Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

Just a thought by coppi

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jeremiah draws a direct connection between faith and peace. He says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought” (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV).

Justin Bieber to Simone Biles through InstagramI when she withdrew from Tokyo Olympic’s due to her mental health – “it’s as simple as—“what does it mean to gain the whole world but forfeit your soul. Sometimes our no’s are more powerful than our yes’s. When what you normally love starts to steal your joy it’s important we take a step back to evaluate why.”

It was very difficult for me to say “no” to anything I was asked to do or what I wanted to accomplish. I can remember at one time, I was taking voice, piano, art. golf, etc lessons. I was running in every direction trying to be something that people would love me – not for me but what I could do. “No” was not in my vocabulary. I thought I had to be the Wonder Woman doing and not being. It was a hard lesson to learn, because when the bottom was “knocked out” of my world I created, where were the many “yes’s” that I thought was the answer to “love”. Everything became a vacuum. Where were these people whom I thought liked me – “nowhere”? Painful – yes. However, out of the pain and hurt, I learned to be me and I learned to slow down and smell the roses. And, my “no’s, and “yes’s” were selective to “what’s the motivation behind them… “evaluate the why”.

Just a thought by coppi

Lincoln won the contest. His face will be on the calendar. There were many pictures of abused doggies up against him. I am so proud of him❤️. He has endured so much…….’

”Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I love to read the Psalms.  King David was so vulnerable in them. He would cry out in his anguish and be very joyful in praise and song when happy. He knew where his hope came from.  “Hope is commonly used to mean a wish: its strength is the strength of the person’s desire. But in the Bible hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.”  A song I have sung many times in my life is:  “I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest, I’ll sail the wide seas no more; the tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep seas. Jesus I’m safe evermore …”  “Being anchored in Him is my refuge, rock, and fortress…” and truly “He is my HOPE!”

“Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself.” — Brennan Manning

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Opinions from others and myself keep me from looking to the mountains from where my help and love come from.  If David, a lowly shepherd boy would have listened to the opinion of King Saul and his army as well as Goliath, he would never have killed the giant, Goliath, but David looked to the God of Israel, and his opinion of himself was “yes, I can”!  – “God, will be with me”!  And, He was.  So, Coppi, rather than being stymied by your own opinions of yourself, and others, replace them with God’s opinion of you.  That is hard for a people pleaser, but it’s one that I am embracing and trusting my Lord to help me with – “I can’t but He can”.

The story is told in Luke 10:29–37: A man going from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But a Samaritan stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where the Samaritan pays for his care.

“The Parable of the Good Samaritan is told in the Bible in Luke 10:25-37. The parable is about a man who is attacked by robbers while traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, and a Samaritan who stops to help him. The parable’s message is that people should help others in need, regardless of their culture or religion.”

I am writing today about Good Samaritans. They come cloaked in many robes. The ones I will talk about in my thoughts today are a bunch of ladies that work with the TGPR of Texas.  Following is a synopsis from my niece Tammy regarding Lincoln, the picture above is of him. She says it better than I could as she is one of the ladies that work for TGPR:

“Lincoln is a Great Pyrenees. They are the size of Great Danes. The rescue TGPR of Texas  (Great Pyrenees Rescue). We work with vets to heal them but the TGPR finds the homes. The fosters like me care and get them to vets. The TPGR pays vet bills and of course we fosters pay food etc..  An Amazon employee found Lincoln tied to a tree.  He was starving to death and was in days of dying.  She got him and brought him to my rescue group. I took him as his foster. There were 95 ticks on him and he was 51 lbs. he should weigh 140 to 160 lbs . He almost had no blood from ticks and had to have blood transfusions.   It’s been a long road for him, Lincoln, but he is stronger and more beautiful everyday.

gogophotocontest.com is the link for the voting for fundraising. Every dollar gives him a vote towards putting his photo on the calendar. Right now, Lincoln is ahead, but that could change because every dog that is in that voting thing are our rescues. They all have a story. Lincoln was one of the worst and so many people fell in love with him because his chances were not good. He is like the star.

If you want to show that link, I sent you on voting for him, the money goes to a rescue. It is a tax deduction and it helps us to keep saving Lincoln’s. Lincoln’s  vet bills went over $15,000.  Donations come in all the time and we run fundraisers and that’s how we’re able to pay all these bills. I participated in a 5K two weeks ago with Lincoln Merida and ammo and that brought in a lot of money too. They sell everything just to get money. And when we get one like Lincoln, we put it out there. We need donations and people really do come for it and help out. This was a short summary of how it operates.  There are a bunch of ladies that run this foster volunteer to keep it going. It really is a wonderful rescue.”

