I found this list of alternatives to cuss words in case you get good and miffed and calling someone a “meanie head” just won’t cut it. There are places where the real cuss words are inappropriate, so it’s good to have words to fall back on when the real ones won’t do.

Thanks go to Tim Hawkins, who put these all on one handy-dandy list:

“Insecurity is an internal alarm that reveals you’re trusting in something that could be taken from you, instead of Christ” (Rick Warren).

In the times when I’m feeling insecure and anxious, I have to ask myself where my hope lies in that moment. 9 times out of 10, the answer will be anything and everything but Jesus. If it’s social media or a political party or the news or any of my comforting crutches, I will find myself becoming fearful and insecure.

I also have found that some deal with anxiety by doing their best to make others feel equally as anxious. It’s their goal to make you as fearful as they are, and they will get mad at you if you don’t give in to worry as much as they do.

But Jesus said, “Don’t fear. Don’t be anxious. Come to me and exchange your yoke for mine.”

Jesus never ever told His followers to be afraid or for them to make it their business to instill fear into others. He said, “My peace I leave you,” and that we are to be peacemakers with others.

What are your internal alarms that are showing you what and who you are trusting in other than in Jesus? What daily rhythms can you bring into your life that will bring about less worry and more peace? At what point will you and I stop trying to fix others and ourselves and start simply trusting in Jesus as the Prince of Peace?

Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve been exposed to COVID-19, so now I get to be in quarantine for a bit. I’m not sure how this will play out as far as my job, but I’m confident that as in all other matters, God will navigate me through this new passage safely.

I’m so ready for this pandemic to be over. I pray every night for an end to COVID-19 so that no one else gets sick or dies from it. I pray with ultimate confidence that one day, hopefully sooner than later, it will end. After all, no storm lasts forever. No hardship or trial is permanent. Even pandemics end at some point. But the love of God never will.

So I get to figure out a new normal for the next 10-14 days. At least I will save in the cost of gas. But in the grand scheme of things, thing won’t be too bad. As a friend of mine always says, if this is the worst thing that happens to me, I’m doing alright.

I just now looked up and it’s almost the end of January. What? Where did the whole month go?

I was just getting used to the idea of 2021. So far, I’ve managed to be a good little adult and write 2021 on all my forms and documents. Mostly.

Then I turn around and it’s February. Or it will be on Monday. What the actual heck?

For the math nerds out there, you will notice that we’re now officially in the 20s again. Last time, we had F. Scott Fitzgerald and all those great writers who were living in Paris. We had the Charleston, the beginnings of jazz music, silent movies, and Prohibition.

Who knows what we’ll see this time around?

But back to my original question. Where did those 31 days go? I knew I laid them somewhere, but I just can’t seem to put my finger on them. . .

“Let us end on a very simple note: Let us listen to simple words; our Lord speak simply: “Trust Me, My child,” He says. “Trust Me with a humbler heart and a fuller abandon to My will than ever thou didst before. Trust Me to pour My love through thee, as minute succeeds minute. And if thou shouldst be conscious of anything hindering that flow, do not hurt My love by going away from Me in discouragement, for nothing can hurt so much as that. Draw all the closer to Me; come, flee unto Me to hide thee, even from thyself. Tell Me about the trouble. Trust Me to turn My hand upon thee and thoroughly to remove the boulder that has choked they river-bed, and take away all the sand that has silted up the channel. I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. I will perfect that which concerneth thee. Fear thou not, O child of My love; fear not.”

And now…to gather all in one page:

Beloved, let us love.Lord, what is love?

Love is that which inspired My life, and led Me to My Cross, and held Me on My Cross. Love is that which will make it thy joy to lay down thy life for thy brethren.

Lord, evermore give me this love.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after love, for they shall be filled” (Amy Carmichael).

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way the hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

Immediately, my mind went to one of those HGTV shows where they do one of those major renovations on an old house. It seems like there’s always a point about halfway through when everyone involved is ready to throw in the proverbial towel and quit. But they persevere and the results are more than worth it.

At this point, you may feel like you’ve been under construction forever and you’re ready to quit. You don’t see how anything in your life can ever be anything but a big unfinished mess. But the Builder knows what He’s doing. And yes, one day it will be worth all of the pain, the tears . . . all of it.

