my wings are made of faith

The Peace that Follows Surrender

Turning 40 has brought on a whirlwind of activity for me.  As many of our women readers know, our doctors ask us to get a baseline mammogram at 40 unless there has been one taken earlier.  After I had this simple procedure done, I did not think anymore about the issue.  Absolutely nothing until I received a phone call asking me to return for more tests.  “We see masses on both sides and want to further explore what they are.”  I immediately began to pray and called some of my “life sisters” to join me. 

Through the night, I felt my old self start the worry process. “God, if this isn’t cancer, I’ll... (eat more vegetables, drink more water, exercise more, pray more, blah blah, add your stuff here.....)  Until finally in the stillness of my quiet time, “The Lord spoke and said, ‘Stop!  My grace is sufficient.’” 

This is exactly where I landed and fell into my place of peace.  I told God, “I will choose to praise you no matter what the results.  No matter what this looks like.  I will honor you and bring glory to Your name.”  Interestingly enough, on my husband’s run that morning he said, “God, we ask that this is not cancer, but we will honor you no matter what.”  And that choice, my friends, is where we stood in truth in the midst of a potential storm. 

Fortunately our worries were laid to rest with a simple word, “Benign.”  I could hardly wait to run away, afraid the radiologist would change her mind.  As I texted my “life sisters” and my husband, we all cried our praises to the Lord.  As Eric and I have reflected on this situation, knowing the outcome could have changed our lives forever, we realize that it actually did anyway: we know this: the desire of our hearts-the choice we make-no matter the storm is to praise. 

You may say, “Well, it turned out the best for you,” and, thankfully, you are right and praise the Lord.  But as we look closely at every situation that life tosses our way, we have the choice to praise our Heavenly Father: no matter the outcome. 

The other big step we are taking as a family is that our oldest child just turned 16 and has gotten his license to drive.  This alone can send me into a tizzy, but as he pulled out of the driveway last night for the first time by himself.  I told God, “I had no control over my health, despite my best efforts, and I have no control over my son’s driving.  I have done my best; and I stand here in front of you, God, completely out of control.  Once again, the peace of the Lord fill my heart.” 

As I see the theme of my life for the past few weeks, I continue to say, “I have no control over anything, but I will pray and trust in God’s plan for my family and health.”    We are tempted to revert to our human nature that tells us we need to be in control over everything and, clearly, if you are like me, it’s a struggle: however, when we become Christians, we bend the knee of total surrender to Jesus.  Our challenge is to stay focused on the One True God and be filled with the Peace of the Holy Spirit.

My Prayer:  God, thank you for good results of my tests.  I realize that my control issues will never thwart your plans.  I surrendered to you many years ago, and continue to surrender to you today.  Holy Spirit, thank you for reminding me that Your Grace is sufficient.  I rest at that place of peace: at the foot of the cross.  Jesus, thank you for demonstrating the ultimate sacrifice of surrendering to God’s Will.  We praise you and choose to honor your Holy name!  In Jesus’ name!

 

HE MADE

As  an artist, I often find inspiration in the things God made. The beauty and detail in the tiniest things, including bugs and spiders, snakes and rocks simply amaze me in the intricacies of their form and function. A lot of what is in nature goes to the root of my love of design.  I have always seen God as a designer. The ultimate artist, who  gave us all the elements of art and placed the ember of oneness with that part of himself into us, who love to make, create, design, draw, photogragh and paint.. or by any other means to imagine something and make it
become visual, useful or decorative. I see anyone who is able to take an element and coax it into something else as an artist. Even the gardener who plants seeds, can use the plants as a color palette.  And there are few things so beautiful as a hillside or meadow covered in only one lovely flower or grass. The wood beams of a house, the steel beams of a super structure, the girders and cables of a bridge - all are beautiful to me.  And the persons who use the materials to make them into something new and wonderful are all artists. Within each one is a bit of God’s character, innate, because God chose to create man in his own image.

 For in the image of God He made man. Gen 9:6

One day as I was contemplating how close to God I sometimes felt when I was in “creation mode,” I wondered about what the scripture said, specifically, about the phrase, “He made.”  I thought when I began to search that I would find a set of verses that would inspire me by the descriptions of the grandness of the things God made. I supposed I would use them as a guide to praise the Lord. Wow was I surprised.

In only the second chapter of the book of Genesis, was the first time the phrase popped up. I was so surprised to see what was on the mind of God when this phrase about “designing something” first appeared, that I cried instantly.  It was like a huge hug from God. He was thinking about how to make a woman.

 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Genesis 2:22 

God was contemplating a gift for man, someone who would complete him, complement him, and balance him and make that union productive. This design was to become a helper in “man”’s” life, but also be a mate for life – two very powerful concepts. He wanted her to be a beautiful design that the man would genuinely love.  I could go extremely deep into this concept, because in this verse is established a truth, about the loneliness of God.  When God made woman he was instilling in her the traits of his own eventual wife – THE CHURCH.  In every way parallels can be made through out scripture to the love of God for his people, and how he longs for that love in return. 

 Knowing this, and all the verses that lead up to the proof of that truth, I was awash with amazement. In those two words were the value of a woman in God’s mind. HE MADE > WOMAN!!!!  We, not man, were made in the image of what God imagined would complete himself.  Man in his own image, woman in the image of  what God wished a lifetime companion should be. WE were designed in a special way. Different than all other beings on earth! Designed from the rib of man.  In essence, God started with his own image, from which man was made, and then he added to that a uniqueness, things that God longed for in his own mate.

Women, have you ever doubted your value in life, your place in the love of God? My understanding was totally reinforced, in the moment I came upon this verse, that as a woman, I am precious in the eyes of God.

Sometimes we become so overwhelmed with holding our own in a “mans” world, we forget to celebrate and pursue with proper ferver, just being women.  I know I have been lost a time or two, understanding how I fit.  But I was MADE for exactly that – to fit.  I am one of those unique puzzle pieces that God is fond of making. I am most often the opposite of my husband, but I was meant to be opposite in such a way as to complement him, complete him, balance him, help him.  Not his crutch, but his flagpole. Strong in the wind, firmly standing where I am placed, supportive even in the storms of life, always there when he is up, or he is down. 

As the Lord spoke specifically to my heart, I thought, "How often have you ever seen a flagpole and thought how worn out the pole looked?" No, we often see tattered flags and think, "My goodness how tattered that old flag looks." Statistically, women out-live men, and we must be ready if that time comes to stand alone. It would seem that without the flag, the pole is useless. But think about it. Even with the flag gone, the pole is still a stantion whose purpose is to fly an emblem. And there may come a time when we stand only to fly the invisible flag of God.

 I was designed that way. Made for a purpose. Designed as a gift, from a definite thought process, to uphold and support someone I love, but not by giving myself away. Rather, made to be powerful as the person God made me to be.  The Bible concept of women is much different than that of the world. And therein lies the majority of our conflict in life.  But focusing on what God thought of me, helps me stand tall, and strong.  I am praising God for giving me more than just his love of design, but by designing me, he gave me power, purpose, and promise.  He MADE ME by his own hands, thoughtfully, craftily, artfully, designed me to be a WOMAN. I still am basking in the joy of it!

 

THANK YOU DEAR FATHER! Praise and Honor to You, who spoke a universe into existence saying:"Let there be…" but YOU paused to actually MAKE ME.  Much love.

Please help a woman who is struggling today, with a sense of pupose, of value, of place, of her future.  Where ever sheis help her know the place she holds in your heart. Then for every man who reads, may he realize that if you found extra value in making women unique, than may they find a respect and honor for that uniqueness as well. May he see the blessing the woman meant for him truly is.  AMEN

(Nowhere in the above did I mean to infer that God didn't design all the things he made. But the scripture itself takes pause to bless us with how God lovingly designed woman, so we should take note. And technically, the mate God invisioned in the church is the BRIDE OF CHRIST. The Israelite people, and the Nation of Jews are also frequently portrayed as a wife. But to keep it simple I used the term God in as the Godhead.)

For futher study on the verses with "HE MADE":

Gen 21:6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”

1 Chronicles 16:26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.

Psalm 111:4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered.

Luke 11:40 New King James Version (NKJV) Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?

MATTHEW 14:36 And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. (see week 9 of the Wholly Healing series.)

A look of hope - Joy restored.

Maybe this post is more for me than the rest of the world, but i feel the burden to share because it's a big part of my journey. Maybe it will touch another heart or give hope or maybe it's for me to look back on someday and see how far i have come (especially in the last year). Whatever the reason for this post, i pray it will be a visual testimony of the love the Lord has for me. 

i look at these two photos (below), one taken about two months ago (on the left) and the other one taken in early 2011 (right). The one on the right, taken in early 2011, reveals to me how dark my life was at the time and how void of myself i really was. i look at this photo and i don't see me. i see a very lost look in my eyes, a deep sadness, and a burdened heart. They say the eyes are the window to ones soul. And while i still see some joy (which came only from the Lord), i don't see much else. 

By the time this photo was taken (intended for use on this blog), i was unknowingly a few months away from filing for divorce, losing a battle i had fought for so long, beat down, stressed out, losing hours and hours of sleep, and crying out for Jesus to rescue me from a battle i no longer had the strength to fight. This photo reminds me how empty i felt at the time. And it reminds me a person cannot continually and selflessly pour into someone else without being filled up in return. i see a small glimmer of hope still exists, but there's a great and desperate need for restoration ....

And then i look to the photo on the left with great joy because in a year and a half to two years, i see this radical change in myself. i can see that i have found me again, complete with a newfound joy in Christ Jesus. i see bright eyes full of rest, rejuvenation, and peace. i see an inner smile that shows on the outside and a heart that is full of new life. And even though i have a few more wrinkles than before (lol), i love this photo because i see myself restored in a way that only God can restore ...

He mended my broken heart. He gave me rest. He filled my soul with peace. He breathed life into a weary body. He fought my battles and defeated the enemy. He rescued me from my troubles. He restored my life. He gave me the desires of my heart. He protected me. He filled the emptiness with His love and His light. He gave me a new song to sing and has filled my life with hope. He covered me with the blood of the lamb. He blessed me with compassion and grace. He surrounded me with people who lifted me up. He loved me. He cherished me.