Good Samaritans are people who love and care for people/animals in a world of evil doings.  I called them God’s Angels who walk among all of us.  Tammy, and all the ladies who work for the TGPR of Texas, are these Good Samaritans. ❤️

Just a thought by coppi

Reading Scripture with the Holy Spirit brings God’s word to life. The Bible isn’t just a book of rules. It’s not just a list of do’s and don’ts. It’s meant to be read with the understanding that its words were inspired by the One who dwells within you. May your heart be stirred to meditate on God’s word that it might produce peace and joy in your life today.  (Greg Denison)

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Following is lyrics to “There is a River” written by David Sapp when he was 17 years old:

1. There came a sound from Heaven like a rushing mighty wind,

It filled their hearts with singing, and gave them peace within.

The Prophet gave this promise, the Spirit will descend,

And from your inner being, a river with no end.

Chorus 1

There is a river that flows from deep within,
There is a fountain that frees the soul from sin.
Come to this water, there is a vast supply.
There is a river that never shall run dry.

2. There was a thirsty woman who was drawing from a well,
Her life was ruined and wasted, her soul was bound for hell.
Then she met the Master who told of her great sin,
And if you drink this water, you’ll never thirst again.

It was in 1969 when this song became so popular.  

God’s word is a river – a fountain that flows within our very being.  God is within her, He will not fail, and He will help you. You will be blessed with the flow of the river of life and peace that has no end. 

Just a thought by coppi

I once heard a speaker say, “There’s a garden in the ashes of your life.” He was referring to all the nutrients found in the soil that lays beneath what we think is our ruin. I pray this Guided Prayer gives you the courage to believe that God has both the desire and the capability to restore and rebuild the ruins of your life for your good and His glory. (Ryan Tomlinson )

I read the above last night.  I loved what I read and wanted to share it with my just a thought readers. 

Psalm 62:5-6: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken”.

I am a people watcher. When I lived in Dallas, Tx, one of the requirements for a life drawing class I was taking, was to draw, draw, and draw.  I would go to the Galleria, which is a beautiful shopping mall, I would find a seat, sit, and would spend hours drawing people. I still am a people watcher, but I have changed from drawing them, to praying for them.  I have made many trips to Shand’s Hospital in Gainesville, Fl as well as Winston Salem, NC (Novant Hospital) to see my oncologist, Dr Moreb. I have sat in many waiting rooms and also in the “drip” section at Shand’s hospital (where patients are taking chemo, etc), and prayed for people. My dear friend, Diana Stinson, who made the many trips with me to Shand’s Hospital for my treatments and blood draws, we would stop at Walgreen’s in Gainesville, Fl,  before going to the hospital-and buy bells, horns, etc.; We would take these objects into the drip section, and when patients got a good report, we would ring the bells, blow the horns, etc.  When others who were not as fortunate, we would go over and encourage and pray for them.  One of my paintings is of a homeless person I met in Dallas, Tx, when I was doing a series on people that lived on the streets or in dilapidated homes in the “not-so-good” section of Dallas, Tx, – the painting is one of these people – it hangs in front of the waiting room at Shand’s, entitled “Hope”. Never, never, give up as Winston Churchill said, and the painting, I pray, is a reminder to all  who enter the waiting area of Shand’s Hospital will see the word  “Hope” and will be encouraged.  Gosh, that was a long detailed message to the following message I received this morning from Dr Moreb of blood results I took June 20, 2024:

“Good morning precious Ms Reed, all your results are back and show continued remission. No evidence of myeloma”.

“Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.” As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation”.  

I love that word……..Hope

Just a thought by coppi

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I went to Winston-Salem for my yearly checkup with Dr Jan Moreb, my oncologist since 2011.  He used to be in Gainesville at Shand’s Medical center, but moved to Winston-Salem approximately 4 years ago.  He is well known throughout the United States for his expertise in Multiple-Myeloma, the kind of cancer I have. Mine is of the bone- not of the blood.  As I was waiting to have blood work done before seeing Dr Moreb, a lady of color kept looking at me. She finally said I love your curly hair; she continued her conversation by saying, “my hair used to be that curly.  She was bald now because of the chemo therapy. She rubbed her head and said “I think it will come back curly”,  I agreed with her.  She smiled.  As I sat, I looked around the room.  People in wheel chairs, oxygen tanks, crippled from a disease that seems to take your life away by sickness and treatments.  I have cancer, which is in remission I am very grateful for, but sadness sneaks into my spirit when I see  others wiped out with this disease.  Silently I prayed for the ones with me in the waiting room.  I pray that fear will be replaced with hope and that Jesus will  cover them with His great love, and a miracle of healing will take place in their lives.   Our lives are in His hands, and I do not understand the “whys” in this life.  I only know I am not the healer, but only a conduit of prayer.  So I sat, and prayed for angels of the Lord to encamp around them, and His love to fill their saddened and  weakened bodies. 

Just a thought by coppi