
God created the world, which reflects His magnificence, balance, and beauty. “For God created the heavens and the earth and put everything in place, and he made the world to live in and not be an empty chaos.” (Isaiah 45:18)
Would you like to know God personally?.
God loves you and created you to know Him personally. God’s Love: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God’s Plan: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 10:7-10).
What prevents us from knowing God personally?
People are lost and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
People are Lost: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
People were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our own stubborn self- wills, we chose to go our own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
People are Separated: “The wages of sin is death” [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
This diagram illustrates that God is holy and people are lost. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that people are continually trying to reach God and establish a personal relationship with Him through their own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion but we inevitably fail.
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The fourth step of your journey explains the only way to bridge this gulf.
Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience His love.
He Died in Our Place: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
He Rose from the Dead: “Christ died for our sins…He was buried…He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)
He is the Only Way to God: “Jesus said to him, `I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me’” (John 14:6).
The diagram above on the right illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
It is not enough just to know these three truths…
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We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
We must Receive Christ: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).
We Receive Christ through Faith: “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).
When we Receive Christ, we Experience a New Birth: (Read John 3:1-8)
We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation: [Christ speaking] “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.
These two circles represent two kinds of lives:
Self-Directed Life
Self is on the throne
Christ is outside the life
Interests are directed by self often resulting in discord and frustration
Christ-Directed Life
Christ is in the life and on the throne
Self is yielding to Christ
Interests are directed by Christ, resulting in harmony with God’s plan
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Which circle best represents your life?
Which circle would you like to have represent your life?
The following step explains how you can receive Christ…
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You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer!
(Prayer is talking with God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
When we are feeling lost or frustrated, we can take a moment to see what the Bible says. We pray that these verses will bring comfort and encouragement to you. Just click on a verse to view it.
Christ is outside the life
Interests are directed by self often resulting in discord and frustration