He made me feel like the daughter of a King, again.

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. ..."—Joel 2:25-26

i look at these two photos with tears in my eyes because there would be no healing without the mighty love of my Lord and Savior. His love and compassion transformed my life. At a time when i thought i had lost what made me me, he restored what the locusts had eaten. He restored my hopes, my dreams, and He showed me that His strength was perfected in my weakness. He gave me stronger wings of faith ... 

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving me a visual of what you've done in my life the last few years. Thank you for restoring the joy in my life and for helping me find myself again. Thank you for seeing in me what i couldn't see in myself and for giving me back much more than what i lost. Your promises are true and forever. 

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Twitter: CCotterman32 

Life Is NOT A Competition!

Typography Christy Cotterman :: Photo Jenny Koester

i am a highly competitive person and i love to win. Mostly, i like to be competitive with myself, setting goals and striving to go way beyond the initial goal. There's a sense of pride and achievement when i set out to do something and do it not only well, but better than i anticipated. 

Here's the problem with competitiveness ... sometimes it's hard to not make everything a competition and sometimes it's hard to let go of perfection. i can't win at everything, be good at everything, i won't overachieve on all my goals, and i can't get everything i want. And, i certainly can't be in competition with everyone else.  

Thankfully, the whole competitiveness thing didn't last long and i grew out of it about 4 years ago when life's circumstances made it impossible (God totally knew what He was doing!). i realized quickly that this behavior/way of thinking was exhausting! And it certainly wasn't very Christian-like. All it said about me was that i was way too concerned with perfectionism and having the one-up on others. i was afraid to ever look like i didn't have it all together. And i guess i was afraid of being behind the eight ball, not good enough or living in someone else's shadow. 

Isn't it easy to look around us and feel like we have to keep up with what's going on in everyone else's lives? Facebook is the devil when it comes to bringing out the competitiveness! Friends are getting married, having babies, getting promoted, following their dreams/passions, going on exotic vacations, buying new houses and fancy, new cars ... and if i/we are honest, a lot of times we want/covet those things, too. As soon as we take our focus off the blessings in our own lives, and put it on the things we really want (but may not need), we'll do anything to get those things (like go into debt or depression because we don't have it) and we jump way ahead of God's will. 

And it becomes a case of providing for yourself instead of asking God for the blessing, His perfect timing and will, and being patient enough to wait for it. The thing we lose out on most is being happen in the present ... and living a life of pure gratitude and joy. The Lord says:

"You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."—Exodus 20:17 (NLT)

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."—Matthew 21:22 (NLT)

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

November is a good month to practice gratitude ... for all God's already given us, He continues to give us, and will give us. Let's refocus, taking our eyes off of what we want, and take a good look at the blessings that surround us. There is so much joy to be found in what we have in this present moment to waste another moment wishing for things that we don't really need or that God isn't ready for us to have. 

Sweet, Lord Jesus, i am in awe of all the blessings you have rained upon my life. i'm sorry that sometimes i lose sight of all that you've given me and i focus  on all the things i want. Thank you for burdening my heart with the conviction of your Spirit to stop living a life of competitiveness and in a state of want. You, Lord, have given me everything i need and have blessed me with the desires of my heart. And, i know, that you want to give me the things i still desire, so please help me to be patient, even if i do not understand your timing. i proclaim my trust in you, Lord, and i promise to keep my focus on You. Create in me a heart full of constant gratitude and help me to be continually present in the moment. Thank you for the way you show me how life is too short to waste time wishing i had things that i don't really need. And thank you for showing me that you care about the things i do want and that You will provide in your perfect time. In Jesus' mighty and precious name.  

The Benefits Of A Savoir

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.

He that is our God is the God of Salvation. Psalm 68: 19 & 20. KJV

In every other translation, including the Hebrew one, this verse reads differently than the KJV. 

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. > The New Living

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. > The New International

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,The God who is our salvation. > American Standard

Praise the Lord, who carries our burdens day after day; he is the God who saves us. > The Good News Bible

Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! Amplified

When I first began to study the verse, I was disappointed, because I was all revved up to Praise God for the loads of benefits he is supposed to be giving us everyday. I was surprised to find the best translation was about him carrying our load, instead. Images come to mind of how this would mean so much to a saint in the lands and days of the Psalmist. They relied heavily on camels, elephants and donkeys to bear their goods, and belongings, purchases, livelihoods and possessions of all kinds. Pack animals might, at certain times in their lives, be carrying everything they owned. They didn't just make life easier, they made life possible. People were able to bring home the crops, plow the fields, grind the grain, hoist their water, lift heavy stones, and pack their tents to new lands, if they had the help of a "beast of burden."

And if people were weary, or in need of moving quickly...they counted on this beast to carry them personally. The new living translation interprets this one who carries them, to be like a loving father who carries his child in his arms, or one who rescues the needy by picking them up and carrying them to help. That brings up the image of resting in his arms, like a sleeping child.  No matter the image that is represented, I think the Psalmist would like any of these, because --- one word that does not change in every translation is the word "Selah". It follows this verse and can be found following verses throughout the Psalms.  Now this isn't a word we would understand readily, but when I looked it up, it means,  "rest and think slowly about what you just said." The Psalmist intended that we take the words and each of us think about how our God saves us day after day. In what way does he lighten our load, make life possible, bear our burdens, move our mountains, is bigger than our heaviest burden...or however you choose to think about it. But, when all the thinking is done, we owe him praise.  In fact, would be delighted to praise him for all his benefits to us. How many times a day, does God save us from more than our sins? And how many times can we apply the more spiritual meaning to this verse - when God lifts our heaviest burden and carries it?  It is our sin.  I really wouldn't have stopped to think about this verse in quite this way if it were not for the varied translations.  God taught me a lesson today. He helped me not to pass by that word "Selah," so easily, and he reinforced the belief I have that there is usually way more to the word of God than the words.

I praise him for that, for the fact that he carries my load whether physical or spiritual, and for the fact that he is making life possible on every level. I want to be more aware of just how involved he actually is in my daily life. He probably carries burdens I am totaly unaware that he carries. I praise him for that. I praise him that he is the God of salvation and that he saves me day by day.  How nice to lie back like a child and sleep, knowing he will carry me in his arms when I need him to. So the King James isn't wrong that God is pouring out his benefits, but I certainly get a better picture of it but looking at it through a whole lot of other persons who spent a little time thinking about it. Selah!

Thank you Jesus for the burden of sin you chose to bear for me. Thank you Sweet Spirit for the way you carry my innermost burdens. Thank you Amazing Father for lifting me when I fall. Thank you for all your benefits that come from how you carry me and all that makes life work for me. Everyday, I am blessed by you.  Now its time to think a little about how you are blessed by all of that?  Blessed be the Lord? I'll have to give it a little more thought. Much Love, my Savoir and Friend. AMEN

Power in Faith

As I watch the news describing the details of how powerful the Storm named Sandy was, they question if they were accurate with their predictions.  As they label it the most powerful and unusual storm, with the largest impact on more states than any storm ever recorded, I remind myself that God is more powerful.

As I see several feet of sand that almost buries a parking meter more than a block in from the houses on the beach and I realize how powerful the wind and water were, that drove enough sand in to completely cover from the beach to the highway 3 ft deep, I remind myself that God is more powerful.

As I see an entire community burning out of control, it saddens me. I think of how powerful wind and fire are to be able to wipe away years of people's lives in moments. Then I remind myself that God is more powerful.

When I see pictures of the storm itself being viewed from the international space station, 1000 miles wide, looking more like white icing covering a giant blue cupcake, I find it difficult to understand how it continues to maintain all that power.  Nothing seems to affect its power, and I am reminded, God is more powerful.

Many times today I will pray for the people being affected by the power of this storm, but what I will pray is that the all powerful God will intervene in such a way that gives those people a faith, unshakable, and assurance that God truly is abundantly more powerful.

When Job went through his trials and loss, his friends tried to rebuke Job's faith. In Job's story, he had spent his life trusting God, and being blessed, had become wealthy.  His friends saw his losses as God condemning him for some sin in his life, and so God was punishing him by taking back all that he had given Job. But God himself spoke to Job to refute the words of Job's friends. God allowed Satan to take away what God had blessed Job with, because God had the power to restore. The Father knew that when Job once again placed his faith in Him, as Job had always done, it would open the door for God to once again pour out his blessings. In fact, God more than doubled Job's wealth and family.

Exactly what words describe how God is more powerful than this enormous storm? He is a God who has an intended end to the story. It is the job of news and weather media to tell you how severe the storm might be, directing you to safety, and then tell you how that power affected the people whose path it crossed.  But it is the blessing of God to refocus us on a point past the devastation to an expected end.  And in that end are the very powerful words: Compassion and mercy.

Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:11.

In Job's words,

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. Job 42:5

For the first time in his life, although Job had served God by faith, he saw God in a way that he never had before. To him, this was a reward of his faith which exceeded all his wealth.  The value of knowing God, suddenlly far exceeded the cost of all he had lost. His faith was renewed, and strengthened.  And as he totally yeilded to God's power to renew his life -

...the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. Job 42:12

Thank you, Lord that you don't cause devastation, but that when you allow it to come upon us, you already have a plan in mind to bring us back to faith. When our hearts falter at all that is more powerful than we, you will demonstrate your desire to bless us more than ever before.  Dear, Lord, for all those who find themselves in the place of devastation today, I pray for them that you will soon double their blessings. Speak clearly to them as you did to Job. Refute the mockers, and reach the hearts of hurting people who endured this storm with a greater vision of a powerful, compassionate, merciful God. Bring faith, Holy Spirit many where there is none. And please give wisdom to the leadership of this nation who need to see your vision as well. AMEN

 

 

 

 

 

Freely Given

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Revelation 21:6.

