Good day! I want to invite you to see God today in each moment of your day and seek Him with all of your heart.
Over the last several years, I have asked people how they begin their day. I love asking this to people who are incredibly motivated, encouraging, and moving forward toward their dreams, hand in hand with Jesus, walking by faith with Him. Here are some of the responses that I have received:
"How can I make today better than yesterday?"
"What am I believing?"
"Lord, what do you want to do today?"
In 2002, when I traveled to Honduras for a mission trip, I met a doctor/minister/evangelist who attended my university and moved back to his home country to serve Jesus with all of his heart. He would come into the breakfast room where we started our day and with focus, joy, and ambition, he would ask our group, "What are we going to do for Jesus today?" This stuck with me. He did not lose sight of his purpose to serve Jesus and share His love with others.
What do you ask yourself in the morning when you wake up? Do you invite God into your day? What are you believing to happen?
Many times I try to ask God in my heart and mind for a book of the Bible to focus on or read that day or maybe He will highlight a word. For example, today he highlighted the book "Lamentations," reminding me of a truth found in this book of the Bible that His mercies are new every morning.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
-Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
Yesterday, God dropped in my spirit "Alabaster," which reminded me of a friend's devotional thought to pour out to Jesus in worship like the woman with the Alabaster jar who poured out her love/oil to Jesus in the New Testament. (Matthew 26:7)
How do you set your intention for the day? For me, I gain mental clarity and clarity in the Spirit if I can get out on a walk early in the morning to get moving and lean into God's heart. One morning over the summer, I woke up and saw in my mind's eye a picture I had seen on Instagram of a door that said "Faith" and the mat said "Feelings," and I felt this strength and clarity that the Lord wanted me to get up and go to a local park. My focus was to walk by faith and to stay in tune with God's promptings. I felt led to go to my favorite spot at a park to journal and read the Word. I opened to a Scripture that talked about a gazelle and sensed that the Lord wanted to invite me into the freedom and joy of living life as a gazelle joyfully gliding across a field. As I began hiking, I saw two doe and a fawn joyfully running through the field in front of me! Wow! God is so good! The Lord led me to a Scripture and then blessed me with a confirmation of the Scripture in nature. He then put key people in my path to confirm further that He had led me to go to that park at that time in the morning. Feeling a nudge in your spirit to go somewhere and then discovering God in the details of the day is a faith-filled adventure as we believe in faith for Him to guide us.
That has especially been true with my writing journey with Jesus.
Last year, my focus was on revising, designing a cover for, and illustrating, Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios. I am grateful to now have this book in print and ready to share. This story invites readers to walk with God throughout their day. As I wrote, illustrated, and published this book, God led me on a journey of learning to walk with Him as well.
The story, Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios begins, with John, the young boy in the story, having a conversation with God:
--¡Buenos días, Dios! --dijo Juan, hablando con Dios. -Gracias por un día nuevo! ¿Qué aventuras tienes para nosotros hoy? --Juan abrió su Biblia en Juan 21. Leyó que los discípulos atraparon muchos peces cuando Jesús les dijo dónde pescar. Esto le dio a Juan una idea maravillosa.
"'Good morning, God!' -John said, talking with God, 'Thank you for the new day! What adventures do you have for us today?' John opened his Bible to John 21. He read that the disciples caught a lot of fish when Jesus told them where to fish! This gave John a brilliant idea."
-Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios, p. 1
There are a few reasons I begin the story this way.
We enter into relationship with God (or anyone) through gratitude.
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name." -Psalm 100:4
Jesus is the Word. So, when we read the Word, He guides us, and we become in tune with the Shepherd's voice. (John 1:1, John 10:27-28)
When we tune into His voice and trust Him, He guides us in pathways of peace, life, and joy.
"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy." -Psalm 16:11 (NIV)
"And He will illuminate the path that leads to the way of peace." -Luke 1:79 (TPT)
4. I was inspired by the missionary Tony's focus on Jesus.
5. I am inspired by my journey with God and want to invite readers into that same personal journey with Jesus to be on adventure with Him each day.
As you think about your daily adventures with God, I want to share a few of my faith-filled adventures over the last couple of years while working on Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios to inspire you in your faith.
Last year, I was at a prayer retreat, and a young lady named Lydia shared with me that the Lord impressed upon her heart that "even the trees have a season of rest." This was one of those Holy Spirit moments. I asked her if I could incorporate this into one of the chapters in my book. She agreed.
