“Count not the candles…see the lights they give. Count not the years, but the life you live.”

I had a birthday this week.

Birthdays are a two edged sword. On one side, they are wonderful because the attention they give us. There might be presents, birthday cards, and a special meal with a favorite dessert. The other side a reminder that we are getting older and we only have a certain amount of time to live.

When you are young, you can’t wait to get older. When you are older, you realize you aren’t getting any younger.

Alice Fryling, author of Aging Faithfully: The Holy Invitation of Growing Older said, “Whatever our decade of life, we are never not aging.”

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12 NIV).

So with my remaining days, I hope I can focus more on how I live today, rather than the years I have on earth. I want to have a heart of wisdom. Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34).

What about you? Like me, do you sometimes fuss about new wrinkles or less mobility? You realize some things just won’t get done with the years remaining?

Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.
Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,
your mighty miracles to all who come after me (Psalm 71:18 NLT).

So what will I proclaim to the next generation? That God is good. He loves me. That he wants a relationship with me. He wants me to accept his gift of salvation. That he is always with me–now and in the days to come.

For now, I will enjoy the light my birthday candles give me, and count not the years, but the life I live.

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Many things in life come with pain. Fighting a disease can be painful. Watching a loved one fighting a disease is painful. Keeping in good physical shape can be painful. A sleepless night is painful. Even  the seed struggles when pushing up through the earth to become a plant bearing fruit, vegetable, or flower.

Today I read what God promises us in pain:

I will never leave you or forsake you,  (Hebrews 13:6) Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8: 35, 37-38). And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Pain doesn’t last forever. Joy will follow. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5).

I’m not sure where you are today. Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one. Enduring the pain of disease. Disappointment in someone you love. Even the pain of lost sleep. Joy does come. Sometimes it is when the disease is cured. The baby is born. Relationship  restored. Or when morning finally comes.

And sometimes it is death. But when we put our trust in Christ, and believe in him, he is with us here on earth or we are in his presence in heaven. That’s a promise.

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Happy birthday, dear Annabel!

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Sunday came and most of the family came to church with me. I was surrounded by people who cared and mourned with me. A warm cocoon of love. After church, there was a meal provided at my home. It happened to be Super Bowl Sunday.  The Graybill family were football fans and many were glued to the television, rooting for their team. Others were at the dining table, looking a photos from the many photo albums we’d been using for display at his service.

While surrounded by so many, I had the brilliant idea that I’d like to watch the video of our wedding that had taken place only seventeen months earlier. I thought I would be comforted by seeing the very alive Blair. Several women–my sister, my daughter, daughter-in-law, my best friend, came upstairs with me to watch the wedding video in my bedroom. There we sat, waiting to watch that happy day on the screen.  As the scene unfolded, I saw my Blair, so handsome in his tuxedo, striding through the hallway, waiting to meet me, his bride. He was smiling and so alive!

And when I saw him, I crumbled onto the bed, in tears. I realized he was gone! That I’d never see him again in this life. In heaven, of course I knew I’d see him. But here, in this life, I would not. The shock of his sudden death was wearing off. I no longer felt peace and calmness. I felt devastation. My dream life as I had been living, was over. I collapsed in grief and wept like never before. I’d just awakened from the shock of his very sudden death.

Quickly, my friends surrounded me, wrapping their arms around me. Holding me in my pain. One by one, they began to pray. They asked God to give me peace and comfort, to help me in my distress. In their tears, they begged the Holy Spirit–who is the comforter–to surround me with his peace. And you know what? He heard their prayers and he did just that. He gave me peace that is unexplainable, like the peace after a storm. The quiet after the noise of the storm of loss.

I believe that unforgettable time of grief was a holy moment in my life. One of the rare times in my life where I experienced perfect peace. Although I am not now in that terrible pain of loss, I won’t forget that time when perfect peace surrounded me.

…in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV). ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.(2 Corinthians 1: 3 NLT). The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed (Psalm 34:18 NLT).

Beneath the surface is perfect peace.

I don’t know where you are today. Are you experiencing grief?  Is your spirit crushed, your heart broken? It isn’t always the death of a loved one you may be grieving.  It could be distress over a wayward child.  A loss of friendship. You are experiencing physical pain. Perhaps you’ve received a scary diagnosis from your doctor. You’ve just been told you’re fired. A spouse has told you they don’t love you any longer and want a divorce. Or, as in my experience, the death of a loved one. I encourage you to go to the One who can give you peace and comfort in your time of need.

“Lord, I don’t know who is reading this today, but I ask You to give them the peace You gave to me that Sunday afternoon so long ago. Let that person experience You as they never have before. I thank You that You are only a whisper away from us. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Enjoy the song below.