AS the price of so many things rise, even the necessities of life are often difficult to pay for. We drove by a spring that has been pouring water out for as many years as Jimmy has known of it. As we approached it, I mentioned how clear the water in the ditches along the road was, and Jimmy said it was because it came from that spring.  As we passed the spring, it made me thirsty just looking at it. I could recall how my Grandmother always kept water from her spring in her fridge, and it was the one thing we could go to the fridge and get, with no restrictions. Drink all you want, she would say.  I remembered how refreshed  I always was when I drank it.  God blessed her with it, by allowing that the water from her spring was constant, and she made sure that it was given freely to those she loved.  I never once had to earn that water.  I never had to beg for it. I never feared there wouldn't be water available from that spring.  It was like the air we breath. Just plain free, and freely given.  But my Grandmother was not always standing in the kitchen doling it out into cups. She saw to it that there was water in the fridge, but she left it up to us to fill our glass.  God is a little like that.  He gives the kind of living water freely. It is free, it is freely given. It is abundant, and it is waiting to be drumk. 

So why is it so tough to get people to drink it? Some think they have to do good deeds to earn it. Jesus didn't say, you have to do good deeds and then I will give you living water. Some people think they have to do things to earn money for good things.  I actually know persons who have told me they do it in hopes God will smile on them in the day of judgement. Jesus didn't say that in the end, he would see if you earned his water of life.  He said he would give it freely.  Freely isn't a difficult word. Give is not a difficult word.

He gives it ~ Its free.

We took our grandsons and their Mom and Dad to Wendy's. We said, "If you come, it's on us."  When they got there we didn't ask them to work for it, or pay for it. We just ordered it. and set it before them.   It was up to them to eat. It's so simple. What is complilcated about, the water of life being free, and freely given?  Some times I think people hold their hands over their ears and refuse to hear what God is saying.  Who doesn't need spiritual sustainance? So get it from Him who promises it FREEEEEELY. 

For so many people, all they are missing is to pour it down their throat, or accept the offer to come and partake. God doesn't pour it down our throats.  And he doesn't force us to drink.  He just promises that it is given freely.

SO GET IT!!!!!   If you think God is silent, then it coud be because he has provided, and you just aren't listening well enough to know that all you need to do is partake of the provision.  Get your living water.

Thank you for the constant, abundant provision of living water, the freely given water of life.  My Jesus, I accept and receive it for my life.  Allow me to share. AMEN

Trusting the Bridge Builder

 

I am almost finished with the book, One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.  Being at the end, there is one idea I want to share with you but please know I cannot do this profound image justice.  If you are looking for a deep read, this is the one for you.

Voskamp describes being in her car and crossing over a bridge.  When we are driving, do we inspect every bridge to see if the bridge is built with quality?  Of course not, we trust the bridge builder. 

“I glance back in the mirror to the concrete bridge, the one I’ve boldly driven straight across without a second thought, and I see truth reflecting back at me:  Every time fear freezes and worry writhes, every time I surrender to stress, aren’t I advertising the unreliability of God?  That I don’t really believe?  But if I am grateful to the Bridge Builder for the crossing of a million strong bridges, thankful for a million faithful moments, my life speaks my beliefs and I trust Him again.

I fearlessly cross the next bridge.

I shake my head at the blinding wonder of it:  Trust is the bridge from yesterday to tomorrow, built with planks of thanks.  Remembering frames of gratitude.  Gratitude lays out the planks of trust.  I can walk the planks- from known to unknown-and know:  He holds.

I could walk unafraid.”

Dear friends, when we have walked with the Lord for a while and have counted our blessings with a thankful heart, this is when we see that, no matter what storm we are looking at, our God, the Bridge Builder of our lives, is a faithful God. 

My Prayer:  God, thank you for your faithfulness.  Thank you that every bridge you have built in my life has held.  Forgive me Father for times when I panic and worry.  Holy Spirit, guide me and help me keep my focus on the Lord.  Thank you Jesus for modeling the perfect relationship of trust.  In Jesus Name!

 

Is Anyone Listening?

Ever been in that place where it seemed no one was listening.  What you had to say should have been important to the ones you spoke it to. But they just weren't hearing you.  I get whiney when no one is listening and I have said it for the umpteenth time. Men say women get crabby... well, duh!  But let them feel like no one is listening, and they get just plain mad, and loud, and scarey.. BUT.  God is always listening.  Just stop and think about it.  If I said it 12 times and my kids, my family, my doctor, whomever - never once acted like they heard me, but God heard every single time, how could I use that little fact to my advantage?

What about this kind of prayer? "Lord, I am talking my brains out, and no one is paying me any attention.  I know that what I am saying is of importance, or I wouldn't waste my time. Since you heard, me...would you consider relaying my message?  Thanks ever so much.  Maybe it will mean something coming from you." 

 I always hesitated to ask God to teach my children a lesson about speeding, for instance, because I knew they would either end up in a wreck or with a ticket they couldn't afford.  God isn't mean spirited, He just lets the consequences occur sometimes in order to get someone listening.  We could do that in small ways for our children when they are small. And sometimes for our husbands. If I make my husband admit it, he will tell me he just says he doesn't know where something is so I will go and get it for him.  So I am learning to ask, "do you really want to know where it is, or are you asking me to get it for you?"  When he admits, and asks nicely, no excuses, I am inclined to get it yet again. But I have been saying, next time you get to learn where it is and where you will put it back so it will be there next time you need it.

But today, we visited a new doctor for Jimmy. We went with our confidence totally lacking, because we felt like we have talked 'til we are blue in the face, trying to get someone to understand how badly he feels sometimes, and the difficulty he has doing certain things, ... and it feels like we are talking to wind. The last time we went to one doctor, we mentioned several things Jimmy was having difficulty doing, including climbing stairs, especially if carrying something. And the doctor turned his back to us and dictated  a message for Jimmy's records which said something like -"Mr Wilkerson is a pleasant gentleman who has had no appearant diffulculties while recovering from his last heart attack and can climb stairs as before."  Alarms went off and I almost jumped out of my chair wanting to scream: "WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING !

Oh, that one would hear me! Job 13:35

Yet today, facing yet another doctor, we just resolved to let the Lord take things where they would go, and hope at least they didn't take him off his new medicine just yet, since it appeared to help.  But we wondered if we could get any answers to questions.  Then we sat down with this very new young doctor whose name you cannot pronounce, and Praise, God,  HE LISTENED.  Jimmy was so nervous trying to get the courage to just put it all out there one more time, I thought he was going to hyper-ventilate.  But the kindest words came from this person, and the most direct answers, instead of discounting our story.  He heard us.  He proposed a theory, and he said, "we cannot know until we test it.  So if nothing else, let us rule this out. Purhaps you don't know what is actually going on inside you, and there is more than anyone to date has found out."  Wow!  That's as if God had heard us and spoken the words we were crying out, right back at us, through this man.  That's exactly how we felt. 

So, Jimmy is home with a heart monitor, to see exactly how his heart does in his daily routine, and what causes it to not act properly, for two whole weeks. 

And this is the confidence we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. I John 5:14

God, since you are listening, would you please help them get a great picture of what is going on.  And if it isn't his heart disease making him feel so badly, then at least help us have the confidence that you are helping someone else listen to us too, so we can know.  If there is something you want this doctor to find, please help him find it.  Thanks for Listening. AMEN

 

A handmade wedding

i've been spending a lot of time in my craft room/office lately, making all the decorations for the wedding by hand. And, i have to say, that as labor-intensive as it is, i've loved every moment of it. Every paper flower, burlap bunting, table runner, program, etc. has been crafted with love and a deep anticipation for the sweet day. There is nothing canned about this wedding. Every moment has been thought through and made special, the same way that God had thought this through and made this relationship special. There won't be expensive decorations, band, or a flowers, a large bridal party or a big meal. But you can bet that we will be surrounded by our amazing friends and family and love—this makes me happy.

i've had {many} moments of just being still and letting the reality of how blessed i am soak in. It doesn't take long before i start to feel tears of joy welling up. i find myself being in a constant state of gratitude for the overwhelming joy and sweet love that overflows. And, all i can say is, Wow, God, thank you for your lovingkindness and showing favor upon me. 

My main focus right now is to just be still as i prepare my body, mind, and spirit for this new journey with Jason. As i write my vows, i find myself in His Word more than ever as i seek His will and truth to help me be the wife that Jason needs and desires. i read the book of Ruth over the weekend and was reminded how much Ruth is like the Proverbs 31 woman. I'll be sharing more about this in my next post (next week).

Have a great week!

Heal us, Father

 

This morning I was in our weekly faculty meeting where we share prayer requests.  Person after person asked for either emotional, spiritual, or physical healing for themselves or for someone they know.  It was that moment where the Lord pressed on my heart the theme for today’s post: we all need healing from the Lord.  

Jeremiah 17:14 says,

“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;

save me and I will be saved,

for you are the one I praise.”

As we can see from this verse, that the Lord’s healing begins with an attitude of praise.  I am currently reading the book, “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp.  Voskamp teaches the importance of living fully right where you are.  For her, it meant writing down an exhaustive list of every day things to be thankful for.  I believe she’s on to something here.

When we push aside all of our hurts, troubles, and anxieties and simply, wholeheartedly enter His gates with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4), this is where our healing starts.  Also in Voskamp’s book is the quote from J.R.R. Tolkien which says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”  In other words, we all have the same time allotted for each day, should we focus on our problems or should we focus on our Healer?

Our challenge is to find the place of praise in our hearts every day even if the circumstances look bleak.  God wants to be our Healer for every aspect of our lives.

My Prayer:  God, thank you for reminding us to cloak ourselves with an attitude of praise.  We choose to thank you today for the awesome things you have bestowed into our lives.  Lord, forgive us for becoming so self centered when we go through troubles.  We acknowledge your greatness and your power.  Holy Spirit remind us gently that thanksgiving begins with us.  In Jesus name we pray!

 

Lord, give me a clue...

In the story of Abraham sending for a wife to marry his son Issac, a significant thing happened which gives us one example of how to pray when we truly desire to know the Lord's will. I personally don't think this kind of prayer is meant for everyday stuff.  I think it is significant to making special decisions in life. The life altering ones.  As in this case, when Abraham's servant was afraid to fail on his mission, and desired God to give him help and assurance that he was doing the right thing.

