Showing results by author "Janice Alonso" in All Categories

I tutored a woman to help her get a high school diploma. With a higher degree, she felt she would be eligible for a promotion. Her words, after receiving this hard sought-for degree, are an inspiration to us all. Based on a personal experience and John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Each of us is God’s beloved, and it is through grace we are saved by Jesus Christ. We all have gifts and God has a purpose for us here in this life that will continue in Heaven. A personal experience based on the following scriptures. Philippians 2:13: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for each of us to do.”

Do you have trouble snapping at your heels? Is depression pounding at your door? Or perhaps you are embroiled in a situation that is consuming you bit by bit. My friend Gilly, a Jack Russel Terrier, made a choice that literally saved her life. A devotional based on a friend’s personal experience and Psalm 116:8-9: “For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”

Meditation is beneficial for many reasons. Quietness calms the body and mind. Stillness settles the emotions. Pushing aside all mental and emotional turmoil also allows thoughts to rise freely and without judgement. This story about the God’s permanence was born out of one of my meditations. A devotional based on a personal experience and Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Dealing with an aging parent is emotionally, physically, and mentally draining. In this personal experience, God tenderly and lovingly, yet firmly, reminded me to remove the “speck” from my eye before judging my mother. This devotion is based on Luke 6:42: Jesus said, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?”

Every day is an adventure. You wake up to what appears to be a normal day only to suddenly have life throw a curve ball at you. You may not end up where you wanted to be, but with God as the driver, you’ll have strength and comfort and end up where you are supposed to be.. A devotional based on a personal experience in Jacksonville, Oregon and 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18: “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Do troublesome thoughts keep you awake at night? Are these thoughts founded on situations over which you have no control? Each of us has a Zacchaeus in us – our shortness comes from Earthly concerns. It is only by climbing upward to see Christ so that we can rise above the issues that make us small. Only then will he move in and make us see matters more clearly. A devotional based on a personal experience and Luke 19:9: Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because, this man too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to see and to save what was lost.”

Have you ever finished a project and felt it wasn’t complete? Ever felt there was something missing in your life? Many of us look at the story of The Prodigal Son and sympathize with the brother who had been faithful all his life, but it was the “bad” brother who received the celebration. Our minds cry out unfair!” Looking at the story from the father’s point of view may provide another point-of-view. A devotional based on a personal experience and two parables – Luke 15:11-32: The Prodigal Son.

Have you ever taken time to think of all the people you have encountered in your life? The most recent and constant ones are those you remember first. But what about those who were with you for only a while? God has filled our Earthly journey with fellow-travelers, some good – some not so good. Each person has contributed to what we become as guides toward God’s intended purpose. A devotional based on a personal experience and Matthew 22:39: Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbors as yourself.”

Sometimes change is good, but sometimes there are those moments when you just want your “old standby.” In this experience I had teaching Sunday school, a little girl expresses that same feeling. A devotional based on a personal experience and James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

A devotional based on a personal experience and Luke 18:16: But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

The Bible is filled with directions on how we are to behave in our Christian journey, through examples of how Jesus lived and wants us to follow and lead. Reading and believing God’s Holy Word is a great beginning. Carrying out His plan through our actions is the way we move forward. Based on a friend’s personal experience and Matthew 22:37-40: And Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the...

I watched as four Monarch butterflies emerged from their cocoons. Three opened their wings, lifted upward, and floated away. The fourth could not. Try as he may, his wings wouldn’t unfurl . . . Based on a personal experience and Philippians 4:11-13: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him...

Living with family and friends whose minds are slipping away is devastating to those of us left in the shadows. We long for those days when they recognized us and we had meaningful conversations with them. Based on a personal experience and 1 John 4:16: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” ( 1 John 4:16)

It is easy for me to pray for people who are in distress or have been wronged by others. Praying for those I feel are the evil doers is difficult. Even more difficult is forgiving these individuals who bring pain and suffering to others. One Sunday, God brought me face-to-face with a man whose behavior had been so bad, I had vowed that I’d never forgive him. Based on a personal experience and Matthew 6:12: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

In early 2019, I went from a large purse to a medium-sized purse. I downsized because the needs in my life had changed, and I was having neck and shoulder soreness from the purse’s weight. When I emptied the contents on the bed, I found I was hauling around too many unnecessary things. In life we, too, carry around unnecessary burdens that weigh us down, causing us to be tired, resentful, or discontent. God offers to carry these loads for us. Based on a personal experience and Matthew 11:30: Jesus said, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

No matter where we go or if we shelter-in-place, God sees us. He’s there to offer guidance, and He’s there to extend grace. Based on a personal experience and Hebrews 4:13: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.”

Have you ever felt so downhearted over a mistake you’ve made that you thought God couldn’t possibly forgive you? Think again. We are humans – we make poor choices – it’s our nature. God sent His Son Jesus to save us through grace . . . we can’t do it alone because . . . well, we’re human. Based on a personal experience and Psalm 34:8: “Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Sometimes we want to do the right thing, or what we perceive is the right thing. This experience reveals how saying “no” actually opened up a new and exciting “yes.” The reason for this change? My “no” was a reaction to my tunnel- view of what my capabilities were. My “yes” was a response to God’s all-seeing vision of what my potentials were. Based on a personal experience and Matthew 19:26: Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

A plan, schedule, or to-do list is not necessarily a bad way to organize your day. When your self-imposed agendas control your life and moods, thus interfering with God’s desires for you, the door to stress and anxiety enters your life. Based on a personal experience and Psalms 48:14: “For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.”