Thursday Thoughts To Welcome, Autumn!
Today, September 24, 2026, we have crossed nature’s liminal threshold and are full into autumn, my favorite season. I decided to usher in the season with some of my best-loved autumn photos from Ron, whose birthday was the first day of autumn. I hope you’ll enjoy these beautiful photos and a few thoughts.
One month ago, I announced I would do a series of blog posts focusing on Philippians 4:4-9. I appreciate the feedback I have received this past month from readers. While I do not write posts to garner “followers,” or receive “likes,” and “comments,” I cannot express how much it means when someone lets me know that what I have written is making a difference in their spiritual journey.
Occasionally, I ask the Lord if it is time for me to stop “blogging,” but the deep impression I have felt more than once implies, “No, not yet!” As I said in a recent post, one of my new favorite quotes is from my friend, Dr. Stephanie Nance, who reminds me:
My calling is to Jesus. Everything else is obedience.
So, as one who has been called to Jesus, when it feels like the message I receive is “not yet,” I want to be obedient!
When I became serious about learning to hear from God, I realized the “still small voice” of the Spirit often prompted me to do something that seemed small. I discovered that each time I responded a “small call” with a “small yes,” my faith kept growing.
Prayer is such a mysterious process. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was “Pray as you can, not as you can’t.” I have no idea how prayer works, but I have a deep assurance that God knows each human heart and hears every single earnest prayer.
I’ve often said the best thing about getting older is that we have more “in-retrospect” moments to recall God’s goodness. Lately, I’ve been aware and grateful for the wisdom of God as I’ve thought about some of my prayers that were not answered. God knows what I do not and sees what I cannot see.
I thought these words encapsulated perfectly Paul’s message to his friends in Philippians 4:4-9. Being grateful is often something which we must intentionally choose because we can be certain storms will come.
Blessings on your journey through autumn and beyond!