In Genesis 24, Abraham sent his most reveared servant on a trip to chose a bride for his son Isaac. Abraham had no qualms whatsoever in doing this, and I thought that was interesting.  It indicates 2 things for certain. One, Abraham already knew God's will about where he should live, what family his wife's son should come from, and where his son should live. These were things that he had established from God at some previous time. But, secondly, it indicates that Abraham had enough faith in God that he wasn't afraid to send a servant to bring back this very important person. He believed God's hand was already involved and working things out. In fact, he said so. In his instructions to the servant, he gave strict directions according to what he knew God had already told him. And he said:

"...he (God) shall send his angel before you..." Genesis 24:7b

It seems in the story that this servant was just learning about Abraham's God.  I thought that was interesting, too, especially that Abraham placed his faith in this servant, knowing this man was still learning to trust God. Verse 12 of this passage says soooo much in so few words.

And he (the servant) said, O Lord God, of my master Abraham, I pray thee send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Genesis 24:12

A couple of other translations that I checked, used success instead of the words good speed.  That he was praying for success is an absolute and makes the verse very pertinent to our lives, for a number of reasons. But I do like the term "good speed" because later in the story, it becomes very important to the servant to return to Abraham with Isaac's wife with "good speed." So they ask Rebekah whether she will stay 10 days at home to say her goodbyes, or will she go immediately to marry Isaac. Rebekah chooses to go immediately, once again affirming to the servant that she was the correct choice.

So in the servant's prayer he had several things in mind that he was asking of God.

1. In a way, he was asking God to prove he was God.  He said - "Lord God of my master Abraham."  He was placing faith in Abraham's God, but he was sort of relying on Abraham's say so that this God had already put things in place. Sounds like a prayer of someone who had not previously placed faith in God when he prayed, expecting an answer from someone he could not see.  Although, tentative, that is powerful faith. It is the kind that Jesus would have recognized.  The servant was acting on Abraham's testimony, and deciding to believe for himself. But he was putting this God to the test.

2. Here's another scenario. Maybe this servant had prayed before, and knew God well, but he didn't feel worthy to claim God as his own God.  Abraham was a man of importance, and God did things for him. Was there a bit of reluctance to believe that God would do something for a mere servant? He did however, pray and with faith. And he lived up to Abraham's expectaitons of him.  Perhaps Abraham knew this dear servant needed assurance that God was willing to be involved even in the life of a common man. Abraham knew that if God was in control, and this man was willing to trust that God was leading Abraham, then the servant would see for himself exactly how God could reveal himself to absolutely anyone who would trust him. The servant was asking God to send angels ahead of him, just as Abraham had said God would.

3. This servant was choosing to agree with Abraham in his prayer for a proper wife for his son. This is an early mention of the principle of when two agree in prayer, there is a power unleashed upon the circumstances.  If I have faith to ask God for his guidance and intervention all day, and no one else knows, there is no signigicant blessing to the testimony of a living God except to me. My faith doesn't yeild growth in helping someone else's faith unless I involve them. Then not only I see God working, but someone else sees God working, and thier faith is increased as well. This also speaks to the principle of not forsaking assembling yourselved together.  Coming together to share what God is doing in our lives, changes lives. I have personally seen the benefits of this kind of witness to both new Christians, but also to some who were seeking to know if God was real. He is a God who will prove himself.

4. He was asking for success. Are we sometimes too timid to ask for success. I watch the postings on facebook and notice that lots of times, people tend to choose the sentimental sayings that encourage you when you are going through tough times, and they stop there. I have always wondered why so many Christians stop there. Including myself. We are OK with God just giving only enough help to sooth our emotions and help us tough it through.  How much more optomistic is the outlook, that we pray instead that God's kindness would include our success. I believe this is another thing that the servant learned from Abraham. Abraham was extremely successful. He was wealthy. He was accepted in a foreign land. He was owner of many servants. He was like an owner of a successful business. His products had done quite well. And he was not afraid to give God credit.  Someone who served Abraham closely saw him ask God for success.

5. This servant wanted to please his "employer".  We are told in the story that even though he laid out a scenario before God, and said, "if you will make things happen like this, then I will know what choice to make." He asked God to show kindness to his master.  This principle is part of the "Give and it shall be given to you principle." Asking the blessings for his master and not himself was a giving thing. He did ask for success for his mission. But he also saw the value in realizing he was not there for his own benefit, but for his employer's benefit. I am using the word employer to make a point, because we don't know the payment status of this servant. We are given no indication that this servant would benefit in any way from doing this thing right. Yet we have a story that has made this man a hero for several thousand years.  He understood that his job was about doing what his employer needed done.  No qualms about it.   

6. This servant prayed that God would allow a certain set of circumstances to occur. By this he would have a clue to God's leading. Some people in Jesus's day were depending on signs to know he was the Messiah. He offered up signs and miracles by virtue of just being God's messenger. God's desire is to demonstrate his power in our lives all the time. Yet we are timid to ask for evidence that he is there. However, this story makes it entirely clear that God not only wants us to know he is involved, but that he has sent angels ahead of us to prepare the way. I would say that is very involved. So all this servant was doing, was not asking for a sign, but for a clue, so that he could see the evidence of the angels at work, and know how to do the Lord's will. He asked for significant and appropriate guidance.  He was saying, God, if this happens, then I will know what to do next.  When we are faced with the unknown, we may have assurance that the angels aren't unaware of where the Lord is leading us, so asking for a clue for God's direction to go in the way that is already prepared, is not an unreasonable prayer.

I want to close by giving a single example of how this worked in my life in a time when I knew the Lord was leading me to make a significant change in direction in my job.  I had some trepidation about choosing a new job, so I asked the Lord to let me know it was the right job by allowing the correct interviewer to mention my high school in some way.  I knew most potential employers didn't make note of where you went to high school, but they sometimes asked about your education.  I had several reasons for wanting them to bring it up, but I also wanted to allow God to use this key to give me a direct clue. Curiously, the manager was the person my interview was set up with, from the start. No pre-interviews...straight to the manager. Then to my amazement, after a bit of small talk, he asked me point blank about my high school, by name. I am not sure he knew that he was acting by God's lead, or that angels had prepared my way, but I knew two things. One, he was my new employer, even long before he actually hired me. And two, he was willing to let God lead him too. For you see, he had to be willing to do what he was being led to do to even meet my expectations from God. I knew, immediately, he was a Christian.  As it turned out, he was from my home town, and new exactly where my high school was.  I didn't need a sign, I needed a clue. An indication that I was on God's track.  It's OK to ask for clues along the way.

My last comment would be that Rebekah, whom I have focused on the most when I previously studied this story, was also prepared to make a life altering change, so much so that she was willing to leave immediately when she heard how God was involved.  How exciting to have been in anticipation of God's movement upon her life so much that she followed without hesitation.  The key to the servant knowing she was the right person is the word "kindness." The servant asked that God would show kindness to his master Abraham.  Who better to fulfil that request than one who could show so much kindness. Isn't it interesting that God placed this word into the servant's heart, knowing the character of sweet Rebekah.  Isn't God Good?

Lord, I don't always ask for clues along the way, but thank you, that when I need them, you are willing to give them.  You desire so much that I know that anyone in any station can ask for you to be involved in our success.  You don't choose one person over another to bless. But help someone to know that you are not only involved but you are not waiting on us to pray in desparation to act in our lives. Instead, you send angels ahead of us to prepare our way, and if you do that, you want us to know what it is.  Let us get a handle on this truth and use it.  Let me be in tune with you that I might know the clues. Or know how to ask for them.  Make this a genuine element of my faith. AMEN

 

 

 

 

You May Be A Good Giver, But Are You A Good Receiver?

i love being a giver. One of the greatest feelings in life is to see the look of pure joy on someones face or feel their deep gratitude when they are given a small gift.

Gifts come in many forms:
tangible - a wrapped gift or warm meal
emotional - sitting with someone and being a good listener
audible - a compliment or a phone call
physical - intimacy between a husband and wife or a hug
service - watching someones children or running an errand 

Whatever form the gift may be, they all have one thing in common. They are all free to the person receiving. No one shows up with a gift, hands it over, and says, ok, that will be $24.99, please. Giving gifts is sensing or knowing someones need and selflessly willing to help to fill it without expecting in return.

i am an awful receiver. i don't receive well at all. i always feel i need to return the favor or reciprocate with a gift. It is really difficult for me to just say thanks and be grateful for the way God used another person to fill a need i had. There was a long time in my life when i gave and gave and gave, without receiving much in return, until i could no more. It's a hard thing to change a mindset after years of such consistency. But it dawned on me the other day, when i was thinking about my difficulty to receive gifts, that maybe i don't know how to fully receive God's grace if i have a hard time receiving gifts. 

i fall short every day as a Christian. i am not perfect and i never will be - i am fully content with that because Jesus is perfect and He fills in the {big} gap. i sin daily. And, sometimes, it leaves me feeling guilty (which is the enemy at work), instead of at peace because i know Jesus covers me with God's grace. 

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. —Romans 3:21-24

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.  But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.—Romans 5:12-21

Grace is a gift to those who place their trust in Jesus. A free gift. Christ paid the cost for grace so that we could freely receive it — NO strings attached. Just like a gift from a friend, grace does not need to be repaid. God sees our need for the gift of grace and He freely gives it — as often as we need it. 

Being a good, selfless giver is really important, but so is being a good receiver. i really believe that learning how to receive gifts graciously is an important lesson in life because it shows us how to fully receive God's grace without being manipulated by the enemy. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.—Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace is available to us each and every morning—enough for the whole day. Graciously accept it and praise God for such an amazing gift.

Comfort to Share

God gives comfort that it might be shared. He himself suffered in Christ that there might be no one who could say, "he can't understand."  No one could accuse Christ of not having been burdened by all of man's wants and wishes, nor anquish or pain, or sorrow and hunger. Hunger? Remembered the 40 days in the desert? Yes hunger. Christ looked to his Father in times of need. Then he shared all of himself becoming our first example of comfort being a gift to share.  He could have escaped all the burdens of life. He knew the answers, but he chose to be an example to us.

Paul said:

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ.  II Corinthians 1: 3-5

He goes on to say that when they were afflicted it might have the effect of helping someone else endure. Likewise, if they received God's comfort, then it might be for the consolation and salvation of anyone who, looking on, might see and receive. He also said:

vs. 7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be of the consolation.