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A long time ago, I would do a lot of hiking and mountain climbing with my late husband Bill. We also would climb rocks–big ones–for “fun.” He enjoyed that much more than I did but one climb I’ll never forget was one clear, spring day more than twenty years ago now.

The weather was perfect and the Columbia Gorge winds were calm. Bill and I sat on top of the 325-foot monolith, enjoying the view from our perch. The bright blue sky contrasted with the newly sprouted lime-green colored leaves and dark green fi rs. A soft breeze, smelling of honey from the blossoming fruit trees below, ruffl ed my hair. All too soon it was time to go back down. I looked nervously at Bill. Going down meant rappelling off the rock. I dreaded rappelling, though I had forced myself to do it numerous times. If there was a way to walk down off a climb, I would. But it was extremely dangerous to climb down from Rooster Rock, a double-roped cliff, my longest rappel yet. Bill set up the rope for the rappel down, hooking it carefully into my harness until I was ready to go. “Just lean back, sweetheart. You’ll be OK. Trust me. Trust the rope and protection.”

“I can’t do this! I’m too scared!” I choked, trying not to cry.

“You can do it; I know you can. Put your right hand behind your back and keep the brake on.” I knew Bill’s advice was sound. He was fastidiously careful in everything he did. I wanted Bill to be proud of me and knew I had to do it, had to lean back. I had to trust him. I held my breath and tilted backward. Clunk! The sound of the chain adjusting itself to the rappel rope gave a jolt. My heart jumped and then I began to ease myself down, talking out loud the whole time. “Okay, okay, honey. I’m doing it. Here I go.” Brake hand back, I reminded myself. Legs straight to the wall. I moved one foot down, then the other and eased the rope through the figure eight apparatus. While most climbers will relax and go down quickly, mine was a slow descent. I wanted to get there safely and didn’t care how long it took. A few moments later I was at the foot of the rock. I called up to Bill at the top. “Off rope!” I took the rope out of my harness, waiting for his descent in his black climbing shorts and much-used fuchsia-colored rock shoes. The well-defined muscles of his legs moved with confidence as he rappelled down. He took off his leather gloves and with his large right hand, gave me a high five. “Good job, Shirley! I’m proud of you!” In a playful growl, he added, “You mountain woman, you!” It was his term of endearment, filling me with me a warm glow.

When I reached the ground, I was relieved but also filled with peace. I’d reached my goal. I didn’t wimp out, and I knew my husband was proud of me…

Rooster Rock

When the disciples were hiding in a locked room on the day after the Jewish Sabbath, all of a sudden, Jesus appeared to them.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 

They were overjoyed. And they were changed when Jesus appeared to them. Can you imagine their emotions when that happened? And the peace they experienced when they realized he was no longer dead, but alive! Jesus said “peace” twice to them. And I’ll bet they were at peace.

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all (2 Thessalonians 3:16).⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

I could include many more places where God promises peace. And not the kind of peace we are promised in our world where there is conflict in so many places, but his peace–that “exceeds anything we can understand.”

On that Spring day so long ago, I experienced peace after the “trauma” of rapelling down from a high place, but we are promised perfect peace from Jesus Christ.

I love the song “Be Still My Soul” put to the music from Finlandia by Siblelius.

Be still, my soul! the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul! your best, your heav’nly friend
Thru’ thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul! your God does undertake
To guide the future as he has the past;
Your hope, your confidence, let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul! the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he lived below.

3. Be still, my soul! when dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shall you better know his love, his heart,
Who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul! your Jesus can repay
From his own fullness all he takes away.

4. Be still, my soul! the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still my soul! when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last. (Kathrina von Schlegel).

Enjoy the beautiful instrumentation of the song below:

I’d love to hear your story when you’ve experienced God’s perfect peace. Message me!

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I wonder what the disciples thought as they hid in a room, fearing they’d be arrested just like Jesus had been arrested. They might even die, as he did. They just wanted their leader and messiah back. But then something happened.

Early that Sunday morning Mary Magdalene and the other Mary walked to the tomb. Perhaps they just wanted to be near where their Messiah had been laid, just as some people find comfort in visiting their loved one’s grave site. In this case, the following happened:

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. ³ His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint (Matthew 28: 2-4 NLT).

Whenever we enter a Christian church, most likely you will see a cross. In some, you will see a cross with Jesus on it, in agony. I appreciate the reminder of what Jesus did for us, by dying on the cross, but he did not stay there. He was placed in a tomb, dead. And as he promised, on the third day, he rose from the dead.

