Feb 19, 2026 – Vineyard
There’s fog at the beach too! Hope I didn’t bring it with me. [This trip is why the past two days’ blogs (and perhaps the next few) have been shorter than usual. You’re welcome.] It’s interesting to wonder why blurriness leading to clarity has been such a theme lately.
JC – “When the difficulties in your life feel as if they’re closing in on you, break free by spending quality time with Me…. bring Me your prayers and petitions…. You can learn to be joyful in Me, your Savior, even in the midst of adverse circumstances.”
Power – 1 Cor. 15:31 – “[I assure you] by the pride which I have in you in [your fellowship and union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily [I face death every day and die to self]. Joyce explains, “It took Paul twenty years to get to the place where he was no longer living for himself, so don’t feel bad if you haven’t yet arrived. Say, ‘I’m not where I need to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be. I’m okay, and I’m on my way!’”
Prevail #50 – Larson shares her understanding of living the faith life, “Faith compels us to do what our flesh would rather not. Faith calls us out when we’d rather stay back. Faith charges us to wait when we’d rather run…. [Ruth] had a faith in a God who was even better than she believed Him to be. You have a faith in a God who is far better than you know Him to be…. May God reward you fully for the times you loved when it didn’t suit you, for the times you served when no one saw you, for the ways you followed Jesus when it cost you. May the Lord Almighty bless you for finding refuge under His wings.” See Ruth 2:12.
Max – Psalm 25:14 TLB – “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promise.” I want to know the secrets and I want to know the best path for my life so I will do my best to nurture this friendship (just like I’m doing by visiting my friend at the beach these past few days – plus she had a wine tasting for me for my new business!)
Streams – John 15:2 – “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Cowman retells a story by Homera Homer-Dixon about a Christian who “was once overwhelmed by the number of afflictions that seemed to target her.” As she passed by an overgrown vineyard, “the heavenly Gardener whispered such a precious message to her that she could not help but share it…. ‘My dear child…. The gardener stops pruning and trimming the vine or weeding the soil only when he expects nothing more from the vine during that season. He leaves it alone, because its fruitfulness is gone…. In the same way, freedom from suffering leads to uselessness. Do you now want me to stop pruning your life?’”