Paul had a sense of security that anything his fellowservants were called upon to endure, they had access to abundant comfort. They could count on it being available to all. But how are others to know, if we neglect to make our own sufferings and consolations known.  One of the greatest gifts people can give is to make the comfort God gave them, known to others.  

I have known some who believed they should keep their own struggles to themselves.  It has been taught by some that we should not burden others with our problems.  I worry sometimes that our willingness to share here will be seen by some as us emulating ourselves, to be unique to God's blessings. If there is one thing I can assuredly say about that, it is: I have been in that place where some now are!  I have felt like I was exempt from those comforts and blessings from God that someone who was standing in praise seemed to be swimming in. I have looked at a person who seemed never to have difficulties and thought, "Do they think they are doing so much more to honor God that they are exempt from suffering?  I wonder how much they would rejoice if they were dealing with my sorrows." I have felt like God just passed me by on the day he was giving out relief.  I never rejoice in blessings without being aware of my days of sorrow. But I give thanks for the comforts God gave.

 Comfort is learned. So suffering is allowed to take enough time to help us learn it.  But our suffering, fear, loneliness, lack, pain,  or whatever, it always comes with a gift -  one of having learned something that we may share to make life easier for someone else.

Thank you, Father for the amazing, untouchable gift of comfort.  Help us know when not to keep it to ourselves. What a "pass-it-on" jewel! As we make ourselves vulnerable, guide our words, that all may know we never set ourselves upon a pedastal as if specially blessed with something no one else may have. Indeed, Lord, we are gifted that we may share.  How curious a thing, that our best and most valuable gift, some days, could be something no one could see, unless we make our sorrows also known. Praising you, the author of grace and mercy, blessing and faith, comfort and joy. In Jesus name, AMEN

 PS  Would you share our blog with someone if it were easily e-mailed.  You can access our blog from your e-mail, so that you can pass it on to someone it might comfort.  Check the upper left corner of the blog page and enter your e-mail. Use the format most used in your home. Would someone you know benefit from easy access and an assurance that the site they are visiting is safe?  Sign up!  We want to brighten someone's day.

A Testimony of Answered Prayer

If you've hung around this blog for awhile you know that the content has revolved around 2 primary things: walking with God through the struggles and praising God for answered prayer. i have shared my personal struggles so that just maybe i could give hope that God always helps us through (no matter how dark the path may be). It's not always flattering to me to share my weakest moments and my hardest struggles, but it is what makes me real ... a human with a heart and a deep need for love and encouragement. 

i find that it's so important to not only share the struggles and heartaches, but to also share the way God moves in amazing ways through the difficult times ... and to be a living testimony to answered prayers. You see, prayers are always answered, it's just that some aren't always in the way we dream because God knows what is best for us. He never ever gives us less than His best, even though sometimes His best seems like our absolute worst nightmare. 

Divorce was my absolute worst nightmare. But it was also God's best for me—something i cannot fully explain to you because it's difficult to understand when you aren't in the thick of the battle. It almost killed me ... and it's not too far fetched to say literally. My spirit was already gone, my identity was so wrapped up in someone else that is was gone. And my physical health was fading fast ... intense stress for three years slowly starts to shut down the body. But God's grace was sufficient to keep me going. And i can joyfully praise Him for rebuilding my entire self, emotionall, spiritually, and physically, in 365 days. i am me again and words cannot express how amazing it feels to be healthy and whole again. 

Back in October i wrote this post about leaving Cincinnati and not wanting to come back. i really wanted to leave the mess i was in far behind and i never wanted to look back. i was convinced that my home was not here—i had convinced myself that i hated this place to the point of believing God didn't want me to stay either. A few months earlier than that trip, when i found out i was getting divorced, i prayed for two main things: for God to completely heal me from the stress, the anger, hurt, and broken heart and for God to bring me a husband who i can walk with through life with. i prayed, with the deepest part of my heart that God would spare me from the dating scene, that he wouldn't allow any man into my life that would use me, hurt me, belittle me. i prayed this prayer (for a Godly husband) often and it became the prayer of my heart. 

God did not delay in answering this prayer. He knew the deepest longing of my heart was a family to call my own. And He knew the loneliness i'd felt for so long. He knew i tried to do the right thing for so long and He knew how faithful i was to Him. He honored the prayer of my heart.

i met jason on 11/11/11. At a time when i wanted to move and start over, God revealed something to stick around for. God gave me, not only a best friend, but a faithful companion to walk with. A protector, provider, helper, friend, and leader in the home. Someone to grow with and someone to pray with. Jason asked me to be his wife and i said yes.

i praise Him daily for this gift of love that my heart cherishes. That smile on my face (one that has been in hiding for quite some time) is a smile of pure joy that radiates from deep within the depths of my soul. It's a smile that's grateful to God for answering my prayer without delay and it'a smile that is grateful for the sweet way that Jason loves me. 

photos by Lauren DiFulvio

If there is one thing i want you to know about my journey the last few years is that God does not waste a single moment of the bad days. My heart always felt the joy of His presence and i knew, without a doubt, that my God would get me through. All i had to do was trust Him, follow Him, believe in Hope, and see it through. He turned what was intended for evil into something good and beautiful ... and i came out a better person for all i endured. i'd never change a moment because it taught me who i wanted to be and who i didn't want to be. And, it got me to this moment where i feel the warmth of his presence and blessing on my life. 

Father God, i don't have enough words to exclaim the overwhelming gratitude i feel. i never doubted you and the path you laid before me. Even though i didn't see Your purpose while in the valley, i see it so clearly now. Thank you for helping me understand so that i could heal completely. Thank you for hard times because they made me a stronger, better person. Mostly, though, i praise you for showing me that you are faithful to those who are faithful to You. Thank you for answering my prayer, for showing favor upon me and blessing me. Only You really know the true joy i feel and that joy comes from You. Thank You for providing for my need for love and companionship.Thank you Lord for all that you have given me and for a fresh start. Thank you, thank you, thank you. In Jesus name!

Restoration Requires a Trash Bin

When I was looking for a word to describe my artwork, and brand the intent of my work, I went searching in the dictionary.  I spent a couple of years looking for just the right word. I used a couple, and still like their message, but when I ran across the word “PRINK” which means “dress for show, preen,” I knew I had found my word. I have no idea when this word was ever used, but I love it.

 As I have intently thought about how God deals with mankind over the last several months, I found a new personal value in the renewal process of God’s great plans.  The word prink fits that process, because it not only means to dress something new, but it also means preen, which is to redress something old. Hang in here with me… When a bird preens, it is resituating its feathers so they effectively do what they were intended to do.  Molting is what birds do when they get new feathers, and preening is a vital part of organizing those feathers. But first the old feathers must fall away. Otherwise, birds could not fly and ducks could not float. Preening is a freshening of something in the bird’s life, which is extremely necessary. The process begins when feathers are new and continues, day in and day out, as elements destroy the feathers - year after year. AND it also is a part of the transition from old feathers to new ones.

 In scripture we are taught that whatever we start with in life that is new, will need renewal at some time.  It is an integral part of God’s design to make, allow weathering to occur, and remake – almost everything.  To build up. break down, and build up again. Jesus spoke of this principle several times.  Consider these  two verses.

 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:16 - 17 NKJV

Jesus spoke of making things new as something done with consideration of the consequences.  He makes it clear that there is a time when the old is necessarily discarded.

In the Lamentations of Jeremiah, he “laments” that he has gotten old and his teeth have broken, and he is no longer living in prosperity.(ch.3.)  He seems defeated until starting in verse 19 he says:

Remembering my afflictions…and 20 - 23: My soul has them still in remembrance and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning.”

He sees the sequence of God to include a breaking down, but not a total consumption, because God in his compassion wants newness every day. Jeremiah was a rebuilder. The themes of his books in the Bible continually speak of a God who was designing newness in their lives:

The Lord hath done that which he had devised...Lamentations 2:17

He hath builded…3:5.  And in Jeremiah 33:3, &7: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not….I will cause the captivity of Judah and …of Israel to return, and will build them as at the first.

For the nation of Israel, Jeremiah counted on the character of God to be of one who rebuilds and brings newness, and he used it to encourage a nation.

To take courage, we must first come to a realization that we need newness, and then understand that the newness, which God desires to bring us, is more wonderful than we can imagine. Then thirdly, we must be willing to give up the old - to weep for it’s brokenness or loss, but be inclined to allow it to be destroyed. Recognizing that putting away the old allows that the new can totally be built on a better foundation. The breakdown and renewal of all elements of life are an ongoing cycle. The foundations of the universe are built upon the principle of things turning day by day in a cycle, and though always moving forward, it is always in a process of breakdown and renewal. 

Galatians 6:15 said that the circumcision didn’t avail much, but the fact that a man became a new creature in Christ is what counts. In the letter to the Corinthians Paul said:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. II Corinthians 5:17 

When you own a house, the grind of keeping it from falling down around you can become discouraging until you remember that God made earth to be in a constant need of daily attendance. He realized that we would need to be always changing the old into something new. I believe that since we are made in his image, we should find joy in revitalizing nearly everything in life. We should embrace the inner yearning to adjust and change, to sometimes give in and tear down, and  always look to God to supply our needs to rebuild, and refresh. 

But all of this should give us a new outlook on God as well. We should see in his character a yearning to “prink” the things he makes.  He goes out of his way to dress up this world, so isn’t his desire to dress and redress our lives as well? When we love to do something, and are constantly drawn to doing it, we call it passion. God has a passion for grand design, but he also has an ongoing passion for making things new.  Isn’t that a bit opposite of how our expectations of God’s supply often run? Are our prayers centered around a God who wants our lives to be in a constant state of renewal?  Do we see that it is he who must provide for such a life style to be possible?  If God is in it, can we see his passion for change? Do we factor in that God’s pan’s include certain parts of our lives to be totally replaced with something new. Next time you see painting a wall as a chore, think of Jesus’s joy that you are doing the work he created in you, so that you might be more like him.  Maybe it will at least make you smile. But when you are discouraged as things around you collapse and decay…try to see what God sees. He is just thinking of his new design. Look out beyond the things that are falling apart.  He is planning to “PRINK YOUR WORLD!”  So rejoice!