I’ve been a Christian since I was a very young girl and have heard what the gospels–Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John say about Jesus’ death and resurrection, but it was only this year, that I realized something I hadn’t thought through. Jesus didn’t roll the stone to get out of the tomb–the angel rolled the stone away. The guards–who we could most likely compare to our elite forces–“shook with fear.” They had faced death most likely many times, but in this incident: they fell into a dead faint.

The story continues,

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (Matthew 28:8-10).

Jesus had a new body when he rose from the dead. He no longer required the stone to be rolled away for him to come out of the tomb. The stone was rolled to show the tomb was empty! My son wrote this statement about the resurrection: Jesus didn’t slowly roll out of bed that day. His spirit returned in a flash of energy so spectacular that it left an image in his burial linen. 

So what does that mean to us? He’s no longer on the cross. It is empty and most importantly, so is his grave!

This week, I’ve been reading about what the Resurrection means to us individually. The first is presence. Jesus was God, yet he was on this earth in a human form. That meant he could only be in one place at a time. Many times, people looked for him and couldn’t find him. He was off by himself praying or with other people. He could only be in one place at a time. But now, he is present all of the time. The Lord is near (Philippians 4:5b NIV). What an assurance we’ve been given. Jesus is always present with us through the Holy Spirit.

I’m once again in awe of what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means to me. He is always present with us! Ponder that this week.

Next week I’ll write about another aspect of the Resurrection, peace. But for now, let’s focus on the presence of God. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, he is always present.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for dying in my place. For taking the wrath that was meant for us on that cross. And then you rose from the dead. The tomb is empty! Remind me once again, that you are with us always–“to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

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Enjoy the song below. Stay with it til the end.

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Hello friends,

Below is my latest newsletter. Friday blog to arrive tomorrow morning.

Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy!

https://shirleymozena.com/wp-content/uploads/PDF-April-2026-Newsletter.pdf

The post Spring Newsletter appeared first on Shirley Mozena Speaker and Author.

It was a Friday afternoon. I anticipated lots of fun things for the afternoon and evening. First, a piano lesson with my mom. Then we were to go to a carnival in town. Later, I would spend the night at my friend Joan’s. While at the piano, taking my lesson, I heard the squealing of car brakes and a loud thump. I spied our family dog, Amigo, yelping and running toward the back yard. We lived on a country road and in those days, dogs weren’t fenced in but ran freely. So when a car whizzed by, the dogs chased the cars–I guess protecting their territory. But that was dangerous. We’d had more than one dog miscalculate the distance from the tires of the moving car and be killed. That’s what happened to our golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix dog. He was mortally wounded, and my dad put him out of his pain and misery. Our heartache had just begun.

My sister Eileen and I were particularly close to Amigo and later that evening as we rode the Ferris wheel, Eileen moaned. “This isn’t any fun, I miss Amigo so much. Why did he have to chase that car? Why did he die?”

I had no answer for her. I was just as miserable and only wanted to go to my room and cry and be sad. The carnival rides were only a distraction that didn’t divert my grief at all.  Later, staying at my friend’s house, it wasn’t any better. I just wanted to be at home where I could properly mourn for my loving, friendly dog. I couldn’t forget his painful yelping and then silence.

I wonder what the disciples were thinking on that terrible Friday after the unjust trials their teacher and mentor had to endure. Worse yet, most had deserted him because of their fear of being arrested too. And then. Jesus was dead.

All night long, Jesus faced trials. First with the Sanhedrin–the Supreme court of ancient Israel. Then before Pilate, the Roman leader. To Herod, then back to Pilate who had the Roman authority to sentence him. He’d been beaten. Thrown into a room between trials with his hands tied to the wall. It would have been a sleepless night. He was mocked. Beaten. A crown of thorns was placed on his head. And then he was crucified. Naked. It was in the middle of the day, yet there was darkness. At about three pm, he died. He’d been taken down from the cross, wrapped in burial cloths and placed in a borrowed tomb.

Photo taken in the lower portion of where Jesus was held between trials. Believed to be Caiphas’ basement.

The disciples were afraid. Miserable. Grieving. They didn’t understand. They thought the kingdom was at hand. At last, the invaders of their land would be ousted and they would have their country back under their own rule with Jesus as king. But there was a different plan and they didn’t understand it yet.

I’m sure they wept. Moaned. And asked God why. That’s common for grievers. Grief is hard. There is a terrible weight in our souls that won’t go away. The tears don’t stop. We are miserable just as those disciples and followers of Jesus must have been that Friday that is called Good Friday.