Later that month I began to reflect on the story of Lydia in the Bible. I expanded the paragraph in Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios about Lydia to almost 2 pages. One new observation I had was that the character Lydia in the Bible had the gift of hospitality and invited Paul and the other missionaries to a place of rest in her home. That week, I got sick and I needed to slow down. I reflected on how in that moment God was inviting me to rest. I was not wanting to be still, but God encouraged me to use that time to rest. Just like He gives the trees a season of rest, He invites us to rest with Him- to rest physically, emotionally, and in communion with Him as we rest. My last name is "Winter." I have desired the last name "Spring" or "Primavera" to mean "new life." However, the resting season in winter is important. As I realized this, I embraced my last name. Just as Lydia invited missionaries into a space of rest, I can invite others into a space of rest with the Lord, trusting in Him. Easier said than done, but when we do rest, then there is time to sit with Jesus, and in that time of abiding, He fills us with His love.
After that time of rest, reflection, and writing, I entered into a fun adventurous faith-filled week, and God gave me focus and energy to create illustrations for my book, experience deep faith and healing in an online faith-building conference, worship night full of joy, fun God surprises, like having a deer show up to our doorstep that week! This was a first!
Earlier that year I had spent a month or two studying deer, sketching deer, and designing a deer for the cover of my book to inspire children to go outside on an adventure with God.
God, who knows the hearts of His children, made me smile with joy when my mom texted me a picture of a buck deer standing at my front door. When I received the message, I was inside the house illustrating the pages of Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios where the children plant seeds of love and peace in the forest (apple seeds from their lunches). The next day, my mom asked me to help her plant tulip seeds, which was a first for me as well! My first copy of Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios arrived during the time these seeds were in full bloom! God is in the details!
Family, friends, neighbors, and people I meet on nature trails have all been a part of adventures that have woven into the theme of Adventures with God/Aventuras con Dios. Here are a few more favorite adventures below!
In 2019, it was a joy to skip rocks and plant seeds at Flowing Well Park with family like the family in the book does.
In the fall of 2023, I met a family who were were picking up walking sticks for their hike, who gladly posed for a picture to inspire an illustration in my book!
In the spring of 2024, God took me on a faith-filled adventure two days after the first copy of my book arrived. I decided to go to an art and worship event on a Saturday at a church called "Bread of Life." Before I headed toward the church, I intentionally stopped my car and asked God if I should go to the event since according to the time of the worship and art event, it would be wrapping up soon once I arrived. I felt the deep peace of the Lord when I asked, so I followed the path of peace and the voice prompts of my GPS on my phone. When I arrived, men were ushering cars into parking spots. I got out and asked one of them about the art event, and I said I knew it was wrapping up soon. He assured me that I was right on time! It turns out, I arrived "just on time" for an ANNUAL women's tea at another Bread of Life church in Indianapolis. You can't plan these things. Even though I can't seem to get to events on time, God's timing is impeccable! :) It turns out, there is more than one church named "Bread of Life" on different sides of the city!
When God takes you across town to a church you have never visited and helps you get there on time for an annual event, and they encourage you to stay, this for me is confirmation that the Holy Spirit is leading.
The tea centered around Romans 15:13 about God filling us with hope, joy, and peace as we trust in Him. Each woman from 9 to 90 shared a testimony of God's faithfulness, and this deeply strengthened me in the Spirit.
That day, the Lord filled me with great joy in being surrounded by the love of Jesus and faith that moves mountains in worship, testimony and fellowship. The Holy Spirit led me all of the way across the city to be encouraged by sisters in Christ!
They were so kind to give me a gift that also felt like a divine gift from God. It was a water bottle that had several Bible verses on it, with the one in the middle saying "Walk by faith, not by sight." Wow! Praise God! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you to the body of Christ at Bread of Life for sharing the love of Jesus with me. I am forever grateful for you.
The BEST surprise of the weekend came the next day. As I was walking around my neighborhood, I received wonderful news. My nephew, who was turning 11 that week, gave his life to Jesus Christ in baptism!!! Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus, for the hearts of children leading the way in faith. Love you, sweet nephew. My nieces and nephews are so special to me, and their hearts of faith inspire me. Some of the illustrations in the book are inspired by photos from adventures with them. Much love to all of my nieces and nephews!
In summary, I want to encourage every reader that God is with us, He loves us, and He longs to invite each of us on an adventure with Him.
What adventure is He inviting you on today?
Special note for the fall of 2024 (September 16th-October 3rd)
Terri Foy has been an inspiration to me over the last few years. She is a cheerleader of dreams! Her free faith-building event has strengthened my faith each year and produced the fruit of great joy and forward movement in my life over the last couple of years. I know that God will build your faith too. Below is the link! I am excited about all God is doing and will do as we join our faith together!
Other teachings I recommend:
Living from a place of rest (Hebrews 4) with Liz Wright: https://youtu.be/3FqNoFb0UWg?si=gk2tlowNZIoGZf7J
Reflections from Wendy Backlund: https://www.youtube.com/live/m9eQWTBaaEk?si=_asMNFOJNt5BaPh_
Worship for study/reflection/meditation:
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.