Jan 12, 2026 – Impressions
We haven’t had a wraparound sunrise in a while. Actually, we haven’t had a visual sighting of any sort of sunrise lately because of the fog; but, today was a special sunrise-hug around the house. Typically, sunrises and sunsets are viewed from a linear perspective (think beachfront) but up here on the mountain (and in areas without visual obstructions), when a show like this presents, I can look out from almost all sides of the house to see yet another pretty picture. The photos don’t do God’s masterpieces justice, but they can at least inspire your thinking. I looked back in my photos and found this even more brilliant wraparound sunrise from Dec 16 which was before I figured out how to add photos.
Power – Joyce bases her thoughts today on John 15:7 and explains, “When we diligently study the Word and keep Scripture verses in our hearts, we have instant access to them whenever we need them, and Jesus promised we can ask for whatever we need in prayer and receive it…. It gives us more power in our prayer lives, and having power in prayer gives us power over the enemy.”
JC – “Let Me prepare you for the day that stretches out before you. I know exactly what this day will contain…. You would like to see a map…. You’d feel more prepared…. However, there is a better way to be prepared for whatever you will encounter today. Spend quality time with Me…. I will thoroughly equip you for the journey.”
Prevail #12 – Exodus 3:11-12 – “But Moses protested to God, ‘Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?’ God answered, ‘I will be with you.’” Larson points out, “Notice that God doesn’t affirm Moses’ giftedness; nor is He bothered by Moses’ weaknesses…. God’s nearness was all the assurance Moses needed. When the Lord calls you to attempt something that’s far beyond you, your instinct (and your enemy) will compel you to count your weaknesses. But the Lord God Almighty [the one who can create wraparound sunrises when we tend to only expect them in one place, sometimes with a short stream of radiance to the left and right, which is beautiful, but not all that God can provide] charges you to rely on His strength…. The truth is, if God is for us, who can stand against us?… He uses the willing, available, humble heart…. May you take time to remember that more rests on God’s shoulders than on yours. It’ll do wonders for your soul.”
JA – “Beloved, not only am I with you, but I have unlimited resources to help you. So look beyond the way things appear, and take courage!” See Joshua 1:9 and Matthew 14:27.
Streams – Cowman speaks from James 1:2-3 as she shares her thoughts, “God hedges in His own in order to protect them. Yet often they only see the wrong side of the hedge and therefore misunderstand His actions…. Onto the pages of every trial there are narrow shafts of light that shine…. He sympathizes as no one else can and watches to see if, through it all, you will dare to trust Him completely.”
Utmost – Mark 4:34 – “When they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples.” If one of them had something else to do, they’d have missed the revelations. We must weigh the importance of our distractions against the value of time spent with God. Chambers writes, “Jesus does not take us alone and expound things to us all the time; He expounds things to us as we can understand them.” We understand friends and family (and the nuances in the meanings of what they share) better by spending time with them. It’s the same with God. One quiet time here and there doesn’t really sensitize us to what He wants us to glean from His sharing.
Chambers continues, “God is making us spell out our own souls. It is slow work, so slow that it takes God all time and eternity to make a man and a woman after His own purpose. The only way we can be of use to God is to let Him take us through the crooks and crannies of our own characters. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We do not know envy when we see it, or laziness, or pride. Jesus reveals to us all that this body has been harbouring before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look in with courage?… As long as we are not quite sure that we are unworthy, God will keep narrowing us in until He gets us alone…. We listen to many things in classes, but they are not an exposition to us yet. They will be when God gets us alone over them.”
Max has been absent from our group for a while; so, something (perhaps Someone) prompted me to seek him out today to share his thoughts. I think it was timely. He starts off telling about buying a new cartridge for his printer, but that nothing appeared on the page when he printed. He finally noticed the “thin strip of tape covering the outlet of the cartridge. There was plenty of ink, but until the tape was removed, no impression could be made. Is there anything in your life that needs to be removed? Any impediment to the impression of God’s Spirit?…. Do you want his power? Direction? Strength? Then ‘keep in step with the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:25). He is the drum major; we are the marching band. He directs and leads; we obey and follow.”
As I was working on the photo to send through my AOL account to be able to load it in here, I saw a Parade news article posted this morning by Sammi Burke about Sharon Stone’s speech at the recent 9th annual Astra Film Awards in which she praised Taylor Swift for being a “decent” person and using her fame for good. The article concluded with these important thoughts for us from Sharon Stone, “Fame without awareness, success without purpose is pointless. Do something with what you have. Use your talent and become a purpose. The only thing that matters in this life is what you do with what you’ve got.” Not the “only” thing, but it’s way up there.