Today, we know the end of the story, but then, the disciples did not. Yet we can empathize with them. We can contemplate the terrible grief and loss they were suffering that Friday. And that’s how I’m going to conclude my blog for today. There will be joy and excitement later in just two days. Next week, I’ll talk about that miracle. But today, let’s remember. And give thanks to God for the supreme sacrifice He made that Friday two thousand years ago.

Listen to the song below that tells us about that Friday. A Friday to remember.

Let’s remember. And on Resurrection Sunday, we can rejoice. But this Friday, we remember.

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The first time he would see his fiancee would be on their wedding day. The morning arrived and at the church in the vestry, the surgeon was there and would remove the bandages before the wedding ceremony was to begin. The bride waited in the background in all of her wedding finery and the surgeon carefully removed the bandages that were over his eyes. The first thing the blind young man saw was the rose colored light coming through the stained glass window and then, he saw his bride. Their eyes met and their love intensified even more. They experienced great joy to see each other face to face.

I’m reminded of the verse in I Corinthians 13:12 (AMPC), For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face!  

Can you imagine? If we are a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we will one day meet Him, face to face!

The closer I get to the end of my days here on earth, I am more excited to meet Jesus, face to face.

When I was a mere four-year-old girl, I invited Jesus Christ to come into my life. Even though I was very young, I already knew I was not perfect. No, far from perfect. I was stubborn. Had a temper. I prayed a simple prayer: “Dear Jesus, I’m sorry I’ve been bad sometimes. Please forgive me and come into my heart. I want to be in heaven with you when I die. Amen.” It was a simple prayer from a simple child. And God listened and heard my prayer. He came into my heart! The Spirit is there cheering me on and gently reminding me when I need to change my attitude and confess wrongdoing. Once we become Christians, we aren’t perfect, but we are eternally forgiven, and we need to remember that we have a clean slate with God because of Jesus.

At the point of our conversions–when we confess we are sinners and repent and then ask Jesus Christ to forgive us and come into our lives–whether we’re a child or an adult, we have peace with God. Often, we think of peace as the absence of war or conflict in our emotions or on the earth. But all humans are born with the desperate need and desire for the absence of war and conflict between God and mankind.

At the beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, there was peace— harmony between Adam and Eve and God. They even met daily with God, walking with him in the cool of the day. Imagine what that would be like—walking and talking with God in paradise. Jesus came to restore to us the joy of walking and talking with God daily. He lived a pure life with no wrongdoing and became the perfect sacrifice, dying the death that God’s law required us to die and rising again to life. Through Adam, sin and death was passed on to all men (Romans 5:12), “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV).

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile— the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him… for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10: 9-11, 13).

If you’ve never acknowledged and turned away from your sin, and you want to walk and talk with your Father daily, acknowledge you are a sinner right now, ask for Jesus’s forgiveness, and give your life to him. Your life with Jesus begins right when you do that—here on earth and for eternity. Below is a prayer you can say.

“Lord, as I think about your coming to earth as a perfect human who did not sin, I thank you for being willing to be our connection to God through your death and resurrection. Please forgive me for all my sins. I recognize I’ve gone my own way. I want you to be my life. I want you to live through me, and then I want to live with you in eternity after I die on this earth. Thank you. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

Until we meet Jesus face to face, we continue to live our lives here on earth. But one day, we will meet face to face!

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⁶ Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NET).

At a prayer meeting I attend each week, we meditated on the above verses before we began to pray. The command, in every situation, through prayer and petition with (emphasis mine) thanksgiving, tell your requests to God, hit me straight on. 

How often to we do give thanks when we ask? I definitely pray about a lot of things, but how often do I pray with thanksgiving? If I am honest, not as often as I should.

How about you? Do you, as I often do, forget to do the second part of that command, “in every situation…with thanksgiving”? Will you join me this week when we pray  to bring to God our requests, we also give thanks?

Enjoy the song below:

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Prayer is so important

There have been many times when I’ve cried out, “I can’t go on! It’s too hard!” Sometimes those circumstances were emotional like that difficult conversation. Sometimes when I was hiking up a steep trail. Other times, I was deep in grief and loss and I felt like I couldn’t go on. When I cried out to God, He answered. Sometimes with a comforting hug that came from nowhere and sometimes a real hug from a friend.

 ¹³ I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me (Philippians 4:13 GNT).

Where are you today? Are you facing something so difficult you don’t think you can make it? It could be real physical pain. It could be relational pain. Jesus promises us, “My grace is enough for you: for where there is weakness, my power is shown the more completely” (2 Corinthians 12:9 Phillips).

She prayed…

“Lord, I believe You are there. That You love me and will give me strength to face whatever problem I face this day. Please give me faith to be strong.  In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.”

Enjoy the song below.

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