Living Above the Sun Ministries

Beginning at the end of 2023 I began to build a Bible habit on YouVersion.  My life was a mess...at least to my standards for myself, and the standard of the Word.  I'm not one who likes an electronic Bible, I prefer holding the printed Bible in my hands and living my life out of it. Soon, I had a streak of months, I had earned badges for finished reading plans, and highlighting and notes and completing Daily Refreshes.  Soon my streak hit 751 days in the Word earlier this year.  Then an evening and night of struggling with my eyes and my streak was broken!  It disappointed me so badly.  I reached out to a good friend in Oregon a few days later, and she said, "Just listen to yourself!"  I would never talk so cruelly to anyone but myself. I came to find out I had a tear in my right eye, astigmatisms, far sightedness in my left eye and my vision had declined to the point of needing progressive lenses.  I'm getting older.   I couldn't open ...

  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The cardinal perfectly perched on the wooden fence.  The roses in the background.  The rusticness of the shed.  This caused me to pause, smile and enjoy the moment of beauty in my backyard as I looked away from my work computer screen. These are moments that can be easy to thank God for.  This beauty invites feelings of happiness and peace.  But what happens when things take a sharper emotional turn?  When beauty isn't there, when the unexpected hits.   The deaths we encounter in this life, the hospitalizations, the family emergencies, unexpected expenses...the list goes on and on.  I've mentioned in my few writings this year that it's been a hard year.  I've cried my eyes and heart out at all of these situations listed above.  I lost a friend of 26 years to a motorcycle accident....

  Where do I begin?  For many years I've quietly dreamed of being in the world of music...okay, I want to be a rockstar!  Only problem is I'm an introvert and not big on being in the limelight.  I'm also not as musically talented as I am a writer.  Sure, I can strum a couple of chords, and sing and harmonize on some things, I can sorta ad lib, but when it comes to keeping time, and singing really good, and staying in rhythm, I don't do well.  I choke on my spit, get off key, I get lost in music, the metronome keeps ticking and i don't know where to jump in.  I've known for years I'm a writer and not a performance singer. I recently took a test from a Dove winning songwriter who developed a "Songwriter Type Profile."  I am "Hearing and Prophetic."  I've known this for probably 20 years too, but most people would think I was crazy if I told them I hear the voice of God and have the gift of prophecy.  Not seeing the future prophecy but p...

“See what great love  the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 Sunday I made the kids (3 boys 11, 11, and 4) PBJs after we played at the park. The 11 year old was asking the 4 year old if I was his favorite. He responded with “sorta.” The 4 year old doesn’t know, who ever is in front of him is probably his favorite. The 11 year old yelled at me in the kitchen that the 4 year old shouldn’t get a sandwich since I’m “sorta” his favorite. I yelled back at the 11 year old from the kitchen as I spread the jelly and peanut butter “That’s not how love works!!” There was silence. Silence because God’s true love that is undeserved is lavishly poured out, and it doesn’t depend on anything about me other than He loves me, and you, and the 11 year old prodding for favoritism, and the 4 year old who’s thankful just for “Halloween and Christmas” (i.e. presents and candy) as we voiced things we were thankful for on the ride...

Coming home last weekend from a visit to family in Tennessee, my heart was so heavy with all sorts of burdens.  Tears escaped my eyes all day.  On the ride down the mountain I was quiet as my brother drove, every once in a while a tear dripping down my cheek.  I didn't want to feel all of  this, I had been silently crying at my desk that week anticipating the visit.  My anxiety and panic was through the roof, I announced, "I'm not going."  But I had to go, I'm in the Lord's Army.  So here I was, serving my family in a difficult situation and fully loving them with all my heart and emotions.  I wrapped my arms around them, and I loved them right where they were.  I couldn't speak, just tears. God reached down to me and comforted my heart with a song, and on the mountain I penned... "God Loves me in my darkness, and calls me to His light, He is reaching out for me, bringing me back to His side.  God loves me in my failures, and calls me to...

  "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."  Matthew 24:37-39 I tried to write on Cain, Able and Seth, but I have more questions than I do answers.  I also ended up doing a study on the biblical theological idea of "carpology," the study of seeds.  Genesis (and the whole Bible) is full of references of seeds.  Very interesting study.  A main thing I gathered regarding Cain is that he was a "bad seed."  He did not have the seed of righteousness in him as Able and as Seth...yeah!  Quite the rabbit hole to go down.  So moving on to Noah after deep thought of beginnings.   I read this a few nights ago and it was such a blessing to me and helped my mind ...