Lord, I confess that I hang on to things in this world when I often should let go. I have a need to trust you to supply for the newness that is needed in many areas of my life. I now realize you have great joy in dressing up my world, my environment, my life. I ask Lord that, as I resign to a need for old things to pass away, you will allow me to share your passion for the new.  I know you already have a great design in mind! In Jesus name, AMEN

Live a full, passionate life.

i read a quote today that really inspired me:

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D.

Let's look at what scripture says about our numbered days:

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
    and the number of my days; 
    let me know how fleeting my life is. 
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
    the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath, 
    even those who seem secure.—Psalm 39:4-5

What if, every day, we woke up with a prayer that went something like this: Dear Lord, if today is my very last day on this earth, help me to live it to the fullest ... to be kind to every one ... compassionate and full of grace ... productive with my time ... telling my family that i love them dearly ... not grumbling about things out of my control ... not nagging to my spouse ... spending time on my knees ... fully aware that my days to live out the beautiful life you gave me are numbered. Help me to honor You with each breath. 

Could you imagine the life we'd live? Full. Whole-hearted. Passionate. Courageous. Selfless. Overflowing with peace and love. i want this kind of life. Do you?

Change doesn't happen overnight and it's unrealistic to think so. Take small steps each day to work towards living a full life. We have one chance to live the way God intended us to live and it's never too late to start.

Lost but Not Found?

First thing today I wanted to Thank Traci for her response to our request for words that say what prayer means to you. She said: Prayer = Comfort.  Great word!!! Traci.  Thank you.  Anyone else?

My thought today comes from seeing a lady in my neighborhood driving round and round the block with the greatest look of concern on her face.  I thought then that she possibly had lost her pet. Then the next day I saw the flyers posted at both ends of the block.  It hurts to lose something we care about.  I think the only thing worse than searching for a pet you love would be to suffer the lose of a human family member.  I can't even fathom the anquish, although I have had children who were missing for short period of time on occasion and got a taste of it.

But we spend time looking for things that are less valuable and rejoice with relief when we have found those items as well.  This week alone I have lost one half of two pairs of earrings. Once found, I was quick to tell everyone they could stop helping me look for them. And I just had a friend put up a joke about looking for your cell phone while you have it up to your ear using it.  My daughter and I had just made fun of ourselves this week for a half a dozen other things that bring up that reason to laugh at ourselves - glasses are my number one, the remote to the TV, camera lens cap, keys, etc.  YOU know the list.

As I asked God what He would have me tell you today, I was made aware that this week's lost items were significant once again to how God speaks to our Hearts.  So I count every lost and found item this week, not just laughable, but  to be a blessing, becasue God intervened so that I might recognize when he spoke to my heart.  My verse today is:

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which was lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing...Likewise I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Luke 15: 4, 5, and 10. From the parables of the lost sheep and of the lost coin.

The reality is that God certainly has never not known where we are, but the recognition that God's mind is in anguish over anyone that is lost to the freedom of salvation pulls at my heart strings. I can relate to both God's pain - and his joy upon them being found. These verses were intended to give us a glimpse into God's heart, to help us see him as something other than a cold hearted disciplinarian, and help the lost ones know God is seeking you diligently.  I know when I have lost something, I can scarcely sleep 'til I find it. According to the story, the shepherd goes seeking the sheep until he finds it. God doesn't give up. There are lost souls that need to hear that sometimes. I have to think, if I would look so hard for an earring, how hard would God seek a lost soul?

I lost a ring when I was seven that I never found.  I still see that ring in my mind's eye, with sadness and wish there was a way I could turn back the clock and never lose it.  But as an adult, I sometimes have to wonder if the girl who tried to help me find it, actually found it.  As a child, I made myself not think it, because I didn't want to falsely accuse her.  But we can accuse ole Satan of trying to steal the lost in the midst of God's seeking.  Next time you see someone livng obviously in need of a savoir, try to see them as God sees them, and in danger of being found by Satan.  I am not a pet person as much as a wild animal person, but I certainly want someone who loves their pet to be able to find them.  And if it is possible that I can help them, then I certainly will. And, I want to stand ready to be the one who helps bring a lost soul to God any time it's possible.  It makes me smile to think of God rejoicing in the presence of the Angels. Like watching a good news report that shows when a family finds someone who was lost. Kind of thing that makes your day!

Keep your eyes open to the possibility that you might help the Lord find someone he is seeking today. Because even in the example of a lost dog, it's the Dog which needs the help finding it's way.

Dear savoir, and shepherd,  how I love that you were seeking when you found a lost little me. Help us portray you as the gentle shepherd who will carry a found one on your shoulders, not as the dog catcher who will cage him for all time.  May some lost soul see you seeking in anguish but desiring to rejoice with the Angels and know how much you care. In your blessed comforting name, AMEN

 

Repentance and Renewal ~ how to live in a state of repentance

Each and every day a multitude of cells, hair strands, and chemicals either die and fall away from our bodies, or are processed through and discarded.  It is a state of constants death to life to death to life process. As the earth turns on its axis and and circles the sun, from our point of view there occurs a contant light to dark to light to dark. And we say each new morning is a new day, beginning a fresh opportunity to have a bright new future.  If we examine any thing that is a part of the cycles of life, we see the pattern of renewal that God set in place.  Renewal is something we can count on.  It is as sure as the sun rising each morning. We should take comfort in knowing that one of the anchors of God's plans in our lives, is a schedule of renewal.

The psalmist in Psalms 51:10 asks God to renew a right spirit within him. Isaiah says that if we wait on the Lord, our strength will be renewed. (Isaiah 40:31, my personal favorite verse.) But the verse I love the most that expresses this truth is:

The inward man is renewed day by day. II Corinthians 4:16

If something in life appears to be dying, count it as a good thing. And look forward to the time of renewing, because you can count on it. Don't trust feelings, because they will lie to you. Trust the processes of a timeless God.

On the flip side there are certain things that God wants us not to return to and try to remake. Because "renew" is not the same as "remake." Some people would be surprised to hear me say that "re"pentance is one of them.  Lest you question, hear me out.

Hebrews 6: 4-6 says:

For it is impossible for those who were enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify unto themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open shame.

Now what on earth does all that mean?  Should we then not go to prayer with a repentant heart? Is there no remedy for when we have gone much deeper into sin than we ever thought we could?  If we sin are we just stuck there?  I am amazed how many times these verses are used to implant these very same falsehoods into the hearts of seeking saints.  These verses were never meant to run over Christians with guilt trips.

Instead, they embody a truth that is a simple as this.  Consider this example: God made the earth and set it in place to operate within the renewal principles.  But each time the darkness engulfs a part of it, he does not intervene and make the earth all over again in order to bring light back to its surface.  That seems ridiculous doesn't it.  The earth simply turns until some part of it faces the light of the sun once again. It is expected and constant. Our prayers of repentance after salvation serve only to renew in our minds the fact that we are already made in the image of God and now we have the power to live like it by continually turning toward him.  

Once we were placed into the newness of life in Christ, and begin our walk with the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, repentance is a given.  It is as stable and accepted as the earth in its place. We are a part of the principle of repentance and are to live our lives as if we are in perpetual repentance. But what that really means is that we are in a constant state of forgiveness as well, always returning to the light of day, renewed day by day. We are to behave as if dead in sin, but in a state of expectation that a new day will always dawn, and life will be renewed.

Hopefully, I am not beating you over the head with this if I give one more example.  Our bodies require sleep to be renewed.  Without it we will falter during waking hours, and struggle. So, does God turn us back into a tiny dividing cell and start from scratch to remake us everyday? NO.  Once we were born, we became a living being. And the cycles of life began to occur day after day.  And each day was meant to include a time of rest.  Scientists say that the mind uses sleep time to reboot, and make sense of what happened during the day. It is a time that our subconcious even has to take a look at the day and make choices that prepare us for a new day of doing it all over again.  This truth is laid out in full in the 4th Chapter of Hebrews, and the discussion is bracketed by the first and eigth verses:

Let us therefore, fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Vs. 8. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? 

We are admonished to take a rest from sin and start fresh. 

My father once told me that if he had to go back to the cross every time he sinned and do that over and over, he would have none of that. He didn't want to be a Christian. He had been taught as a child, he said, if you die without repentance, you were going to Hell anyway.  Since he just couldn't figure out how often he needed to keep going back to the cross, he just gave up. What was the use?  My father may have indeed died in his sins because his mind grew weary trying to resolve his sin issue by constant repentance, and it may have been the fault of Christians who lived as if that is how God meant it to be.  My friends, it is not!  Repentance is a constant state into which we enter through the cross, and renewal is a constant state wherein we act out that truth because of the resurrection. Instead of living in fear, returning to the cross daily is like going to sleep and letting the renewal take place.  Natural, God ordained, simple, healthy. At any given time during the day, we can put our sin nature to bed and rise from prayer like sun on a new morning.     

Our lives should portray the surety of the power of renewal on our lives. Not a fear of constant condemnation for our sin. As there is a time for night and a time for day, there can be a time when we rest in repentance, and a time when we can live and move forward in the strength of being renewed by that. If I say "Rest in Repentance," can you understand that I am not driving you to go repent, but rather am encouraging you to live like you are well rested in his forgiveness? How do you see yourself most often, as sinner or saint? 

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.  For he that is entered into His rest, also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Hebrews 4: 9-10.

Heavenly Father, help us to live as if we can sleep soundly because we know our sin is resolved, and can anticipate the dawn with joy, knowing the inner man is renewed and clean, and strengthened for the challenges of a new day.  Help us to walk away from the  life that dreads the night to fall upon us fearing the wrath of God upon our sins, and dreading the new day as if we carry our own burden of sin.  Help us to not keep trying to recrucify Christ.  Turn us about in our thinking, and also in our appearance to lost seeking souls.  Help us live like we are at rest from our sin, so others may want what we have. AMEN

Love is near

It occurred to me the other day that i don't think i could ever really wrap my mind around how much God loves me.