Remember God wouldn’t go through all the effort in your life if He didn’t think you were worth it. He wants you to look nice, but more than that, He’s looking to make you into a dwelling place fit for a King.

“How can we forgive those who do not want to be forgiven? Our deepest desire is that the forgiveness we offer will be received. This mutuality between giving and receiving is what creates peace and harmony. But if our condition for giving forgiveness is that it will be received, we seldom will forgive! Forgiving the other is first and foremost an inner movement. It is an act that removes anger, bitterness, and the desire for revenge from our hearts and helps us to reclaim our human dignity. We cannot force those we want to forgive into accepting our forgiveness. They might not be able or willing do so. They may not even know or feel that they have wounded us.

The only people we can really change are ourselves. Forgiving others is first and foremost healing our own hearts” (Henri Nouwen).

If we follow Jesus, forgiveness isn’t optional. We don’t get to choose if and who we forgive. Jesus says to us that God forgives us as we forgive others. Unforgiveness reflects unbelief, pure and simple.

I’m not saying it’s easy. Jesus said He didn’t come to make things easy but possible. If you have even the smallest desire to forgive, pray to God that He will fan it into flame. Say the words. Pray good things for the other person. Remember that God has forgiven you much.

Forgiveness isn’t about the other person fixing what they did. Sometimes they aren’t even sorry. But forgiveness frees you to love them anyway, the same way that God loved you when you were far away and a stranger to His promises.

I don’t know who this is for, but I know that maybe this will plant the seed that will lead you to a breakthrough of freedom through forgiveness. May God grant you the gift of forgiveness even tonight.

“TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2021:

I found this in my Facebook memories and it reminded me that there are certain predictions that we can count on. The Bible calls these promises, because they are as certain as the God who made them. Remember, God is already in the future, so you can rest assured that your future is in good and very capable hands.

With all the problems the World is facing, it can be unsettling to the mind. Today, I/we share with you ten predictions that are true!

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still honor the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

Isn’t it great To Remember Who Is Really In Control, and that; ‘the Word of the Lord endures forever.’ ( 1 Peter 1:25 ) ‘Til the nets are full, keep on fishing.” (Darrell A. Harris).

I’d like that. I’d like to go somewhere via ship. I could also handle a journey by train. I don’t mind traveling by car, but sometimes I get a bit weary of the work commute.

This year, you might not get to do any sailing on any ships, but you can make it your aim to do something you’ve never done before. Try new foods. Go to new places. Knock some stuff off your bucket list. Maybe branch out into a new career. Who knows?

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again” (F. Scott Fitzgerald).

“Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’

‘Oh? Tell me.’

‘Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?’

Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.’

‘That’s right,’ said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, ‘Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.'” (Luke 7:40-50).

In this story, Jesus asked a question that struck me as I read it: Do you see this woman?

I’m sure Simon had seen this woman before. He knew enough about her to be able to question Jesus’ judgment on letting her near Him. He knew enough about her to know her reputation and her past.

But the question Jesus asked is closer to “Do you see her the way I see her? Do you only see her sin? Do you only see her past?”

I wonder if we don’t really see people. We see their actions that may or may not offend us. We see their sins. We might see a different skin color or culture.

But do we really see people the way Jesus sees them?

And how did Jesus see this woman?

He saw a woman looking for a way out of her life. He saw someone who was ashamed of her past and who didn’t like who she’d become. He saw that she looked at Him and saw a way out. The only way out.

I wonder what we communicate about Jesus to people the way we look at them. If we only see them for their failures, do we preach a gospel of works and moralism? If we only see them for their past, do we tell them that Jesus came to judge and condemn and not to save the lost?

I believe Jesus loved her as she was in the moment– not as she should be– and His love led Him to see a repentant heart and to forgive her of her sins and declare her salvation.

I need to remember the way Jesus looked at me once. He saw me at my worst and loved me best. He saw me at my lowest and loved me as if I had never sinned. He saw me the way He sees each of His sons and daughters, the ones we often condemn and discount.

Perhaps the prayer for you and me is that we see other people the way Jesus sees them and love them that way.