For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:37-39

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.—Psalm 63:3

These scriptures verses are just a few of the verses in the Bible that describes God's love for us. i read them and i sit here in awe that a God so big, powerful, and full of grace loves me more than i could imagine. But, then i think about how i am completely surrounded by His love every minute of every day—not just the love He fills my heart with, but the physical presence of His love. His love for me is shown in:

His Word • the sun rising • a warm shower • clothes on my back and shoes on my feet • food on the table • transportation • a job to provide for myself • a loving family • best friends • a sturdy home • good health • a warm, comfortable bed at night • time to play and relax • beautiful flowers to smell • hearing the birds sing His praises • the feeling of raindrops on the skin • His power in the thunder and wind • the beauty of a friend who radiates His joy • a friend who listens • dogs who greet me at the door with wagging tails • a rainbow after the storm ••••••••••••

It would be easy to continue this list on and on and on. The truth is that God shows His love towards us in every direction we look. We can't look at something at not see His love, unless we choose not to. His love is in the simplest of things and the most complex of things, but we cannot avoid it. It is everywhere—in our needs and desires—and it is beautiful. 

Even in our darkest of days, when we may not feel His love, we can easily be reminded that He loves us by taking a look at our surroundings—there is always something good to be found—look closely and choose to see that Love is near. 

Father God, forgive us for failing to see all the little ways you show your love towards us. Sometimes, when we are broken and can't see in the dark, it's easy to overlook all the ways you provide proof of your love.You provide all our needs and give us the desires of our hearts in Your perfect timing. Remind us, Lord, to take a look around daily to remind us how blessed we really are. Thank you for all the ways you show us we are loved.

Walking Umbrellas

As it pours the rain these few days, the children in myneighborhood are not deterred one bit. With giant umbrellas they are walking along the roadside experiencing the glory of it all.  Nor, lest you get the wrong picture, are they using the umbrellas to protect them in the rain. In fact to the contrary, they look more like walking umbrellas, held to one side, they are no more than a toy to be twirled than an instrument of protection. Large unfurled triangles
with only socks and shoes of the children exposed, they truly look like a large multifaceted circle which has only legs and shoes.  In fact, those shoes are very wet, from walking the whole way in the water along the roadside. Occasionally the umbrella will jump, and grand splashes of water will break into arks of droplets to join the raindrops bouncing in the puddles. Warm and gentle, this rain is the thing that great memories will be made of. 

A friend once said that the best pictures were the ones in his head.  The picture of the children walking side by side down the street with their umbrellas held so that I could not see them, except for their socks and shoes, making the umbrellas appear to have feet, will be forever now one of those “pictures in my head” favorites.  I never don’t have a camera in my hand! Oh well. Perhaps I can paint it one day.  I am sure someone handed them the umbrellas expecting them to reenter the house not being soaked to the bone.  LOL

We are like that with our Bibles.  Sometimes we even carry them, but sometimes when we need them most, we treat them more like a toy, than a protector.  Occasionally we open them, and walk along like we are using them, but unless we actually use the verses inside, it does us little good.  Sometimes, we walk gleefully through life, soaked to the bone and cold.  Children should forever play in the rain, and make joyful rain saturated memories. But the memories we will make ignoring the protection of the Word, may not be so good.

My word shall not return to me void. Isaiah 55:11

May we have courage to believe the promise.

Lord help us to apply the Word!  In every circumstance of life, and especially
on “rainy” days.  AMEN

ESTABLISH YOUR HEART - Part II

This week, I noticed a small pocket-sized Hallmark calendar lying in the floor under my computer desk.  I realized I must have dropped it from the old Bible that I sometimes flipped through lately, seeking guidance for the blogs.  That old Bible was one my husband gave me before he went to Vietnam, and was worn to the point that the pages are falling apart.  I am so afraid of it sliding out of the leather cover and having to sort the pages, that I don’t look through it extensively, so I had not remembered the little calendar that lay hidden in its pages.  I knew the calendar was old, but I had no idea how old until, I thought, “I really need to pick that up and not let it get torn up, because I must have kept it for some reason.” Thinking it was a budget that I must have made and kept because the Lord had blessed us for some reason, I considered for a moment that I could just toss it.  “One less thing for my children to be bothered with one day.” Then I turned it over and was aghast that I almost tossed it without thinking twice!  It was for 1971, and when I opened it, I read: “January 14, 8:30, Bob Hope Christmas Special.”  My head began to spin.  I had a record of the date that I was going to watch the “Bob Hope Christmas Special?”  Jimmy was going to be his driver – IN VIETNAM!  I was going to watch it so I could see him – Jimmy that is.  Actually see him alive and well in Vietnam. Newly married only weeks before he left, I longed to just see him any way I could. It had been several months since he left, and I just wanted to see his face.

 We have told this story over and over because in the end, as Mr. Hope exited the helicopter and my husband reached to point for him to take the jeep ride, Mr. Hope declined, deciding to walk instead. And all I was able to see was my husband’s hand and arm just above his watch, for it was all the camera caught on the TV, before they cut away. I would know that hand and watch anywhere, but it was all I got to see of him.  My heart sank.  But I had marked the date, and I had seen that he was alive and well on that date. I had established in my heart that point in time, to see the one who was gone from me and of whom I was longing to see return again.  Just a glimpse but it gave me hope of the day he would come home. How I longed for that day.  I thought how interesting that Mr. Hope’s name was “hope” as I scanned the pages of the datebook. I almost cried, for it seemed only yesterday… 

Jan. 18 – mailed Jimmy package

Feb. 12 – Lincoln’s birthday, Send Jimmy package

Feb. 18 – Jimmy called from NAM

Feb. 21 – PRAY  Time: 10:00 P.M. PRAY  (obviously a night spent wondering if he was wounded, and he was on one of those prayer dates. But that’s another story.) …

April 8-9 - Good Friday - Jimmy should be home, with a line drawn through it.   April 11 - Easter

Two more long weeks….

April 26 – (circled..) Jimmy’s coming , with an arrow pointing backwards to  the day before <===…

April 25 – Jimmy arrived 7:24 A.M. on Eastern………..!!!!!!!!!  (R &R)

April 28 – Dr. Bradford – ( sick??? LOL)

May 5 – Jimmy left, 8:45 A.M. (tour of duty not over) back to Vietnam.

May 15 – Armed Forces Day

June 8 – Mailed Jimmy Package today

June 14 – Flag day

June 15 – Dr. Bradford, 1:45

June 20 – Father’s Day, (how I wished he would be able to call.)

July 4 – Independence Day

July 14 – Dr. Bradford

July 16 – Jimmy called this morning!

July 27 – 100 days to go

From this point on each day was marked 99, 98, 97, etc. as we counted down the days, and I mailed him one more package, my birthday and his passed, Labor Day and Columbus Day, Doctor visits, Veterans Day and Halloween eventually passed. But on Veterans Day the number of days left was 10. On Halloween, 5 – 4, 3, 2, 1, and FINALLY, on November 5, a Friday, in red letters – No More Nam. 

Service members back then kept a "short timer’s" calendar, so as I marked my days so did he.  They were considered the most dangerous days of any soldier’s stay, because they had a difficult time staying focused on the dangers instead of the hope of going home, yet they were encouraged to keep the calendar for the hope of that wonderful day.   Jimmy still had just a few more days before he was released from service once he was home, and he once again left us, flying to Colorado just before Christmas.  Given an “early out”, however, on December 14, 1971, it says – Jimmy released from service.

I hope I didn’t bore you with the exact reading.  But may I say, that just reading it, makes my heart pound remembering the anticipation and fears, and finally the thankfulness to have him home.  It was established in our hearts, that there was a day when he would come home.  We looked anxiously for that day.  Looking back, I see my own life a type of waiting on our savior’s return.  The doctor visits were due to the fact that I was also counting down the days to our first child…I can tell you the day he became a living soul, just as I can tell you the day I was born into the family of God.  There is a time and a place when each became a fact of my life.

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8.

Friends, there is a day marked on the calendar which only God can see, and there is a point when he will begin the count down for the day, when he will gather his bride to himself.  Christ will come from his faraway land, and when he comes he still has things to do before he establishes his reign.  And there will be a thousand years still on this earth when he will be our King.  He too will fight a great battle, and gloriously defeat our enemy.  Then, we are promised a time of peace, and of great things happening on this earth. 

Let no one tell you he isn’t coming. Let no one tell you it is the end of the world!!!  It is the one thing that the Saints who lived in the years soon after Christ's death and resurrection, wanted so much that they had difficulty being patient. The longing in their hearts was much like the longing in my heart for my beloved husband to return.  But they were told to be like a farmer, waiting on his crops to bring a yield in due season.  Their comfort was to be found living in a simple phrase, “Establish your hearts!”

God is also waiting on that day!  For him the countdown is on.  I wish every soul on earth would be ready for that day.  I wish every saint and child of God would have a calendar on their hearts that is also counting down the days.  Longing for the appearance of our KING to come for his bride.

Establish the day in your hearts.  Then think of how much it means to you.  When were you most impatient?  What in your life did you long for with bated breath, marking the days? Have you established that whether it is, in your lifetime or not, there is a day marked on the calendar of God.  And we must wait, and ready the harvest.

Lord, the tools are ours, the time is ours, the souls are our loved ones, and the time is certain.  Help us be expecting you with the love of one who awaits, with great desire, the return of someone they love, or like a mother awaiting the birth of her child, or a Bride, her wedding.  Help us establish this truth in our hearts.  May our expectation be with patience and with hope, and help us while we wait to “establish our Hearts.” AMEN

Pushing Back at Life

For many of us, life comes at us fast.  We have busy schedules with many demands and responsibilities.  All of these things are fine as long as we have balance.  

If you have every watched a wrestling match, you have seen a wrestler bend his knees and get ready to fight back.  This proper stance assures him that he will have a better chance for victory against his opponent.  

The enemy will try to catch us unguarded or unprepared and wrestle the daylights out of us, but we don’t have to live this way.  We are not victims in Christ: we are over comers.  We can make time to spend time in the Word and renew our minds.  We can prepare healthy meals so that our bodies are fighting against disease.  We can schedule times to relax and spend with our families.  These are all examples of pushing back at life.  Each of these things puts us in the defensive position against the enemy’s schemes.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says,

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

In other words, life’s stresses are expected, but do not have to be tolerated.  Our challenge is to push back at life with healthy strategies.

My Prayer:  God, show me when life is pushing me into unhealthy decisions.  Give me courage to change some things so that I can push back victoriously.  Thank you that through Jesus, I am not a victim.  Holy Spirit, remind me when I’m flying too fast and guide me through the process of renewing my mind, body, and spirit.  I pray boldly for those who feel like they are trapped.  Give each of them the courage to gird up in a defensive position to take care of their precious lives according to Your Will.  Be very specific in changes for each burdened person with a clear message that comes from you.  In Jesus Name!

The Key to the Balancing Act of Life

As a teacher (AND mom and wife), this time of year gets hectic and busy.  Often I find myself so tired and having trouble keeping my head above the waters of life.  In addition to all of my every day duties, I am preparing for a mission trip to Lima, Peru in two weeks.  How do we survive when life gets busy?

Nehemiah 8 says,

“The joy of the Lord is our strength.”

We all face times when we are hectic.  I’m ok with that fact as long as I don’t stay there too long.  The challenge we have is reflecting Christ in the midst of this fast season.  According to Scripture, the key is to focus on the joy of the Lord.  It is very tempting to begin complaining and grumbling.  This attitude doesn’t reflect our relationship with Jesus.  

The best way to display the joy of the Lord is to spend time with Him every single day.  Ask God to renew your mind and heart.  Beg Him to adjust your attitude to one that reflects His joy.  I also spend time praying for my sleep to be restful and renewing sleep each night.

Billy Graham said, “Life is short; none of us knows how long we have.  Live each day as if it were your last-for someday it will be.”

My Prayer:  God, show me how to balance all of the responsibilities you have placed in my lfie.  Order my steps each day.  I ask that you renew my mind and heart.  Let your joy be evident to others.  I pray that my rest be peaceful and protected so that I feel renewed each morning.  In Jesus Name!

 

Every Day With Jesus

Let me give you an old song to get playing in your head today.  Perhaps it will lift your spirits...

Written by Robert and Wendell Loveless, and inscribed to Pinebrook, PA Young People's Conference; copywrited by Percy Crawford in 1956 _

EVERY DAY WITH JESUS

Every day with Jesus, is sweeter than the day before.

Every day with Jesus, I love him more and more.

Jesus saves and keeps me, and He's the One I'm waiting for;

Every day with Jesus, Is sweeter than the day before.

I was 5 years old when this song first started to be sung.  I don't know when I first heard it, but I know that it began to be something I sang as a child when I rode my bicycle.  I had plenty of reasons as a kid not to think life could be sweet.  But somehow, every day with Jesus...was sweeter than the day before.

The old songs had so much encouragement in them.

NO Never Alone... we sang "he promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone." Anonymous

HE Lives, He lives. Christ Jesus Lives today.  He walks with me and talks with me, along life's narrow way. ...You ask me how I know he lives...He lives with in my heart."  (Rev. A H Ackley)

In WHAT A FRIEND we sang: "O what peace we often forgeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in Prayer."  (Charles Converse)

OVERSHADOWED - "I'm overshadowed by His mighty love, Love eternal, changeless, pure...He lives to keep me day by day, Love that brightens all my way."  (George Schules)

"Isn't He wonderful, wonderful, wonderful,  Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful....(S. Jones) "Saving me, Keeping me, now and through eternity, Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful."

After All he's done for me, after all he's done for me, How can I do less than give him my best, and live for Him completely, After all he's done for me." (Daasvand and Loveless)

Day by Day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here..." (Sandell and Ahnfelt)

Going to church when I was growing up, was about renewing our minds, and singing was one of the ways we did it.  We often sang 5 - 8 songs almost back to back, with a quick beat so we could get to more verses.  The melodies stayed with you all through the week.  And the words replaced the sadness and downbeat rumblings in our heads with the uplifting truths of the Word.

I want to share just one more:

The whole first verse, leaving you with a question.  How can you believe what this song says and not be encouraged?

I KNOW WHO HOLDS TOMORROW by Ira Stanphill:

I don't know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day. 

 I don't borrow from it's sunshine, For its skies may turn to gray. 

 I don't worry o're the future, For I know what Jesus said. 

 And today I'll walk beside him, For He knows what is ahead.

 Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand.

 But I know who holds tomorrow, And I know who holds my hand.

******************************

When you get discouraged... an old hymnal is a great source of encouragement.  Try it one day.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mine is stayed on thee.  Isaiah 26: 3.

A song on your mind is the best way I know to help you keepy your mind "stayed" on the Lord.

God Gives.

Praise the Lord, my soul; 
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins 
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion, 
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. —Psalm 103:1-5

What powerful and encouraging these verses these are! It reminds us that God forgives our sins and that He heals us. As if those two things aren't great enough, it tells us that He pulls our life out of the deepest, darkest pits we find ourselves in. He crowns us with unending love and deep compassion. What a great God He is!

All those gifts He gives us and He still loves to give us more. He graciously satisfies our desires with good things so that we may be encouraged and our faith renewed. 

Day after day these gifts are ours. God gives and gives and gives. Take some time today to reflect on all the little ways He blesses you daily and praise Him for giving you all that you need.

 

Love in Any Language

As I write this post, my house has seven guests from Peru.  They are our friends- my brother and sisters in Christ- that are part of a church in Lima.  After spending time with them, God continues to remind me of how big His plan is for His children.  Our cultures are very different, but our hearts are exactly the same because we serve and love the same God.

This week as we visited with our friends, we have laughed, eaten, and attempted to understand one another’s language.  My daughter jumped with them on the trampoline.  I took them shopping at Walmart.  One night we spend hours talking about the similarities and differences of our countries and our hearts in serving God wherever we are.

As I take a deep breath and reflect on our visit, I can say this: love is spoken in any language.  Jesus says in John 13:34-35,

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Simple and easy: the answer is always love.  Our challenge is to lay down all of life’s complications and embrace the solution that encompasses the character of Jesus which is love.

My Prayer: God, I pray that the language I speak to others is saturated with love.  Thank you for the experience of not being able to always communicate with words so that my actions and my heart speak more loudly.  Holy Spirit, remind me to default to love in the midst of life’s difficulties.  Jesus, thank you for teaching us about love through your perfect example.  In Jesus name!

 

Living in Freedom

When I began going through some inner healing work as a Christian, I liken the experience to seeing in color after viewing the world in black and white.  I saw myself differently: as a daughter of the King.  I looked at others differently: through the lens of grace.  I viewed my God differently: as a loving Father who intimately cares for His children.  These shifts all fall under the umbrella of freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 says,

“Now where the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

What an amazing promise!  So often, we observe Christianity as a list of rules when the exact opposite is true.  Recognizing our position in the Kingdom should bring about a feeling of freedom.  Our challenge is to ask God to change our viewpoints to that of His own and to continue to rewire our thoughts and renew our minds to be more like His.

My Prayer:  God, continue to show me ways to break the chains and limitations I put on myself.  Thank you for the Spirit of freedom that comes from knowing you.  I pray for a renewed mind each day.  Holy Spirit, release in my heart a peace that comes from freedom.  In Jesus name!

The Moment of Truth

Eleven years ago, I became involved in a Bible study at my church.  One night after completing my Bible study homework, I bowed my head and said, “Lord, why does it feel like my prayers are not being heard?”  The Lord spoke very clearly to my heart and said, “Because you have never asked me into your life as your Savior.”  

I knew this message was truth and I got on my knees in my kitchen floor cluttered with leftover goldfish and Cheerio crumbs from my (then) toddlers and prayed to receive Jesus into my heart.  From that moment on, my life has been in complete overhaul with God.

I continue to make mistakes, but my heart seeks Jesus every day.  When we correctly view Jesus’s death on the cross, we can never be the same.  God’s Will for Jesus was that He would be crucified, dead for three days and would rise from the tomb, walk among His people, and ascend to heaven.

Billy Graham said, “The ground is level at the foot of the cross.”  This challenge remains for those who haven’t humbled themselves and asked for a Savior.  I pray that as you read this post, you will search your heart to make sure that you know the Almighty Jesus who purchased our lives with the cross and, if you know you do, pray for those people in your life, who haven’t had that moment of truth yet.

My Prayer:  God, thank you for my salvation!  My happiness is renewed every year when I think about Easter and Jesus’s great sacrifice.  I pray that you would reveal yourself mightily to the lost.  Let today reign as a moment of eternal truths for those prayed for today.  We rejoice with the angels!  In Jesus Name!

 

Dancing in the Freedom of Forgiveness

A few years ago, I went through a major overhaul of my thought process.  I used to view myself as saved by grace, but often cloaked myself in unforgiveness- not from God, but from myself.  I offered tons more grace to others than I extended myself.  This is a very unhealthy thought pattern and is a lie.  

When we repent and ask God for forgiveness, that’s it!  The penalty is paid through the cross.  I heard Pastor Charles Stanley teach about forgiveness and he said that God doesn’t command us to forgive ourselves, but we cannot be living in the freedom of grace when we hold our offenses against ourselves.  This thought pattern, therefore; does not permit us to live abundantly in God’s will.

Billy Graham said, “In one bold stroke, forgiveness obliterates the past and permits us to enter the land of new beginnings.”

Changing our thought patterns can be done as nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37).  The key is to saturate yourself with God’s word and truths that apply to your situation.  Read these verses over yourself every morning and night.  Tuck them under your pillow, if you want.  I prefer to write my verses on note cards and carry them with me all day.

The other element to change your thoughts is to ask the Lord to protect your mind and renew your heart each day.  The enemy would like to see you beaten to a pulp as you would pose no threat to his evil work.  Take heart, dear friend, God has already overcome the enemy and wants you to live victoriously.  I John 4:4 says,

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

The battle of changing my thoughts seemed long and hard, but was so worth the reward of living in freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says,

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

My Prayer: Lord, I pray for every person who reads this to seek the forgiveness and freedom that comes from a relationship with you.  Free us from our negative thoughts, Lord and cleanse us from our unrighteousness.  Renew our hearts and mind and hide your Word in our hearts.  Holy Spirit, help us stay on the track for abundant living.  May we be like David and dance in the freedom of forgiveness.  In Jesus name.